Lets talk about FRET BUZZ, the causes and cures.

SheDoesntDoIt4Me

SheDoesntDoIt4Me

New member
I have become real good at repair of my guitars, but one thing still bugs me. FRET or STRING BUZZ. Im talking about when you even play open strings and the ring for a second and the BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Im guessing this shouldnt be happening but most guitars I have had this to some degree. Usually moreso with new strings. I familiar with neck straightness, truss rod adj. and intonation setup. I usually play with distortion and for the most part you dont pick up on this buzz, but I want to be able to get it right. Is this remedied with fret leveling? Or do most guitars just have a degree of this?Thanks for your opinions. Peace
 
Re: Lets talk about FRET BUZZ, the causes and cures.

The actual solution is simple . . .

. . . if you know what to do, you do it.

If you don't, you take it to a tech. :laugh2:

Sorry . . . I don't mean sarcasm, thats just the solution. ;)
 
Re: Lets talk about FRET BUZZ, the causes and cures.

ArtieToo said:
The actual solution is simple . . .

. . . if you know what to do, you do it.

If you don't, you take it to a tech. :laugh2:

Sorry . . . I don't mean sarcasm, thats just the solution. ;)
Click to expand...

Ok funnyboy, I want to learn WHAT causes it and HOW to fix it. Like I said I can fix just about everything else, this is one of my last hurdles...Im assuming the frets are out of level which I will attack myself, but if I can get some guidelines and pointers Id be happy. BEFORE I **** up a guitar, which I have been known to do in the process of learning. Why pay a tech when I can do it myself.
 
Re: Lets talk about FRET BUZZ, the causes and cures.

I'm sorry . . . me and my wife found this absolutely outstanding Shrimp, Crab, and lobster Bloody Mary mix . . . and I'm "road testing" it.

Thats not saying that my advice isn't sound . . . just not not what you were looking for.

Forgive me. :newangel:
 
Re: Lets talk about FRET BUZZ, the causes and cures.

Dan Erlweine's book covers this concept. It's well worth the $15. I've got no fret buzz on either my Hardtail or the SG and I'm using TNT's on both.

In short, either the bridge is too low, the neck relief is incorrect, or as you offered, your frets need levelled. First question is which fret is buzzing?
 
Re: Lets talk about FRET BUZZ, the causes and cures.

i've been having issues with fret buzz on a few guitars i tried everything i know to fix them with no luck. i brought them to the best tech around and he gave them a setup which fixed it a bit but he siad if you want it 100% gone you need a fret leveling...so next week my guitar goes in for custom inlay work and fret leveling (might as well get some cool inlays with the downtime hehe). I'd bring it to a good tech and have them look it over. maybe a shim in the neck will help...maybe it needs a fret leveling but don't drive yourself nuts trying to fix it (i did) just give in and have a pro take a look at it...after hours of tinkering with my guitars i couldn't get rid of it all and now i know why.

-Mike
 
Re: Lets talk about FRET BUZZ, the causes and cures.

As long as you know how to adjust saddle height, do perfect intonation, and the nut slots are cut low enough.....you gotta learn how to tweak the truss rod to perfection.
Having a little glimmer of sunlight between the low E and top of 7th fret is the starting point. From there, play the guitar standing up with the same touch you always use.
Find the spots on the neck that are the most problematic, like the 10th fret G, or something. Make very slight movements on the truss rod till those problem spots get as good as they'll ever be. When the action feels great and you adjust everything to be 'just on the verge' of buzz, you're doing the right thing.
 
Re: Lets talk about FRET BUZZ, the causes and cures.

Simple answer:

Most of the time fret buzz or more specifically, ringing or buzzing even when open strings are played can be caused by a resonant truss rod. My understanding is that the truss rod is vibrating freely due to it not being set properly when the neck was built. This can occur when the truss rod has been recently tweaked and there are 'gaps' in between the wood and the truss rod.

The fix:

Apart from pulling off the entire fretboard, an experienced luthier will be able to identify which area of the truss rod is resonant and will be able to 'deaden' the resonant area by drilling a miniscule hole through the side of the neck and inserting some sort of superglue/putty to cover up the gap.

Hope this helps!
 
Re: Lets talk about FRET BUZZ, the causes and cures.

i agree for the most part on what others say about getting the frets leveled.

i dont think you have to adjust the truss rod to perfection to not have buzz. I had new frets put on a guitar of mine recently that didnt have the best truss rod and the guitar has super low action and absolutley NO buzz.

i think if we really play the heck out of a guitar then the wear on the frets is not equal all over the board and this causes certain places to buzz.
i have this on another one of my guitars that i have really worn the frets down and it buzzes but not in all places. this guitar i remember when i first got it, i could put the action down super low and it wouldnt buzz at all. now i feel it needs new frets but i am too lazy to do it, so i have to live with a bit of a buzz.


hope that helps.


if you can and have the patience do it your self or take it to a good tech. putting in frets well is an art.
 
Re: Lets talk about FRET BUZZ, the causes and cures.

JohnJohn said:
Fret buzz can be caused by a lot of different things:

bad relief
twisted neck
raised frets
low frets
action too low
low nut-open only
hump in fret board
bad crowning

Related fret buzzing:

loose nuts and screws
loose electronic parts
unsecured wires
loose parts
something in the truss cavity,(it happens-honest)
misaligned neck
broken/loose braces
broken purfling and/or bridge plate
bad neck join
warped/loose tops
humidity problems

At the nut:

slots too low
misshaped slots
badly set nut

And these are only vague descriptions,specifics vary on the piece and the problem.
The solutions are too numerous to list.A whole book could be written on just frets and still need to be constantly updated.
So I would be +1 for the Erlewine book.
Click to expand...

And don´t forget all the "secondary causes" like burrs in bridge saddles, improperly drilled screw holes, bad setup in general.....

Definitaly +1 for the "Guitar Player´s Repair Guide" by Dan Erlewine. Troubleshooting fret buzz without the guitar in hand will 90% of the time NOT yield the desired effect. That´s why I don´t even try anymore ;)
 
Re: Lets talk about FRET BUZZ, the causes and cures.

I agree, Erlewine's books are invaluable. JMO, but sometimes curing buzzing is as simple changing the strings. The next thing I do is hunt down the offending fret and use some OOOO steel wool to smooth it out. That usually cures it. Be sure to tape the pickup screws and fretboard to prvent filings from getting in.

Jeff
 
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