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I have not done a trus rod like this in 20 years but I don't remember having an issue like this. IIRC I used to use the old Martin truss rods that had an aluminum bar stock top with a threaded rod under it and it had a nice long nut that fit through the UT-Brace. I just got some new Martin style rods from Stew Mac but they don't seem to be long enough. I don't want to have to reach blindly under the UTB to adjust the rod. But as it is if I install it then the focul point of the truss rod action will be under the 10th fret so close to the body joint it just doesn't make sense.

What am I doing wrong here?

Drill an access hole in UTB & use a long wrench to adjust.

End of rod should be between 1st fret & nut.

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

Martin truss rods only go as far as the heel/mortice/dovetail, at least the ones I've seen so far. Like the SM Hot Rods.
I've not had problems getting to them, normally with a with a long ball ended wrench though a hole in the neck block.
Focal point is midway along the functioning (bendy) part of the rod, about 6th fret, and yours looks just about there if you move it back so the top of the rod is near to the nut end.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

Like this.



Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Ok maybe my memory fails me or perhaps I was doing it wrong back then. I guess maybe they could have been 12 fretters too but I seem to remember that the rods I used before had no problem going right up to and through the hole in the UTB so that there was very easy access. I certainly see many factory guitars that come in for repairs that are like that. That's really what I would like to do rather than have a special long allen key. Didn't the old style Martin rods come in both 12 and 14 fret lengths?

Your memory has not failed you ... yet. I don't know when it happened, but at some point Martin switched to shorter rids that require a longer wrench to access.

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George :-)

The long wrench is now the standard -- no big deal a couple of bucks at the most. The design and quality of the Martin two way rod is outstanding -- those and the "U" are my first choices. Martin Black is for 12th fret Blue for 14th models.



Stew Mac still sells the Gotoh aluminum "U" channel rods in a couple of sizes -- I suspect not for long

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

So Ken if I understand you correctly the one I have pictured above is black and therefore is for 12 fret? I don't know how I missed those U-Channel ones on Stew Macs site when I ordered these new rods but yeah those are the ones I used to use. I still only see it in one size for acoustic and one for electric though.

These are where I got the new low profile ones and they appear to only be black: http://www.stewmac.com/Materials_and_Su ... s_Rod.html

Correct black for 12th fretter's

Its seems I had some of the shorter (12th fret) "U" channel version I may have purchased those from Gotoh, but I think they are no longer making that style. We are building new fixtures for our neck machining operation, so not far down the road we'll only be using the two way rods.

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

I believe Ken means the Black rods from Martin, not the black ones from Stew Mac.

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

Yes

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/

Ok got it, thanks.