help major fret buzz after re-assembly

csmolins · #1 01-06-2008, 01:16 AM

ok i have a major problem, i just recently painted my bass and when i reassembled it and restrung it the A , D, (and G to some extent) string will not play a note above the 11th fret all I hear is the note being stopped by the frets or a buzz for some reason. Ive raised the bridge saddle but this only helps some and ruins the action i had before the paint. What am I doing wrong here. Any help would be awesome thanks.

BryanM · #2 01-06-2008, 01:25 AM

Make sure your neck is on level and properly. I once had a similar problem with a cheap acoustic guitar. I took the neck off to do a quick repair and it had been shimmed, but I didn't realize that until after I put the neck back on and was getting terrible fret buzz. I'm no professional, though, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

Alaska Bass · #3 01-06-2008, 01:33 AM

It sounds like the angle of the neck is incorrect. I am not referring to relief, mind you, but the physical mating of the neck at the neck joint. If the headstock end is flush, but the bridge end is not, it will cause the last frets to interfere, especially if you have a little forward bow in the neck relief.

The other question, is did you loosen the truss rod after removing the string tension and then the neck, or did you leave the tension on the truss rod while you were re-finishing the bass?

ehque · #4 01-06-2008, 02:31 AM

It looks like your relief needs adjustment. Post the relief of your bass and we might be able to help you.

#include <MK> · #5 01-06-2008, 06:37 AM

This thread belongs in the Setup & Repair forum.

Definitely more information needed. Some of these questions may not be relevant, but you weren't specific so I have to ask...

Anyway, when you say painted your bass, did you actually sand and paint the neck or just the body? If you painted the body, did you clean up the neck pocket at all? Is the neck shimmed? Are you sure that the neck was flush with the neck cavity as you screwed it back on? Did you take string height measurements before you removed the strings to determine how much relief there was? If you loosen the truss rod before removing the neck, then how do you know that you tightened it to the exact spot you had originally? Is the neck in a backbow? Now that you changed the string height at the bridge, did you measure that before you modified it (it may help you get the neck close to where it was)?

When a neck is removed and reassembled, the truss rod can take a few days to settle. Well, it can take a few days even after a truss rod adjustment.