Broken Trussrod(?), Peavey Foundation

[StarscreamG1]

I hope I'm in the right section for this thread/queston (sucks when you are a noob on a specific forum, bear with me)

I purchased an older Peavey Foundation standard 4 string bass last night. It is used but in minty condition. My neighbor commented that the last time he played it, the E string was buzzing but none of the others. I kept that in mind and gave it a test drive.

It needs new strings, the E string was buzzing. I checked the neck and it was concave, too much for my taste (I prefer my necks on the straighter side). I stepped out to find an Allen wrench (which I still haven't found) and leaned the ax against the wall. And while I was gone, it FELL. But it didn't fall face down, it fell to the side and thats how it was still laying when I came back in.

It was on a carpeted floor and didn't go far so I didn't think too much about it (though wasn't thrilled it took a spill). I picked it up, checked it out, it looked fine. I plucked a few notes on it and now the entire thing is buzzing like mad...in fact you can take the head stock in one hand, the bottom of the body in the other and flex the neck back and forth. Also shaking it back and forth as you hold it in front of you, you can hear the rod inside rattling badly...

My first though is the trussrod somehow broke or some other major harsh thing happened.

At one time I was a pretty accomplished bass player, but Ive been out of it for a while and am just now getting back into it. I was never too into working on them in the past but this time around I figured I'd learn repair and such with them. About all I know how to do is string it, tune it, adjust the truss rod and .. play it...but I am willing to replace the truss and such (as my repair novice self is thinking at this point) but am totally ignorant on this. I have a good mechanical mind and am confident I can do this without trashing my new bass as long as I can get the proper knowledge.

Any and all suggestions, advice, anything will be greatly appreciated.

[202dy]

The truss rod is fine. That is, if it sound when you bought it. The rattle you are hearing is probably just a loose rod, which is consistent with the statement that there is a lot of relief in the neck. Read the sticky at the top of the page about truss rod adjustments. There are links to a couple of guides that will have it up and running in short order. If after reading the guides you do not feel confident, take it to a pro. It should be a simple setup and string change.

[StarscreamG1]

Thanks for the reply ^_^ yes, I checked the sticky and read one of the links. I learned some new stuff there. I apologize if I posted a thread that was not needed but I honestly thought to my novice self something more then just a loose rod was going on. Though I was trying to determine how a metal rod could break and the rest of the bass look just fine.

And I'm pretty confident I can do this myself (I mean its nothing compared to some car engine work Ive done and do when needed LOL). I'm looking forward to correcting what needs to be done to my new (to me) Bass...

[202dy]

Totally legit question. Maybe someone else, who does not have your mechanical skills, will read this and benefit.