The rattliness!

[Theonestarchild]

Let me start off by saying that plugged in, my bass sounds just how I want it to. Throaty, deep, grumbly. But when I strum it and it isn't plugged in, there comes a rattling from somewhere. I think it's the neck. Not sure. I'm also having problems adjusting the action. I've tried everything I can think of, and I can't really notice it. I know for a fact that the neck is bowed, because the strings are alot closer to the neck at the first fret that at the twelveth. I tried adjusting the tension rod, but I couldn't. Screw wouldn't budge either way. Do I gotta get a new neck, or what?

 

[AGCurry]

Here's something that sometimes works for stubborn truss rods. To do it right, you need two people.

Bend the neck at about the 8th fret by hand - you can even put the middle of it over your knee - in the direction you want to adjust it (generally to decrease relief). Apply a goodly amount of force. The other person then tries to turn the truss rod adjuster.

The standard Fender truss rods, if they're overadjusted or otherwise screwed up, actually press into the wood in the middle of the neck, and sometimes compress it. Bending the neck by hand takes the pressure off of the truss rod, allowing it to turn.

Then again, it may be that the rattling is a busted truss rod, in which case you generally need a new neck.

Does the adjuster turn counterclockwise? If so, does it have any effect?

 

[Theonestarchild]

Update. I think the rattling is coming from the tuning key that is loose. I'll check that now. I'll get to work on the truss rod after that. I have no idea. I'm going to take all the string tension off and try to get it to turn.

 

[Theonestarchild]

I tried everything to get this tuning key solid. I squeezed it with a vice, I soldered it... nothing worked.