Truss rod feedback?

[1150lefty]

Maybe just me. Not on meds anymore. Weirdness happened after I set up my SX Less Paul. I was jammin out loud enough to make the paint peel, and I was getting feedback. Stings muted, a turn toward the stack and back - there it was! I put my ear to the neck and it seemed like the rod was singing in a hollowed-out canoe! This is a double-action truss rod, if that makes a difference. Nothing rattling...

I'm crazy, right? I turned the rod clockwise to set the relief after the weather change and that took most of the playability issues away. (Big strings, low E has maxed out the new bridge saddle, I think it may need a new nut too...) It was suggested to me by "luthiers" and fellow owners of Rondo guitars to wait on final adjustments until the wood relaxes. Sounds like what was also suggested for my semi-hollow AS73L, but anyway. The mahogany stick plays like a dream now, but the feedback is just...weird!

[sumgai]

lefty,

No, you're not experiencing anything new, it's happened before, though not very often.

If the vibrating truss rod doesn't materially contribute to, or take away from, your tone, then it's best to leave it alone. On the other hand, if it's vibrating hard enough to shake your hand as you play, then you might want to investigate more closely.....

Waiting for seasonal changes to settle down isn't a bad idea, but sometimes it's not practical, especially for gigging musicians. In fact, whether you wait or not, doing the job is really just a matter of making adjustments in small steps, and planning on rechecking/redoing them every day, until the need for additional tweaking stops. Persons of the anal persuasion would make those checks/adjustments at the same hour and minute every day, but I think that's going a bit overboard.

Of course, all the foregoing is dependent on the bow/backbow of your neck itself - take care of that factor first, then worry about any vibrations. Who knows, twisting the rod just right for the bow factor may also kill the vibrations too.

HTH




sumgai

[1150lefty]

Maybe it's designed that way for sustain... ;D

It really doesn't vibrate enough to be a problem. If I could try to explain - it would be like a string resonating the wood. I'll try to guess at the frequency the next time it happens. I thought maybe if I turn the rod a little more, or less, it will go away. I'm not sure if I like it yet, though.