LPguitarman Posted June 10, 2019 Share Posted June 10, 2019 (edited) I have a Michael Kelly Acoustic / Electric. I noticed some buzzing around the 5th fret. Took it to a Luthier to have it checked out, along with some bridge issues. He held the guitar up and tapped the back of the neck, and it rattled. He said the truss rod is loose, probably detached. Has anyone ever run into this before? Could it possibly just need a truss rod adjustment? Hoping he doesn't have to remove the fretboard to re-attach the truss rod. Could this be a manufacturing defect? Could the truss rod work that loose over three years? Could the truss rod actually break after never being touched, just sitting in the case 99.9% of the time? Curious to see any comments, thanks. Edited June 10, 2019 by LPguitarman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted June 11, 2019 Share Posted June 11, 2019 (edited) Hey Santos, Not likely it broke just sitting around. there's always the outside chance that it was just always this way, and now you're noticing ? A few random thoughts, none of which I would take to the bank How dry is your environment? if very dry, the wood would shrink a bit, and maybe that would be enough to give it some room to move around Another thought, some of these import makers often to not allow the wood fully cure, so things may have a potential to change with the build once the wood figures out it's no longer a tree. Sounds like a costly repair potentially. Edited June 11, 2019 by kidblast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted June 11, 2019 Share Posted June 11, 2019 I’ve had guitars that did not need truss rod adjustments so the nut was loose and the rod had no tension. Hopefully this is your case and it just needs a little tweak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPguitarman Posted June 11, 2019 Author Share Posted June 11, 2019 Thanks for the info. Kidblast, it's Santo, not Santos. No biggie, I get that all the time. 😃 I was thinking the same thing about it always being that way... I never tapped on the neck before. As far as environment, it is always in my air conditioned or heated house (not in the basement), and almost always in the case. Dave F. this is exactly what I am hoping for. I'll let you know when I hear back from my local Luthier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted June 11, 2019 Share Posted June 11, 2019 (edited) ah! Santo, sry bout that.. anyway I gotta 20 says it's probably gonna be a-okay once you get it back Edited June 11, 2019 by kidblast 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted June 11, 2019 Share Posted June 11, 2019 Would you like to have this moved to the Acoustic Forum? I can like a trail link here from the Lounge to the new location.... lemme know 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPguitarman Posted June 11, 2019 Author Share Posted June 11, 2019 2 hours ago, duane v said: Would you like to have this moved to the Acoustic Forum? I can like a trail link here from the Lounge to the new location.... lemme know Sure Duane, thanks. I rarely go to the Acoustic Forum, but I'll check it out after you move it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted June 11, 2019 Share Posted June 11, 2019 Done Deal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPguitarman Posted June 25, 2019 Author Share Posted June 25, 2019 Finally got an answer from my Guitar Tech. Turns out the Truss Rod is fine. The battery in the battery compartment was wobbling. He put an 1/8" shim in there to secure the battery. He also sanded down the bridge to get even volume on all of the strings, (that was my fault) I tried to do it myself and screwed it up. $40. repair, now I can breathe easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted June 25, 2019 Share Posted June 25, 2019 Before seeing your last post, I was going to suggest looking at any onboard electronics. My '07 Gibson CJ-165ce came to me with a rattle that sounded like it might be emanating from the neck region. As on an electric, you've got to check everything. After checking for a properly functioning truss rod, I next went to the battery & holder. Simply sliding the battery to the far left of center within the metal clip-style holder eliminated the rattle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPguitarman Posted June 25, 2019 Author Share Posted June 25, 2019 38 minutes ago, bobouz said: Before seeing your last post, I was going to suggest looking at any onboard electronics. My '07 Gibson CJ-165ce came to me with a rattle that sounded like it might be emanating from the neck region. As on an electric, you've got to check everything. After checking for a properly functioning truss rod, I next went to the battery & holder. Simply sliding the battery to the far left of center within the metal clip-style holder eliminated the rattle. Sounds familiar... I also got my "stupidity" fixed with the bridge issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPguitarman Posted June 26, 2019 Author Share Posted June 26, 2019 OK, Let me clear things up a bit. I got the guitar home last night, plugged it in and it lasted about 5-minutes then went dead. The battery was dead. I opened the battery cover and after removing the shim, got the battery out. Of course, duh, the battery is supposed to be loose when the cover is open. The cover , when closed, applies pressure to the battery and holds it tight against the spring contacts. So the shim is not required. (Good, because it made it really difficult to remove the battery). I don't think a loose battery was ever the cause, and when he tapped on the back of the neck, it wasn't even plugged in yet so the dead battery wasn't the cause of the buzz/rattle. I think the truss rod was actually loose, causing the fret buzz and probably even the rattling. So having him adjust the truss rod fixed those issues. He also sanded the bridge and now I have sound for all strings, although the high E string is still not as powerful, but I'll pass that off to me using light gauge strings. Overall the guitar is back to normal and I learned a little more about the acoustic/electric system. The battery was over three years old, with very minimal use, but still over 3-years old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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