Truss rod woes

BGood

BGood

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Dec 4, 2016
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The only option left I can see to an open G string rattle induced noise, would be from the truss rod. Do you have a viable solution to that ? Is the truss rod removable on a PRS SE Zach Myers ?

One thing I observed ... no two. When guitar is hanging vertical, it doesn't do it. When I squeeze anywhere on the headstock, it stops. It's loud, but only acoustic, doesn't comes through the amp.
 
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This is most likely a setup issue, if it only does that in playing position but not when hanging. A setup should always be double checked in playing position. Should be a simple fix for a guitar tech.

…and you don’t want to remove the trussrod..
 
I am not really following the description of the issue. I don't get what you mean by squeezing the headstock to make it stop. Are you saying you are pulling on it, which would flex the neck a bit?

If the truss rod is vibrating and making noise, it is too loose. Tighten it up just enough to get everything in solid contact with it. Don't tighten it any more than that or you will start straightening the neck, unless you want it straighter.
 
Thanks guys, no need of a guitar tech, I know how to set up a guitar. Truss rod is not loose, I actually had to give it almost ½ turn to get the neck straight. It's now tight and snug in there and action is perfect with a straight neck.

Squeezing the headstock like in squeezing the headstock.

S0V4fWm.jpeg
 
JasonE said:
That was my next thought but I sort of ruled that out due to the sideways pressure that the string puts on the tuner shaft. Interesting find.
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Alnus Rubra said:
Glad you found the problem and hopefully a solution.
Click to expand...
DAMNED ! ! ! That wasn't it. But with the tuner removed, it almost silent.

Recapitulate:

Open G only note rattle on my Zach Myers. I checked E V E R Y T H I N G !
- Pushed, muffled, every saddle and screws on the bridge, not that.
- Did a complete tune up and all screws and bolts has been tightened. Was doing it before setup.
- Truss rod a has good tension on it, neck is dead straight and playing great.
- Trc removed, still rattles.
- Tuners are tight, strings locked on their post.
- Looked into the semi hollow of the body. Nothing.
- Control cavity is tidy. Tested by applying pressure on everything, rattle stays.
- Did the same with toggle switch, pushing both side in cavity, still rattles.

Took out a tuner that got quiet when I pressed with index and thumb, from bottom of tuner. Looked like maybe the shaft could be vibrating in the bushing, but that's physically impossible with string tension.

Only time it doesn't do it is if the guitar is vertically hung from a wall hook, or my hand. If vertical and resting on my knee or table, it rattles.

Afraid what's left is the truss rod.

Any truss rod problems with SE's ?
 
When you have it hanging on a hook or in your hand, is anything touching the back of any of the tuners? I have seen the backs on those type of tuners get loose and rattle. I haven't seen it on a PRS but I have seen it on more than one Gibson.
 
Could be a pickup lead in the hollow body part.

A luthier friend had a similar issue with an ES175D that had a rattle at certain frequencies. I happened to be at his and played said guitar while he held parts of the guitar to identify the rattle.

Took a little while, but we identified to a wire vibrating against the inside of the body. With a little luthier wizardry the issue was solved and rectified.

Maybe this might help.
 
Did you check the tuner bushings are fully flush and not loose? Maybe they need to be glued in if they are loose? I had this problem when I installed phase III tuners on my SE ZM and reamed one hole a little too much leaving the bushing too loose. Had to secure it with some wood glue and it fixed it for me.
 
It definitively is the truss rod. When the guitar is standing vertical, it doesn't happen.

Anybody knows if those truss rod are removable ?
 
Can it be repaired by removing the truss rod? Potentially. Fretboard has to be totally removed. Then the repair. Then totally refinish the guitar. Total cost of that work is more than likely mire than the cost of just replacing it. Just the fretboard temoval and truss repair is likely to be $400-500 most places. Many repair folks wont touch them. And thats without the paint touchup and/or replacement, sadly.

If you bought it new, is it covered under warranty repair? They may take care of it. If not…
 
It was bought used. PRS says they can arrange for the guitar to return to the factory for evaluation and to determine a best course of action for repairs. Thing is, I'll have to pay for sending it from Canada. At $200+ for shipping, that is 30% of what I paid for it. I think I'll try to find a solution at my end first.
 
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BGood said:
It was bought used. PRS says they can arrange for the guitar to return to the factory for evaluation and to determine a best course of action for repairs. Thing is, I'll have to pay for sending it from Canada. At $200+ for shipping, that is 30% of what I paid for it. I think I'll try to find a solution at my end first.
Click to expand...
Did you ever find a solution to your truss rod rattle?? I have the same guitar with same symptoms exactly. Waited a long time to get one of these guitars, and it fails me on an open G.
 
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