Here is a good look at how to avoid a neck reset and get a great playing guitar to boot. Enjoy Support: / rosastringworks Website: www.rosastringworks.com
With such an extraordinarily low saddle, this 70's D28 definitely needs a neck reset to optimize the string break angle over the saddle which will result in the best sound/tone/volume from this D28.
I have a 1938 Martin, and someone along the way decided to lower the bridge to avoid a neck set. The next step in the process is that the bridge is not as strong and is more prone to crack, which it did, and so I not only had to reset the neck but I had to replace the bridge. I really hated to replace the bridge, but Martin had a replacement that was perfect.
There isnone benefit of putting on a bridge.. If you build it from scratch, and you have a tool like Jerry has to slot it ,just about every time you'll have better intonation than the factory had because they just measure it and glue it .
Even though you mentioned that the camera does not do the sound justice, that guitar really 'rings' now. Thanks for this upload and for the daily blogs, really enjoy them too.
Hi Jerry, Don here from Hamilton NZ on my Wife's tablet, I just gotta say real nice harmonies on your backing track, nice to listen to while I watch your work on the Martin
Good job. Beautiful guitar. I'm starting to like the idea of bolt-on necks for acoustic guitars because they all seem to need the neck angle adjusted at some point. I've never done a neck reset, but think that resetting a bolt-on neck would be much easier.
One could always shim the existing bridge pickup slot +/- to raise or lower string action at the saddles. Some even rout out the saddle slot a little deeper and that can always be shimmed up or down with a piezo pickup. Ovation does it that way. What I did, I channeled the plastic saddle part of the CP-100 & maintain the intonation ridge. Those are $ 10-12 as a replacement part . So order & receive the spare part before channeling either saddle part. That way if it ends up a mess, you can always use the original or new replacement saddle piece and be right where you started.
Another great job Jerry. Martin, Harmony, Silvertone it doesn't matter, they all play and sound better when you lay hands on them! Your note on checking a soldering gun's tip connections for tightness is right on. A friend was having trouble with his gun not getting hot enough to melt solder. I was working in another area of his shop when suddenly I heard him shout out !@#!@!!!. I turned around just in time to see him take it by the cord and slam it into the concrete floor. All it needed was to have the tip connections tightened. I wonder how many Wellers suffered a similar fate? One of mine is over 60 years old and still works fine...
I used the razor blade technique lightly on my 45 year old Tama. (One of the lawsuit models). It really did clean it up well, it was really covered in crud. Looks NICE.
I've got a 1971 D-35 that I bought in 1974. Neck was reset once and I had the pick guard crack that was repaired. Fun watching you work on the neck .. gave me the idea to do the same to a Breedlove that I have with that same high spot .. Thanks! 🤠
The only thing that will make it sound any better over these recordings is if you use a better mic. Great video my friend. I’ll be playing a bit more with my set ups that’s for sure
I have a 58 D-28 with a maple bridge plate and it’s working just fine. Leave well enough alone. I’m learning from watching your videos and observations. Thank you.
It's interesting that you favour rosewood bridge plates - a refreshing change from the hype about small maple plates being the only way to go. I've often thought that a guitar either sounds good or it doesn't because wood is so variable in density and stiffness. I'm also dubious about the fashion for scalloped bracing. I've heard some outstanding guitars without scooping.
Nice setup!!! Sounds great. I prefer lights on a Martin as well - mediums darken the sound (to my ear at least). And your adventure with the endpin screw brought to mind my least favorite activity in the shop: "Finding the Thing You Dropped"
I agree. I’ve got a early 2000’s Martin DR rosewood and I use 12-53 lights. I tried those Martin brand light strings. They started a a 10-? I don’t remember. But they were horrible. Very thin sound and no bottom end. Not enough punch to move the soundboard I guess. I’ve never gone bigger than a 12-? But it’s got that big booming bass response and still the thin strings are able to cut through at the same time. Makes for a beautiful sounding guitar. Especially open tuned.
Am I missing something? Just kinda noticed that when you're measuring string height at the 12th fret that you only use 2 strings to pull on the neck, then you string it and put on full tension which can be a 240 to 320 pound difference. So if you adjust to spec with 2 strings, then add another 320 pounds after fully stringing it has no choice but to make your adjustment inaccurate. I'm sure you're making it up with experience but in this case you said it was higher at the 12 fret than you expected. Anyway, I'm just a nosey observer and very curious 64 year old who has been setting up guitars since I was 20 and willing to learn anything you can teach. With that said I have tons of respect for you Jerry and absolutely love your content, and thank you for showing us your craft.
That was a great set up. To many folks jump into a neck reset when they don't have to. My son thought he needed one because the straight edge does not go over the top of the bridge. Well low and behold, I have him with low action and still have more saddle to go if needed in the future. I tell people all the time to try setting it up before attempting a neck reset, you may be surprised or you may get away with what you did in this video.
I absolutely love your channel and wish you luck on your future (after instrument repair) videos. Anyway, could you tell me where you got your string height gauge (the flat one that has a taper). They seem to be elusive. Cheers
Liked, subscribed and commented. Thanks much for this, it was the inspiration to finally start working on getting my '72 D-35 back up and working. ???? A minor error of fact, which nearly every one else makes too, at 12:05. 800 grit is not 800 per square inch, it is 800 per lineal inch. 800 grit per lineal inch makes each grit .00125", 800 grit per square inch would make each grit .0354".
"Grit size refers to the size of the particles of abrading materials embedded in the sandpaper. These measurements are determined by the amount of the abrasive material that can fit through a square inch filter." ( "Sandpaper Grit". Empire Abrasives. Retrieved 13 April 2020. )
Mr. Rosa, you do nice work and I enjoy watching you fix these Guitars. Would you have the time to do a couple guitars for me? One is a 12 string Alvarez I bought New in 1972. The saddel , Glue let loose. Let me know. It had a neck reset 20 years after I bought it. Still was playing great until the glue let go.
Hi Jerry; I have a 3/4 size Cordoba guitar with a cedar top. The B string on it always sounds dull too, particularly on the first and third frets. I have checked the angle on the nut, the saddle and the level of the frets in that area of the neck. I have even put a new strng on it and it still doesn't sound right to me. The only thing I can figure is that the guitar just doesn't resonate well with those particular notes. Other than that, I love the guitar. It has a beautiful tone and is easy to play. The set-up on it is very nice (and was right out of the box). Any insights on this would be appreciated. I really enjoy your morning vlogs.
I have a Dean koa wood acoustic with a string that buzzes on the first several frets. It will get better then worse again. I have nobody here to help repair it. I ordered it. It`s a great guitar otherwise. I believe I could fix it if I knew what to do. But I don`t want to assume anything either.
Another possibility is that it's your actual saddle the string has to ride over the full width of the saddle if it's riding on part of the saddle it can actually buzz on the other part hope that makes sense
Great job! Looks nice, sounds nice. What do you think about installing a strap button on the heal? I’d like to do it on my own guitar, but a little nervous to try it.
I usually agree with you but I think you should have done the neck reset. Preserve the original design and dimensions of the instrument! It (the strings)will have a lower break angle and this changes the volume, power, etc of the guitar! The bridge, being thinner will be more prone to crack, necessitating a new bridge, and a neck reset anyway. I enjoy hour program, but if you did this on one of my Martins, I’d be very upset. I love the music on your program, as well as your banter. Most people that I know who own Martins or other higher end guitars would choose the neck reset if they understand the issue. I know it’s a judgment call, and it wasn’t much but I would choose a neck reset. When I buy older guitars I try to determine if this has been done and if it needs a neck reset. We see this one very differently. I do understand wanting to save the customer money, and they may not have wanted the neck reset.
Sorry for asking because I know you are a professional. I only worked with some Luther's around Nashville, I never went to a luthier school. I think you did a good job here but I would have checked the Fret board , the neck, for a bow or a hump in the neck by eyeballing and putting a straight edge on the fretboard to the bridge. I look down the fretboard from the headstock to the bridge. Just asking, I do like the way you lowered the bridge and reworked the bridge. Good luck and thanks for your post
There is nothing I would like more than having you set up my Loar mandolin. The strings are crazy high and the nut slots are not wide enough. The bridge is as low as the screws will go. It’s hard playing.
Have you aver tried hickory for bridges, bridge pads, or fretboards? I was just given a good sized stack of hickory, when I looked it up for comparison, it's harder than most rosewoods, on par with Brazilian rw and padauk. Playing around with a couple chunks I cut off, it's tough as nails!! I've obviously had some in ax and hammer handles, but never had any experience with it as raw lumber, I am really impressed. I'll definitely be using it on some instruments. 🤩🤩
The Rosa curse. Started it around 2 o'clock this afternoon It was taking forever to upload it got to 69% around 4:30 and the electric went off for over an hour had to restart it from scratch cause it wouldn't pick up where it was at and you see the result
I have a very similar guitar ,but it needs the same job on it. I'm 81 yrs.old and it's getting harder to push the strings down. I had a guy that was supposed to be good work on it but it's worse
It's remarkable to me that Martin built guitars as late as the 70's, and possibly 80's, and 90's without a truss rod. I think that move is shameful. We're talking about a piece of wood, and it makes no difference what name is on the headstock.
You seem to be so sloppy to me. My teacher is almost 80 now and his methods are so different from yours--- example- 800 grit to polishing with metal polish? AND DONE? I cannot watch except to chuckle and show my teach-- sloppy and just so so not a guy I'd let touch any Martin of mine!😊
With such an extraordinarily low saddle, this 70's D28 definitely needs a neck reset to optimize the string break angle over the saddle which will result in the best sound/tone/volume from this D28.
I have a 1938 Martin, and someone along the way decided to lower the bridge to avoid a neck set. The next step in the process is that the bridge is not as strong and is more prone to crack, which it did, and so I not only had to reset the neck but I had to replace the bridge. I really hated to replace the bridge, but Martin had a replacement that was perfect.
There isnone benefit of putting on a bridge.. If you build it from scratch, and you have a tool like Jerry has to slot it ,just about every time you'll have better intonation than the factory had because they just measure it and glue it .
She rings like a charm! Old Martins are killers for their sound. You landed on your feet again Gerry!
50th subscriber LIKE; 354th desktop view... late one Friday evening...
Even though you mentioned that the camera does not do the sound justice, that guitar really 'rings' now. Thanks for this upload and for the daily blogs, really enjoy them too.
Hi Jerry, Don here from Hamilton NZ on my Wife's tablet, I just gotta say real nice harmonies on your backing track, nice to listen to while I watch your work on the Martin
Good job. Beautiful guitar. I'm starting to like the idea of bolt-on necks for acoustic guitars because they all seem to need the neck angle adjusted at some point. I've never done a neck reset, but think that resetting a bolt-on neck would be much easier.
With modern construction techniques a bolt on joint is just as tight as a dovetail.
And, yes, neck resets are much easier
Excellent job bringing it back to life.
This was fascinating. A glimpse into the science of set ups...
Fascinating, as always!
Great job! Please show more of these.
It's always therapeutic to watch you repair and set up an instrument Jerry. And I learn a thing or three along the way. Cheeers
Jerry, This helps answer my questions from yesterday's shop talk. Thanks again.
good setup, very nice song to finish off. Keep up the good work
Thank Jerry great set up video 🇬🇧
I so admire the way you know exactly what to do and what to use.
Loved the before and after sound comparison near the end. Wow, what a difference!
Just a fantastic set up video...such a beautiful 70s martin
Love your videos Jerry. I know its hard work. Much appreciated
Nice!
Really nice sustain after the set up.
Another great set up Jerry , I hope your customer likes it !
Hi Jerry, I'm too busy to watch many videos that I can concentrate on, these days, always a pleasure to see you 😉
One could always shim the existing bridge pickup slot +/- to raise or lower string action at the saddles. Some even rout out the saddle slot a little deeper and that can always be shimmed up or down with a piezo pickup. Ovation does it that way. What I did, I channeled the plastic saddle part of the CP-100 & maintain the intonation ridge. Those are $ 10-12 as a replacement part . So order & receive the spare part before channeling either saddle part. That way if it ends up a mess, you can always use the original or new replacement saddle piece and be right where you started.
Another great job Jerry. Martin, Harmony, Silvertone it doesn't matter, they all play and sound better when you lay hands on them!
Your note on checking a soldering gun's tip connections for tightness is right on. A friend was having trouble with his gun not getting hot enough to melt solder. I was working in another area of his shop when suddenly I heard him shout out !@#!@!!!. I turned around just in time to see him take it by the cord and slam it into the concrete floor. All it needed was to have the tip connections tightened. I wonder how many Wellers suffered a similar fate? One of mine is over 60 years old and still works fine...
You did a fine job setting up that martin! Best wishes.
I used the razor blade technique lightly on my 45 year old Tama. (One of the lawsuit models). It really did clean it up well, it was really covered in crud. Looks NICE.
You’re right Jerry, Light gauge on an acoustic is the way
*also, I can tell a quit a difference in the sound in the comparison
Great work!
Great sounding and looking guitar. Nice job on the setup and saving money for the customer by avoiding a neck reset.
I've got a 1971 D-35 that I bought in 1974. Neck was reset once and I had the pick guard crack that was repaired. Fun watching you work on the neck .. gave me the idea to do the same to a Breedlove that I have with that same high spot .. Thanks! 🤠
The only thing that will make it sound any better over these recordings is if you use a better mic. Great video my friend. I’ll be playing a bit more with my set ups that’s for sure
There is a big difference in the sound. It's much more clear and rings like a bell! Good job Jerry!
Very cool. I had no idea you can wax a martin. Hardly any saddle left.still sounded good.
Thanks as always for the videos, i always pickup new things to try on repairs from your videos. 🙂
Im currently rebuilding a broken Yamaha F325D. :-)
Wonderful job cleaning this up. :-)
I found i like wood pins the best. Rosewood or Ebony. :-) I hear a difference. You may not and maybe its in my head, but i hear a difference.
a darned good work out . . .
I have a 58 D-28 with a maple bridge plate and it’s working just fine. Leave well enough alone. I’m learning from watching your videos and observations. Thank you.
Nice video.
It's interesting that you favour rosewood bridge plates - a refreshing change from the hype about small maple plates being the only way to go. I've often thought that a guitar either sounds good or it doesn't because wood is so variable in density and stiffness. I'm also dubious about the fashion for scalloped bracing. I've heard some outstanding guitars without scooping.
Thing is it was already a really good sounding guitar but the clarity is much better and now it’s playable. That’s what ya want in a setup
Nice setup!!! Sounds great. I prefer lights on a Martin as well - mediums darken the sound (to my ear at least). And your adventure with the endpin screw brought to mind my least favorite activity in the shop: "Finding the Thing You Dropped"
I agree. I’ve got a early 2000’s Martin DR rosewood and I use 12-53 lights. I tried those Martin brand light strings. They started a a 10-? I don’t remember. But they were horrible. Very thin sound and no bottom end. Not enough punch to move the soundboard I guess. I’ve never gone bigger than a 12-? But it’s got that big booming bass response and still the thin strings are able to cut through at the same time. Makes for a beautiful sounding guitar. Especially open tuned.
Am I missing something? Just kinda noticed that when you're measuring string height at the 12th fret that you only use 2 strings to pull on the neck, then you string it and put on full tension which can be a 240 to 320 pound difference. So if you adjust to spec with 2 strings, then add another 320 pounds after fully stringing it has no choice but to make your adjustment inaccurate. I'm sure you're making it up with experience but in this case you said it was higher at the 12 fret than you expected. Anyway, I'm just a nosey observer and very curious 64 year old who has been setting up guitars since I was 20 and willing to learn anything you can teach. With that said I have tons of respect for you Jerry and absolutely love your content, and thank you for showing us your craft.
The before and after sounds were quite different, I think. Nice work.
I like to leave the fingerboard divots. It’s part of the history of the guitar.
That was a great set up. To many folks jump into a neck reset when they don't have to. My son thought he needed one because the straight edge does not go over the top of the bridge. Well low and behold, I have him with low action and still have more saddle to go if needed in the future. I tell people all the time to try setting it up before attempting a neck reset, you may be surprised or you may get away with what you did in this video.
I absolutely love your channel and wish you luck on your future (after instrument repair) videos. Anyway, could you tell me where you got your string height gauge (the flat one that has a taper). They seem to be elusive. Cheers
Liked, subscribed and commented. Thanks much for this, it was the inspiration to finally start working on getting my '72 D-35 back up and working.
???? A minor error of fact, which nearly every one else makes too, at 12:05. 800 grit is not 800 per square inch, it is 800 per lineal inch. 800 grit per lineal inch makes each grit .00125", 800 grit per square inch would make each grit .0354".
"Grit size refers to the size of the particles of abrading materials embedded in the sandpaper. These measurements are determined by the amount of the abrasive material that can fit through a square inch filter." ( "Sandpaper Grit". Empire Abrasives. Retrieved 13 April 2020. )
Jerry Rosa is so good, he can do a complete level and recrown job, without once using a straight edge, or even 1 piece of tape!
That's how you know it's done right!
Mr. Rosa, you do nice work and I enjoy watching you fix these Guitars. Would you have the time to do a couple guitars for me? One is a 12 string Alvarez I bought New in 1972. The saddel , Glue let loose. Let me know. It had a neck reset 20 years after I bought it. Still was playing great until the glue let go.
New strings make a difference too!
Wonderful job, i would like to know, measurements for neck relief, please. Thanks
👍👍
Hi Jerry;
I have a 3/4 size Cordoba guitar with a cedar top. The B string on it always sounds dull too, particularly on the first and third frets. I have checked the angle on the nut, the saddle and the level of the frets in that area of the neck. I have even put a new strng on it and it still doesn't sound right to me. The only thing I can figure is that the guitar just doesn't resonate well with those particular notes. Other than that, I love the guitar. It has a beautiful tone and is easy to play. The set-up on it is very nice (and was right out of the box). Any insights on this would be appreciated. I really enjoy your morning vlogs.
I have a Dean koa wood acoustic with a string that buzzes on the first several frets. It will get better then worse again. I have nobody here to help repair it. I ordered it. It`s a great guitar otherwise. I believe I could fix it if I knew what to do. But I don`t want to assume anything either.
Another possibility is that it's your actual saddle the string has to ride over the full width of the saddle if it's riding on part of the saddle it can actually buzz on the other part hope that makes sense
Great job! Looks nice, sounds nice. What do you think about installing a strap button on the heal? I’d like to do it on my own guitar, but a little nervous to try it.
I usually agree with you but I think you should have done the neck reset. Preserve the original design and dimensions of the instrument! It (the strings)will have a lower break angle and this changes the volume, power, etc of the guitar! The bridge, being thinner will be more prone to crack, necessitating a new bridge, and a neck reset anyway. I enjoy hour program, but if you did this on one of my Martins, I’d be very upset. I love the music on your program, as well as your banter. Most people that I know who own Martins or other higher end guitars would choose the neck reset if they understand the issue. I know it’s a judgment call, and it wasn’t much but I would choose a neck reset. When I buy older guitars I try to determine if this has been done and if it needs a neck reset. We see this one very differently. I do understand wanting to save the customer money, and they may not have wanted the neck reset.
" BOOM ! "
Good work. Why was the pickup removed?
much clearer after..
Sorry for asking because I know you are a professional. I only worked with some Luther's around Nashville, I never went to a luthier school. I think you did a good job here but I would have checked the Fret board , the neck, for a bow or a hump in the neck by eyeballing and putting a straight edge on the fretboard to the bridge. I look down the fretboard from the headstock to the bridge. Just asking, I do like the way you lowered the bridge and reworked the bridge. Good luck and thanks for your post
There is nothing I would like more than having you set up my Loar mandolin. The strings are crazy high and the nut slots are not wide enough. The bridge is as low as the screws will go. It’s hard playing.
Aside from preventing buzzing, what is the effect of a steep angle behind the saddle?
Perhaps a better way to overcome the shallow string angle would have been to just saw in the string grooves.
What kind of tuners would you use on a Martin guitar, i was shopping for some. im thinking grover look more like what Martin uses by default
The lighed mirrored where do I get one
Have you aver tried hickory for bridges, bridge pads, or fretboards? I was just given a good sized stack of hickory, when I looked it up for comparison, it's harder than most rosewoods, on par with Brazilian rw and padauk. Playing around with a couple chunks I cut off, it's tough as nails!! I've obviously had some in ax and hammer handles, but never had any experience with it as raw lumber, I am really impressed. I'll definitely be using it on some instruments. 🤩🤩
How does the weight of hickory compare to rosewood?
@@nathanbarnette1162 almost the same as Indian rosewood in weight and strength (strength is actually a bit higher)
😮
I didn't see you. Check the satellite with the pick up in it.
Don't the D28 come from the factory with brown pick guards? The black pick guards are for the D35s. Awesome great video thanks for sharing.
70’s Martins all had black pickguards.
@@pmscalisi Not for the D28s. The D35s had black pick guards. I had a 1975 D35 it had a black pick guard the D28s did not.
What brand is that taper gauge, and is it marked for 64th or what's it graduation?
What are the fret files you use?
I hear J16 strings are used. What brand are these?
Perhaps a dumb question but would new taller frets be a good thing to help this guitars action?
Seems like, doesn’t it? Of course that may require a new nut to keep the buzz out of the upper frets.
Wow..12:33 AM
The Rosa curse. Started it around 2 o'clock this afternoon It was taking forever to upload it got to 69% around 4:30 and the electric went off for over an hour had to restart it from scratch cause it wouldn't pick up where it was at and you see the result
We appreciate you Jerry!
Insomniac's Delight, eh?
@@RosaStringWorks Can I say it? Can I say it? It ain't easy being YOU!
Way to go to avoid a neck reset I'll add the bridge shaving to my repertoire. Nice video,
I have a very similar guitar ,but it needs the same job on it. I'm 81 yrs.old and it's getting harder to push the strings down. I had a guy that was supposed to be good work on it but it's worse
Which strings did you put on her? Sounds real nice!
D’adario j16. You would have to go to their sight to find the gauge. He called them light so 12-52, maybe.
If those strings were pinching on the nut then they had tuning issues.
It's remarkable to me that Martin built guitars as late as the 70's, and possibly 80's, and 90's without a truss rod. I think that move is shameful. We're talking about a piece of wood, and it makes no difference what name is on the headstock.
Tuning is dull too
Nothing wrong with a bridge plane to save a neck reset.
Didn't sound a damn bit different.!!!
nicotine . . .?
the good old paintbrush dust up . . .
I cringe every time I hear patina and buffing in the same sentence, I reckon not all patina is good patina though!
mr migayi teach well wax on wax off
Gibson and Martin guitars are always repaired in youtube videos! What a junk these 2 companies make!!!
You seem to be so sloppy to me. My teacher is almost 80 now and his methods are so different from yours--- example- 800 grit to polishing with metal polish? AND DONE? I cannot watch except to chuckle and show my teach-- sloppy and just so so not a guy I'd let touch any Martin of mine!😊