I HAVE FRET BUZZ!

[dain bramage]

I have serious fret buzz on the E string and it won't go away. What do you recommend?

[DumbChild]

I got one when i first started playing, on the E string aswell. My string soon snapped and i restrung the entire instrument and after that it only persisted till i got a little better. Or maybe it was when the strings wore in. Not sure. It could be more serious, however if you are new its likely to not be much, so are u a new player?

[dain bramage]

I've been playing for a couple months... the string won't go down any farther, so that's not it... should I tune it or what?

[needmoney]

"the string won't go down any farther"

Nice grammar, and that's probably why you're copping fretbuzz. Your actions too low. Either that or your frets aren't level, you have a bow in your neck, you're playing too hard, blah blah blah. There's so many things that could be causing the buzz. Take it to a tech and save yourself the effort.

[Akami]

Originally Posted by dain bramage

I have serious fret buzz on the E string and it won't go away. What do you recommend?

If it's set too low than you may be able to simply adjust the buzz away by raising the bridge piece for that string.

Check it out and give a call in the morning...

[DumbChild]

Have u had this buzz since u started?

[BurningSkies]

Originally Posted by dain bramage

I've been playing for a couple months... the string won't go down any farther, so that's not it... should I tune it or what?

First off, you should be making sure your bass is in tune regularly.

Second, if you're new to things, you need to either spend some time learning how to set up an instrument. Learn how to adjust the relief in the neck (truss rod adjustment) and also the string height and intonation. Since you're fairly new to bass, I'd suggest finding someone locally who can do an initial set up.

[ElBajista]

Take it to a tech for the initial setup, and then learn how to do it yourself.

As Needmoney said, fretbuzz can be caused by a number of factors, none of which we can really help with unless actually playing the bass ourselves. A good, reliable tech will be able to help you out.

[dain bramage]

My dad plays guitar, I guess he can adjust the action then... it's weird, all the strings have the same level of action, but the E is the only one with buzz, and it's what I use the most.

[ElBajista]

Originally Posted by dain bramage

My dad plays guitar, I guess he can adjust the action then... it's weird, all the strings have the same level of action, but the E is the only one with buzz, and it's what I use the most.

Because of the thickness of the E string, it should be slightly higher than the rest of the strings. Also, depending on the radius of the fretboard, having all the strings at the same action might cause buzz.

[Akami]

Originally Posted by ElBajista

Because of the thickness of the E string, it should be slightly higher than the rest of the strings. Also, depending on the radius of the fretboard, having all the strings at the same action might cause buzz.

+1.

Doesn't take much to adjust the height and you should be able to post back here in a couple minutes to let us know if it cured your buzz problem.

[skoti89]

uhm. raise your action. beginner usually do play a little hard. over two years, starting out with a high action, ive gone down to what some classify a "low" action

[sasred]

The action adjustment settings recommended above may help...as a beginner myself, there's a few other things that might be the issue as well--

--What kind of bass are you playing? I've got a MIM Precision; it has thinner fret wire than some basses and it seems to be quite unforgiving to newbie fingers. Which forces one to learn better technique in a hurry...

--Are you playing on the fret or just behind it? Playing on the fret and not releasing fast enough will give you buzz for days, especially on that string 'cause it's so fat and close to the fret to begin with. Try playing just behind the fret if you're not already.

--BUILD UP YOUR FINGER STRENGTH! The E is the bulkiest string to finger off. So it requires a little extra "oomph". What part of your finger you use to close the note matters as well. The bony tips are more effective than further down on the fleshy part.


Long story short: Get a good setup and check in with someone to make sure your technique's alright.

(Swat me for whatever you knew already. )

[dain bramage]

Originally Posted by sasred

The action adjustment settings recommended above may help...as a beginner myself, there's a few other things that might be the issue as well--

--What kind of bass are you playing? I've got a MIM Precision; it has thinner fret wire than some basses and it seems to be quite unforgiving to newbie fingers. Which forces one to learn better technique in a hurry...

--Are you playing on the fret or just behind it? Playing on the fret and not releasing fast enough will give you buzz for days, especially on that string 'cause it's so fat and close to the fret to begin with. Try playing just behind the fret if you're not already.

--BUILD UP YOUR FINGER STRENGTH! The E is the bulkiest string to finger off. So it requires a little extra "oomph". What part of your finger you use to close the note matters as well. The bony tips are more effective than further down on the fleshy part.


Long story short: Get a good setup and check in with someone to make sure your technique's alright.

(Swat me for whatever you knew already. )

I play behind the fret. I only get buzz when I play hard though. And I need to play hard since I'm in a punk/hard rock band.

[sasred]

Originally Posted by dain bramage

I play behind the fret. I only get buzz when I play hard though. And I need to play hard since I'm in a punk/hard rock band.

Defo sounds like a setup issue then. Still, having someone check on the fine details of your fingering couldn't hurt.