Re: Fret Buzz on the 22th fret... Weird One
Ironjose, I always go for the obvious and the easy first. It's cheaper that way. I handle quite a few quitars and the 2 problems I most often see are bad pots/switches (moving parts) and poor set-ups. Far rarer is the bad fret, twisted neck, high end repair type job that most folks fear. Usually I can get a guitar playable with just a couple of wrenches and the occasional screw driver.
Floyds are usually radiused at the factory and shims are often set under the saddles to tweak them in. If someone messed with the factory set-up you need to check the radius first. You can eyeball it but radius guides are helpful. If someone removed the shim from under the 1st string E to lower the action a hair, that would explain the fretting out at the 22nd fret while bending. This can also indicate that the 23rd fret is high (possible) or the 22nd fret is low (less likely but possible) but the guitar may still be made playable withing spec with a proper set-up.
Look down the neck/fretboard from the headstock to the bridge. The strings should have a slight curve or radius. If the 1st string is noticeably lower out of that curve or if the saddles look saw toothed instead of following a gentle curve you probably have a radius issue. That needs to be corrected first.
After that you need to set your neck relief. I never set up my necks perfectly flat and I always leave just a hair of relief in them. Hold down the first fret and the last fret with your hands at the same time on the 6th string. If the string is laying on the frets with no clearance then you need to loosen the truss rod just enough to get the string off of the frets. I usually look bewteen the 9th and 12th frets for a gap and then tap the string and listen for a very slight click. That click means the string is not laying on the frets and the neck isn't back bowed.
Once the neck is flat or darn close you can run a straight edge up the frets. I use a steel 6" ruler or an automotive feeler guage and I look for high frets by seeing if the straight edge rocks over one fret in particular. Low frets need to be visually inspected as the straight edge wont rock over them.
If you have a high fret you may want to have the neck leveled but you may be able to set-up around it. It really depends on how far it is off. Often a guitar with a poor set-up will buzz in a certain area first. Frets do move around a little after the guitar is made but often it isn't enough to casue problems unless the set-upp is really off and once the guitar is within spec the problem goes away. If you are going for super low action though you need a tight fret job.
After your radius and neck relief is correct set the bridge height. I usually like 1/16" to 3/32 at the 12th fret but I don't like fret rattle. Some players try to compensate poor technique with super low action but laying the strings down too far kills tone, playability and sustain.
Without seeing the guitar I'm guessing that set-up is a far bigger issue than the actual fret but it's only a guess based on what I normally see. Here in the U.S. a fret level and set-up is around $100 and usually a little more for a Floyd loaded guitar because they are a pain to work on. Well, maybe not a pain once you get used to them but they do require more work if they need a set-up and radius job, especially if the shims are missing.
If you can't do this work yourself, find a tech that has good references.
