Buzzing Tele

[cindyp16]

Help! I recently out of the blue started to get fret buzz on my Tele. The E through B strings are a nightmare up to about the 8th/9th fret. No problem I thought I'll raise the action a little and hey presto! Hmmm or so I thought. I played about with my Allen keys (2 sets for 88c at Wal-Mart - you've got to love huge faceless, explotative corporations sometimes ) and raised the action and the buzz had gone - whoopee! Execpt that the guitar was now out of tune. So I tuned it and lo and behold the fret buzz was back -Aghhhhhhh...It's driving me crazy. Does anyone have any amazing insight into this problem????

thanks

cindyp

 

[mshilarious]

Help! I recently out of the blue started to get fret buzz on my Tele. The E through B strings are a nightmare up to about the 8th/9th fret. No problem I thought I'll raise the action a little and hey presto! Hmmm or so I thought. I played about with my Allen keys (2 sets for 88c at Wal-Mart - you've got to love huge faceless, explotative corporations sometimes ) and raised the action and the buzz had gone - whoopee! Execpt that the guitar was now out of tune. So I tuned it and lo and behold the fret buzz was back -Aghhhhhhh...It's driving me crazy. Does anyone have any amazing insight into this problem????

thanks

cindyp

Something must have changed. I'm guessing either humidity or string gauge.

I'll beat Light to the punch; if you don't know how to do it, take it to a shop for setup.

HOWEVER, first make sure your room has stable humidity & temperature, otherwise the setup will be a waste of time.

 

[Light]

I'll beat Light to the punch; if you don't know how to do it, take it to a shop for setup.

DAMN YOU!!!!!!


Yeah, it sounds like you need a setup. Either the neck changed, or your fret wear reached some critical point. Either way, you need a set up and maybe some fretwork. Take it too a good shop, and have it looked at.

I think I may have posted this before, but Frank Ford has a list of possible causes of buzzes:


Buzzing:

Low Action - a prime cause of buzzing

Relief - is important, to say the least

Light Strings - will buzz more easily

Loose Gear Parts - can vibrate like crazy

Low Nut causes a buzz in open position

Uneven Frets - a classic cause of buzzing

Technique - crucial to playing without a buzz

Low Frets - make it hard to get good contact with the string

Low Saddle for that "sitar tone."

String Interference - as strings buzz against parts or each other

Loose or Broken Braces - rattle sympathetically

String Balls - can rattle under the bridge if not seated properly

Stray String Ends - vibrate against anything they touch

String Windings - can come loose

String Bent at Nut - buzzes in "open" position

String Deformed over Fret - buzzes at only one fret position, only one string

Body Cracks - rattle or resonate sympathetically

Flat Frets - cause buzzing or "fuzzy" note

Flat Saddle - causes "fuzzy" tone or buzzes

Loose Top or Back - can be subtle

Loose Parts or accessories attached to instrument

Back Buzz - a special noise from a nut that's a trifle too low

Nut Slots - can provide space for a rattle

High Action - makes fretting too difficult

Truss Rod - can rattle inside the neck

Truss Rod Cover - will rattle or buzz if loose

Loose Plies - on a laminated instrument

Deeply Notched Saddle - can be home to small buzzes

Pickguard - an unlikely source of buzz, but it can happen

Loose Bridge - an extremely unlikely cause of buzzing



Dull Sound:


String Windings - can come loose

Loose Fret - a real tone killer

Saddle Material - can really damp tone

Flat Frets - cause buzzing or "fuzzy" note

Low Saddle - for that "sitar tone."

Nut Slots - crud in there will dampen tone

Loose Tuner - poor string anchorage results in loss of tone

Deeply Notched Saddle - can be home to small buzzes

Fuzzy String Winding - can "insulate" string from saddle

Don't forget that wound strings get old and sound dead. . .


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi