Broken Truss Rod on a Martin D18

This video shows the replacement of a truss rod in the neck of a Martin dreadnought. The sound hole adjustment end of the truss rod was bent downward and could not be used to straighten the neck, so it had to be removed and replaced with a more sturdy version. This is the style of truss rod where the adjustable portion is a rod that is inserted into an aluminum U-channel, which I believe is what Martin used when they first started installing adjustable truss rods in their necks.
The fretboard needed to be removed by heating. After the replacement rod was installed and the fretboard was reglued there was a small hump in the middle of the neck, so the frets were removed and the surface sanded flat. The lacquer along the junction of the fretboard and neck needed to be touched up because it was chipped when the fretboard was removed.

[@markrock7]

Awesome video. I love how calm you are; I'd be a wreck doing something that requires that level of skill!

[@zimnickiguitars311]

Thanks a lot. It's actually a little less nerve-wracking working on something like that that is not functional: you can't really make it worse.

[@billdedrick1914]

Gary, very interesting video/documentation on this Martin.. It looks very familiar...Great impeccable workmanship and presently it is sounding better than ever.

[@zimnickiguitars311]

I'm so glad to hear that, Bill. Thank you for asking me to do the work on it.

[@mvecellio1]

Great job once again. Must be the truss rod would not take out that hump in the middle. small fixes become big fixes. Good thing they brought it to you

[@zimnickiguitars311]

Thank you very much, Mike.

[@rcote1234]

Fantastic job. Thanks for sharing. I imagine that D18 plays and sounds much better!

[@zimnickiguitars311]

Yes, according to the owner, it plays the way it should.

[@WorldsOkayistGuitarPlayer]

I really wanted to see how full the SwearJar got during the epoxy removal!

[@zimnickiguitars311]

It really wasn't that bad.

[@robtangent4664]

After watching your video, I exam my Martin D18 and could not find my truss rod adjustment hole. All I saw was a piece of wood without the Allen key hole. Isn't this unusual?

[@zimnickiguitars311]

Martin didn't start installing adjustable truss rods until around 1985. Before then, their necks had a square steel rod to help counter the string tension and there was no adjustment. So if your guitar is more than 40 years old, you don't have an adjustable rod.

[@robtangent4664]

@@zimnickiguitars311Got it. I bought it new in the early 80's. So I guess this would make them less valuable, eh? Busy working, I've put this guitar away for many years. Now retired, I want to play again and find the strings too high for my old man fingers. To improve playability, I guess I need to take it to the pro. Thanks for your info.

[@zimnickiguitars311]

@robtangent4664 glad I could answer your question. Yes, take it to a professional.

[@robtangent4664]

@@zimnickiguitars311 Thank you Sir!

[@cisaac8819]

What is the main reason for the russ rod broken?

[@zimnickiguitars311]

I do not know why it broke. Either someone tried to tighten it too much, or it was a poorly made truss rod .I do remember that the threaded part of the replacement rod was much wider, therefore stronger than the original.

[@TMoody]

Very good! Looks like it's a D 16, not an 18.

[@zimnickiguitars311]

Thank you!

[@biggie9817]

When re-joining the fretboard at the cut, do you use fret wire as a gauge to achieve proper spacing?

[@zimnickiguitars311]

Yes, that is how I did it.

[@MacPakinga-gl8bu]

How the hell do you break a Truss Rod 😮🤔.

[@MacPakinga-gl8bu]

@@missanthrope2 dam 👍🏼🎸

[@Andluth]

Where did you get the replacement rod? Thanks

[@zimnickiguitars311]

I had it for many years. Stewart Macdonald still sells that design.

[@zimnickiguitars311]

@@missanthrope2 I guess it depends on how inexpensive of a guitar those stores are talking about.