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#1
03-16-2012, 01:25 PM
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Loose Top Brace?
This S6 was acquired last summer at which time it played and sounded great. A rattle now occurs whenever I thump low E, particularly noticeable during wet weather, which we've had little of until now... The rattle disappears with a very small amount of pressure to the top below the bridge. There are no apparent issues with the top, it looks solid.. A light and mirror aren't quite adequate for a good visual.
Ideas and suggestions would be most welcome. I realize it might be time to visit The 12th Fret, which I've not yet had the pleasure of. Jerry 
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#2
03-16-2012, 01:28 PM
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poke around the inside with a mirror, a light, and some feeler gages and see what you can find. it can be done because there are people out there who photograph the insides of their guitars and compose bracing libraries such as on UMGF.
Last edited by arie; 03-16-2012 at 01:33 PM.
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#3
03-16-2012, 01:43 PM
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It sounds as though a loose brace is a definite possibility. This is the sort of minor repair that won't cost much to correct PROVIDED that you take it in and get it taken care of immediately.
When braces first come loose, it's a simple job for a repair tech to glue them and clamp them back into place. However, the longer you wait, the more likely there is to be distortion. Clamping a brace back in place is faster, easier and thus cheaper to do than pulling a brace out, re-flattening the underside of it and then putting it back in place. So take it in and get it taken care of as soon as possible. Hope this helps. Wade Hampton Miller
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#4
03-16-2012, 01:54 PM
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I've poked around with mirror and light but can't see much. Just called the 12th Fret, I'll plan to visit them next week when I'm in town. Need to meet them anyway and they sure sound like nice people.
Much appreciated guys.. Jerry
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#5
03-16-2012, 02:02 PM
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Jerry, a loose brace is just one of the possibilities, perhaps the likeliest one, but there are other things that can cause similar noises. Something I'd recommend you do right now is go around and firm up all of the hardware on the guitar, tuners and strap buttons and even the truss rod, if needed.
I've had mystery buzzes that sounded as though they were coming out of the body cavity turn out to be loose parts on the tuning gears. So what I do whenever confronted with this sort of thing is go around and check all of the screws holding the buttons on the tuners and all the nuts on the front of the tuners, as well. I wouldn't necessarily tighten the truss rod, but would suggest you check that it's firm and not rattling loose. Hope this helps. whm
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#6
03-16-2012, 02:15 PM
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The luthier mentioned several possibilties too. They can look at it on the spot... It's a problem I've been chasing for a couple months just waiting for rain to make it worse.
 I believe the truss rod is tight as we adjusted it last week to remove a bit of neck wow. The strap pin is tight, I just installed a new Fishman. I can thump the side and hear a slight rattle.. Elusive, for now... Jerry
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#7
03-16-2012, 02:21 PM
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It's probably a brace, then. Sometimes braces can become detached not on either end but only in the middle, which can make spotting the problem even more difficult. I had that happen once,
The bright side is that once we determined what the problem was, it was an easy repair. whm
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#8
03-16-2012, 02:36 PM
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I almost think I see a small gap in the middle of a top brace. Just can't see it well enough to be certain. This S6 is certainly worth maintaining. Getting to know The 12th Fret can't be bad either.
Jerry
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