New guitar with fret buzz - send back?

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by loco gringo

Yes. Return it.

Why? That’s a pain and you may get another one that does the same thing.
Most new guitars need a setup anyway.
Take it to a Tech and have him look at it.
If all it needs is a set up, get one that will suit your playability

[Misifus]

Until fairly recently, Martin guitars did not have adjustable truss rods. How then, did they fix fret buzz? There are several other factors here. Fret leveling is one, as are nut height and saddle height. All of those must be correct for the setup to be ideal.

New guitars aren’t just cranked out by machines. They are made by people and errors can occur. That doesn’t mean an instrument is hopelessly flawed, but it’s pretty common for a new instrument to benefit from a professional setup. That will involve more than just cranking the truss rod.

[loco gringo]

If there is something wrong with it, they will usually pay shipping.

[Trent in WA]

Which dealer did you order it from?

Were it a guitar that I'd ordered, the first thing that I'd do, after giving it a few days to settle into the new environment, is take it to a tech and ask them to check the setup. I might do that even if there weren't any noticeable problems with it--factory setups are always generic and don't reflect how I personally like my guitars to play and feel (though they might well be close enough that I can live with it).

Your buzzing could be caused by insufficient humidity, too low a nut, too low a saddle, too little neck relief, a high fret, or a combination of one or more of them. All of those problems could be cheaply and easily fixed. The one issue that might give me a little pause is if a fret is too high--if that's the case, I'd want the tech to take a close look at the neck and fretboard to see if there are any structural problems, like a hump at the neck / body joint, that suggest something seriously wrong with the guitar.

Buzzing frets are irritating, but for me they're not something that would warrant a return on a guitar if I liked it otherwise. They--or rather dealing with them--are just part of life with guitars. Depending on how low you like your action and how far you've pushed the envelope on your setup, even changing brands of strings could cause a guitar to start buzzing.

Let us know how it turns out!

Trent

[dnf777]

Dont jump to truss adjustments unless the neck bow needs corrected. This is easy to check. A NEW guitar should not need fretwork. Set up, yes. Fret work, no. Dont know where you bought from, but most shops or online companies include a set up on guitars over a certain price point. You might want to check with the seller before doing anything on your own.

[SkipII]

Have you given the guitar a change to acclimate to your area and home?

Yes, set-=up is a typical step with any guitar. If the frets need to be dressed or there is a loose fret, I would like to think that is a bit out of spec and a good retailer or factory would cover that. Then again, this is Gibson...

Sending it back and paying shipping ($75-100?) is more than the likely cost of a good set-up and fret dressing, and shipping these days carries its own risks.

I'd tell the retailer you are willing ot pay for set-ups but they pay for the fret dressing if needed. If anything further is revealed in that work, they get the guitar back and cover the shipping.

[vintage40s]

Originally Posted by Guitarplayer_PR

No matter if it's new or used, always setup any guitar you buy. ALWAYS

In 2019 I bought a guitar from Sweetwater and paid them $45 for a low set up. It was not low enough to I paid a local luthier twice that to lower it some more. Should have not paid Sweetwater and just let the local luthier do one setup.
I expect that Sweetwater's "setup" just verifies that the default factory setup is 3/32, assumes that is as "low" as one would want, and leaves a 3/32 alone.
But I like 2/32, and assumed that would be the Sweetwater "low setup".
My mistake.

[Pura Vida]

First, I'd give it a few days to acclimate, in case it hasn't been properly humidified. Second, I'd measure it to see if it requires a setup. Many new guitars will require some adjustment, if not a complete setup. Third, I'd check to make sure the frets are level. Even new guitars can require a fret level. If you're not comfortable with it, then this would be the time to return it.

[JackB1]

OK just to give you guys some more info.....

I bought the guitar online through Reverb through a large dealer called Music Zoo in NY. It was shipped out last Thurs from NY to Atlanta. I got it Sat afternoon. So I've had it for 2 days now, so it may very well have just needed to be humidified and acclimate for a few days. We'll see....

I have 14 day return period with Music Zoo. Their policy says buyer pays for return shipping unless item is "not as described". So I'm not sure if some string buzz would qualify for free shipping on the return or not? I guess you could make the argument that a new guitar shouldn't have string buzz???

OK some more details about the current setup....

I know how to do most setup related things myself but I'm not an expert. The neck had almost no relief, so I loosened the truss rod about 1/4 turn and now it measures .010. The action is a touch over .090. I like it at .090 or a smidge lower. The neck appears straight, with no abnormalities, but this is just using my own eyesight. The bridge is new, so it's plenty high. The nut seems to be OK, since the buzzing isn't on any open strings. I can double check the nut again and try to measure clearance, but that's not so easy to do. The buzz is mostly from the B string and on frets 1-5. I will double check later and try to pinpoint the buzz more. I checked the frets with a fret rocker and there were a few with a tiny amount of "rock", but nothing major. I will recheck those again more carefully today.

For those interested, here is a little demo video I made, but its only recorded with a cell phone. You probably won't be able to hear any fret buzz on this video, but you can hear and see the guitar itself.

https://youtu.be/XEKxbzNrFFw

[mawmow]

Well, a brand new guitar with fret buzz ? I would return !
If it is a low range, it may not be worth a (imperfect ?) set up.
If it is a mid/high range guitar and you have no accredited local tech, you could loose warranty protection.

ADD ON : as you add info while I was writing...
I cannot see the video... but buzz on first frets... neck angle issue ?

[JackB1]

I'll fix the video link and also check the neck angle today

Originally Posted by mawmow

Well, a brand new guitar with fret buzz ? I would return !
If it is a low range, it may not be worth a (imperfect ?) set up.
If it is a mid/high range guitar and you have no accredited local tech, you could loose warranty protection.

ADD ON : as you add info while I was writing...
I cannot see the video... but buzz on first frets... neck angle issue ?

[KevinH]

Originally Posted by JackB1

...The buzz is mostly from the B string and on frets 1-5. I will double check later and try to pinpoint the buzz more...

Pay particular attention to the 6th fret to see if it's high.

And, while you're waiting for the guitar to acclimate, you might run through this list. Hopefully you'll find the answer before the return window closes.

[JackB1]

update......

the good news is the seller is willing to work with me. They said they would pay for a setup if that fixes the problem or I could return it for a refund or exchange.
So now I have to decide if I want to keep this one and have the setup done on it or exchange it for another one of the same model.

Checked the guitar out just now and now the buzz seems to be coming from just the B string. I get it on an open B string and also a little when it's fretted on frets 1-5.
It's not a terribly noticeable buzz, but it's there and I definitely notice it on the open B or chords with an open B string.

[rokdog49]

That’s great news.
Obviously you’re working with a good outfit.

[JackB1]

Yes. Music Zoo. They've been great with communication and extremely helpful. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

Originally Posted by rokdog49

That’s great news.
Obviously you’re working with a good outfit.