Members SynysterGates7 Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 i just got my tele back from getting a JB put in the bridge(sounds AMAZING!) and i was fixing the action when i heard a "pop" from the inside of the neck. i don't know what happened, as i don't really understand how a truss rod works. call me a noob. i don't really know much about fixing the action on guitars, so if anyone has suggestions on lowering it on a tele, please help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ryan Trevisol Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 oh dear lord please tell me you weren't adjusting the truss rod with the strings at full tension. yes you can break a truss rod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Burningleaves Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 It is possible to snap your truss rod. I dont know if you know this but the truss rod isnt really for adjusting the action. It is for adjusting the relief on your neck. The nut, Bridge and neck angle (for bolt ons) is what you should really be adjusting for action / string height. The "pop" may have just been a sort of "groan" from tightening it to much to soon. On the few broken ones I have seen...the rod would just spin and never tighten because it was snapped or the broken pc just fell right out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ryan Trevisol Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 Actually I don't think you actually snap the rod, you break it loose from it's mounting at the other end of the neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SynysterGates7 Posted February 13, 2007 Author Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 Actually I don't think you actually snap the rod, you break it loose from it's mounting at the other end of the neck. is there any way to check this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Burningleaves Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 Actually I don't think you actually snap the rod, you break it loose from it's mounting at the other end of the neck. Ya you can. My friend snapped the end of his off. The guitar was an Ibanez Roadstar. About a half inch of it fell right out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Burningleaves Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 Actually I don't think you actually snap the rod, you break it loose from it's mounting at the other end of the neck. Ya thats what I meant about the "spinning". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rog951 Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 You can absolutely break a truss rod. Were you tightening it when it made the "pop" sound? Hope not! It's a pretty expensive repair unfortunately, involving the fingerboard coming off (or the skunk stripe coming out if your tele has one). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SynysterGates7 Posted February 13, 2007 Author Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 The "pop" may have just been a sort of "groan" from tightening it to much to soon. On the few broken ones I have seen...the rod would just spin and never tighten because it was snapped or the broken pc just fell right out. so should i take the neck off and check for it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SynysterGates7 Posted February 13, 2007 Author Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 cuz it just spins now it seems like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cincy_cosmo Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 In almost all manufacturer's manuals they allude to the sensitivity of truss rod adjustments with statements like "If you don't feel comfortable making this adjustment, take it to a qualified technician." You need to price out the repair or a neck replacement. In rare and I mean really rare cases, a truss rod could break but the instrument still be playable. Sorry to hear your loss. From time to time truss rod and their anchor's do break though, even with normal operation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Burningleaves Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 so should i take the neck off and check for it? Where does it adjust from the top? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Burningleaves Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 In almost all manufacturer's manuals they allude to the sensitivity of truss rod adjustments with statements like "If you don't feel comfortable making this adjustment, take it to a qualified technician."You need to price out the repair or a neck replacement. In rare and I mean really rare cases, a truss rod could break but the instrument still be playable.Sorry to hear your loss. From time to time truss rod and their anchor's do break though, even with normal operation. Ya..going back to the Ibanez I mentioned..my buddy left it the way it was and played it for a few years with a broken rod. He kept the broken pc in the case to show people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Ratae Corieltauvorum Posted February 13, 2007 Moderators Share Posted February 13, 2007 oh dear lord please tell me you weren't adjusting the truss rod with the strings at full tension. . Tut tut Ryan, misinformation again:rolleyes: At least 99% of adjusters adjust at full tension, it's pretty pointless otherwise, although apparently Gotoh side adjust rods are ok without tension. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cincy_cosmo Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 Tut tut Ryan, misinformation again:rolleyes: At least 99% of adjusters adjust at full tension, it's pretty pointless otherwise, although apparently Gotoh side adjust rods are ok without tension. I agree. There have been times on 6 string basses that I relieve some of the tension and then adjust the rod, but that is rare and it's more because I don't want to put extra load on a $70 set of strings and break one. Also if the truss is turning hard I relieve tension just to see it gets easier to turn, but that is less than 5% of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members peavey_impact Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 Tut tut Ryan, misinformation again:rolleyes: At least 99% of adjusters adjust at full tension, it's pretty pointless otherwise, although apparently Gotoh side adjust rods are ok without tension. + 26 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SynysterGates7 Posted February 13, 2007 Author Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 ok, so i've been messing around with it, the truss rod screw just seems like it keeps spinning, so i took off the neck, and looked at it. its weird, there is nothing on the flat bottom of the neck, but at the end of the "skunk stipe" on the back oof the neck, it comes to a tiny square hole, the size of the stripe, and below it is a circle of wood inlaid, the same color/wood as the stripe. i didn't notice anything broken, but the hole is too small to see into. but when i took the neck off, i noticed there was a piece of sandpaper laying in the lower part of the area where the neck is bolted in. could this help angle the neck for good action? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SnoMan97 Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 I broke the rod in my Seagull acoustic. Estimate to repair was about $200.00. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mighty Coogna! Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 If it's just spinning you've most likely broken it, either under the adjustment nut & spacer at the headstock end. Or at the pinged block that anchors the rod at the other end. I had an old Epiphone acoustic that I managed to snap the nut end bolt and part of the rod off on. I repaired it myself (a pretty daunting task for a first timer). Even got the old board back on and it works. For an electric, you're most likely looking at replacing the neck for a bolt on. I generally adjust, in very small increments, while under tension. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members angus_old Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 but when i took the neck off, i noticed there was a piece of sandpaper laying in the lower part of the area where the neck is bolted in. could this help angle the neck for good action? it could, but if you broke the rod you've got bigger problems. it's internal to the neck, you won't see anything from looking at it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rog951 Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 >>>ok, so i've been messing around with it, the truss rod screw just seems like it keeps spinning uh oh. 99% sure you broke it. Just get a new neck...that'd be cheaper than the repair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mighty Coogna! Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 You could have also have loosened it all the way the adjustment nut off the rod completely. See if the bolt will just fall out when you turn the guitar on end. Don't worry, you can;t break it any further once it's broken. If the nut falls out, and there's no piece of the rod itself broken off in it, you can probably just screw it back on - or run it over to a tech to get it back together for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mighty Coogna! Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 it could, but if you broke the rod you've got bigger problems. it's internal to the neck, you won't see anything from looking at it A piece of sandpaper is often used on the heal end of the neck pocket to add a little back angle to the neck, so that action can be raised overall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members paulintheuk Posted February 13, 2007 Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 Busted... The ping noise makes me think you were tightening it so it's a snapped trussrod. I hope the repair isn't TOO expensive, it may well be cheaper to get a replcement neck as suggested. For future information, trussrod adjustments should be done very slowly, in increments of no more than a quarter of a turn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SynysterGates7 Posted February 13, 2007 Author Members Share Posted February 13, 2007 ok. from all the replies(thanks guys) i'm gonna take it up to a tech tomorrow(just got about 6 inches of snow, so they're closing early) and see what he says, possibly see if he can set it up. i have tour coming up and this was gonna be my stage guitar, so hopefully its still playable. if not, i have some others i can use. this is my first guitar, and it means alot to me. i don't care how much i have to put into it, i'm never gonna get rid of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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