HEY! BUZZ OFF!

[MetalManiac]

I recently invested in a tuner and have been having fits tuning and intonating all my guitars.For inotnating, the tuner jumps all over the place, so I guess its not a exact science?

I dismantled several of my guitars as unuasable ( I was always bragging how perfect the action was, right?).

Well, I got them all did, all set up pretty well, cause I like me some low action, but most if not all the guitars I had to raise the action on the low E and some of the low strings.

Now, All of my guitars Buzz.The ones that buzzed very bad are now dismantled and the necks will be gotten rid of.

Most of my guitars have jumbo frets and flat radius, but when I really slam a low E open string or even just hit it hard, it buzzes.Is this normal? Will also buzz on the Chords at the headstock.
With some soft-to-medium touch and finesse, it wont buzz.

 

[LReese]

Re: HEY! BUZZ OFF!

Did you set it to 1 pick thickness @ the 12th fret?

A little buzz is normal depending on your attack - but the thing that comes to mind is whether your frets are level. Truss rod set correctly?Good fretwork to me is the 1st requirement for successfully getting low action. That being said, there is such a thing as too low.

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: HEY! BUZZ OFF!

Maybe it's time for some fret dressing. A nice rounded, polished crown on a fret makes a big difference.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: HEY! BUZZ OFF!

Jerry, don't take this wrong but I have read MANY of your posts on you building your own guitars with various parts, doing your own fret work, your own nut work and your own set up work...

This is more often than not what happens when someone that shouldn't be doing their own tech work is doing their own tech work...

You can have super fat frets on a super flat radius board and if they need to be dressed you are still going to have buzz and rattle issues...no way around it and FWIW, even with a 7.25 inch radius and wire frets if they are set up properly you can get a pretty low action with no extra noise...

Put the guitars back together and spend some money on them...get a pro tech and then stop sweating these issues.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: HEY! BUZZ OFF!

Given the way Ive monkeyed with my frets in an amateur way by trying to drss /level them myslef to get really low action on the high frets -high strings, its a clear possibility that the fretwork down low has suffered neglect.
All the guitars I've mentioned are cobbled together from parts.
I'll have to get out a high dollar Gibson to see how it buzzes or not.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: HEY! BUZZ OFF!

Jerry, don't take this wrong but I have read MANY of your posts on you building your own guitars with various parts, doing your own fret work, your own nut work and your own set up work...

This is more often than not what happens when someone that shouldn't be doing their own tech work is doing their own tech work...

You can have super fat frets on a super flat radius board and if they need to be dressed you are still going to have buzz and rattle issues...no way around it and FWIW, even with a 7.25 inch radius and wire frets if they are set up properly you can get a pretty low action with no extra noise...

Put the guitars back together and spend some money on them...get a pro tech and then stop sweating these issues.

Yes. I think you are right. So, then, its not normal to the extent I have been having.Thats what I thought.Thanks.
Please understand that I went to many techs and spent far to much money to shadetree buffons who could do littel to no better than I. Thats what drove me to try myself. Just no one in my area who is competent.

Ive heard of a guy in Austin..Dan Erlewines cousin Mark. Eventually he will get all my guitars god willing for a pro fret dress/level.
I did get my frets level enough to have the high strings bend all the way possible and for fast treble string scale runs.

I think that there are issues with my guitars on the low frets , they aren't level,properly crowned , and the guitar is buzzing.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: HEY! BUZZ OFF!

Yes. I think you are right. So, then, its not normal to the extent I have been having.Thats what I thought.Thanks.
Please understand that I went to many techs and spent far to much money to shadetree buffons who could do littel to no better than I. Thats what drove me to try myself. Just no one in my area who is competent.

Ive heard of a guy in Austin..Dan Erlewines cousin Mark. Eventually he will get all my guitars god willing for a pro fret dress/level.
I did get my frets level enough to have the high strings bend all the way possible and for fast treble string scale runs.

I think that there are issues with my guitars on the low frets , they aren't level,properly crowned , and the guitar is buzzing.

It doesn't matter how cheap or high dollar the guitar is...if the frets are not level that is an issue.

There are LOADS of good techs out there but there are even more hacks out there...find a good tech and get your issues handled.

As for how much buzz is normal...it all depends on a lot of things. I'd have to play the guitar to know more...some buzz is normal and some guys play guitars with a lot of buzz...a lot of guys don't care if it buzzes unless it does it bad enough to be heard through the amp.

 

[DankStar]

Re: HEY! BUZZ OFF!

think of it as a built-in buzz box Gerald!

 

[kilphody]

Re: HEY! BUZZ OFF!

Give me some relief. You get past 12 on a set neck without a compound radii .. You're pushing the envelope. There are physical limitations to any instrument.
PC

 

[Adieu]

Re: HEY! BUZZ OFF!

Slam stuff hard.... it'll buzz. Obviously.

Buzz = sound of string hitting a fret other than the one fretted by your fingers.

You can clearly make any string slam into any fret (or many frets) via whacking it crazy hard. Buzz on electrics is evaluated PLUGGED IN, THROUGH AMP, @ PLAYER'S NORMAL PICKING STYLE (if you loooove to slam stuff sloppily, you'll have to change your habits raise your action or live with occasional buzz). Shredderific action tends to seem borderline buzzy acoustically, but is set for it to be minor enough not to get picked up by amp. Light strings also tend to buzz a lot more.

If there are buzzes at CERTAIN POSITIONS, that's your neck's truss rod setting and/or frets in need of levelling. Although... some positions few people care about at all, such as LowE/23rd fret. Lol.

Finishing a setup, play every string in every position that you'll ever use and make sure there are no strange buzzes at specific points. If there's a lot, it's likely in need of neck relief. If there's a couple specifics, that's a fret levelling job.