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  #1  
Old 03-20-2018, 06:47 PM
moushen moushen is offline
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Default Buzz on 1st & 2nd frets

I have been playing for a year now and bought a new Guild D240-E. I liked the way it played, looked, and felt. I got a setup & new strings at the store. Once I got home, I noticed it had a slight buzz on 1st & 2nd frets. I was very confused as to why I did not hear it at the store but did at home. To make a long story short, I realized that I did not strum very hard at the store due to being embarrassed about my poor playing abilities.

The guitar is fine except for this slight buzz, and not apparent when strummed lightly. I will probably keep it, and have it fixed but have a few questions.

Could this be cause by the not enough relief on the neck and the nut slots need to be lowered?

If this work is being done, should I get an upgraded nut?

Can someone recommend a luthier in the Orlando area for this work?
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Old 03-20-2018, 07:45 PM
littlewing1208 littlewing1208 is offline
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Default Buzz on 1st & 2nd frets

Quote:
Originally Posted by moushen View Post
I have been playing for a year now and bought a new Guild D240-E. I liked the way it played, looked, and felt. I got a setup & new strings at the store. Once I got home, I noticed it had a slight buzz on 1st & 2nd frets. I was very confused as to why I did not hear it at the store but did at home. To make a long story short, I realized that I did not strum very hard at the store due to being embarrassed about my poor playing abilities.



The guitar is fine except for this slight buzz, and not apparent when strummed lightly. I will probably keep it, and have it fixed but have a few questions.



Could this be cause by the not enough relief on the neck and the nut slots need to be lowered?



If this work is being done, should I get an upgraded nut?



Can someone recommend a luthier in the Orlando area for this work?


Did you do a 3rd fret test to see if the nut height is ok? Did the shop touch the nut? If you depress the strings between the 2nd and 3rd fret, it should not touch the 1st (but be close). Though nut height should only be an issue with open notes. If this checks out then it is probably the relief.

Last edited by littlewing1208; 03-20-2018 at 08:03 PM.
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Old 03-20-2018, 07:47 PM
ChalkLitIScream ChalkLitIScream is offline
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Try loosening the truss rod. Maybe a quarter turn, give it a few minutes and see if the problem is better. I dont think it would be a nut issue. How does it play open?
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Old 03-20-2018, 08:23 PM
moushen moushen is offline
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If I put a straight edge on it, it rocks on the 4th fret. After loosening the truss rod, the rocking & buzz goes away, but action is too high. Is this nut height or fret issue?
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Old 03-20-2018, 08:46 PM
littlewing1208 littlewing1208 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by moushen View Post
If I put a straight edge on it, it rocks on the 4th fret. After loosening the truss rod, the rocking & buzz goes away, but action is too high. Is this nut height or fret issue?


Saddle height. Sounds like the person who did your setup just tightened the truss rod to give you the appearance of lower action...smh.
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Old 03-20-2018, 09:19 PM
moushen moushen is offline
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It was Samash, bought the guitar +$50 for extended warranty and setups for 2 years. Guess I got ripped off.
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Old 03-20-2018, 09:47 PM
Playguitar Playguitar is offline
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If a straight edge is rocking on the 4th fret it is a fret issue.
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Old 03-20-2018, 09:52 PM
Playguitar Playguitar is offline
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I would take the guitar back to Sam Ash and have them replace it. You should have a guitar that has low action and does not buzz. A new guitar should not need fret work. A normal set-up does not usually require fret work.
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Old 03-20-2018, 09:55 PM
zmf zmf is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by moushen View Post
If I put a straight edge on it, it rocks on the 4th fret. After loosening the truss rod, the rocking & buzz goes away, but action is too high. Is this nut height or fret issue?
Sounds like you have an idea of what's going on. Without knowing what was done with this setup, and if you like the guitar, you're right to want a good luthier and basically start from the beginning with a decent setup. If all Samash did was tighten the truss, and the 4th fret is indeed uneven, this should be easy enough to correct. Good luck.
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  #10  
Old 03-21-2018, 03:34 AM
mickthemiller mickthemiller is offline
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I do all my own setups but it would be interesting to know from others how often a "free setup" or similar turns out to be more a selling point than an actual piece of work. I may be slightly biased here as I once, and only once, bought a guitar which was supposed to have had a "worth £100 setup" and it was one of the worst setup and playing guitars I've ever bought.
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