P Bass - First fret buzz all strings?

[Boomer777]

About two months ago I noticed that my A string second fret was a buzz - brought the saddle up a bit - buzz went away but I hated the feel as the bass was still in its factory setting with proper spacing/heights per string..........Fast forward to today: Now I have a first fret buzz E through G -

Would this suggest to loosen truss rod adjustment?

[jscomposer]

Press the string against the first and last frets and look around the 12th fret--is there space between the string and the 12th fret? (If your fingers are long enough, you can do a tactile check by tapping the string against the 12th while fretting the first and last.) If there'a a little space, you're fine, unless there's a lot of space, in which case you'd need to actually tighten the truss rod. If there's zero space, if the string is touching the 12th fret, then you need to loosen the truss rod a bit.

If all that checks out, it could be a bad fret higher up.

Btw, there's a setup subsection on these forums. Don't worry, I've posted in the "wrong" places here, too. lol

[Phil Jolly]

I agree with jscomposer. Another thing which is an unlikely cause but has happened to me is the nut has been cut too deep. This could cause the strings at the nut end to be lower to the frets than usual. Probably not relevant in this case but it happens. Regards

[LB75]

Probably. Fret at the first fret and where the neck connects to the body and that will give you an idea of the relief in the neck. Yours is probably very flat with little space between the string and frets. Loosen the truss rod nut about 1/8 of a turn at a time and make sure you tune to pitch before your check the relief again. Play to see if the buzz is gone. Keep adjusting until it is. After the buzz is taken care of you might be able to lower the bridge saddles some.

[96tbird]

The nut slot height only causes buzzing on open strings; once you fret, it's removed from the equation. UNLESS its buzzing behind the fretted note which happens sometimes.

Yes you need more relief if the string check shows no space. Don't worry about the factory settings, set it up to suit your tastes. The length of a bass neck makes it very sensitive to climate changes throughout the year ( or travel) and requires tweaking, especially with low action. Read all you can about setups.

[Boomer777]

Thx for all the input. Loosened the strings, set the hex adjuster wrench that came with the Squier P bass Vintage 60s - It seemed that it did not want to turn - then it turned seemingly too freely - I don't think I exerted that much pressure that I might have stripped the nut, but that was the sensation I was getting - So, on a whim I got out my U.S. hexes found one that seemingly fit and it seemed to provide the proper turning tension.

I am a rank novice at this - I turned about a quarter turn and now it seems that all the strings when bringing them up to pitch are buzzing like mad in the open position way before i ever get to pitch, I mean like they are laying on the fretboard and don't want to get up.

Is it possible that the hex wrench provided is off?

[dmusic148]

You tightened the rod when you should have loosened it.

[Nashrakh]

http://www.tunemybass.com/bass_setup...ck_relief.html

I gotta refer to this every time I adjust the neck bow as I forget which way to turn for what effect

Yeah I only do it once a year or so... my setup never changes.

[Boomer777]

Originally Posted by dmusic148

You tightened the rod when you should have loosened it.

i think u r correctomondo - I got it pretty good now