Having fret buzz issues...this is odd...

[XSSIVE]

Ok so i wake up today to a package with my new hotrails neck and middle pickups to go in my strat along with the hot rails that is in the bridge now (good day you would think...right?)....all excited i get to work installing them ASAP. the strat started the day with a perfect setup no fret buzz of any kind. i finish the pickup swap (15min or so) screw the guard back on and string it up with a fresh set of the usual D'Addario 10's (same brand and size it started the day with) tune it up check the innotation and strum a few cords.....i now have an insane amout of fret buzz on the E and A strings and i don't get why. the evil buzz starts at the 4th fret and goes all the way to the 21st. the neck has a bit of relief in it, i even loosend the trus rod a tad but it's almost to the point of being too loose now and it did nothing, i raised the action a tiny bit (although i didn't want to) and this still did nothing. the trem claw is screwed nearly all the way down with 3 springs (i never use the bar) and the bridge is flush to the body. what on earth could have caused a perfectly set up guitar with no buzz to get all messed up within a time frame of under 30min? also, any ideas on what to try to fix this? i know how to set up a guitar but this has me stumped, i can't understand how it happened or find the cure.....HELP!!! :smack:

thanks guys and sorry for the rant!

-Mike

 

[Kac]

Re: Having fret buzz issues...this is odd...

I think your problem may lie in the fact that the guitar had no tention on the neck while you were swapping pick-ups. The lack of tention from the strings may have caused the neck to warp slightly and should be able to be fixed by adjusting the truss rod, if you can't figure it out have a luthier look at it.
Rock On :smoker:

 

[XSSIVE]

Re: Having fret buzz issues...this is odd...

warp in less than 30min??? that's a scary thought...also i did adjust the truss rod and...nothin' the neck didn't budge...if i loosen it anymore it's gonna rattle like mad (more than the strings hehe) this is driving me nuts, i now have 3 guitars that have been acting odd like this...i'm pretty sure it's weather related (cold) but come on this is insane under 30min with no strings and it's all FUBAR....grrrrrr!! :smack: and i can't fix the damn things for some reason when i have been setting up my own guitars for the most part for years. :smack: :smack: :smack:

-Mike

 

[FretFire]

Re: Having fret buzz issues...this is odd...

If guitars were so sensitive to having no strings for more than a few minutes, how would you ever clean the fingerboard? The only guitars I don't pull all the strings off of at once when I change them are Floyd-equipped.

 

[XSSIVE]

Re: Having fret buzz issues...this is odd...

yeah same here, floyds i tend to do one at a time to make it easier but this is a fender deluxe powerhouse strat (de-powerhoused hehe) with a vintage trem and tuners...this thing should stay straight with no strings for a long time...i just don't get this and i wanna play with my new pickups...i'm quite pissed at it right now!!

anyone have any ideas?

-Mike

 

[Xeromus]

Re: Having fret buzz issues...this is odd...

don't you hate that? Might have to take it to a shop. I get mystery rattles every so often too

 

[Mkf411]

Re: Having fret buzz issues...this is odd...

Just guessing, but I'd say put the truss rod back where it was, tune it up and leave it for awhile. The neck may go back to where it was.

 

[Guitarist]

Re: Having fret buzz issues...this is odd...

Maybe the pups are too high.

 

[XSSIVE]

Re: Having fret buzz issues...this is odd...

nope i checked that to make sure, pickups are fine...it's fret buzz for sure and i don't understand where it came from all of a sudden. any ideas are welcome i've tried a few things with no luck and the luthier i will soon be using is closed 'til the 11th or so so i'm stuck with this PITA problem 'til then and i'd like to fix it myself if possible but i can't figure it out.

-Mike

 

[Grandor]

Re: Having fret buzz issues...this is odd...

If guitars were so sensitive to having no strings for more than a few minutes, how would you ever clean the fingerboard? The only guitars I don't pull all the strings off of at once when I change them are Floyd-equipped.

Why floyd-equipped ones?

 

[FretFire]

Re: Having fret buzz issues...this is odd...

Why floyd-equipped ones?

To prevent any possible issues with the tensions going haywire. Staying with the same type/gauge of string usually prevents any actual "problems", but it just simplifies the process of stretching and retuning.

 

[XSSIVE]

Re: Having fret buzz issues...this is odd...

^ yup...what he said hehehe (seriously that's why i do it, just makes it easier IMO when doing just a simple string change)

now why is my damn guitar buzzin' at me:question: hehehe

-Mike

 

[Kent S.]

Re: Having fret buzz issues...this is odd...

Now don't shoot me for saying this,but I'm so glad to hear about this problem.If this is caused by pulling off all the strings and then putting them back on then retuning then you have caused neck shock,(the reason why I'm glad is because I've taken some flaq over stating that this occurs-it's always "not to me,never heard of it,that can't happen" yadda yadda).
Now all my childish prosturing aside,( ),first off measure the end of the fretboard from the edge of the fretboard to the edge of each E string.It should be the same distance,(sometimes the neck can shift during tension/no tension/tension shifts).
Next loosen all of the strings going E-G-A-B-D-E down about a tone and a half going about a half tone at a time.
Let the neck sit for about 15 mins then bring the guitar up to tune going in reverse.
Now fret at the first fret and the fret where the neck joins the body,(#17 I think), and look in the center of those two points.The neck should have a slight bow in it of about 1/64-1/32.If it is any less than you'll need to loosen the truss rod about 1/8 of a turn,(with some pauses for tension adjust in between),until it is at the right height.
Finally take a quick peek at the trem,see if it is sitting any different than before,again this sometimes will happen.

Although I do it a bit different (not saying my way is necessarily right, it just works for me), the idea is the same ... I don't even try to adjust or set up a guitar until it sits tuned up, for a couple hours ... my way is a bit more spartan ... i replace all the strings, tune them up, stretch them gently, tune again ... and leave it, come back about 45 minutes later, tune and stretch, and tune again ... leave come back ... once everything is stabilzed ... then and only then can I get to adjusting. For glue in I go in steps of tension ... for most bolt on I just tune up, neck-thrus get babied a bit more (not real sure which type is more susceptable to it, that's just kinda the way I do it).
Floating vibratos, get the lowered tuning, bar work out, progressing towards their target tuning.
I used to think it was BS too, but that's because I always changed strings one at a time ... But when I swapped bridges, pickups, pick guards ... yep, just couldn't figure it out for a while. :smack:

 

[Johtosotku]

Re: Having fret buzz issues...this is odd...

Try the pickup height one more time.

 

[XSSIVE]

Re: Having fret buzz issues...this is odd...

ok guys...johnjohn, i tried your method (thank you) but i still have the fret buzz on the E and A strings as before. my pickup height is not at all an issue in any way just to clarify that. the tremlo is as it was before locked down to the body (3 springs with the claw nearly screwed all the way down) so that never moves. the only thing is that the truss rod is adjusted loose to the point where if i loosen it any more it's gonna rattle like mad itself, it's real loose now and doing nothing to the neck when adjusted looser. there is a bit of relief (noramal amount i have on most guitars) i can see it when i look down the neck. i still have the horrid fret buzz and can't figure out why. the guitar sat overnight in tune, any idea on what to try today? thanks.

-Mike

 

[Bluzboy66]

Re: Having fret buzz issues...this is odd...

ok guys...johnjohn, i tried your method (thank you) but i still have the fret buzz on the E and A strings as before. my pickup height is not at all an issue in any way just to clarify that. the tremlo is as it was before locked down to the body (3 springs with the claw nearly screwed all the way down) so that never moves. the only thing is that the truss rod is adjusted loose to the point where if i loosen it any more it's gonna rattle like mad itself, it's real loose now and doing nothing to the neck when adjusted looser. there is a bit of relief (noramal amount i have on most guitars) i can see it when i look down the neck. i still have the horrid fret buzz and can't figure out why. the guitar sat overnight in tune, any idea on what to try today? thanks.

-Mike

I know you say you've checked the pickup height, but I wonder if the magnetic pull from the newer units are strong enough to 'pull' on the strings a little more than the pickups you took out?? Traditional single-coils are a little more likely due to the slugs actually BEING the magnets, but wow.........this one's got me stumped.

Maybe drop the pickups waaaay down into the guard as far as they'll go without popping off the screws, and play the guitar acoustically to see if there is a difference in the buzz.

Good luck. Rest assured, you'll figure it out, or it will sort itself out.

Mike

 

[XSSIVE]

Re: Having fret buzz issues...this is odd...

thanks for the suggestion, but i don't know why everyone says pickups when i've mentioned 3 times it's not that lol...no i'm not mad (don't take my comment the wrong way) it's not a bad idea, it could be that in some situation but this is your typical neck/bridge related fret buzz that i'm dealing with. also the pickups are set real real low since i just installed them and haven't adjusted them yet. this problem also happens when playing acoustically, i haven't even plugged the guitar in yet asside from a tuner since it's giving me this bad fret buzz problem. thanks for taking the time to reply this may serve as a good problem solving post for others also in the future!

any other things i should try...asside from sticking the guitar on the table saw and saying goodbye hahaha j/k this one is one of my favorites, i'd never do it!!

-Mike

 

[GHWelles]

Re: Having fret buzz issues...this is odd...

Maybe when you changed the pups the bridge height adjustment screws moved (no tension on them) and dropped the action down too low, causing fret buzz.

 

[XSSIVE]

Re: Having fret buzz issues...this is odd...

Try measuring the neck,(bass and treble side)at the body join.Also do the bridge check with the paper on your frets.It could be that Murphy's law occured while you were changing pick-ups and didn't do anything wrong.

sorry but, from where to where to where am i measuring the neck at the body joint...from the top of the body to the top edge of the neck you mean...or something else? also bridge check with paper on my frets? i'm not familiar with that either...sorry but thanks for the help...please explain a bit more if you don't mind so i can fix this.

- Mike

 

[XSSIVE]

Re: Having fret buzz issues...this is odd...

Maybe when you changed the pups the bridge height adjustment screws moved (no tension on them) and dropped the action down too low, causing fret buzz.

i checked that to make sure and actually raised the action a little bit, that's not it, i checked the saddle radius with my radius gauge from stew mac and it seems fine too...this is just real odd.

-Mike