Gah this is driving me crazy!

[Evil Undead]

The action is perfect on my bass. Dead straight neck, no relief. But I have a buzz!

It's only when I fret a C# on the B string - I checked with a straight edge and the 2nd fret is perhaps less than 1/4 of a millimetre lower than the 1st and 3rd.

I don't think it can be heard much when the bass is amplified (but I don't know for sure because I can't turn it up loud), but it's driving me nuts because otherwise the bass is practically perfect.

Any advice, or should I just leave it alone, shut the hell up, stop seeking absolute perfection and just play the damn thing?

[svtb15]

I set my basses up with DEAD STRAIGHT necks too.. Almost looks like rev relief. And they play like buttah.. But the frets and fingerboard have to be dead on true... It takes a great builder to do that, and wont happen on a stock off the shelf bass in Most cases.

[gidbass]

what kind of bass?

You are probably ok leaving it alone, but i am anal and would get a fret level and crown because i play with stupid low action and a light touch.

I did this to a squier VM i use to have, and the difference was night and day, i was disappointed i waited so long...I play a ric now and the frets are perfect and I can get the low action i prefer

Good Luck!

[THORRR]

You can probably gently trim the offending fret with some
very very fine emery paper if you're a do it yourselfer.

But a good local luthier could probably do it for you for a minimal fee.

I, too play with low low action but all my necks have to be dead on straight, and all have been leveled & crowned (by me).
The action is sweet and definitely like buttah.

[Evil Undead]

Originally Posted by svtb15

I set my basses up with DEAD STRAIGHT necks too.. Almost looks like rev relief. And they play like buttah.. But the frets and fingerboard have to be dead on true... It takes a great builder to do that, and wont happen on a stock off the shelf bass in Most cases.

Do you recommend that I try adding a little relief?

Originally Posted by gidbass

what kind of bass?

You are probably ok leaving it alone, but i am anal and would get a fret level and crown because i play with stupid low action and a light touch.

I did this to a squier VM i use to have, and the difference was night and day, i was disappointed i waited so long...I play a ric now and the frets are perfect and I can get the low action i prefer

Good Luck!

It's an Ibanez SR505. Nice bass

I am pretty anal, but I wonder if I'm too anal about these things.

I wish I knew whether it's audible when amplified loudly. With my little practice amp (only one I'm allowed to use at home!) it's not loud enough to be louder than the bass itself.

[Evil Undead]

Originally Posted by THORRR

You can probably gently trim the offending fret with some
very very fine emery paper if you're a do it yourselfer.

Awesome. Just tried it and it's helped quite a bit. Not eradicated the buzz, but lessened it thanks

[THORRR]

I'm not a big fan of adding relief to necks.
If the neck is straight and the frets are level, it will
play perfectly.

All the rest tend to be band-aid approaches to solve the problem.

If the neck cannot be straightened, then those band-aids come in handy.

[dmusic148]

The typical flop of a B string will often allow it to buzz more easily than the others. I always set my B higher than the others to avoid this(when I had a fiver).