Help a newbie please

[Ozz316]

I just purchased an Ibanez SRX505 and am starting to take lessons. I took my first lesson and noticed how close the strings were to the fretboard on the instructors bass (Schecter) and how much easier it was to press them and get a nice clean sound. So I asked his opinion on my bass and he suggested I have the truss rod adjusted. So I left it at the shop to have their repair man make the adjustments. I get it back and it is alot closer, not quite as close as my instructors, but better. Now I have a ton of fretbuzz. No matter what I due on certain strings at different frets I get this terrible buzz. I am going to take it back in after my next lesson, is their anything in particular I should ask for? I never met the guy that worked on it since he is only there when I have to work. Also, should I have to pay again for the readjustment? Thanks for the help.

[Hawaii Islander]

Let them know whats happening and show it to someone that works at the shop so they can tell the tech.

Next time check it out at the shop before you leave the store, just incase it still isn't right.

You shouldn't have to pay anything more to have them correct the action.

[62bass]

Originally Posted by Ozz316

I just purchased an Ibanez SRX505 and am starting to take lessons. I took my first lesson and noticed how close the strings were to the fretboard on the instructors bass (Schecter) and how much easier it was to press them and get a nice clean sound. So I asked his opinion on my bass and he suggested I have the truss rod adjusted. So I left it at the shop to have their repair man make the adjustments. I get it back and it is alot closer, not quite as close as my instructors, but better. Now I have a ton of fretbuzz. No matter what I due on certain strings at different frets I get this terrible buzz. I am going to take it back in after my next lesson, is their anything in particular I should ask for? I never met the guy that worked on it since he is only there when I have to work. Also, should I have to pay again for the readjustment? Thanks for the help.

If you're new to playing and your bass is set up for low action it could very well be that the problem is your playing technique. You might need some time to get this together so you can get a good sound from your bass. Your Ibanez is a good one and set up properly and played well it can sound great.

I've been playing for about 45 years. I have the action on my basses set up fairly low but not super low. If I don't play for a while I sound terrible. Once I spend a couple hours working on my technique I start to sound good again. When I'm rusty I tend to play too hard and unevenly. The more I play the better I sound.

The lower the action the lighter you have to play to get away from fret buzz, assuming of course that your bass is properly set up. Take it back to the shop that did the set up and play it for them. Have one of their players play it too. Then it should be easy to figure out where the problem lies. If neither you nor an experienced player can get a good sound from the bass, I'd suspect a poor set up job.

But I've set up a number of the Ibanez SRX series basses and even the lower priced ones, like the SRX 300, had very good necks, level frets and responded well to adjustments when needed and needed very little tweaking.

I've taught a number of new bassists as well as experienced ones. Often the newer guys can't get a good sound from my bass, or any bass, whereas the experienced ones can. Once the new players get their chops together they start to sound good. It's up to me as a teacher to show them the right way to do it.

[Ozz316]

I will probably talk to my instructor again on Monday and possibly drop it off again if necessary. My problem right now is lack of knowledge. My father in law came over, who is a very accomplished guitarist and he played it today and he said it sounded fine. He said most basses he has been around have some fret buzz, and when he was playing and I wasn't standing right next to him, I couldn't here really any buzz coming through the amp. Maybe I am just asking too much.

The main problem is the guy is only there during the middle part of the day and I can't sneak away from work to talk to him. I might just leave it and call on Tuesday and see what he thinks also. Thanks for helping out a newbie .

[#include <MK>]

A neck can take a few days to settle after a truss rod adjustment, so I wouldn't be too hasty yet. Wait a few days and try different techniques to minimise buzz in your playing. 62bass made a good point about playing softer. There are ways to play with a lighter touch but still have dynamics in your playing, all part of the learning curve.

Also, it depends on what instructions were given to the setup person. It's better to provide specific details. In saying this, lowering the action to the point of total fret buzz is not a good thing. But, there's only so low the action can be lowered on a neck where the frets are not levelled properly.

Unfortunately, it's common for some brands to not do a great setup job out of the factory. Many basses that I try off the shelf are very badly setup, which includes incomplete fretwork (among many other things). Since fret levelling will cost you, you should rule out other things first. It's unfortunate that such instruments are sold in that condition, especially to some new players who can be taken advantage of, forcing the new owner to cover additional expenses or live with the problems.

Anyway, if you still get some buzz, just raise the action a bit till you get what you're after.