Godin Fifth Avenue string buzz?

[Bluesharp]

So I got one of these awhile back and the person who owned it had 10s on it. Sounded good but needed new strings so I put some Slinky Beefy strings, 11-54 I believe. The g string has a buzz whenever bending and seems to have some sympathetic note happening. The d is also buzzy. I raised the action but it had to go super high to stop it. Any thoughts of what I should try next?

[kris]

So I got one of these awhile back and the person who owned it had 10s on it. Sounded good but needed new strings so I put some Slinky Beefy strings, 11-54 I believe. The g string has a buzz whenever bending and seems to have some sympathetic note happening. The d is also buzzy. I raised the action but it had to go super high to stop it. Any thoughts of what I should try next?

If the guitar played well on 10 strings, it may be a problem with the new strings.
Thicker strings tighten the neck more, so I don't think it's a neck problem.
Perhaps there are some frets of unequal height that are too high and that is why the strings are buzzing.
It's hard to say, but check if the neck of the guitar is not too tight.
Guitar Setup: What is neck relief? | Sweetwater

[Jimmy Smith]

Heavier strings bend the neck more. When the neck bends a lot you can run into up bow where the upper frets are higher than the middle frets. This will cause buzzing.

After you eliminate that possibility, it is always possible that there can be uneven frets.

[jorgemg1984]

I had that guitar once with 12s and no problem - but my luthier took care of it.

[kris]

Heavier strings bend the neck more. When the neck bends a lot you can run into back bow where the upper frets are higher than the middle frets. This will cause buzzing.

After you eliminate that possibility, it is always possible that there can be uneven frets.

I don't think thicker strings cause buzzing ...if nothing was buzzing on the thin strings,,, besides, there is not that much difference between 10 and 11...
A good guitar luthier will have no problem with this.

[Jimmy Smith]

If he went up a gauge without adjusting the truss rod, it could had thrown off the bow to the point of causing some buzzing. It isn't thick strings themselves.

[mr. beaumont]

Let's narrow this down more. Are there specific frets it's buzzy at? Is the open string buzzy?

We're talking an unwound G here, right?

[darkwaters]

Troubleshooting when you don’t have the guitar in your hands is a mug’s game. Take it to a pro for a good setup or, better still, learn to do your own. You’ll be glad you did.

[Tal_175]

Heavier strings bend the neck more. When the neck bends a lot you can run into back bow where the upper frets are higher than the middle frets. This will cause buzzing.

Heavier strings pull the neck and create a bow (the opposite of back bow) which you straighten by tightening the truss rod. Without the truss rod adjustment, the effect of increasing string gauge will be increase in action (and less buzzing) due to increased bowing.

[Jimmy Smith]

I misspoke. I meant too much bow or upbow as I saw on a diagram.

The only possibilities if he said he had the action up pretty reasonably is that the bow is off or there are uneven frets. Fixing the bow with a tweak of the truss rod is easy. Frets require some work.

[sgosnell]

Too much relief (or upbow) can cause buzzing on the higher frets, depending on the action and where the strings are fretted. The OP didn't provide enough information. Jeff's questions are pertinent. Also, what is the action height at the 12th fret? Buzzes on the D and G strings can also be caused by improper radius of the saddle vs the fretboard. Having the saddle too flat results in higher action on the outer strings than on the center ones. That's not too hard to fix on a wooden saddle, much more difficult on a TOM, although not impossible. All in all, not nearly enough information to make an informed recommendation.

[kris]

I can't put new frets on a guitar, but I can work the frets on a guitar.
I learned this from youtube videos.
First the frets work and then setting the curvature of the neck depending on the thickness of the strings.

[Bluesharp]

Sorry guys, I had the guitar taken in. He mentioned the higher frets were a little high but nothing crazy. He said the tone is definitely coming from the tailpiece. We swapped the strings for some flat wound 11s with a wound G and honestly it seemed to fix the issue, maybe a slight buzz but almost not noticeable. He also mentioned he’s seen various things like that but overall I’m happy now.

[SOLR]

First the frets work and then setting the curvature of the neck depending on the thickness of the strings.

Shouldn't it be the other way around...ie. you need a straight neck first and then you can file/crown the frets ?

S

[kris]

Shouldn't it be the other way around...ie. you need a straight neck first and then you can file/crown the frets ?

S

It's obvious that all fretwork on the guitar must be done on a straight neck. That's the basics.
Also, not all guitars have a truss rod in the neck.Professional guitar luthiers, after removing the old frets, level the guitar's fingerboards.
There are a lot of videos posted by guitar makers on youtube.
An inexperienced musician can do more damage.

[rpjazzguitar]

One thing worth checking is that nothing on the guitar is vibrating, including the screws in the tuners.

[John A.]

Shouldn't it be the other way around...ie. you need a straight neck first and then you can file/crown the frets ?

S

It can be done either way, and there are advocates of both. I’ve done a handful of level/crown jobs on my own guitars with the necks under string tension and a small amount of relief. The results are good. Next time I do one, I’ll probably try it on a straight neck. But all my frets are in good shape right now, so it’ll be a while.