Setting up my Fender Telecaster

[PTChristopher]

Hi Aniss,

Your question:

>>> But Chris... when you said "Fret wear all by itself does not often develop into omni-present buzz, incredibly enough" it made me wonder.

I wonder about the stuff I say sometimes too.

>>> What else COULD be the cause? I mean all the possible options? If it isn't the relief or the nut what could it be?

Once you start to find the pattern of buzz, you then look at relief as being possibly in a normal range, but not necessarily optimal for the player. Then you look for single high and low frets, then you look at high or low areas (areas of a few frets that are high or low but not related to relief.)

>>> While the buzz was omni-present as you say at the extremely low action setting, that isn't the case now at this setting.

OK.

>>> For instance there seems to be a problem around fret 7, 12 and 14 for starters. I could do some more serious testing of this or record some samples if that by any chance could be useful?!

Well, if you are not going to level frets yourself, and you already have an offer to do some work, it may not be worth the walk through. As usual, it is pretty fast in-person, but will take quite a while blind and by posting back and forth.

No magic here, it is possible to figure things out. But to what end in this case?

One comment on the situation:

It is very possible that your local guy has a view of the situation that makes sense at this point. It's also possible that a little fret dressing could help with the current situation even if new (and harder) frets may be the real fix.

But if your confidence in the guy/situation is not too amazing and the guy does not advise a temporary dressing, then a fret dressing may not be a great idea under the circumstances.

How's that for convoluted?

Chris

[PTChristopher]

[Classicplayer] >>> repairs [that involved minor divots out of a Fender maple FB] took place before 1980

Ya know, that was right around when there were still many luthiers unaware of the Fender fretting method, shooting them in from the side as opposed to a press in from the front of the FB.

So a normal outward pull with fret pullers would pull the tang nibs through un-schmushed wood, sometimes with unfortunate result.

Actually in 1980 most guys made their own fret pullers by grinding down end-nippers. And then the keyboard guy would steal them to cut Rhodes tines (which wrecks the tool), and then yours truly would go ballistic,...

But I'm no longer bitter.

Chris

[PTChristopher]

Hi ClassicP,

If something is sort of a continuation of what we are talking about here, it may be best to keep it on the forum.

So yeah, Fender frets shot in from the side, and then yanked out the front was a fairly common issue back then.

Then everyone sort of got the hang of it - notching the frets and whacking them out sideways. And then Fender stopped shooting in from the side.

I am a poor historian, but I think they went to normal front loading in the early 80's sometime. In any case, it has been a while. There may be someone here with a far better history of this.

Chris

[aniss1001]

@Chris

How's that for convoluted?

Hmm.. Very! But then again I've heard worse

OK! 1st off.. at this point I really don't know what is going on. I don't have any confidence in the tech at all. He doesn't pay any attention to details. I have seen him work and it just looks messy and random. I think it's quite possible that the tech simply doesn't have a clue why there is fret buzz and simply mentioned the frets because one can see with the naked eye that they are not perfect. So I really don't know what to do.

Here is what I won't do:

1) Anything... until I understand better what is going on.

2) Anything more complicated than adjusting the bridge and truss rod MYSELF. Don't think I'm the guy to start doing some fret leveling myself as you mentioned. If anything needs doing (refretting, fret dres or other) it will be by a tech.

3) Have this particular tech do any more work for me.

So for now I'll simply keep trying to figure out the cause(s) of this fret buzz and keep looking for another tech to get a 2nd opinion.

Therefore I'm trying really hard to see the full picture here. As I understand fret buzz could be caused by:

1) The nut.

2) The relief.

3) Some twist in the neck.

4) The frets.

What about the manner in which the neck is bolted on? Could this be a cause? We have not mentioned this so far and I still don't know why the tech was fiddling with the neck plate screw at some point.

And are there other possible causes?

Anyway we seem to have determined that 1, 2 and 3 are atleast somewhat within the "normal" range right?

Ah one thing. This doing things step by step is perhaps not the best idea, since I have limited time. I think the best would be if you dump the whole procedure on me once and then give me some time to digest it and adquire the tools/items I need (even if it just means some rubber bands to make capos which I don't have for instance). Then when I'm ready we can do it all in ONE sitting. It may be this weekend or the next but it seems like the way to go.

Again thanks for sticking around for this I owe you quite a few stake dinners by now..

PS: Again... would it be of any use if I tried to record the fret buzz in some way?


@Gramps

Thanks for the tips. Both seem to be worth considering

[kris]

Hi,
You work hard with your set up.I know that problems.
I did myself a lot of things but the best way is to find good service with good equipment.
I found in Poland one...:-)
Guitar Help - serwis i naprawa gitar i basów

[Classicplayer]

annis,

It would be a help if you post a sound clip of the "buzz" you are hearing. If that problem was present when you put your clip up of the Jazz piece you did recently, I sure did not hear any buzz and I didn't hear it in the very short clip either.

Does that guitar have the Fender "Tilt" neck adjustment screw? Your tech may have played around with that perhaps? Most likely, he was just testing the bolts that hold the neck on, just to see if they were tight enough. Also, when
placing the guitar on your knee or on a table, hold it upright so that the lower strap pin is on the bottom.......take one hand and hold the guitar at the lowest part of the neck near the body and with your knuckles, whack the back of the neck and listen for any rattle. A rattle or two might indicated the problem might be the truss rod not seated in its' channel correctly.

Classicplayer

[bluefonia]

Therefore I'm trying really hard to see the full picture here. As I understand fret buzz could be caused by:

1) The nut.

2) The relief.

3) Some twist in the neck.

4) The frets.

Leave the nut out for now, - it only causes buzzing on loose strings not fretted strings. But you forgot the bridge/stringsaddles, which are important.

As you know very little about setting up a guitar and how all things on a guitar interacts, (EDIT: no offence meant) I guess we use much to many words here. You need some pictures/videos.


Youtube is your friend. Search "How to adjust a guitarneck", How to adjust action... and so on. You´ll get lots of hits and most of them will show you better than words what to do and look for.


Read this if you want a real thorough walk through for "buzz-finding". Frank Ford is one of the best and he takes you step by step.

FRETS.COM

FRETS.COM

Though the links above looks the same here they will direct you to different
articles.

[Classicplayer]

bluefonia,

+1 +1


Classicplayer

[PTChristopher]

Hi Aniss,

>>> [I wont do] Anything more complicated than adjusting the bridge and truss rod MYSELF. Don't think I'm the guy to start doing some fret leveling myself as you mentioned. If anything needs doing (refretting, fret dres or other) it will be by a tech.

OK, makes sense.

I have understood all along that you are 100% sure you are experiencing fret buzz, as opposed to other mechanical buzzes. Is this correct?

>>>fret buzz could be caused by:

>>>1) The nut.

Not exactly. A low nut can give buzz on open strings only. A high nut raises your open string action. So a measured 2.0mm 12th fret action depends on your nut be properly right down at fret height.

If your nut is high, then you need to lower the bridge to get the same measured 2.0mm 12th fret action. So with a high nut, a given measured action will actually require a lower bridge, which then can be a fret buzz cause.

Is that reasonably clear? "Action height" as a measurement of the open string at the 12th fret is somewhat meaningless until the nut is certainly down at fret height.

>>> 2) The relief.

To talk about relief changes and its effects, you need to have the nut right, then reset the action each time you make a relief change.

For most players, too little relief means fret buzz in low playing positions, at a given 12th fret action height. Too much relief means buzz in high playing positions at the same given 12th fret action height.

>>> 3) Some twist in the neck.

You are very unlikely to have this. The symptom is uneven relief and uneven fret buzz locations. You can also sometimes see this when doing the theatrical (but often useless) sight down the neck.

>>> 4) The frets.

Uneven frets, caused by many things, are a very common cause of fret buzz of course.

>>> What about the manner in which the neck is bolted on? Could this be a cause?

Extremely unlikely.

>>>We have not mentioned this so far

I have not because it strikes me as so unlikely.

>>> and I still don't know why the tech was fiddling with the neck plate screw at some point.

Again, I am trying to follow 2 rules:

1. Don't second-guess your tech. I have no idea why he may do one thing or another.

2. Don't comment on other advice you may get, which by no means suggests that I agree with it.

It is generally a good idea the check the bolts on a bolt-on neck. The ham-fisted way is to just tighten them slightly with a screwdriver.

>>>And are there other possible causes?

The linked Frank Ford articles are quite good for discussing other sources of mechanical buzz and locating fret buzz.

I would caution against inexperienced use of a straight edge. It is very common for it to be held at a angle that "discovers" high frets when this is not the case.

>>>Anyway we seem to have determined that [the nut, the relief, and any neck twist] are atleast somewhat within the "normal" range right?

Yes. The nut may still be a little high on some strings, but nothing too wacky.

>>> This doing things step by step is perhaps not the best idea, since I have limited time. I think the best would be if you dump the whole procedure

I understand. The 'procedure' is not complicated, but it is filled with many small observations that you need to make - and listing these gets to be a very long exercise with many possible misunderstandings.

In my opinion, we can diagnose specific fret problems. And even though working blind, we can probably come up with a pretty good idea of the situation. But any remotely capable tech will want to look things over for himself anyway.

So walking in and saying something like, "Some guy on the internet says that there is a small bump at frets 15 and 16 and that wear around frets 6,7, and 8 is causing problems with getting the relief correct." may not be really useful.

>>> [Walk through a setup] then give me some time to digest it and adquire the tools/items I need (even if it just means some rubber bands to make capos which I don't have for instance). Then when I'm ready we can do it all in ONE sitting. It may be this weekend or the next but it seems like the way to go.

I think we are to the point that you need some fret work. Either a dressing to get by or a fret job.

And we do not really KNOW that your frets are soft. It just seems reasonable to think so based on the wear.

>>> would it be of any use if I tried to record the fret buzz in some way?

It is possible but, in my opinion unlikely.

I think that a basic setup will put you right where you are now, but what the heck.

A VERY short guide to setup a guitar:

0. Get the relief and action to any sort of even remotely OK adjustment. Many guitars are OK enough already to begin a setup, but you can walk into stores and find guitars with 5 mm of relief and 8 or 9 mm action height. This makes things so messy that it is worth a rough adjustment just to get going. It can be that a guitar has absurdly high action and a bridge that is too low when the relief is crazy.

0a. Put on new strings unless the existing strings are in extremely good condition.

Brand new strings can buzz more than somewhat used strings, particularly when playing technique is a significant part of the problem.

1. Get the nut height correct (per the already-linked Frank Ford article). And note that the Frank Ford recommendation is really at the upper end of nut height in my opinion. See earlier comments on all of this.

It is also important to shape the nut slots well. This is in terms of the shape of the bottom of the slot, the angle of the slot, and the exit of the slot toward the tuners. But since you are not doing this work, and we are accepting the nut as it is, let's not get into these details here.

There is no way to really optimize anything else about a setup if the nut is not right.

No.

Many guitar store "setups" do not involve the nut.

There is absolutely no way to really optimize anything else about a setup if the nut is not right.

2. Set a rough action height at the bridge. Just get it somewhat close to your target height. Ranges have already been discussed in this thread.

3. Set the relief. Again, based on ranges discussed earlier.

4. Re-set the action to your target height.

5. Try it out.

6. Adjust relief if you are getting buzz either just down low (add relief), or just up high (reduce relief). Re-set the action.

7. For buzzing absolutely everywhere, raise the action OR (!!!) look to playing technique. Frank Ford discusses this some. I have done well (after first telling a player for some time just what an amazing human being they are) getting players to straighten their right wrist some - already discussed in this thread.

8. For any other local buzz, you need to look for high frets, low frets, uneven frets, uneven FB, damaged strings (dents in the string from a fall are a typical cause), AND mechanical buzzes that sound like fret buzz but are not. (Although this is not very common on a Tele.)

Frets can be high or low under just a single string at a single fret.

#8 is the hard part. Well, telling a player that they are making it buzz is harder in situations where that is a significant buzz source.

So that is pretty much it. A cut-and-paste of all the supporting comments from earlier would make for a longer procedure. And a procedure intended for publication would involve considerable illustrations as well as pitfalls to look for along the way - and dopey anecdotes from one's luthio-past. (The Japanese "Larry Carlton" setup comes to mind. Imagine if he had tried to say "Lee Ritenour"?)

I have ignored the pickup height as part of the setup. It has just not come up as part of this thread. My setup comments above are not intended for publication and really are a response to this particular situation. That does not mean that I just made this stuff up, or that it is not useful in other situations. It does mean that if I were writing it for publication and widespread use, I would add quite a bit.

Chris

[aniss1001]

Ok just a quick reply. Don't have much time so I'll get back to y'all later.

I'm definately sure that there is some fret buzz but it is very possible that there is some other problem too. I was unaware of other types of buzz. In short what other possiblities are there? Could the bridge or saddles themselves cause some sort of buzz?

Anyhoo later on I'll try the test that Classic player mentioned.

And actually I had 1st understood (before I started this thread) that the nut itself could cause fret buzz ONLY on the open strings (I actually mentioned this in the topic description), but after reading Chris's 1st posts in this thread I thought otherwise. But I believe I get it; The nut has to be good because otherwise it becomes impossible doing the rest of the setup in any controlled manner. Is that correct?

And please DO second guess my tech!! He is either incompetent, indifferent or a bit of both and just doesn't pay any attention to any details. For instance when I was there the last time he wanted to "prove" to me that there was no buzz. So he started playing some staccato chords in a gypsy jazz style or something. I then said: this is not the way to hear it, try playing some single notes. So he played some fast staccato pentatonic licks. I said: but try letting the notes ring for a while. Then he played a note with the heaviest possible vibrato and looked at me with a "you see?" look. Finally I said: try playing a single note without vibrato and just let it ring. He did that and then admitted that it had A LOT of fret buzz. Kind of a funny story but also quite scary I think.

And it may come as a surprise but I did quite a bit of reading and youtubing before starting this thread. Before that I didn't know even the basics of guitar anatomy and setup. No idea what a truss rod or relief was for instance. Not that I won't keep reading once I have some more time. But I sort of created this thread because I didn't feel that my own research answered my questions.

Ah and I uploaded a couple of sound samples where I simply play the notes on from the 1st to the last fret on the high E and the G string respectively. I also uploaded a shot of my neck plate to answer ClassicPlayers question about the "tilt neck plate" (?). Sorry this is the best I can do for now. Gotta study and tomorrow I have 8 hours of classes. Friday I believe I have some more time for this.

Take care y'all

[Classicplayer]

I view your picture of the neck plate. That is the familiar 4-bolt plate on Telecasters and Strats. The tilt neck plate would have a small diamater hole for inserting an allen wrench. You don't have one to worry about.

I listened to both clips of the e and g strings on my headphones. Honestly, I did not hear any fret buzz. I think I am hearing it through an amp. Is it the XL40? It sounds fine to me. If you unplug the guitar or turn your volume to zero and play the same exercise on both strings, is that when you hear the buzz? You know, if I step down or pick my individual strings with lots of pressure, I can get them to buzz and rattle. And I think I could also get it come through my amps' speaker. So, unless my ears are playing tricks on me, I would say you really don't have a problem. I think I'm hearing clear notes and they are enhanced with reverb....just a bit of "ringing" from the reverb IMHO.

Classicplayer

[aniss1001]

Ok! I removed the reverb. So here is a sample where I play 5 notes on the G string. I start at the 5th fret and move up to the 9th fret. You can hear that the 5th and 9th are pretty clear but there is buzz on the ones in between. In particular the 7th and 8th are bad.

Not so easy to show with a recording I guess but I assure you I'm not crazy

And yes I'm recording via my Cube that goes into my USB guitar link. Don't know how else to record...


EDIT:
Anyway can you hear it? It kind of sounds like I'm just picking lighter on the in between notes. But I'm not. It's the fret buzz that kills the tone / sustain. And if I do bends it sounds really bad. I'll upload some better samples later one. For now my time is up.

PS: Thanks for the info on the neck plate

PPS: Well actually I am a bit crazy but not THAT crazy

[Classicplayer]

I will follow up my last post by telling you this annis.......

If the strings heights show at the 17th fret the amount you stated earlier, I think that aspect of your guitar's setup is about right.

If you see daylight under each string at the first fret when hold each down at the 2nd. fret, then the nut looks about right. You should be able fit something between the 1st fret and the bottom of each string that is about the thickness of a business card or slightly less that thickness. Then that means the nut is approximately correctly cut and fitted.

If you insert a short piece of string cut from a string diameter of .010 to .012 between the 6th string and the 8th fret, while fretting at the first and 17th fret simultaneously, and the piece can be pinched between the two, then you have plenty enough of relief in the neck to prohibit string buzz and other problems like fretting out or choking.

If all these steps are done, you should not hear any fret buzz or only a slight one that does not transmit through the amp's speaker.

I have heard lots of recordings in the past where the guitar (usually a Strat) has string rattle and buzz right there for all the world to hear on tape or record. In the old days, say the 1950 and 60s many R&B bands recorded using just such Strats and amps with speakers that were almost blown, or tubes that needed replacing or were drastically underpowered. The sound became so identifiable and part of the overall essence of the music, that later on it was readily accepted and later in time resulted in devices to actually produce the sound of "poor sounding" equipment. Hence, today we have overdrive and distortion pedals by hundreds of manufacturers each one claiming that theirs' is the best one to reproduce that cherished "sound" of the past.

Classicplayer

[aniss1001]

@Classicplayer

Ah you wrote another post. Sorry I really don't have much time right now. But I'm very interested in whether you can hear the fret buzz in the new clip I posted just now? It's not always a buzz sound as I said (depending on how I pick). It just kills the note.

Anyway I'll read your posts more carefully when I have more time.

[Classicplayer]

I listened several times on my phones. I can hear a difference when you get to the 7th fret, but not the 8th. The difference on the 7th is slight, but I detected it. When you press the string down at fret before #7 and hold it take a look at the amount of daylight a the 7th fret between that fret and that the string. How much space do you see? Any? If it's touching, I think you could call it a high fret and needs some filing......by a professional. Even if there is some space, it might not be enough to stop any buzz or loss of sustain that you might be hearing.

I have one or two locations on my Les Paul on the high e string where the note sort of dies off a bit......no buzz. I just had a fret dress on that guitar and it's only on that one e string. I wonder if it might be the frequency that it rings at and that it might be conflicted with my Cube 20X and its internal frequencies in the alogrithm that controls the modeled amp. It was also present, before the fret dressing work.

Classicplayer

[aniss1001]

@Classicplayer

Sorry I really don't have the time to go into details now. I will as soon as I have time.

But to me it isn't that subtle at all. On the 6th fret there is actually a slight buzz sound and the 7th and 8th fret are totally muted. Especially the 7th. And there is similar fret buzz on several spots on several strings.

But I will do some fiddling with this recording business. It really depends A LOT on how I pick.

Thanks for listening. Gotta go

[Classicplayer]

annis,

I understand you have things to do for studying. You could try this also. Take the appropriate screwdriver and raise that side of the bridge a tiny amount if you have not already done so and see what happens with the buzz on that string. If it has not effect, than lower it back to where you currently have it.

My hunch is that there might be some frets that need a slight dressing, not drastic and unless you see deep grooves in any frets so that they look might the groove might be going right into the fingerboard, you only need some filing of the offending frets or a leveling and re-crowning job. I hope that the guitar was not like that when you bought it.

Classicplayer

[bluefonia]

I just heard the soundclips. I have to admit that I expected something quite different from reading your posts.
I agree with classicplayer, - there is no buzzing as such. Fender-style guitar do tend to have a kind of ratling/buzzing sound especially when played accousticly - it´s part of the signature sound so to speak.
In your example I do hear a slight difference in tone, but that might be because of different picking attack or different fretting. You can get rid of this by raising the action (a bit higher bridge saddles). But if you want real low action you have to deal with some compromises.
If you want all those things to be perfect - low action totally clear suond all over the neck - you have to get a very skilled tech to setup the guitar, - including a fretderssingjob. This would even be the case to many brand new and more espensive guitars from most brands.

Another factor that might be in play here is dead spots on the neck and lies in the neckwood it self. Dead spots are small areas where the tone is weaker/more dead/different. Even expensive guitars can suffer from this - and nothing can be done about it to my knowledge - which is why it´s always best to try several numbers of the same guitar before buying (Who am I to say this, - I just ordered an Eastman AR403 online

At last: When we guitarists come down to these little detail in sound much depends on our own playing skills/techniqe too. Not saying you are not skilled, - speaking in general.

[PTChristopher]

Hi Aniss,

Good luck with the classes/studies.

>>> And actually I had 1st understood (before I started this thread) that the nut itself could cause fret buzz ONLY on the open strings

Yes. But as you note, saying this is misleading in practice.

>>>But I believe I get it; The nut has to be good because otherwise it becomes impossible doing the rest of the setup in any controlled manner. Is that correct?

Yep. You would not set bridge action with a pencil stuck under the strings at the 3rd fret. A poorly set up nut is not quite as bad as a pencil stuck under the strings at the 3rd fret, but it is the same type of problem.

To get a given action height, you will have a lower bridge if you have a higher nut.

So if your 12th fret action is 2.0mm, you will end up with more overall buzz with a higher nut, because you will need a lower bridge to get to 2.0mm.

And that is not even the real "problem" with a higher nut. Low position playability suffers, AND low position intonation really suffers in a way that is absolutely not able to be compensated at the bridge.

>>>And please DO second guess my tech!! He is either incompetent, indifferent or a bit of both

It is not that I do not believe you. It just makes more sense to me to leave all input from all sources on equal ground at all times. "The beginners mind" has quite a bit of value especially in a field so full of web-silly myth, limiting tradition, and misleading info to support a product sale. In my opinion.

>>> Before that I didn't know even the basics of guitar anatomy and setup. No idea what a truss rod or relief was for instance. [...] created this thread because I didn't feel that my own research answered my questions.

Well we can hope the thread at least helped a little then.

Chris

[PTChristopher]

I suppose that this thread may have run its course in some ways. There are some likely minor fret issues to be sorted out one way or another, but that will not get done by posts on a web forum. At least my posts will not do it.

Aniss,

I hear nothing in your samples that suggests other (non fret) significant mechanical buzz issues. Just some minor fret cleanup would most likely help.

If the frets are truly of a softer than typical material, then eventual replacement will be a good idea. It may be that the fret material is fine and that a simple, leveling and dressing will help considerably.

I'm going to sign off the thread here. No point in cluttering it up with repetition.

All the best.

Chris

[aniss1001]

Hi again,

Hmm... I'm surprised to say the least that you can't hear the problem. To me it's very obvious. Then again I can also hear the unplugged sound of the guitar when I play, which is a clear buzz that is pretty much as loud as the note itself and it isn't there on all notes. I don't know what you expected though. I mean fret buzz when amplified isn't usually (though sometimes it actually is) audible as a buzz but rather as a muted note, which I think is very clear in the last clip I posted.

And you (bluefonia) say "In your example I do hear a slight difference in tone, but that might be because of different picking attack or different fretting."

Well it might, but it isn't. It is as I say because the string is clearly touching the higher frets thereby significantly muting the note. I was extremely careful about picking and fretting correctly and equally playing all notes (in the last clip). And the current action setting isn't exactly low I think (around 2.5mm above the 12th fret on the G string)

Perhaps my ears are too sensitive to these things. And I am no expert and do not have a lot of base for comparison. That is I only owned 2 guitars before this one (both strats) and none of them had this problem at all. And regardless of what y'all think this really is a big deal to me. That I can't pick a note, let it ring and get a sound that pleases me. And I can definitely forget all about doing bends as is.

Anyway Chris is right. This thread has run it's course. And besides I really don't have time for this. So the conclusion would be that my guitar seemingly needs some sort of fret job. Either a complete change or a (minor) fret dres. It's up to me to find another tech, get a 2nd opinion and then decide what to do (if anything).

In the meantime I'll raise the saddles some more. Currently the clearance on the 12th fret is between 2.2mm and 2.8mm (high to low) so there is room for raising the action some and still have a playable guitar.

Either way this thread HAS been of GREAT help to me. Both in understanding what is going on with my guitar and in understanding guitar anatomy and setup in general. Much much more than any of the manuals and youtube vids I have checked out.

So thanks to y'all again... take care

[Classicplayer]

annis,

I think you might have learned quite a bit form the discussion here as we have also.

I have a Les Paul that I had a fret re-crowning and polishing last November, but as good as that tech was, I have one or two places on the high e string where the note does not buzz, but it does not sustain as well as other places on the same string. I don't worry too much as I adjust my playing (chord melody style) by playing an interval (2 notes together) and that seems to mask the note that does not want to sustain. That's how I got around it. I venture to say that there are very few guitars that are without dead spots on the fingerboard, even with a perfect fret job.

Find another Jazz player and hand that person your Tele and ask them for an evaluation on it's overall sound and playability......a truthful opinion.

Classicplayer

[bluefonia]

Just thought I would add this. A qoute from Sadowski himself:

This is my opinion, based on building over 6000 NYC basses and guitars during the last 30 years.

Fingerboard woods from brightest to warmest:

Maple: Tightest and brightest. Best for slap. Can produce more string and fret noise than others. Requires a finish to keep from turning dirty and grey.

annis, you got a maple FB on your guitar, right?

[Classicplayer]

bluefonia,

I learned something about maple boards with that qoute......the 2nd. part about
string noise......


Classicplayer

[aniss1001]

Hi again,

After your comments I thought I was going crazy since apparantly noone can hear the problem. So the moment I got home I tried to listen to it at max volume. It really is very obvious to me. The 5th and 9th fret are ok, the 6th fret makes a CLEAR buzz and the 7th/8th are muted. In particular the 7th. Actually everything started shaking when the 6th note was played. It's pretty bad.

So I was curious and opened the file in Audacity to check out the waves (remember I picked every note twice). They seem to pretty much agree with what I hear (see attached file).

Interesting fact about the maple boards. And yes this is a maple board. Never liked that actually. My earlier guitars have had rosewood boards. Much nicer fell and look. And apparantly also this

But I guess you're right that no guitar is PERFECT in that sense. And 1 or 2 deadspots I guess is acceptable. In my case it's more like 20+ though. But like I said it doesn't bother me when I'm playing chords nor when I'm played staccato single notes. But when I'm playing single notes legato and play with the note it bothers me one hell of a lot. Really takes the juice out of a note.

Ah and I'm afraid I don't know anyone who plays jazz guitar or guitar on any higher lever around here. Either way it wouldn't be that helpful. I'm sure that this isn't how a guitar should be IMO. What I don't know is whether I can find a solution or not. 1st off I need a new tech. That is the next step from here.