Fret buzz caused by light gauge strings

[QuasiHickory]

Hi,
I've recently bought an old '78 Rick 4001. I've started to notice some fret buzz around the 6th and 8th fret on the E string. The action is also a lot lower than any other bass i've played. I'm wondering if the fret buzz will be being caused by the fact that the bass has been set up to play with regular gauge strings but is instead being strung light gauge strings and so the tension on the neck is high enough.

Thanks

 

[mdogs]

Yeah, sounds like it needs to be setup properly to handle the lighter strings. Less tension on the neck and the lighter strings are going to sit lower in the nut and the bridge...

 

[iiipopes]

Not to mention the possibility of a bit of backbow in the neck. But remember, when setting the rods on pre-1984 Rickenbacker instruments, you don't just torque away. You set the neck, adjust the rod nuts, then see how it goes, giving it a day to settle in and then repeat as necessary. The full set up is really well explained on Joey's Bass Notes.