Oh no! (this is really just a rant.)

[Joe.shaffer]

So I was changing the strings on my JB-2 and afterward I was tuning up and there was huge fret buzz. No big deal tweak the action and it'll be good as new. Wrong, dead wrong.. Apparently the person who had it before me believed them self a luither and dug the nut out so deep nothing will correct the fret buzz. Upon closer inspection, they used a pocket knife or something to do so. So long story short my bass is now with the professionals getting a full setup and new nut. I wish I could do it myself but I simply don't have the time or tools.

The good news is above about the 4th fret it sounds really good with DR Hi-Beams.

/rant

[stflbn]

So... what did you do to the nut while changing strings that caused it to be fine before the change, but buzzing afterwards because of the dug out nut slot?


If the nut came out of the slot it's possible that the previous person had shimmed the nut up with something, or had shimmed the individual slots themselves various ways. Remove the shim from under the nut and instant buzz.

.

[Joe.shaffer]

Originally Posted by stflbn

So... what did you do to the nut while changing strings that caused it to be fine before the change, but buzzing afterwards because of the dug out nut slot?


If the nut came out of the slot it's possible that the previous person had shimmed the nut up with something, or had shimmed the individual slots themselves various ways. Remove the shim from under the nut and instant buzz.

.

I used a lighter gauge string. When I first looked at it I knew somebody had torn into if before. I didn't really take note of how deep it was carved out though.

[ashtray]

Btw - there are tricks to building up a nut slot, as well as the option of removing and putting a small shim under the nut.

Also - if the bass didn't have problems before, then I wouldn't blame the previous owner. Sounds like he probably set it up right for the strings he was using. Most people tweak the truss rod and bridge to get their setup right, but a lot of people don't touch the nut - though that's an equal part of the equation.

Changing string gauges requires the bass to be set up again - which could require adjustments to the nut. (or replacement in some cases)