Fixing fret buzz?

  • Thread starter Thread starter elenore19
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elenore19

elenore19

Slowing becoming un-noob.
So, this is all curiosity.


Lets say I have terrible fret buzz going on, like I have a rogue guitar or something ;)

Would I be able to fix that buzz by filing down certain frets? I've thought about this, and haven't really come to a conclusion in my head.

Like a combination of adjusting the trust rod and filing down certain frets?

Maybe?


Just wondering.

Thanks in advance.


-Elliot
 
No, you could not.


The trick to fret work is to get all of the frets back to being the same height, and the level of precision needed is far beyond what you could do by filing a single fret at a time. You need to file ALL of them.

Additionally, one of the big problems with worn frets is they move the contact point for the string away from the center of the fret, so you end up with intonation problems as well. Even if you COULD file down just the high ones (which, by the by, will not be equally high on all of the strings, and may even be low on some strings and high on others), you wouldn't be touching the ones with the worst wear, which is where you most need to do some work.

More to the point, it is frequently not the frets that need work, but that the neck has either too little bow, or a back bow, and you need to adjust the truss rod; or the action is too low.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
yeah, what he said is correct. Don't file down a fret, I've tried it and it's a big mistake.
 
Alright, thanks for the information.

Good to know.
 
i will never file a fret the rest of my life and ruin a guitar again.
i will never file a fret the rest of my life and ruin a guitar again.
i will never file a fret the rest of my life and ruin a guitar again.
i will never file a fret the rest of my life and ruin a guitar again.
i will never file a fret the rest of my life and ruin a guitar again.
i will never file a fret the rest of my life and ruin a guitar again.
i will never file a fret the rest of my life and ruin a guitar again.
i will never file a fret the rest of my life and ruin a guitar again.
i will never file a fret the rest of my life and ruin a guitar again.
i will never file a fret the rest of my life and ruin a guitar again.
i will never file a fret the rest of my life and ruin a guitar again.
i will never file a fret the rest of my life and ruin a guitar again.
i will never file a fret the rest of my life and ruin a guitar again.
i will never file a fret the rest of my life and ruin a guitar again.
i will never file a fret the rest of my life and ruin a guitar again.
i will never file a fret the rest of my life and ruin a guitar again.:p
 
Hmmmm . . . sometimes you do need to level frets if it wasn't done properly at the factory, if for example the first few frets have big grooves caused by all those open D and C chords.

But I would always try to get the truss rod adjustment, string height (and nut and bridge) right before touching the frets.

If there is still a buzz at certain frets then it could be that the fret next to the one that causes a buzz when fretted is too high. Sometimes a light run over with 600 wet and dry paper, and then 0000 wire wool to smooth out, will lower a high fret just enough to cure a buzz.

And a final 'but' . . . yes, you can cause a lot of damage filing frets. That's why I buy cheap guitars to practice my fret filing and recrowning skills: even though I have worked on a few guitars now and I think I am close to getting pro results, for my expensive guitars I take them to a pro for any fret work.

Just out of curiosity, what is the guitar in question?
 
BigsbyBoyUK said:
Just out of curiosity, what is the guitar in question?
Click to expand...

There isn't one specifically. The guitar I have now, and ESP f-100, has fret buzz when playing without amplification, but when plugged into an amp, it sound fantastic. It has been my only guitar for the last 5 years, and still love it.


But yeah. My questions was really just out of curiosity, I've played a bunch of guitars that have bad fret buzz and what not and I was sort of just wondering to myself if there's a way to fix that by filing frets.

I'm never going to attempt it.


Thanks for the input!
 
yeah i get picky and notice that buzzing and details, and yes a knowledgeable person can definately do a guitar right...

my post was joking, at myself...as I've ruined my last guitar, attempting this filing myself was a frkn disaster.

it seems so easy in theory, file down the frets that buzz!,..yeah right...:rolleyes:
 
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