Is this a big guitar problem?

[That90'sGuy]

I just received my G&L Skyhawk in the mail and everything is great except for one thing: I have fret buzz on the 7th fret on the A,D,G, and B strings. D and G are the two strings that exhibit this more clearly, the others barely do it. The rest of the fretboard is absolutely perfect. When I play through my amp it is unnoticeable.

Is this a big problem? Should I get a refret done? I have contacted the seller about this and hopefully there will be some sort of a response. I've tried saddle height adjustments and it almost fully fixed the B string, but the others are still a problem (tried a lot of saddle adjustments with no luck). Are refrets expensive? I'm debating whether I should look into replacing this one fret for now, maybe do the entire thing, or just not invest any more money into the guitar (I paid $360, but it suffers from nicks, dings, scratches, and some slight checking).

 

[Bludave]

Re: Is this a big guitar problem?

If the frets have noticeable nicks in them they will need to be dressed. If the frets are in good shape it may just be a truss rod adjustment. To check to see if the neck is straight press the 6 string down on the first fret and press the 6 string down on the last fret, there should be a small gap between the bottom of the string and the top of the fret at the 7th fret(enough to pass a thin pick in between them). If there is not enough clearence the strings will buzz. If you want to increase the amount of clearance (lower the neck in the middle) loosen the nut. If you have to much clearance tighten the nut. If you have to much bow in the neck the strings may buzz in the open position. This will require the truss rod to be tightened. The way I always think of this is you are raising or lowering the middle of the neck "Right raise" "Left lower" Easy to remember . Make small adjustments ¼ turns of the nut or less while checking after each adjustment.

In the future it would be wize to purchase a guitar with the understanding it will be examined by a tech. If the tech gives it an OK than you will keep it, if the tech does not give it an OK you will send it back or at least negotiate the cost of the repairs to the guitar. Good Luck!!!

 

[StrykeBack]

Re: Is this a big guitar problem?

I got a Ibanez SZ off of musiciansfriend and had quite a bit of fret buzz..could never hear it through the amp but it annoyed the heck out of me especially when practicing at bedroom level. Your gonna need a few frets flattened out. My guitar tech took care of it for me when he did the setup. Afew high spots of frets on the neck. I guess he takes a steal block and rubs it along the neck until it does a bump or stops and thats where you have to file them down a bit. It shouldn't be too expensive. my setup all together with frets, nut, and a new push pull pot ran me around 85 bucks. Should only cost 40 or so bucks to fix 1 fret.

 

[Ez74]

Re: Is this a big guitar problem?

i'd lay a straight edge across the frets and see if those frets are lower... i would think a fret dressing would help instead of going all the way to a refret

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Is this a big guitar problem?

Thank you Bludave, tonight I'll have to try this and hopefully it will work. It was advertised in "good playing condition" so I didn't think about fret buzz. Thank you again for your help

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Is this a big guitar problem?

Thank you EZ and Strykeback for your replies. After adjusting the trussrod for a while, I found it wasn't correcting it. I'm finding this is something best left for the professionals! Thank God I heard back from the seller and he has some techs in his shop who are willing to fix it for free (going to contact them about the best way of doing it, it would be an expensive hit if I had to pay out of my pocket). He's guessing that that individual fret is too high and that it needs to be leveled. He's really stepping up to the plate and showing good customer service, so I get the impression that I'm lucking out (one big reason why it's always good to buy from a small store owner online or from someone with lots of good feedback period). Wish me luck!

 

[StrykeBack]

Re: Is this a big guitar problem?

thats what it sounded like, just one raised fret. it'l take them 5 to 10 minutes to fix that. Very cool that the guy is willing to work with you on that. Nighthawk uh? I've been drueling over those ASATs that G&L has. Beautiful guitars.