Dropped my guitar. Quick question..

[Brevver2]

Hi all,

In a moment of idiocy I managed to drop one of my guitars flat on it's face onto a wooden floor. It ended up with a small dent and crack but it also went quite out of tune. I might be imagining it but it seems the action and relief have changed. Is it possible for an impact to move the truss rod? Is there any tests/checks I can do on the neck? Is the going out of tune a cause for concern?

Any advice would be hugely appreciated!

Thanks

[rule18]

Originally Posted by Brevver2

Hi all,

In a moment of idiocy I managed to drop one of my guitars flat on it's face onto a wooden floor. It ended up with a small dent and crack but it also went quite out of tune. I might be imagining it but it seems the action and relief have changed. Is it possible for an impact to move the truss rod? Is there any tests/checks I can do on the neck? Is the going out of tune a cause for concern?

Any advice would be hugely appreciated!

Thanks

Is the action lower or higher than pre-drop?

[Brevver2]

It seems to me to be lower. Neck almost straight and I'm sure I left it with some relief.

[jpmist]

Originally Posted by Brevver2

Is there any tests/checks I can do on the neck?

If you have a 24" ruler you can place it on the frets and extend it to the bridge. If all is ok then the corner of the ruler should meet the top of the bridge. Hope it's ok! Stuff happens . . .

http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Musi...neckangle.html

[Rudy4]

If the tuning noticeable shifted then it's very likely that structural damage has occurred. The best thing you can do is do a very careful visual inspection. Most of the time you'll be able to see damage if the tuning shifted.

Truss rods don't normally shift from impact, so if the relief changed it's probably the result of a change in the normal stress on the neck that the truss rod is designed to counter. In other words, look for damage that can change the neck loading, not a truss rod shift.

There are areas that are subject to impact damage that won't be easy to see, such as the internal top bracing. That often takes a skilled evaluation, but many luthiers can easily ascertain loose braces with a simple knuckle wrap on the top.

Another very common structural problem caused from impact is the "top block crack" I related exactly what that is in this recent topic:

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=610923

If it's anything serious you'll most likely be made aware of it in short order.

If your instrument is valuable it's best to slack string tension and get a professional evaluation.

[phavriluk]

dumb question (reasonable, seeing as I'm the source): Did all the strings go out of tune (flat)? I'm guessing if they all went flat, the neck moved. I can't guess as to why they'd go sharp what with the strings pulling.

If less than all the strings changed pitch, then maybe some tuner(s) got turned?

[rule18]

I would evaluate with the straight edge as jpmist suggested. Either way, if it were mine I'd take it to a shop and have it checked out.

[Brevver2]

Thanks for the help everyone!