fret buzz location

[lyle]

I've heard that if fret buz is comming from the lowest, lower frets, you adjust your truss rod, if the buzz is heigher adjust the saddles. is this tru or do i got it backwards?

 

[Figjam]

Almost kinda maybe.


Frets 1-5, loosen truss rod to add relief.

Frets 12+ tighten truss rod to remove relief.

Buzz everywhere, some notes choked out. Raise saddles.

 

[Chasarms]

If you are experiencing buzz in the lower frets, typically it means that there is too little relief in the neck for the current height of the saddles.

Buzz in the higher frets typically means the saddles are too low. however, if you are looking for lower action you still may need to adjust the rod for to minimize the string height without buzzing.

In every case, it is the adjustment/combination of relief (trussrod) and string height (saddles) that get you where you want to be.

 

[lyle]

thanks, I got some buzzing one 12th fret up so i think i might rais my saddles a bit and tighten my rod just to keep the action low.

 

[Metal Mitch]

Frets 1-5, loosen truss rod to add relief.

Frets 12+ tighten truss rod to remove relief.

What if you have both, but it's ok in the middle?

 

[JimmyM]

Get a new bass

 

[Metal Mitch]

Get a new bass

Har har. I've seen this on a number of different basses, it seems to be quite common.

 

[Metal Mitch]

There is no "perfect" solution for all fret buzz, and the generality being discussed in this thread is really just that; a broad generality. There can be many instances where buzz does not follow these rules, and a thorough diagnosis might be needed to completely ascertain what is happening.

Right, and thanks for a very general reply.

To be more specific - usually I run into this when I get a new axe and decide I want to start the setup from 'ground zero'. I'll take the saddles all the way down, then adjust the relief to about .015. This is my starting point, and where I see the condition described above.

The Gary Willis method (paraphrased above by Figjam, thanks) doesn't address this.

Which would you do first? Adjust the saddles first because relief doesn't affect the high frets? Or adjust the relief first to address the buzz near the nut? Doing a little of both at the same time seems very imprecise, I'm looking for some hard fast logic to the sequence of the procedure.

Thx

 

[Metal Mitch]

Personally, I get relief locked in first. Then I take a look at the bridge saddles.

But seriously, this is just a gen'l diagnosis because there could be other issues as well. Are you sure of all the variables on the bass? Nut slots, neck tilt, frets level, etc.?

Ok thanks. Usually I do relief first too, but I've been thinking twice about it because it has no effect on frets 17 and up. OTOH if I do saddles first to adjust for high frets, I wind up with really high action before I even begin working the relief. I'm starting to think it's neck angle in a case like that.