Which way to turn the truss rod to alleviate buzz up high?

[357mag]

Some fret buzz has started to show itself around the 17th frets and on upwards. My frets are nice and level so I know that is good. I raised the action a bit on the treble side and when I grab a string and bend it that also feels just about where I like it.

So the question that remains is which way to turn the rod if the fret buzz is in the upper register of the neck?

 

[AlexR]

Re: Which way to turn the truss rod to alleviate buzz up high?

The TR doesn't alleviate buzz nor have any effect whatsoever there. You will need to adjust bridge height or work on fret height

 

[Darg1911]

Re: Which way to turn the truss rod to alleviate buzz up high?

If the frets are level and everything else is kosher, removing some relief (straightening the neck) followed by a bridge height adjustment may get it sorted out. But check the relief first. If the neck is up bowed, you can try tightening the truss rod which will remove some relief, making the neck straighter. Again, you will probably have to follow up with a bridge adjustment. Righty-tighty (clockwise). Lefty-loosey. Also, removing some string tension makes it easier to tighten the truss rod. It may take some time for the neck to fully settle after the adjustment. And don't turn much at a time. Maybe just 1/8 of a turn at a time.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Which way to turn the truss rod to alleviate buzz up high?

*Major disclaimer, I'm not a luthier and just taught myself setups by reading the major books and experimenting*

What is your current relief measurement at the 8th fret, capoed at the 1st fret and fretted at the last fret? Even if you don't have feeler gauges you can set it by having the low E somewhere between just touching the fret and being able to slide a business card under it. (Some prefer more relief, but that's a good starting point). After that, what is your string height at the 12th and 17th frets?

 

[357mag]

Re: Which way to turn the truss rod to alleviate buzz up high?

*Major disclaimer, I'm not a luthier and just taught myself setups by reading the major books and experimenting*

What is your current relief measurement at the 8th fret, capoed at the 1st fret and fretted at the last fret? Even if you don't have feeler gauges you can set it by having the low E somewhere between just touching the fret and being able to slide a business card under it. (Some prefer more relief, but that's a good starting point). After that, what is your string height at the 12th and 17th frets?

Measured with a feeler gauge at at the 8th frets it recently measured a little more that .010". Looks to be about right to me. Perhaps I could go a little less and straighten the neck a bit. The guy that set it up did a very good job. But the temperature is changing here it's getting cold and that stuff is effecting my guitar.

 

[greekdude]

Re: Which way to turn the truss rod to alleviate buzz up high?

The TR doesn't alleviate buzz nor have any effect whatsoever there. You will need to adjust bridge height or work on fret height

It does on lower frets IME. Create a back bow and you have the leftmost frets buzzing.

 

[SlyFoxx]

Re: Which way to turn the truss rod to alleviate buzz up high?

Never had feeler gauges but always keep a few dunlop tortex picks from the thin/red to the thick/purple around. ( Plus I prefer the orange, yellows and greens for playing...have for years.) They're labeled with their thickness and can come in handy when making adjustments. Like I know if an orange won't stay firmly put under the high strings at the first fret, I've still got work to do.