Fret buzz question..

[viva_360]

Hi all, i got this question about fret buzz.. Is it normal to have it all over the guitar neck? I mean how do you acutally get rid of it? Is it because i have my strings to low? I think i have my strings set up to 2.3mm ... and all my three bass strings keep getting fret buzzes ...

Do you guys have fret buzzes? on your guitars?

I already got my tech to set up the truss rod properly ... and the neck is straight ...

I got the Ibanez RG321 ... sorry to post this on a Jackson forum! but i do have a Jackson DXMG but the Ibanez just for drop tuning purposes!!!

[Postal]

It's all about proper setup. The frets must be *properly leveled*, truss rod *properly adjusted*, then you can get that low action without buzz. To get it just right requires a truly knowledgable tech (remember "Vince"? HAHAHAHAH!)

You need just the right amount of relief, which may need to be adjusted on either bridge or nut end, once the frets were leveled out. This is why it takes a good tech to do it.

Hopw that explains why it aint working....

Postal!

[SGplayer]

Try raising the bridge a little, smaller strings - 9-42?

[viva_360]

Postal .... in my country i think good guitar techs are Relics ... to hard to find one ... By the way .. i hear relief but what is it actually? .. and also on the bridge where you pointing on the height or? also what is the "nut end" ?

Sorry for my low knowledge in Guitar terminology ...

SGplayer ... the guitar tech at where i bought the guitar already .. rasied the bridge for me ... not sure about smaller guage ... but i have the 46-10 fitting on my IBanez as stock ...

[QuantumRider]

The "nut end" that postal is talking about is the end of the strings toward the headstock (where the nut is).

"Relief" is the amount of bow of your neck (bow being a concave curvature with respect to the strings).

If your neck is perfectly straight, your strings will buzz against the frets, because strings vibrate withiin elliptical ranges of motion (hard to explain without diagrams).

Generally, fret buzz on the lower frets means you don't have enough relief, and fret buzz on the higher frets means your bridge is too low.

What I suggest that you do is to get a copy of Dan Erlewine's book "How to make your electric guitar play GREAT!". I was able to buy it on Amazon Japan, so I'm sure that you can buy it on Amazon HK.

Hope this helps!
QR

[viva_360]

QuantumRider you are the man! now my gutiar terminology is on a plus one!


By the way ... could using a light gauge set ... lets say 42-09 .. in standard E anothe reason for fret buzz?

[Postal]

Quantum hit it on the nail explaining what I meant- and Light gauge strings is not the issue.

What I'm thinking now, is that your fretboard seems like it was set dead straight, and you need a little "relief" which is to allow the headstock to bend slightly toward the strings.

but string height needs to be set correctly on both ends, by adjusting the height of the bridge, or adjusting the height of the nut- This is the part that a good tech is important. Properly filing the nut is something that takes experience.

[QuantumRider]

Lighter gauge strings MAY cause slightly more fret buzz, because they are at a lower tension and may "flop around" some more when plucked.

However, I think that the increase in fret buzz due to the added "floppage" would be minimal.

BTW, here's how to check/adjust relief:

1) Fret a string at the 1st fret with a finger of your left hand
2) Fret the same string at the 12th fret with the pinky of your right hand
3) Check whether there is any space between the string and the 7th fret, by reaching with the index finger of your right hand and pressing the string down at the 7th fret.

If the string is touching the 7th fret without you pressing down on it, your neck is either perfectly straight or back-bowed (curved convex with respect to the strings).

If there is a wide gap between the string and the 7th fret when fretted at the 1st and 12th frets, you may have too much relief (which will not cause fret buzz, but will cause your action to be high).

If your neck is backbowed or straight, loosen the truss rod an 1/8th of a turn, then leave your guitar overnight with strings tuned to pitch. Check the relief the next morning, and repeat. I believe that Ibanez truss rods can be adjusted by either a 7mm or 8mm hexagonal socket wrench (one probably came with your guitar).

As for bridge height, you can adjust it by turning the two trem posts that the trem rests against clockwise to lower, counterclockwise to raise. The trem posts can be turned with an allen wrench (which also probably came with your guitar).

Two things to keep in mind-

1) If you can't picture what I'm trying to tell you just by reading the above instructions (as an explanation with diagrams would be much more easy to understand), DO NOT ATTEMPT TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO YOUR NECK!!! Take it to your tech.

2) Truss rod adjustments that exceed a 1/4 turn should NOT be necessary in most cases. If you find that you still have problems after adjusting your truss rod a 1/4 turn, your neck may have some other issues. Take it to a tech.

Hope this helps!
QR

[viva_360]

Thanks for the reply QR and Postal! will look into this with the guitar tech ...