Fret Buzz and Eliminating It

  • Thread starter Thread starter jndietz
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jndietz

The Way It Moves
Could someone please explain, step by step, or provide a link to how to eliminate fret buzz on a guitar? I'm getting fret buzz at random points on my OLP MM5 baritone after installing new Dean Markley .13s, even on open strings.

I found a few websites, but there are some things that I don't understand, such as:

1) When do you know the neck is adjusted properly?
2) How do you use a ruler to gauge the proper distance from string to neck?
3) What exactly constitutes the Nth fret (meaning the place you actually press down with your finger or the metal fret itself)?
4) And when you can stop adjusting the neck and then adjust the height of the strings and their intonation to your liking?

Maybe we can get this thread stickied for people coming to the forum looking for guitar repair help?

Thanks!

-Jared
 
There are ten thousand variables which can cause a guitar to buzz. Without an experienced eye, you are only ever going to be hit or miss at fixing it. Take it to a good professional repair person and get it done right. Believe me, finding and fixing buzzes can, sometimes, be the most frustrating thing we do.

Some possible causes:

fret wear
high fret
low fret
too much bow in the neck
not enough bow in the neck
action too low
nut too low
loose truss rod (which can cause a resonance in with certain pitches)
loose hardware
loose neck joint
bad strings
worn old strings
etc.


All of these things have different solutions, and there is no way for anybody to diagnose it, much less teach you how to fix it, without seeing the guitar IN PERSON. Because of this, any advise (other than take it to a professional) is totally worthless, because there is no way they can know what is wrong with your guitar.

Take it to someone who knows what they are doing. You'll be happy you did.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
The more common issues for buzzing are probably

1. Action too low
2. Neck needs alignment
3. Nut problems
4. Fret problems

Most users can adjust 1 by using the bridge. Some more experienced users can handle 2, given the right tools and patience. Most users should not attempt 3 or 4, as the chance of creating a bigger problem is quite real.

As Light said, there are also a host of other possibilities.

If you are getting buzz on open strings, then that sounds more like 1 or 2, as bad frets seems less likely. As Micter said, changing string gauge usually results in the need for a neck alignment check.

Try 1 first and see if that helps. If not, and you have done this before, consider 2. If no success, seek a pro.

Ed
 
Well, the guy I bought it from had .13 - .65 on there before.
 
Also, if I turn the truss rod nut counter clockwise, the the neck bow up or bow down?
 
Go back and read Light's thread, he is 100% right. I repair guitars through a shop and on average 75% of my work is fixing fuck-ups made by people who have had a go at something they do not have the skills to do. I have no doubt that Light gets a lot of work in the same way.
 
Clive Hugh said:
Go back and read Light's thread, he is 100% right. I repair guitars through a shop and on average 75% of my work is fixing fuck-ups made by people who have had a go at something they do not have the skills to do. I have no doubt that Light gets a lot of work in the same way.
Click to expand...


Actually, we get a lot of CUSTOMERS that way. They fuck it up once, bring it to us to fix, and then become regular customers.



Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Other than set ups on new guitars, like Clive most of my repair work is redoing what someone else thought they could fix themselves. Since you have buzzes in various places over your neck there are a lot of variables to consider. A good repair person can look at it and tell how extensive (or minor) the repair will likely be but from the way you describe it I'd say you not only need the basic adjustments of a set up but will also need a fret leveling and recrown. This isn't hard if you know how and have the right tools but it is not a DIY sort of thing. The easiest way to tell if this is needed is look at the frets, if they are worn (have dips and flat places under the strings) then that is a good indication that you need some fret work.
 
I am trying to find "Light's thread" but the search isn't working for me :(
 
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