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I'm getting this fret buzz on the 6th fret, mostly on the 3rd and 4th strings, which so far has resisted filing down the adjacent 7th fret, neck tweaks, string changes and bridge adjustments. Any ideas? Oh, and I tapped down both frets with a hammer cushioned by a piece of soft wood. Edit: I did this as a matter of routine - it didn't change anything.
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05-08-2020 08:32 PM
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I would just take to a pro and be done. Anything else here on the forum might be great, lots of opinions for sure. However when ill just see the doctor.
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Still phase 0 of the deescalation around here: guitar repairs are initially considered a non-essential service. (But what would they know?)
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6th fret buzz is usually outside the realm of a too flat fretboard...but i heard some buzzing at the 4th or 5th fret..so you could try adding some neck bow via the trussrod
other thing to check is nut slot height (super important and relatively easy to check) ...google if you are not familiar
then check fret height..you mention you filed down 7th fret...so i assume you know..but here's good vid for thems that don't
luck
cheersLast edited by neatomic; 05-08-2020 at 09:42 PM.
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Fret buzz at the 6th fret does not necessarily mean that the 7th fret is high. It could be further up the neck. Impossible to tell from long distance, but I would check all the frets, as well as the nut and the bridge.
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Thanks for the replies.
The truss is a little tight and I intend to loosen it a smidgen, but I tried with a pretty pronounced bow some time ago and it had no effect on the 6th fret buzz.
Nut slot height appears to be optimal.
I'm wondering if the old credit card trick is accurate enough; it slides smoothly over the frets in that area. (I did the filing just like in the clip).
Yeah, there's no buzzing further up the neck, by the way.
So, this guitar is the one I have (or had before the buzz) lying around for 5-min practices and "how did that tune go?" duties and was affected by low humidity last summer. If this is a case of fret sprout (I believe that's what it's called), why aren't the outer strings affected? Curiouser and curiouser.
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I'm not entirely convinced that's fret buzz. I could be something else buzzing on the guitar, and the possibilities are many. Make sure everything, and I mean everything, is tight. Also tweak the truss rod, it can buzz like that if it's not tight, or even if it is. A buzz at a particular frequency is often caused by something loose vibrating.
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Absolutely doesn't have to be the next fret, you're right. I bought a "Fret Rocker" from StewMac and also their "Fret Kisser" which is wonderful for addressing one high fret. I only trust the fret rocker to identify high frets.
Originally Posted by sgosnell
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The fret rocker is a short straight-edge and works on the principle that if it covers three adjacent frets and can rock up a bit up and down with the end then the middle fret is high. When you use it the neck should be adjusted to have at least a tiny bit positive relief.
The credit card trick might work, but nut by sliding it because you might not notice the small fractions of tenths of a millimeter due to the rounded corner of the credit card. Try using it as a rocker as described. Buzzing - or lack of clarity and sustain - might also be caused by flat fret tops, worn strings or loosened string wrapping (top winding).
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The fret rocker or a machinist 321 is pretty essential for diagnosing frets.
That said, buzz is notoriously hard to diagnose. I once had buzz from a wire in the body that just barely touched the top. It only buzzed at just the right frequency. Of course I achieved that frequency by fretting in one spot, so I was convinced there was a problem with that fret. But it seemed dead level to the others around it. In my frustration I fit my hand in through the f hole and pushed at the wires and pots to see if anything was loose. I pulled a little at one wire, and the buzz never came back.
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Careful with using any sort of fret-rocker or straight edge. The SLIGHTEST tilt vs. the string path can result in a perceived high fret where there is none.
It may indeed be a non-fret buzz, but for fun - consider both the case of a low fret and a “dented” string.
Low frets are easy to find - just fret the string on either side of the buzz location and look for the minuscule (no, even less than that) clearance that is enough to give a buzz.
Also note that when your guitar does a seemingly no-damage face plant, the strings can be deformed around a fret resulting in a mystery buzz that is not due to the frets at all, but due to a deformed string.
Neither of these may be your case, but both are easy to check and definitely actual things that happen. (As opposed to nut height having an effect at the 6th fret...)
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i would take it as a matter of course that the op with all the tweaking he has done on his ibanez has changed out his strings at some point!!! hah!
guitars and their problems are holistic in nature...one thing depends on another...and everything matters...and a problem can occur from the stacking of smaller problems...so that nothing can really be ruled out...
also without guitar in hand to rule out one thing and not another is complete guesswork...but there is a protocol to examining and diagnosing problems..and they should all be checked...nut slots included...bah
cheers
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Might order some stuff from Stew-Mac, it's been a while, or wait until the local guy reopens.
It just got a new set of half rounds. Anyway, I'm reading all the tips and will try the holistic approach
Thanks people, very helpful
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had a similar problem on a Gibson, the 4th fret G string was buzzing, the problem was described as a low fret, and the guy does our guitars, lifted the fret very slightly, then measured did some other rock with a flat steel rule,
it seemed cure it for about a year,
I dont know how they can go or be flat, but when i asked he said there was no point in making the fret in front the 5th any lower because it was not high, i though making the 4th higher by lifting ( very very slightly) would make 3rd fret buzz, it did not.
i am still puzzled.
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You simply found “the guy” in your locale.
He can maybe explain it to you. But you found your local person who pictures the whole situation and finds the problem.
A low fret is the problem more often than seems possible. I have a ridiculous looking little tool I made decades ago specifically to lift a low fret under just one string. I have nearly removed a finger with this awful tool several times, but it is a real problem solver.
I do not think frets ever actually “sink”. What seems to happen is that a VERY slightly low fret is fairly common and is not noticed until the usual seasonal movement of wood and the occasional development of troubles downstream from the fret in question make it apparent.
EDIT: A so-called “low fret” is most often low only under one or two strings.
Picturing the WHOLE fingerboard at once is what the PLEK does from the bottom-up, and your luthier does (very well) from the top-down.
Life is good; play on.
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Dankie, Bezoeker.
Excellent post, it is not obvious, to most i think, until explained as clearly as you did,
the guy who fixed mine, took a thin chisel and gave the fret a tap or two maybe three (delicately), this looks easy, the point being tap too hard you loosen the entire fret causing more fret level maybe who knows.
anyone at trying this. needs to think carefully. as one may end with much more than just a string buzzing on one fret and one string.
Also you are correct in saying in kinda of only affects one or two strings on a certain fret.
Mine was only one string, 4fret D (guessing here) that perhaps the strings either side A & G were maybe be on the limit, but by playing slightly lighter got away, this is not ideal i cant remember. .if one is aware of a problem one changes picking, sorry this getting fuzzy now, i am trying to highlight that the problem may be either side but buzzing is just about to start, if one does not adjust picking.
.in case some else has a similar problem thinking it is only one fret perhaps.
fixing was super quick, just a tap or two, but done by someone who is very good at guitars. Myself i considered at best average DIY would not like to try,
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For me this is a job for a pro. I dont know your skill level but I'd be more concerned about doing more harm than good. I'd put up with it until I could get it to them.
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I play guitar. I can tweak a truss rod, intonate strings and just about correctly file a nut slot. You may be right! Originally Posted by Monkeybrains
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Here's a related question, re: tapping frets back in...
I had a re-fret done on my tele last year (or so), and it seems recently the last 3 frets have raised up a tad... I can see the gap. This is not a big deal, until I start playing above the 12th fret, and then it's causing some buzzes. I have a fret file and crowning file, I do not own a fret hammer.... let me get into a couple more specifics...
Maple neck. Stainless frets. It was a great re-fret, it's just these last 3. He said he had to glue the frets in, because it was this neck's 2nd re-fret... maybe the last 3 didn't get any glue? Anyway, can I tap these things with a small hammer, and while the neck is still attached? Or do I HAVE to have a fret/brass hammer? And remove the neck? I have a dead blow hammer, but it's a home depot one used for masonry/paver work lol... not sure it's up to the task. I'd rather tap the frets down, but I will file if I have to. Wouldn't take much. Maybe only the crowing file.
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If the frets are raised up as you see a gap they need to be reset. Filing them them down fixes the symptoms but not the problem. If i had it i would pull an glue again.
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Actually, a too low nut slot can cause buzzes behind the fret (between the nut and the fretted note) - especially if the neck is set with no relief or has a slight backbow. If the backbow is more pronounced, such buzzes can occur even with a correctly cut nut slot. OTHO, a too high nut slot will cause stiff action and tuning problems (sharp) at the lower frets. Originally Posted by Bezoeker
The OP could wrap something soft (a hankerchief or whatever) around the neck behind the offensive note to dampen that length of string and hear if the buzz disappears. If yes, a too low nut slot may be the problem.
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I have a tool I have used for frets that seem like they are seated "high." It's basically a vice-grip modified to hold a caul on one side and a fret-press attachment on the other. A little clamp with this will reseat a fret. They're very expensive from StewMac, but I seem to recall ordering mine from a supplier where it was MUCH cheaper, but I can't find the receipt and information right now. Originally Posted by ruger9
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Originally Posted by Monkeybrains
sorry that EXACTLY what i meant, it looks so easy,
i should have said I would NEVER try it, but its tempting because it looks easy to do,
so yes, anyone reading just be careful if you do, leave to the Pro i think.
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yes, I saw one at Stew-mac... it costs almost as much as the re-fret did!!! Originally Posted by lawson-stone
This is the cheapest I could find (there are more "manual" C-clamp-like options, like $62, but they are all from China... my last shipment from China took almost a month lol)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Handheld-Fr...cAAOSwkiVeLoAE
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