Truss Rod in the Pono's? Needed in a Uke?

Ukejungle

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Looking for a new Tenor and the Pono's have got attention b/c they have adjustable TR's in them - but talking to others they say the necks not the issue really it's keeping ukuleles from drying out, developing a crack. Coming from a guitar back ground it seems a TR would be a benefit for a Uke. But I don't think any of the "K" brands have truss rods but I believe some custom luthiers install rods in their necks but they are not adjustable, heck they must know something about this or maybe it's done to increase sustain somehow?

Thoughts ? I am here in Texas - high humidity so I dont think any issues with cracks unless left in a car.
 
I've been buying Ponos ever since I tried to get my Kala tenor set up and was told the neck was not going to support a good setup - not sure if I bought it that way in Hawaii (it was my first uke) or if it changed when I got home to Salt Lake City (high altitude and very dry). On the other hand, I've never had to touch the truss rod on my Ponos, so you never know. Besides that, I like a uke that feels solid and the Ponos have a very well built, solid feel to them.
 
I agree with PTO. I love the heft and feel of my Ponos. The truss rod is a bonus that is welcomed.
 
I have several mandolins that have truss rods and one that does not. Only one has a neck that has moved over the years and it is the only one that I can't adjust. There might well be a valid argument that lower string tension on a uke makes a truss rod unnecessary, but I like having the rod in my Pono. And, for what it's worth, I am never conciously aware of a weight difference between my truss rod uke and my no rod uke.
 
I love the neck profiles of Pono tenor and baritone ukuleles that have truss rods.
 
I have owned 6 Pono tenors of various build years. (Still have one.)

Only one has required me to adjust the neck via the truss rod. I kept my Pono MGT Mango in a humidified room. Even so, it developed a buzz all of a sudden. I checked all of the usual suspects. Even changed the strings. No joy. I'd read a few years ago that the neck relief could change and cause the problem. I adjusted the truss rod, following the HMS video. 1/4 turn at a time. It took 3 quarter-turns to eliminate the buzz. Now, four years later, it's still playing just fine for its second owner.

The adjustable truss rod did come in handy and solved the problem.

That has not been a top criterion in my decision-making for buying other tenors. Out of the 50 plus I have owned, that's the only one that had the neck change enough to affect the play. All of them have small changes over the seasons, even when kept in humidified cases and room.
 
Coming from the guitar world myself, I thought there must be something to the truss rod. My first tenor was a Pono because of it. Since then, I’ve gotten a bunch of different Ike’s and the majority of them don’t have rods and are fine.

i can imagine them coming in handy, but they wouldn’t be my deciding factor. I’d sooner look at neck carve. ;-)
 
The truss rod has been very useful for getting rid of fret buzz without having to pay a luthier.
 
I have had to return a few ukes where they might have been fixable if they had a truss rod.
 
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