Truss rod question...help!

fitz

Right folks.
Please ease my worries, cause I'm sh*tting it right now...
While back I had the truss rod on my Lowden tweaked.
I'd never done it myself so I brought it to Musician Inc, who were good enough to adjust it at no charge.
Very helpful and all that.

Now since then, and it didn't happen immediately, I noticed a slight twangy buzz off the high E string.
As it turns out, if you hold the guitar by the neck/body joint and the bottom, and shake it in a horizontal fashion, the truss rod slides out of the neck a bit.
You can push it back in, but Christ...this surely isn't good???

I'm fiercely concerned about this, can anyone offer an explaination as to what may be wrong, or what needs to be done to repair it?

Doctor J

OK, you're in trouble.

Firstly, how much of the truss rod is sliding out? Does it come out completely and, if so, does it look like it's snapped?

If the truss rod is broken, the strings should pull the headstock forward, bowing the neck. If you hold the stings down at the first and last frets, is there much of a gap over the 8th fret? If there isn't you might be in luck, it could just be a detatchable part which has come loose. Try screwing it back in. If you don't have a suitable tool (probably a hex allen key) just leave it, you don't want to knacker the treads.

What I'd suggest you do is take the strings off immediately and bring it back to Musician asap. The truss rod is too important to f*ck around with if you're not entirely comfortable with what you're doing.

fitz

There's about an inch of the rod sliding out, but I don't know if that's only because it's impacting against one of the struts inside the body.

There isn't any obvious bowing when the strings are at full tension, I checked that.

Me not a happy bunny at all...

Giblet

It sounds like someone did a bit of overkill with the turning of the trussrod.

Get it down to Musician QUICKLY, if you don't know what you're doing.

Doctor J

It's probably not too serious, but I'd take the strings off and get it to Musician as soon as possible.

fitz

Thanks guys, not feeling so bad now...

Will be dropped into them tomorrow!

Dr. J...you truely are a font of knowledge, what would we do without ya?

feylya

Hmm, an inch you say? Hopefully it's just the nut on the top of the rod. If it's not, it's not gonna be an easy fix. If the lads that did it are decent, they'll pay for it to be to fixed but I wouldn't be surprised if they ignore it completely. The good news however is that it can be fixed. The bad news is that the fretboard would have to be removed if a new truss rod is required. I did it once before on a POS neck and that wasn't much fun, what with the steam and the razor blades and paint scrapper.

fitz

Did as instructed and unwound the strings, left them on, but with no tension.
Guitar is going into Musician Inc this lunchtime, and I'll find out from them then what the story is.

Sh*tting it.

Doctor J

Good luck man, I hope it's nothing too bad!

fitz

Was just talking to them...they tightened up the truss rod and it seems to be okay on first inspection...thank christ...

Other VERY reassuring thing is that the repair (if it was in need of a new truss rod) would be covered by Lowden warranty, the guitar'd be sent back to the Lowden factory up North, and they'd fix it free of charge.

F*cking sweet...:D

Doctor J

Nice one