acceptable amount of string buzz?
- Thread starter Zombiemetl
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Diminished Triad
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Re: acceptable amount of string buzz?
My guitar tech has a system he can employ for an added cost when assembling a guitar wherein he treats (as needed) each and every fret...........I believe they do some work with the nut itself...............but in the end, the neck feels almost as smooth as a slide and while intense and not inexpensive work, I guess the second best thing to having your guitar plek'd?
Anyone able to share experiences with guitars that have gone through plek'ing?
My guitar tech has a system he can employ for an added cost when assembling a guitar wherein he treats (as needed) each and every fret...........I believe they do some work with the nut itself...............but in the end, the neck feels almost as smooth as a slide and while intense and not inexpensive work, I guess the second best thing to having your guitar plek'd?
Anyone able to share experiences with guitars that have gone through plek'ing?
Re: acceptable amount of string buzz?
this.
I have to add that some guitars will buzz even with high action while others won't buzz with lower action. For me, buzz is a show stopper when it prevents harmonics on the higher register and lower strings. Low E is the usual suspect. If i can have harmonics e.g. on low E 12th fret and +, then its ok.
On my Carvin and Ibby i have relief : 0.15mm from 1st to 24th, and 1.2mm, 1.6mm respectively on 24th fret, which is pretty low action, yet no buzz with moderate picking, and 10s strings.
this.
I have to add that some guitars will buzz even with high action while others won't buzz with lower action. For me, buzz is a show stopper when it prevents harmonics on the higher register and lower strings. Low E is the usual suspect. If i can have harmonics e.g. on low E 12th fret and +, then its ok.
On my Carvin and Ibby i have relief : 0.15mm from 1st to 24th, and 1.2mm, 1.6mm respectively on 24th fret, which is pretty low action, yet no buzz with moderate picking, and 10s strings.
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Re: acceptable amount of string buzz?
I am mostly a high gain shredder and I have developed a personal relationship with the truss rod in each of my guitars. You can usually find the best compromise between relief and bridge height to give the best action overall, but there are certain places on the neck that need to breathe more. Notably, the notes 12+ on the higher strings. If the action is too low, they will pinch out, even if there is no discernable buzz.
I believe you should set the action so that the most important areas of the neck have no buzz. For instance, if you find that the higher frets are pinching out, you can straighten the neck and raise the bridge on the treble side, this will give better action on the high frets, but might create some buzz around fret 5. For this same guitar, you might find that you don't have to raise the bass side of the bridge - there may be some pinching on the higher frets, bass side, but this doesn't matter above fret 15.
ALSO, make sure your bridge has the same profile as the neck, you may need some floyd saddle shims.
I am mostly a high gain shredder and I have developed a personal relationship with the truss rod in each of my guitars. You can usually find the best compromise between relief and bridge height to give the best action overall, but there are certain places on the neck that need to breathe more. Notably, the notes 12+ on the higher strings. If the action is too low, they will pinch out, even if there is no discernable buzz.
I believe you should set the action so that the most important areas of the neck have no buzz. For instance, if you find that the higher frets are pinching out, you can straighten the neck and raise the bridge on the treble side, this will give better action on the high frets, but might create some buzz around fret 5. For this same guitar, you might find that you don't have to raise the bass side of the bridge - there may be some pinching on the higher frets, bass side, but this doesn't matter above fret 15.
ALSO, make sure your bridge has the same profile as the neck, you may need some floyd saddle shims.
Re: acceptable amount of string buzz?
I have had two guitars plekked and in general dislike the process. The plek machine saved one guitar that had a problem neck, but the other guitar which has an excellent neck but worn frets, it allowed the "luthier" to take shortcuts that compromised the result - I should have just payed for a refret. I have found that hand work can turn better results and the luthier isn't able to take shortcuts that the plek allows.
The problem with the plek is that it can cut a profile into the frets without the neck being straight. This can totally improve problem necks that can't be straightened well (have a backbow or hump somewhere), but the drawback is that the frets are not "level", and the angle of the string to the board has been changed. This may not seem like a problem, but two very real problems are that A) The required bridge height is drastically changed - floyd guitars may need neck shims to pull the bridge away from the body B) The fret profile is no longer in "sync" with the action of the truss rod. IOW, the truss rod becomes less effective- hard to explain but very real problem. FOr instance, trying to get rid of buzz in the 5-7 fret region, you may add relief, but this may have unintended affect on action elsewhere. Frets need to be level with the board and plek viloates this standard.
The OTHER problem with plek is that the bits are expensive, so the "luthier" has disincentive to level the frets and usually sets the truss to remove the least material which exacerbates the problem. Why level all the frets when you can introduce some backbow and chop down frets 15-22?
Both guitars that were plekked, any slight advantage over hand work was lost after first 3-6 months as subtle shifts in neck required truss rod adjustment.
Plek is a way for luthiers to take shortcuts.
I have had two guitars plekked and in general dislike the process. The plek machine saved one guitar that had a problem neck, but the other guitar which has an excellent neck but worn frets, it allowed the "luthier" to take shortcuts that compromised the result - I should have just payed for a refret. I have found that hand work can turn better results and the luthier isn't able to take shortcuts that the plek allows.
The problem with the plek is that it can cut a profile into the frets without the neck being straight. This can totally improve problem necks that can't be straightened well (have a backbow or hump somewhere), but the drawback is that the frets are not "level", and the angle of the string to the board has been changed. This may not seem like a problem, but two very real problems are that A) The required bridge height is drastically changed - floyd guitars may need neck shims to pull the bridge away from the body B) The fret profile is no longer in "sync" with the action of the truss rod. IOW, the truss rod becomes less effective- hard to explain but very real problem. FOr instance, trying to get rid of buzz in the 5-7 fret region, you may add relief, but this may have unintended affect on action elsewhere. Frets need to be level with the board and plek viloates this standard.
The OTHER problem with plek is that the bits are expensive, so the "luthier" has disincentive to level the frets and usually sets the truss to remove the least material which exacerbates the problem. Why level all the frets when you can introduce some backbow and chop down frets 15-22?
Both guitars that were plekked, any slight advantage over hand work was lost after first 3-6 months as subtle shifts in neck required truss rod adjustment.
Plek is a way for luthiers to take shortcuts.
Archer250
New member
Securb
One of Jerry's Kids
Re: acceptable amount of string buzz?
My Les Paul came factory Plek'd and the neck is beautiful. I have never gotten an after market plek job done and don't think I would after hearing Top-L's story
My Les Paul came factory Plek'd and the neck is beautiful. I have never gotten an after market plek job done and don't think I would after hearing Top-L's story
Re: acceptable amount of string buzz?
I friggen HATE string buzz. I lower my action on my axes to the point where string buzz juuuust starts to happen, then I raise it a hair.
The loss of sustain doesn't bother me as much as just the SOUND of it. Ugh. "Burning" a note when bending or doing vibrato or the subtle buzzy hum of a slide are not the same. Strings buzzing against frets makes me pucker.
I friggen HATE string buzz. I lower my action on my axes to the point where string buzz juuuust starts to happen, then I raise it a hair.
The loss of sustain doesn't bother me as much as just the SOUND of it. Ugh. "Burning" a note when bending or doing vibrato or the subtle buzzy hum of a slide are not the same. Strings buzzing against frets makes me pucker.
Christopher Caruana
New member
Re: acceptable amount of string buzz?
I don't like buzz either, but a little I can tolerate. As long as I don't hear it through the amp it doesn't bug me too much. I just back off my pick attack a little bit, which I need to do anyways because I have a really heavy attack
I don't like buzz either, but a little I can tolerate. As long as I don't hear it through the amp it doesn't bug me too much. I just back off my pick attack a little bit, which I need to do anyways because I have a really heavy attack