Truss rod adjustment

TheOtherDennis

My self built Stew Mac dreadnought got knocked over by my granddaughter. It fell face down, and there's no visible damage.

However, some of the strings now buzz slightly, so I think it needs a slight truss rod adjustment to lift them a nadge.

Do I tighten or loosen the truss rod to achieve this? I know I should know this but I'm not convinced and I'd rather ask before I do any more damage...

SteveRobinson

It's more likely a fret was damaged in the fall, or if you're lucky just the strings.

You can try loosening the rod slightly first but if there's no joy then check the frets for damage and maybe try new strings.

paulnb57

I would check the neck relief first, then make any adjustment to the rod

LastMantra

Would such a fall effect the truss rod? I'd be a bit concerned it was something else.
I may be totally wrong though and if a wee tweak fixes it then sweet. 

Funkfingers

SteveRobinson said:

It's more likely a fret was damaged in the fall or, if you're lucky, just the strings.

This. 

Inspect the undersides of the wound strings for compression dents in line with the frets. A kink in a string would be enough to cause problems.

Check the frets with a Fretrocker tool.

For a face forward fall, the first things that would have hit the floor are the E string machineheads and/or the nut. 

Check that the nut is still firmly attached and that there are no cracks in the string slots. 

If your machineheads have push-in bushings, check that the fastening screws on the back of the headstock are still nipped up. (Loose hardware can rattle.)

TheOtherDennis

The nut is fine, I replaced it with a new one because I spotted the old one had a chip out of one corner, and the buzzing actually got slightly worse.

Haven't changed the strings yet, though, I'll look at those and then the frets

TheOtherDennis

LastMantra said:

Would such a fall effect the truss rod? I'd be a bit concerned it was something else.
I may be totally wrong though and if a wee tweak fixes it then sweet. 

I don't know what it would really affect - I just thought it might have been the neck relief because it landed on its face, and thus the impact will have been slightly backwards.

It's a bolt on neck, you see, so there's some very slight margin for movement. Hence my first thought was for truss rod.

I will look at the other things too, as suggested.

Funkfingers

TheOtherDennis said:

It's a bolt on neck, you see, so there's some very slight margin for movement.

Now, he tells us.

The neck heel could have shifted in the pocket. 

If your neck is secured by actual bolts, through the body, into threaded inserts, the holes for the inserts could have been strained. 

TheOtherDennis

Having taken a close look, I have a feeling it isn't the neck at all - from what I can see, there doesn't appear to be any touching of the strings to any of the frets at all.

As soon as I fret the strings, the buzzing disappears.

And I think I've also deafened a spider - after I'd given the strings a good strum, and was looking at it, a spider started climbing out of the body through the soundhole, took one look at me and went back inside. Daft bugger, what does it think it's going to catch in there?

BillDL

[EDIT]  I didn't see you posting while I was looking at the StewMac kits.  It sounds like a loose Nut.

Looking at current bolt-on neck kits from StewMac, they use two bolts fixed to the neck, pushed through holes in the neck block, and secured by nuts from the inside:

If your kit had the same neck fixing arrangement, do you recall how tight the bolts were in the holes as you pushed them through the neck block?

TheOtherDennis

As tight as they could be, without over tightening them.

And yes, it does seem like a dodgy nut after all, one way or the other.

LastMantra

The fact its a bolt on neck I'd assume is probably a good thing here.

I'd check round the neck/body joint for any small cracks in the lacquer.

Hope it's OK. 

bertie

TheOtherDennis said:

  
And yes, it does seem like a dodgy nut after all, 

the one who made it   

TheOtherDennis

bertie said:

TheOtherDennis said:

  
And yes, it does seem like a dodgy nut after all, 

the one who made it   

Hard to argue, really  

ICBM

While it's worth checking the neck joint as well, it is also possible that the truss rod did shift with the fall - the impact would have flexed the neck and allowed it to 'shiver' (with surprisingly large movements) and if the truss rod anchor or nut didn't quite seat itself back where it was, the rod will now be tighter and the neck slightly back-bowed compared to before.

Kittyfrisk

^ Top marks for being helpful without saying 'shiver me timbers'.  I'm weak & wouldn't have managed...

Sarge

Could it not be one or more of the bracings come loose inside the body?
or perhaps the block under the bridge or even some of the kerfling? 

steamabacus

I'll echo what ICBM said. I had exactly this scenario happen to a mate's Gibson Melody Maker (one of the '00s 'stripped back' budget versions) except his neck had settled forward after the knock. I gave the truss rod a quick tighten and all was well thereafter.

TheOtherDennis

Sarge said:

Could it not be one or more of the bracings come loose inside the body?
or perhaps the block under the bridge or even some of the kerfling? 

Nah, because then it would rattle consistently, whereas as soon as I fret the buzzing string (even on the first fret) it stops.

Winny_Pooh

If you're not sure how to adjust a truss rod then take the whole thing to a guitar tech.