Anybody here know how to fix a guitar?

[Yerfdog]

My older brother won a guitar a while back, and he let me play it sometimes. One day my younger brother started messing with it, and now when I hold one of the lower frets on the thickest string, the string touches one of the pickups, so if you hit the string when it's touching the pickup, it's going to make a bad sound.

I looked at it from the side, and the string is now lower than the other strings without pressing down on it. Any idea on how to fix this problem?

 

[PP Mguire]

What is the make and model of the guitar? Could be as simple as raising the trem or as delicate as adjusting the truss rod.

 

[Yerfdog]

Well, he won it at a carnival/fair a while back. Mahar, I think. Looks a lot like a Fender Stratocaster with a sunburst finish, only instead of orange, red. Now that I think about it, I think it's the tremolo thing. The part for the thickest string appears to be a bit lower than the rest...

Sorry for the poor quality.View attachment 4629View attachment 4628

 

[PP Mguire]

Take an allen wrench and simply raise it. Should be good to go.

 

[Yerfdog]

If I need to raise the part, and the screw spirals upward counter-clockwise, would I turn the screw clockwise or counter-clockwise?

 

[PP Mguire]

Turning the screw clockwise should make it screw on forcing the string holder to rise. You will need to make sure both screws are even.

 

[Nitestick]

I'm in agreement with PP Mguire. It's most likely going to be either the nut (piece of plastic at the top of the neck that the strings go over) or the string height at the bridge. Adjusting those screws to raise the height there should do it.

 

[PP Mguire]

Well I also said truss rod because the neck could have warped from some form of abuse. My fathers guitars made it out of the fire ok but the necks are warped bad causing the same symptoms this guy is having. Fixing a Les Paul neck is expensive though.

 

[Yerfdog]

Well, I can physically see that the thing holding the string at the bridge is lower than the rest of them for the string, and it hasn't really been in close proximity of any smoke, fire, or other kind of extreme heat.

And also, I've been looking at the bridge... It seems like some of the pieces came with the things holding the strings at the bridge slightly off balance. Well, I guess that's what happens when you win a Mahar guitar at a carnival.

 

[PP Mguire]

Better than nothing I suppose.