My #1 Andy just took a dump!

[andersonguy]

Wow, I swear I could feel it happening as i was playing.
I pulled out my fav Hollow T classic this afternoon and was enjoying playing it when I swear I heard a slight "pop" in the neck and now its bowed like a ski jump and buzzing like a bug zapper. I had not played it in a week so maybe its mad at me?:mad: I cant believe it!! Im soo bummed.
This makes me feel quite:(
I need to go out and buy the right screwdriver that I can Jam into the slot by the neck pickup and try to tweak without destroying my great paint job and who knows what else. I dont like adjusting the neck this way.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Sadly yours,

Andersonguy

[killerburst]

I have gotten better at adjusting the rod with the recommended method. It's easier to add relief (loosen the nut) than to add tension. Just be very careful and brace yourself against any slipping so you don't touch the screwdriver to the body. I used a Dremel to round over the corners of my screwdriver, just in case. If you're really nervous, just take off the neck and make your best guess about how much the neck needs to move. You may have to go through the process a few times to get a good feel for how much adjustment is needed for a given change.

Now, you said you heard a "pop" when you were playing it, and now the neck is back-bowed (if I read you right). I've never heard of a truss rod snapping without excessive pressure being applied- certainly not while just being played. However, a "pop" followed by a sudden change in relief could mean the worst. I'd suggest taking off the neck and seeing how easily the truss rod nut turns. Don't turn it more than a 1/4 turn at a time in either direction. If it won't tighten, try taking it all the way off and applying a few drops of machine oil to the threads. If the nut turns easily and the neck doesn't adjust, you may have a problem, although the fact that it's back-bowed probably rules out a broken rod (I would expect it to have too much relief, if that were the case). Give TAG a call on Monday. And keep us posted.

[nickdahl]

Wish I could offer more than my condolences. Hope you get things straightened out!

Nick

[tom]

so is it backbowed or front bowed? we've had one broken rod in 10,000, and we broke it adjusting a neck that had way too much front bow to start with. check to be sure the neck mounting screws are snug. in your land of supreme dryness the guitar could shrink a bit and they could get loose.

[andersonguy]

I dont know my terms very well, its bowed in the center away from the strings so the truss rod will need to be tightened. The neck plate is nice and tight.
What do you use at the shop to tighten these things and keep the guitar from getting damaged?


Thanks:(

AG

[killerburst]

That is forward bow, front bow or excessive relief. I had (mis)understood from your first post that the neck was back bowed. Tighten the nut a 1/4 turn at a time and watch to see if the strings get closer to the fingerboard. Go slow and give it a few minutes in between adjusments to settle.

At this point, given the mysterious "pop" sound, I would probably take of the neck and make sure the nut was still on the rod and everything functions as it should. With that much relief, the nut should be fairly loose. Once the nut starts to offer resistance, that's when the neck will begin to straighten.

[tom]

all that's good advise. we did have a nut the other day that poped sa thread under heavy tightening. if the adjusting goes smooth, that may be what happened.

[andersonguy]

This happened out of the blue, never has needed adjustment, it was built this year.

Still trying to figure out the best screwdriver to make this work without damaging my finish. Im not touching it until then. :confused:

AG

[killerburst]

From the TAG website:
"...8" long 3/16" wide blade screwdriver..."

These critters are relativley easy to find. You can try local hardware stores, Home Depot/ Lowes, Sears ( I have the Craftsman version myself), etc. I used a Dremel tool to smooth the corners of the blade, just as an extra precaution. So far, the blade has not come into contact with the finish.

Or use a #2 Phillips-head screwdriver to remove the 4 neck bolts and take the neck out of the pocket. You can then use that same screwdriver to turn the truss rod nut once the neck is off the body.

If you go slow and keep coontrol of the tool, you should be able to avoid finish damage.

[killerburst]

If you haven't read this page, take a look:
http://www.andersonguitars.com/neck.html

[andersonguy]

Thanks KB, I'll go get a nice new phillips screwdriver, mine are kinda old and I dont want any slipping. I have a product called liquid electric tape which is a liquid rubber. I may dip the screwdriver into it and coat it with rubber to protect my precious.:D I want to try to do it without taking off the neck if possible. Very nerve-racking:rolleyes:

AG

[Stan Malinowski]

My personal advice....take the neck off in this case. With the neck off it will be obvious if the the truss rod nut popped back a thread. It will also be very obvious if the nut is aleady tightened to its limit. Much safer than trying to find the problem AND learn the tr adjust process at the same time.

I never got the knack for adjusting the tr nut with the long screwdriver. I have 3 Anderson pickguards which I chewed up trying to learn the process. I now take the necks off all of my Andersons (except the Cobra) to do tr adjustments. It has saved me much anxiety and much money on replacement pickguards.

[tmihm]

I would be entirely too spooked to get to something this severe-sounding myself.

But I'm a real tech-dummy...I'm lucky to get the strings in the right slots :)

Seriously...best of luck - and keep us posted!!!

(hearing that "pop" would have buckled my knees....)

[andersonguy]

Good thing I wear Depends!;) It definately freeked me out. Could be as simple as the fact that it is extremely dry here now or that its hot or ???
Im a total doofball when it comes to this as well. I can adjust a Fender pretty easily and take the neck off no problem, but it just kills me to take the neck of of my Precious Anderson, feel like Im erasing the special vibe placed on it by the great guys at Anderson at birth, like it will never be the same afterwards. :(

Bruce, I make some excellent Chili, wanna come over for dinner?

Just nervous I guess. Im going to take the neck off and adjust it this weekend, better to go the cautious route at this point.

AG

[tom]

bruce and i were talking yesterday about you. because the neck joint is tight, we have to put wax on the neck so that it doesn't creak when played. the slightest movement of the neck can make a popping noise which we used to hear regularly, before we started waxing the neck, the first time you used the trem. when the string tension was released the neck would also "breathe a sigh of relief" and a single creak was heard. because you are in the land of ultimate dryness, it could also be that. we could speculate for another week or two, or you could take the neck off or adjust it on the guitar, and know for sure.