Fret buzz on 2nd fret low e

nutbox

Hi there, Just restringed and put a precut nut on my guitar and after tuning up I have found it has bad fret buzz on the 2nd fret on the low e but now where else,it almost dead. Is this a due to a high fret or something? How can I solve this problem ? Cheers dazz

Andyjr1515

Hi @nutbox Is it that the string buzzes at the second fret when you play it open, or that it buzzes when you hold the string down at the second fret? Andy

nutbox

Hi Andy it is when I fret the string.
cheers dazz

Andyjr1515

In which case it is not directly connected with the nut work. What kind of bridge is it? Could the bridge height adjustment have moved when you took the stings off?

nutbox

I might of, but all other frets seem fine and dont buzz as you go up the neck.
could that still be the case?

Andyjr1515

What type of bridge is it, @nutbox? Are the saddles individually height adjustable, like on a stratocaster, or is it adjusted as a whole unit either end, like a tune-o-matic or floyd rose? Did it buzz before? What is the actual string height at the 12th fret when the string is held down at the first fret? For the low e, 2 to 2.5mm is a decent starting point

sweepy

Try slackening the Truss Rod a quarter turn/. odds are the neck is too straight 

sweepy

If all else fails feel free to pop over for a coffee  biccie and I can check it out

nutbox

It is a tune-o-matic bridge , I shall look at the height tonight .
it didn't buzz before hand also I forgot to mention I have gone down in size on the strings from 10 to 9s.
I should of really checked all this stuff out before I put this up but I thought it was something wrong with the fret and not bridge hight doh! .
Cheers dazz

nutbox

Cheers sweepy I shall take a look tonight.

Andyjr1515

Yes - @sweepy is right. Putting lighter strings on might well have altered the neck relief. Sort that first, then check the string heights at the 12 th. Decent starting point is 1.25 mm for top e and 2.25mm at bottom e. Raise a touch if you have buzz, drop it a touch if you don't

nutbox

Right I check the neck relief and it was a bit low ,so I loosened the truss rod a bit. Then I checked the string hight which was high,so I lowered the bridge but the bridge has bottomed out and won't go no more. I have got the low e at 2.25mm and high e at 1.75. I am confused at why the bridge has bottom out. Cheers dazz

Andyjr1515

That's an ok action height, Dazz. Has the buzzing stopped?

MDKV

Run a straight edge across it, that will tell you if it's high. 

Andyjr1515

Hi, Dazz

The action on your low E sounds fine - particularly if the buzzing's stopped.  The action on your top e is at the high end but depends on your preference.  If it feels OK to play and doesn't buzz, I would leave well alone.

If it is too high for you, it MIGHT be the neck angle (which is what @MDKV is rightly referring to).  But before messing with that, you need to be sure in absolute terms, rather than relative terms, that the neck relief is now correct.

This is easy enough:

• Put a capo (or borrow a friend's thumb) on the 1st fret of either low E or top E
  
• Fret down on the 16th fret
• At the 8th fret, there should be just perceptable movement.  Sort of couple of sheets of paper amount.
• If there is NO movement, loosen the truss rod, 1/4 turns, until there is
• If there is more than a business-card thickness's movement, tighten it until there is business card or (preferably) less movement
• Recheck the action heights and adjust where necessary
• Report Back Progress 

daveyh

That's an okay action?

nutbox

The relief is set at about 1mm and the action is at low e 2.50mm and high e 2mm,which is where it doesn't buzz so much. I find the action is quite high and would love to get it lower but the bridge won't let me . It buzzes at the 8th and 12th fret do you think it's worth getting the frets levelled ? Cheers dazz

Andyjr1515

Hi, Dazz

First get your relief set correctly - otherwise you will not be able to work out what else is wrong.  Tighten the truss rod 1/4 turn at a time, until you get the 'just perceptible movement' described above, then see what your action is like.  

nutbox

I set the relief to about 1mm which is about a bussiness card thickness ,also that's just before it starts buzzing to much.

Andyjr1515

Hi Dazz Have you run a short straight edge up each set of 3 - 4 frets to see if it rocks at various points. That would indicate if you have some high frets.

nutbox

Hi andy, There are a few high frets on the neck,not excessive rocking but this is a cheap low end ltd guitar ,so I suppose should be expected. Is it best to get a radius block to take care of the fret work? Cheers dazz