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Two way Truss Rod


kelly campbell

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Hello Guys and Gals.  I am wondering about the effectiveness of a two way truss rod and if anyone on the forum has one or has played a guitar with it.   I am considering a 000-28 Modern Deluxe from Martin and just curious if is "all that".  They also claim that since it is titanium it is not as heavy.  Any input would be appreciated since I have yet to play one.  thanks

Edited by kelly campbell
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The Fairbanks I recently bought has a dual action truss rod.  As explained to me this gizmo gives you more control over neck adjustments as it reacts to changes in climate.  The downside is they are heavier which would be greatly alleviated by the titanium or going with carbon fiber.

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1 hour ago, kelly campbell said:

Hello Guys and Gals.  I am wondering about the effectiveness of a two way truss rod and if anyone on the forum has one or has played a guitar with it.   I am considering a 000-28 Modern Deluxe from Martin and just curious if is "all that".  They also claim that since it is titanium it is not as heavy.  Any input would be appreciated since I have yet to play one.  thanks

I have a Standard 000-28, and love it. Such fun to play. For Martin's they are short scale, but still just a hair longer than Gibson's scale on most of their stuff.  24.9 vs 24.75.  I played a Eric Clapton one and it was next level. I played a D-28 Modern Dlx. It was super nice.  The pyramid on the back of the headstock was not has tall,  if I remember correctly. 

What is titanium on it? Are you gonna buy without trying it? 

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As opposted to a single-action truss rod (employed in all Gibson guitars), a dual-action truss rod allows you to correct a backbow as well (in addition to an underbow). If the rod is made out of titanium instead of steel, there might be a weight benefit to it, as dual rods are heavier by nature (two truss rods working in parallel). Most modern-day Fender electric guitars feature dual-action truss rods, and they work as intended. I have never seen a Gibson guitar suffer from a backbow so I figure they don't need one; I also do love me a lightweight neck and guitar.

Fender dual-action truss rod

xDvrhAl.jpg

Edited by Leonard McCoy
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The Gibson ‘34 Jumbo RI I recently sold had a dual action rod. First one I’ve ever seen. Worked a lot better than the standard one. It was my understanding that some of the early Gibson’s had these rods.  
I like the Martin 000. I have a 000-28 EC SB and a 0000-28 Custom Koa. 

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2 hours ago, Sgt. Pepper said:

I have a Standard 000-28, and love it. Such fun to play. For Martin's they are short scale, but still just a hair longer than Gibson's scale on most of their stuff.  24.9 vs 24.75.  I played a Eric Clapton one and it was next level. I played a D-28 Modern Dlx. It was super nice.  The pyramid on the back of the headstock was not has tall,  if I remember correctly. 

What is titanium on it? Are you gonna buy without trying it? 

 

 

Thanks Sarge...hell no I am gonna try it more than once but have not yet...They say they rod itself is titanium.

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50 minutes ago, Dave F said:

The Gibson ‘34 Jumbo RI I recently sold had a dual action rod. First one I’ve ever seen. Worked a lot better than the standard one. It was my understanding that some of the early Gibson’s had these rods.  
I like the Martin 000. I have a 000-28 EC SB and a 0000-28 Custom Koa. 

 

 

yes I like the martin 000 I started thinking about the 000-28  then kinda started thinking about the modern deluxe.  I think the Martin 000 models are fantastic..I am also considering a Santa Cruz 000 but finding one to play is a bit of a challenge since there is no Dealer in my entire state.  Closest are 2 1/2 and 3 hours away.   The difference though in price would be very significant.    Thanks

 

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Many of my guitars do not even have a non-adjustable truss rod.  I would think though, a  downside to the dual action truss rod would be it necessitates the removal of more wood from the neck which would further reduce stiffness.  The route I have  taken with badly cupped necks lacking any kind of reinforcement is to not add any kind of a truss rod but compression fretting.  Works like a charm and  actually adds to the stiffness to the board which is part of the neck. 

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1 hour ago, ratherbwalkn said:

"The pyramid on the back of the headstock"

Some people call it a "Volute"    hopefully not treadjacking but "Just say'in"

It probably is the technical term, but to me it looks like a small pyramid. 28's and 40 series have them.  The 35 I had did not.

A 000-18 is nice too.  I've played a ton of 000-15's and for the price they sound fantastic.

What about an M-36? I played a few of those and they are like smaller D-35's.

Edited by Sgt. Pepper
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On 7/16/2020 at 2:49 PM, Leonard McCoy said:

kI have never seen a Gibson guitar suffer from a backbow so I figure they don't need one....

I had a 2011 Gibson Midtown Custom that developed a backbow within a year after I purchased it new.  The fingerboard was, I believe, Gibson’s first utilization of Richlite as a fingerboard material.  I speculated at the time that perhaps the backbow issue was related to the fingerboard.

 

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On 7/17/2020 at 8:57 AM, ratherbwalkn said:

 hopefully not treadjacking but "Just say'in"

Usually I do, but since he was inquiring about buying one I stated an observation about the pyramid thing on the ones I played vs the ones I own. But thanks for calling me out. 

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On 7/17/2020 at 9:56 AM, Sgt. Pepper said:

It probably is the technical term, but to me it looks like a small pyramid. 28's and 40 series have them.  The 35 I had did not.

A 000-18 is nice too.  I've played a ton of 000-15's and for the price they sound fantastic.

What about an M-36? I played a few of those and they are like smaller D-35's.

 

When I had my custom  koa made I was going to do a 000-28.

The dealer suggested the 0000 (or M) body size because it it larger and would help the sound with it being a thin guitar.

The M is almost the same size as a D with a tighter waist and thinner body.

Here's some info from Maury's

 

 

Martin 000-14 Fret Guitars

BODY LENGTH

19-3/8"

UPPER BOUT WIDTH

11-1/4"

LOWER BOUT WIDTH

15"

UPPER BOUT DEPTH

3-11/32"

LOWER BOUT DEPTH

4-1/8"

Martin M-14 Fret Guitars

BODY LENGTH

20-1/8"

UPPER BOUT WIDTH

11-11/16"

LOWER BOUT WIDTH

16"

UPPER BOUT DEPTH

3-5/16"

LOWER BOUT DEPTH

4-1/8"

Martin D-14 Fret Guitars

BODY LENGTH

20"

UPPER BOUT WIDTH

11-1/2"

LOWER BOUT WIDTH

15-5/8"

UPPER BOUT DEPTH

3-15/16"

LOWER BOUT DEPTH

4-7/8"

 


 

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1 hour ago, Leonard McCoy said:

Martin guitars couldn't be more unappealing to me, visually, in terms of design and sound.

They are total POS. What does CFM know about making a guitar anyway?

Wait, they invented the Dreadnought. No manufacturer's use that design, except almost if not all of them. H'bird and Dove wouldn't happen to be Dreads would they?

The one thing I will say is Martin has no business painting the tops on their guitars. I think they look awful. Gibson kills them in that department.

Edited by Sgt. Pepper
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I have thought about a 000-18  and the standard  000-28..I am thinking of going for the more astetic and modern version, but nothing is in stone yet and I may do the Santa Cruz...I had a 00015 M but just dont care for a mahogony top seems  too mild for my taste but was very comfortable to play.

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54 minutes ago, kelly campbell said:

I have thought about a 000-18  and the standard  000-28..I am thinking of going for the more astetic and modern version, but nothing is in stone yet and I may do the Santa Cruz...I had a 00015 M but just dont care for a mahogony top seems  too mild for my taste but was very comfortable to play.

Never played a 000-15 that I think didn't sounded great. I have a D-15M. It's my go anywhere guitar.  My 000-28 is my higher end beater. I use it for all my alternate tunings. My 41 gets babied. My 18 is the new kid on the block, but sounds better than my first one. I had a maple Guild. That is the only thing I don't have right now is a maple guitar.

Edited by Sgt. Pepper
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5 hours ago, Sgt. Pepper said:

They are total POS. What does CFM know about making a guitar anyway?

Wait, they invented the Dreadnought. No manufacturer's use that design, except almost if not all of them. H'bird and Dove wouldn't happen to be Dreads would they?

The one thing I will say is Martin has no business painting the tops on their guitars. I think they look awful. Gibson kills them in that department.

I know you feel butthurt now, but it is what it is.

What is, is.

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6 hours ago, Sgt. Pepper said:

I'm not, but do I cry myself to sleep most nights knowing I own a D-41.

I guess there are worse things to do for warming you through the night than cuddling up to ya old D-41 (as burdensome as it may be). I just can't for the life of me see a single shred of beauty in the Martin design that looks but old, antiquated, German-esque to me. Clearly, I'm in the majority and you will have to kowtow to my superior opinion and destroy all your Martin guitars at once.

Edited by Leonard McCoy
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I tend to agree with Mr. McCoy as I was never much of a Martin fan. My uncle's name was Bob Martin and he had a dusty old Martin he could not play. I did kick myself for not snagging it after he passed away. Triple 0 something if I remember. I think my cousin traded it for blow just like David Crosby's pre war.

Edited by Holiday Hoser
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