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  #1  
Old 09-18-2021, 01:24 PM
Peter_P Peter_P is offline
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Default String Buzz

I just bought a new Yamaha AC3r , The action was quite high. I put a Bone Saddle in and lowered the action. In my opinion ( and I like High action) its still pretty high. All the strings sound full and clean, but the G string starting from the 4th fret up to about the 12th buzzes pretty bad and is annoying. The truss is very tight because that causes the least buzz, loosening it causes more buzz. I have read differing opinions on whether a new guitar needs fret leveling. Any suggestions on what could solve this problem ?
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Old 09-18-2021, 02:04 PM
Peter_P Peter_P is offline
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Originally Posted by Peter_P View Post
I just bought a new Yamaha AC3r , The action was quite high. I put a Bone Saddle in and lowered the action. In my opinion ( and I like High action) its still pretty high. All the strings sound full and clean, but the G string starting from the 4th fret up to about the 12th buzzes pretty bad and is annoying. The truss is very tight because that causes the least buzz, loosening it causes more buzz. I have read differing opinions on whether a new guitar needs fret leveling. Any suggestions on what could solve this problem ?
Correction the truss was tightened in the opposite of tight, in other words set to give more relief.
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Old 09-18-2021, 02:22 PM
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Correction the truss was tightened in the opposite of tight, in other words set to give more relief.
How much relief (thousandths of an inch) is in the neck? Generally, relief should be between 0.005” and 0.010” measured, between the top of the 7th fret and the bottom of the low E string using automotive feeler-gauges, with a capo on the first fret and the string held down at the 14th (i.e. where the F/B joins the body).

Excess relief can cause buzzing when fretting in the middle of the neck. Other things may be going on, but this check will initially identify if the problem is due to excess relief, before moving on to other things.
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Old 09-18-2021, 03:13 PM
Peter_P Peter_P is offline
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I'll have to pick up a feeler gauge or borrow one.
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Old 09-18-2021, 03:57 PM
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I'll have to pick up a feeler gauge or borrow one.
Something like this is fine - $6.90 on Amazon.com

https://www.amazon.com/OEMTOOLS-2502...00BYGIR4&psc=1
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Old 09-18-2021, 04:07 PM
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And you might find it useful to study Frank Ford’s Frets.com ‘Buzz Diagnosis’ article…

http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Luth...buzzintro.html
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Lowden F-23 (Red Cedar/Claro Walnut) (2017)
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Old 09-19-2021, 06:49 AM
rstaight rstaight is offline
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Check out your local home improvement or auto parts stores for feeler gages.
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Old 09-19-2021, 07:14 AM
mirwa mirwa is offline
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Most guitars are not fret levelled at factory, they get shipped around the world to different climates and clearly are going to move and settle. Typically they are shipped with higher than desired actions to accomodate for this.

I highly recommend anyone get a new guitar setup, it may need a fret level, it may not, but its worth every cent to have it set up for you in your location.

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Old 09-19-2021, 08:07 AM
Aspiring Aspiring is online now
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I have done my own saddle and nut and truss rod setup work for a while. Recently I received two guitars thay I really liked but could not get the playability where I wanted and I ran into fret buzz on the trebles as I lowered the action into my normal range.

I used my string gauge and found some frets that were off. I bought my own fret crowning file and tried it myself. Huge difference. Not just playability improvement but tone too. Sustain seems better and the notes seem clearer on the trebles.

Last edited by Aspiring; 09-22-2021 at 08:44 PM.
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