High Fret?

[Dee_01]

Hey guys, I'm trying to set this Squier Vintage Modified Jazz up, but I have one annoying buzzing fret, I think. It's in between two perfectly clear sounding notes. The notes are on the D string, frets 17 and 19, they sound fine. Fret 18 buzzes like crazy. Does this seem like a high fret?

[Jazz Ad]

Yeah, typical high fret. Usually caused by a misplaced shim in the pocket.

[saxnbass]

Could be. Take some 3M pot scrubber to it, it'll take the fret down very slowly.

[Dee_01]

Thanks. OK, so the shim could be the cause? That makes sense because I put a thicker shim in there today. I'll go back to the original and see how it goes. If all else fails I'll try saxnbass's suggestion. Thanks again.

[JimmyM]

What does a shim have to do with it? A high fret will still be high regardless of how it's shimmed.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Originally Posted by JimmyM

What does a shim have to do with it? A high fret will still be high regardless of how it's shimmed.

+1 I don't get it either.

Sam

[Jazz Ad]

It a shim is placed behind the neck screws rather than between them, given enough time it will raise the end of the fretboard (and thus the last frets) by pushing on it.
It's a very common issue on Fender style basses.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Originally Posted by Jazz Ad

It a shim is placed behind the neck screws rather than between them, given enough time it will raise the end of the fretboard (and thus the last frets) by pushing on it.
It's a very common issue on Fender style basses.

Thanks Jazz Ad, that sorta clarifies things a bit.

Raises another question though. REALLY, is that the way people shim the necks in the real world, with strips? Good whatever anybody believes in.

I fabricate full lenght wedges to keep the neck/body contact area as large as possible, even milled the neck pocket and the neck heel of my Epi T-bird to get better than the original ~50% contact area.

So no worries about the loss of sustain?

Sam

[pkr2]

Originally Posted by Jazz Ad

It a shim is placed behind the neck screws rather than between them, given enough time it will raise the end of the fretboard (and thus the last frets) by pushing on it.
It's a very common issue on Fender style basses.

If a shim was causing the fret to be high, why aren't all of the strings affected, rather than just the D string?

It seems to me, that since only one string is affected on only one fret, a faulty string or a notched fret would be more likely to be the problem.

[Dee_01]

I can't see any problem with the frets, they look like they're properly seated, and there's no obvious visual clues to say it's a high fret, so I'm a bit stumped here. I went back to the original shim (which is right at the end of the neck pocket, btw) and there's no improvement. The shim is sandpaper, about 1.5 inches long.

[WarriorJoe7]

adjust your bass so that the neck is as close to flat as possible (no it won't be playable) then lay a straightw=edge acress the frets andtake a look...

[Dee_01]

I don't have a straight-edge here, but I have tried a couple of things including a small, straight piece of aluminium. Again, nothing obvious stands out!

[T-Bird]

Hi, Dee_01

Just a wild guess, but are You certain that the buzzing sound comes from the fret, not from somewhere else.

I've had my fair share of buzzing truss rods, pickups and scratch plates, not to mention various bridge- and tuning peg parts.

Sam

[Dee_01]

Hi Sam. I'm almost positive it's just a fret problem. If it was anything else then I guess I'd get more buzzing when playing in other areas of the neck. Pickups, scratch plate and everything else is tight, I made a small adjustment to the truss rod a few days back because there was way too much relief, and the only problem is this single note on the D string. I also noticed that notes choke out pretty bad when bending the G string around the same area, even bending a semitone causes it, which again seems to me like a high fret. I'm gonna have to take the bass to a tech, I think.

[Marcus]

I'm going through something similar right now as well - it is indeed a high fret, because your symptoms sound exactly like mine. I would recommend having a professional luthier take a look because honestly, I could not tell by looking either. Until my luthier told me, I did not know what it was. Hope that helps ^_^;;

[Dee_01]

Thanks Marcus. Yes, it helps, kinda like a second opinion. I'll be taking mine to Jon Shuker soon. I emailed him and he can do a fret level / dress for £35, incl. setup.