Fret Buzz, Fixing Up My Bass, etc.

[Jack Schwarz]

Hello! My name is Jack, and I just recently began playing bass. I got a bass from an old friend a few years ago, and decided to finally use it. There is a lot of fret buzz on the lower notes, and even on some of the higher notes as well. Since it's relatively aged and has such issues, should I take it up to my local Guitar Center to have it fixed? How much would it cost to fix it back up?

 

[Jack Schwarz]

Bass is an Austin Model #AU829, by the way

 

[Slater]

There’s a lot of great info on setups right here:

ALL BASIC SETUP QUESTIONS ANSWERED HERE

 

[Jack Schwarz]

There’s a lot of great info on setups right here:

ALL BASIC SETUP QUESTIONS ANSWERED HERE

Thanks, my friend

 

[bassdude51]

Usually, the strings are set too low and/or the neck is too straight or forward bow.

Ton of youtube videos. Don't we just love this wonderful age of information?

 

[Jack Schwarz]

Usually, the strings are set too low and/or the neck is too straight or forward bow.

Ton of youtube videos. Don't we just love this wonderful age of information?

Cool. Thanks for the little jab at the end too.

 

[96tbird]

Sitting as it has, it will likely need a full setup. Most places will charge for the setup and the cost of new strings. Dunlop makes great strings at low cost. A setup may just be the beginning of it all. Other problems may reveal themselves after it’s properly setup: uneven frets, loose frets, ski jump at the heel.

Learn how to do it yourself to save money and understand the physics and geometry behind how setting up works.

Even if it’s all good, a beginner still needs to practice to develop technique to control buzzing. Fretting too hard or too soft or too far back from the fret can cause buzz.

Good luck and practice practice.

 

[Cliff Colton]

Depends on where you live, but $50-75 for a setup plus strings plus any other repairs appears to be the going rate. A beginner with no setup/repair experience isn’t going to properly setup a bass because they don’t know what a properly setup bass is or how it feels and plays. I bought my first bass new and played it for years with the factory setup. When I finally brought it to a shop for a setup, the pro tech asked me “How do you play this thing?”