Is the devil wearing ice skates? NUD: Pono MTD

spookelele said:

I don't understand this assertion, to the point where I disagree with it.
Why would you grind the saddle when the same effect can be had with a 1/4 turn of the truss?

Click to expand...

I do that because I want the relief to be constant regardless of the action.

Here's what Frank Ford, master luthier at Gryphon Music, has to say (from the page at http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Musician/GenSetup/TrussRods/TrussRodAdj/tradj.html, which is worth the time to read):


Granted, Frank is talking about guitars, but the principle is the same.

Constant to what though?

The idea that there is a correct relief doesn't make sense since its different from one uke to the next. From one month to the next if the humidity changes significantly. It's not even constant across the neck because the neck is tapered.

Ukejenny said:

Very, very nice!!!!

Click to expand...

Thank you.. =)

Surly-Mac said:

That's a beauty - congratulations!

Click to expand...

Thanks Surly_Mac. =)

spookelele said:

I don't understand this assertion, to the point where I disagree with it.
Why would you grind the saddle when the same effect can be had with a 1/4 turn of the truss?

It's not like pono sent out the uke with some mongoloid huge saddle that's so far out that using the truss is going to throw out intonation to the point of unplayability. I will asset that whoever ground down the original saddle, did it, because they didn't know there was a truss, or they didn't understand it.

Click to expand...

Spook.
This was taken to a professional luthier. The saddle was lowered because the previous owner wanted the action lowered.
The luthier was fully aware of the truss rod. From my understanding, a truss rod is used to adjust the relief of the neck if it starts to move one way or the other for whatever reason: age, humidity, string tension, et al.
But action is adjusted by lowering the saddle and sometimes the nut. Right?


BTW, I added a sound sample in post #1. Check it out. =)

spookelele said:

Constant to what though?

Click to expand...

Constant to the builder's and/or the player's specification. That's the point of having a truss rod that is adjustable.

The idea that there is a correct relief doesn't make sense since its different from one uke to the next. From one month to the next if the humidity changes significantly. It's not even constant across the neck because the neck is tapered.

Click to expand...

There will be some minor differences between the individual blocks of wood that make up the necks, and humidity will have an effect on the wood itself. But the truss rod negates those changes by holding the neck steady, and adjustable rods allow adjustments to compensate for any differences among those blocks of wood. If the necks are made properly (and Pono necks are, from what I've seen) you should be able to dial in the same amount of relief in all of them.

johnson430 said:

The luthier was fully aware of the truss rod. From my understanding, a truss rod is used to adjust the relief of the neck if it starts to move one way or the other....
But action is adjusted by lowering the saddle and sometimes the nut. Right?

Click to expand...

This is correct. The truss rod will only ever be used in quite rare circumstances. It's a nice to have, but in most cases would never, ever be used.