nbarts
New member
No wonder you get fret buzz. You just need a setup, it's perfectly normal, just roll with it.
No wonder you get fret buzz. You just need a setup, it's perfectly normal, just roll with it.
jkdsteve
Active member
nbarts":8ip1ckta said:
Explain....a slight (and we're talking minute amount of clearance here) forward bow will just add a little relief on the lower frets..I'm used to tweaking this until the buzz goes away on the lower frets and then setting the action up (bridge adjustment)....which takes care of the higher frets....
...none of which should be necessary just by changing to strings of the same brand/gauge right?
You're suggesting to reduce the clearance/bow (i.e. tighten the truss rod) to fix my issue? (Was also want aeoric was hinting at...)
nbarts
New member
What you mean by forward bow? Doesn't it mean that middle part of the neck is closer to the strings?
Hold the first & the last fret & see if there is some relief in between or the string touches the frets.
Hold the first & the last fret & see if there is some relief in between or the string touches the frets.
jkdsteve
Active member
nbarts":12qjht6h said:
Forward bow = headstock bowing forward (i.e. concave neck) and yes there is a little relief pretty much all along the neck...
Some of my guitars work with a virtually straight neck, some need a little forward bow...in all cases the relief is there...although I can't measure it (no gauges)
nbarts
New member
Well, if it's really just a bit then it should be fine. If you get fret buzz after adjusting the bridge, then you must need fret leveling.
glassjaw7
Well-known member
This may be a dumb question, but how do you change your strings? The order that you change your strings in can affect the overall setup of your axe. It is advised by many luthiers to change one at a time, and opposite sides of neck (high E, low E, B, A, G, D for example)JKD":3jhr47pn said:Ok...gonna pre-face this by saying I learned to do my guitar setups over a number of years and very cautiously but I'm lost.
Y'all recall my thread on D'Addario strings and them sucking...well they still suck but I don't think that's the problem here...
I re-restrung my Schecter Exotic C1 with a set of EB Regular Slinkies (which 'm 99% sure were same as on there previously) and I still have a massive problem with the action...I had to set the height at roughly twice what it was before the re-stringing to get rid of the fret buzz....this is really hacking me off.
I'm getting buzzing at almost every fret on the neck (except open strings) with it set as it was previously......did the whole neck just shift or something??? Did the bridge just fuck up (and no, I didn't take it off and put it on backwards...) If it was just the first few frets I'd think..quick truss rod tweak....but nope, appears
Granted this guitar cost me relatively little (<$500) but it's been one of my favorites sounding and playability wise since I had it......
....realize I probably killed any hope of re-sale value anywhere by posting this but I'd rather have the guitar playable as it was before than even contemplate getting rid..since they come up for sale so rarely.
If you just take al the tension off of your guitar neck at once, or remove all the strings quickly, it can drastically f with your action and cause neck movement.
My guitars need to be setup every time the weather changes to keep them consistent. Every winter my action raises because of the cold dry air. Then in the summer when the humidity rolls in, the neck expands and causes the strings to get too low and buzzy.
jkdsteve
Active member
glassjaw7":187jo5zc said:This may be a dumb question, but how do you change your strings? The order that you change your strings in can affect the overall setup of your axe. It is advised by many luthiers to change one at a time, and opposite sides of neck (high E, low E, B, A, G, D for example)JKD":187jo5zc said:Ok...gonna pre-face this by saying I learned to do my guitar setups over a number of years and very cautiously but I'm lost.
Y'all recall my thread on D'Addario strings and them sucking...well they still suck but I don't think that's the problem here...
I re-restrung my Schecter Exotic C1 with a set of EB Regular Slinkies (which 'm 99% sure were same as on there previously) and I still have a massive problem with the action...I had to set the height at roughly twice what it was before the re-stringing to get rid of the fret buzz....this is really hacking me off.
I'm getting buzzing at almost every fret on the neck (except open strings) with it set as it was previously......did the whole neck just shift or something??? Did the bridge just fuck up (and no, I didn't take it off and put it on backwards...) If it was just the first few frets I'd think..quick truss rod tweak....but nope, appears
Granted this guitar cost me relatively little (<$500) but it's been one of my favorites sounding and playability wise since I had it......
....realize I probably killed any hope of re-sale value anywhere by posting this but I'd rather have the guitar playable as it was before than even contemplate getting rid..since they come up for sale so rarely.
If you just take al the tension off of your guitar neck at once, or remove all the strings quickly, it can drastically f with your action and cause neck movement.
I think this could be it...I would normally do them one at a time but as I also wanted to clean the board...I removed all the strings...
EDIT: This is a set-neck guitar....
..so what to do? :-/
glassjaw7
Well-known member
It's ok that you took all the strings off as it's necessary to do when you clean the frets/fingerboard every now and then. It just may need a tweak to get back to where you had it.JKD":wskkpk6g said:glassjaw7":wskkpk6g said:This may be a dumb question, but how do you change your strings? The order that you change your strings in can affect the overall setup of your axe. It is advised by many luthiers to change one at a time, and opposite sides of neck (high E, low E, B, A, G, D for example)JKD":wskkpk6g said:Ok...gonna pre-face this by saying I learned to do my guitar setups over a number of years and very cautiously but I'm lost.
Y'all recall my thread on D'Addario strings and them sucking...well they still suck but I don't think that's the problem here...
I re-restrung my Schecter Exotic C1 with a set of EB Regular Slinkies (which 'm 99% sure were same as on there previously) and I still have a massive problem with the action...I had to set the height at roughly twice what it was before the re-stringing to get rid of the fret buzz....this is really hacking me off.
I'm getting buzzing at almost every fret on the neck (except open strings) with it set as it was previously......did the whole neck just shift or something??? Did the bridge just fuck up (and no, I didn't take it off and put it on backwards...) If it was just the first few frets I'd think..quick truss rod tweak....but nope, appears
Granted this guitar cost me relatively little (<$500) but it's been one of my favorites sounding and playability wise since I had it......
....realize I probably killed any hope of re-sale value anywhere by posting this but I'd rather have the guitar playable as it was before than even contemplate getting rid..since they come up for sale so rarely.
If you just take al the tension off of your guitar neck at once, or remove all the strings quickly, it can drastically f with your action and cause neck movement.
I think this could be it...I would normally do them one at a time but as I also wanted to clean the board...I removed all the strings...
Oh it's a neck thru' btw!
..so what to do? :-/
First, get the neck straightened up. Push your low E down with your finger at the first fret, and at one of the higher frets (19 or so) at the same time. Now look at the 12th fret. The string should be just hanging above that fret and you should be able to slide a piece of paper between it and the fret. Also, check the length of the fretboard and make sure that the string isn't stuck down on any of the frets.
BTW, sorry if you already know this
Once you get your neck in good shape, you can focus on your action. You probably know the specifics and measurements you need better than I do. It has always helped me to focus on the neck and the action as two different issues. Good luck!
glassjaw7
Well-known member
Oh, and if you're getting a lot of buzz on many frets, try turning the truss rod about a quarter turn to the left(looser).
Remember, you can lower your action later, so don't freak out if it seems that your action is getting higher by loosening the truss rod.
Just turn it in small increments and let it adjust and "set in". Your neck should not be perfectly straight. You actually want a very small bow in it to prevent fret buzz.
Remember, you can lower your action later, so don't freak out if it seems that your action is getting higher by loosening the truss rod.
Just turn it in small increments and let it adjust and "set in". Your neck should not be perfectly straight. You actually want a very small bow in it to prevent fret buzz.
LP Freak
Well-known member
I'm sure the reason is because you removed all the strings at one time. Before you go ajusting the neck, I'd leave it sit a day or two. Sometimes the string tension will bring it back on it's own. If it doesn't come back, then ajust the truss rod. 
Crunch Master
New member
I think it's that 1% that's screwing you! 
jkdsteve
Active member
It's been three days since I started and I've tried basically 2 x 1/8 turn tweaks (looser) on the truss rod...and left overnight after each 1/8.
This has (cumulatively) given me about 2x the relief (measured around the 6-7th fret by pinching 1 and 15) but it's really not letting me lower teh action by more than a hair without buzzin...as I expected :-/
There's no way this thing had 9s on it...I have 10s even on my floyd guitars...plus they feel like gnats hair and are slippery as fuck, I'd notice.....however that 1% is the last thing left to try before I burn it!
This has (cumulatively) given me about 2x the relief (measured around the 6-7th fret by pinching 1 and 15) but it's really not letting me lower teh action by more than a hair without buzzin...as I expected :-/
There's no way this thing had 9s on it...I have 10s even on my floyd guitars...plus they feel like gnats hair and are slippery as fuck, I'd notice.....however that 1% is the last thing left to try before I burn it!
glassjaw7
Well-known member
Send it to me
Crunch Master
New member
JKD":2hx4zqq8 said:It's been three days since I started and I've tried basically 2 x 1/8 turn tweaks (looser) on the truss rod...and left overnight after each 1/8.
This has (cumulatively) given me about 2x the relief (measured around the 6-7th fret by pinching 1 and 15) but it's really not letting me lower teh action by more than a hair without buzzin...as I expected :-/
There's no way this thing had 9s on it...I have 10s even on my floyd guitars...plus they feel like gnats hair and are slippery as fuck, I'd notice.....however that 1% is the last thing left to try before I burn it!
D00d, if you live near me, which is in SOCAL, I'd be glad to help you out, just PM me. I've got a good tool set for setting up guitars, and lots of experience doing it.
jkdsteve
Active member
Crunch Master":1zsxr3aa said:
Appreciate the offer man but am way up here in NorCal!
Crunch Master
New member
JKD":e57q48lb said:
Ah, bummer...
GuitarGuyLP
Active member
What I have always done is put a capo on the first fret, then fret the strings on the 12th, and check the clearance at the 7 fret. There shoudl be just a little bit, a couple of sheats of paper is about all the clearance you need for most guitars. Also with the strings fretted at the first fret you have six nice straight edges to use to check that the rest of the neck is straight, and that there are no humps.
I hope that this helps. Another thing to check for is use a 6" or so straight edge and check to see if you had a fret pop up a bit with the temp/humidity change. I fought with a buzz on my warmoth for a couple of months until I found that I had a fret pop up a bit. I still have to glue it back down.
good luck, and happy new year!!!
I hope that this helps. Another thing to check for is use a 6" or so straight edge and check to see if you had a fret pop up a bit with the temp/humidity change. I fought with a buzz on my warmoth for a couple of months until I found that I had a fret pop up a bit. I still have to glue it back down.
good luck, and happy new year!!!