Fret buzz

Lewis · February 25, 2013, 09:31:38 PM

Just got a Gibson sg with some fret buzz. Anyone have any tips on eliminating or reducing this? Or at least point me in the right direction to a good tutorial online. Thanks

Mr. Foxen · February 25, 2013, 09:50:55 PM

All the frets, just in one place? What area of the board? Proper Gibson should be worth taking to a proper tech to sort.

VOLVO))) · February 25, 2013, 10:05:41 PM

When i get home in a few hours, ill write you up a pretty detailed list of shit to do.

VOLVO))) · February 26, 2013, 09:39:20 PM

Alright.

Determine where the buzz is. It can be caused by lots of shit. Wallowed out nut, bridge set too low, uneven frets, lifted frets, BRAND NEW STRINGS, etc.

You just have to determine what will fix it. If it's closer to the first fret, I'd be willing to say the nut is too low. You can put a shim under it really easy, something thin to raise it back up to a usable height. If it's 12+, bridge is probably too low. Anything between can be too much backbow on the neck, or a combination of the nut being too high, and the bridge too low, or both too low, etc. You just have to look at it. Strings move in an elliptical pattern, so if there isn't ample room for the physical action of the string vibration, you'll have buzz.

It's all mechanics. You can do it pretty easily. Drop all the strings to the fretboard, then raise them until they don't buzz anymore. Old school. Works.

lordfinesse · February 26, 2013, 09:47:39 PM

I clicked on this expecting a blog about guitar news and happenings. (doh)

liquidsmoke · February 27, 2013, 01:00:23 AM

Fret buzz or too high action, the story of my life.

lordfinesse · February 27, 2013, 01:30:35 AM

Too High Action << I'd subscribe to that.

VOLVO))) · February 27, 2013, 08:34:42 AM

Fix it you buncha pussies! You can do it. Understand the balance of everything and you can make it right.

liquidsmoke · February 27, 2013, 12:41:53 PM

I do what I can but it's really hard to see what's going on beyond a certain point. Local guitar techs have only been able to get me to a certain point as well. Probably doesn't help that I'm playing a guitar you can buy new for $150 or whatever. Cheap guitars are light, my shoulder likes that.

VOLVO))) · February 27, 2013, 12:49:03 PM

Uneven frets.

VOLVO))) · February 27, 2013, 12:55:16 PM

It baffles me that people will sacrifice tone and playability for a few pounds...

RacerX · February 27, 2013, 12:57:18 PM

It's not like you can't get a quality guitar that's still light. The SG comes immediately to mind. Some of those high end Ibanez are nice as fuck, too.

Mr. Foxen · February 27, 2013, 03:08:28 PM

Once an electric guitar isn't fundamentally flawed, then a proper setup is going to make the playability basically the same, regardless of its level in the market.

liquidsmoke · February 28, 2013, 12:04:23 AM

Some techs are better than others at setups. Just because someone does fret work and what not doesn't mean your guitar is perfect. I do what I can with the truss rod and action after that. I hate fret buzz but think of it as normal unless the action is pretty high.

I also hate super super thick strings. That's probably part of it.

A nerve in my shoulder has a big problem with a couple extra pounds and I use a wide padded bass strap. I should lift weights and get stronger, yes I know.

I'm an amateur but working on it.

BrianDamage · March 24, 2013, 10:39:36 AM

Most of my guitars are sub-200 dollar guitars. I make them play as well as just about any other guitar. Sound on the other hand is a different matter. It is well worth it to learn how to set up a guitar properly if only to be a cheap bastard and not have to pay anyone else to do it (the reason I learned) then once you get awesome at it you can do like I do and charge lazy people to do it for them (I am a part time repair tech at the local guitar sphincter).