The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
  1. #1

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    Hello there,
    I'm new to this forum, so thanks for having me. I have an Ibanez 2355M natural in pretty good condition which I bought from a very good guitarist in the early 1980s and played it for years, but then stored it without playing it for around 10 years while I moved around. I'm playing it again now, very happily!

    Here are my questions:

    1. There is fret buzz (definitely the G-string against the second fret, and a few others), but I hesitate to open and adjust the truss rod to loosen it. Is that ok to do?

    2. I need a new case to store it at home: any affordable recommendations?

    That's all for the moment!

    Thanks

    ShaneIbanez 2355M Fret Buzz-img_0152-jpg
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    Last edited by Thalatta; 05-07-2021 at 07:33 AM.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    Hold the low e string down at the 1st fret and also 12th or higher. Look carefully at the space off the frets in the middle of the fretboard. If there is no space (there should be very little) you can loosen the truss a quarter or half and check again. If there is space the truss likely won't help you with buzz at the 2nd fret. Good luck doesn't hurt a thing to try.

  4. #3
    Thanks a lot! I tried the fingers test and there is no space at all between the strings and the frets when I press down at the first fret and the 14th (where the body joins). So I'll loosen a little the truss rod later. Apologies if my question has been asked and answered already lots of times: I really just wanted to know whether or not to go near the truss rod of an old (vintage?) guitar like mine.

  5. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by Thalatta
    Thanks a lot! I tried the fingers test and there is no space at all between the strings and the frets when I press down at the first fret and the 14th (where the body joins). So I'll loosen a little the truss rod later. Apologies if my question has been asked and answered already lots of times: I really just wanted to know whether or not to go near the truss rod of an old (vintage?) guitar like mine.
    Good luck nothing to fear. Go a little at a time you will be fine.

  6. #5

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    I don't know where you're based, but I've just bought a case for my 1973 Ibanez 754 Everly Brothers jumbo and the best fit I could find for this guitar was a case designed for archtops. It's an excellent fit for the Ibanez, but out of curiosity I tried it with my 1961 ES-175D and it was a perfect fit. The brand is Armourdillo and their cases punch way above their price point - this one was 59€ (say 65$) inclusive of taxes....

    Armourdillo Jumbo Hardshell Acoustic Guitar Case

    Ibanez 2355M Fret Buzz-outside-jpg
    Ibanez 2355M Fret Buzz-inside-jpg

  7. #6

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    Your guitar will not explode if you adjust the truss rod. Turning and 1/8 or 1/4 of a turn at a time is safe. If you look down the neck from the headstock end, turning the nut counterclockwise will loosen the truss rod and turning it clockwise will tighten it. Loosening the truss rod well let the neck bow a little bit, tightening it will flatten it out.

    There are some helpful videos from Stewart McDonald on YouTube about these sorts of topics. It's worth watching them to give you some confidence about how to proceed.



    There are a lot of potential causes of fret buzz. One of them is too much or too little neck relief (if you hold the string down at the first and 15th threats, around the seventh fret there should be a slight gap between the string in the front. About as much as a high E string thickness. Unless your high E string is a .018, in which case you've got probably too much relief. Adjusting the truss rod can clear this up. Turning in one direction the buzz will probably get worse; turning in the other direction it will probably get better. This is going to usually affect fret buzz in the middle and upper parts of the neck, however.

    Another potential cause is that the string action is just too low. At the 12th fret, most people have their guitars set for a string height between 4/64 and 6/64 of an inch from the top of the feet to the underside of the string. The bass strings are usually a tiny bit higher than the treble strings. On an archtop guitar, this is adjustable with the adjuster screws at the bridge. People with a light picking style, like me, can get away with the strings being a little lower; people with a firm picking style usually need the strings a little higher.

    Low fret slots are also a culprit in string buzz, but that is usually at the first fret when the string is being played open. For most of us, this is a fix that would need to be taken care of by a guitar tech. It's possible to do at home if you're feeling confident; look up the "superglue and baking soda trick."

    Uneven fret height is the other likely culprit in buzz. One fret is just sticking up higher than the others and strings buzz against it. For most of us, this again is worth a trip to a guitar tech to get fixed properly. In some cases the fret needs to be reseated because it has popped up a little out of the fingerboard slot; in other cases it's a matter of the fret needing to be filed and re-crowned.

    Hope this helps!