G&L L2000 Setup - Fret buzz - I followed user manual

[Antisyzygy]

I got a G&L L2000 Tribute a couple weeks ago, and I noticed right away that it had super low action. It made quite a lot of fret buzz when fretting the D string mostly, on the 2-4th frets. If I hit the A and G string just a bit harder than neutral it will sometimes happen on those string as well. However on the D string I can't adjust my playing style to eliminate fret buzz without going quiet.

The neck doesn't appear warped in any way.

I decided to follow the G&L user manual and set up my G&L L2000 the other day, but there's still quite a lot of fret buzz, more than I'd be comfortable with normally with my technique. The D string still has the worst of it.

So long story short :

1. Fret buzz, mostly on the D string in the 2-4th frets
2. I did a G&L Spec Setup
3. It didn't fix the problem

My understanding is the following :

1. It's not the nut -> Open strings don't buzz
2. It might be there isn't enough relief -> I measured and I'm in spec but on the shorter side
3. I could set the action higher -> The action is about where I want it though, but it's lower than Fender specs which is what I normally play
4. Lots of other people seem to have problems with L2000's buzzing

What do you guys think I could do to set this up better? I can play a bit lighter to reduce fret buzz but the technique changes between the D string and the others to do so.

My thoughts are to try the following :

1. Heavier gauge strings
2. Raise the D string a bit more, but also raise action to be closer to Fender specs like my other basses
3. Add relief to the neck

Would I be a candidate to get a Fret leveling? I don't want to take the bass back quite yet because well, I'm not convinced it's even set up properly. It should still be under warranty though.

 

[mmbongo]

I'd say a fret leveling or Plek job might be in order.

I bought a new M2000 a few weeks ago and also had an eternal struggle with fret buzz from about the 10th fret on up. I'm pretty good with setups, but no expert by any means so I had some good conversations with the folks here in the setup/repair forum and after trying a few things all signs pointed to a ski jump neck, where the frets are higher at the body than they are on the rest of the neck. I also used a razor blade as a fret rocker and found 5 or 6 frets that were high. That, along with the poor quality on the electronics, the weight, and the various dings on a new bass led me to just send the bass back rather than fool with it any further. Kinda soured me on G&L and it was such a shame because got the one with the carved top and bound body and it looked great and the carved body was very comfy.

 

[Antisyzygy]

I'd say a fret leveling or Plek job might be in order.

I bought a new M2000 a few weeks ago and also had an eternal struggle with fret buzz from about the 10th fret on up. I'm pretty good with setups, but no expert by any means so I had some good conversations with the folks here in the setup/repair forum and after trying a few things all signs pointed to a ski jump neck, where the frets are higher at the body than they are on the rest of the neck. I also used a razor blade as a fret rocker and found 5 or 6 frets that were high. That, along with the poor quality on the electronics, the weight, and the various dings on a new bass led me to just send the bass back rather than fool with it any further. Kinda soured me on G&L and it was such a shame because got the one with the carved top and bound body and it looked great and the carved body was very comfy.

Thanks for the reply! Yeah, I was wondering about the frets. It seems to be somewhere around the 6-7th where the buzz is originating when playing on the 2nd - 5th fret (revised it because I tried it out again). The higher frets have no buzz at all.

I am not good with setups yet, I've been learning, but I do have all the tools available to measure things. I just increased the relief a little bit to the high end of the G&L specs and raised the D string a hair and it helped a lot, but it's still a little too fret buzzy for my tastes. At least now I can play with consistent technique but the problem is sometimes I like to hit the strings a bit harder, and I can't do it on the D string in a few frets.

The bass I got is otherwise great. It's quiet as hell, when my other basses seem to pick up some noise even if they have humbuckers. I have a wifi router right next to my guitar area and my house has really old wiring without the dedicated grounds so I figured it would be a little noisy but it really isn't. I think they must shield the Tributes with that metal paint, I remember I had to route a bit out of my metal-paint shielded telecaster and it made it a lot noisier in my home.

I actually don't want to take it back if I can avoid it, because I love it otherwise. Playing anywhere but the D string on those frets feels and sounds really nice. I also feel like I'd just risk some other problem or have the same one, as I've heard L2000s are a bit buzzy. I'm curious if it has something to do with the radius and huge frets on these baseball bat necks.

 

[Hillsidebass]

Pretty much what I've found on every L2000 I've ever owned and that has been quite a few. I've often thought a plek job might fix them, but never went to the trouble. I'm confident that I can set up a bass with a low buzz free action as good as anyone, but the fact is that there are some basses that just won't take a set up without fret work.....even when new. The G&L L2000 and ASAT are some of those basses.(IMHO)

 

[Zooberwerx]

How much relief do you have onboard at the moment?

Riis

 

[Antisyzygy]

How much relief do you have onboard at the moment?

Riis

Hey thanks for the reply.

It's closer to 0.022" which is what was the upper end of the range in the G&L manual. My 0.022" on the feeler gauge I have pushes the string up just a hair. The 0.020" slides under but it's a tight fit. I think the range was 0.018" to 0.022".

 

[JustForSport]

Could be just 1 high fret, 6th or 7th like you said. Fret the 4th or 5th and tap the 6th and 7th, they should 'sound', like any other one. Should be able to find the high one that way, then decide to lower it just a little.

 

[Zooberwerx]

Hey thanks for the reply.

It's closer to 0.022" which is what was the upper end of the range in the G&L manual. My 0.022" on the feeler gauge I have pushes the string up just a hair. The 0.020" slides under but it's a tight fit. I think the range was 0.018" to 0.022".

Thanks for the dope. I always thought the manufacturer's specs were a bit on the high side as I normally shoot for .012-.014. This hits close to home as I just picked up a 1505 strung with flats so it's tough to make a comparison.

Riis

 

[OOD]

I also have a l2000 and I'm having trouble setting it up. But I think it is due to lack of experience. When I get the action where I want it I get fret buzz from the 12 fret up on all the strings. I'm having trouble understanding how to measure the relief. I know to set the truss rod before the action but every time I try it I get bad fret buzz unless I jack my strings way to high. Any advice?

 

[Antisyzygy]

I also have a l2000 and I'm having trouble setting it up. But I think it is due to lack of experience. When I get the action where I want it I get fret buzz from the 12 fret up on all the strings. I'm having trouble understanding how to measure the relief. I know to set the truss rod before the action but every time I try it I get bad fret buzz unless I jack my strings way to high. Any advice?

I took my L2000 into a luthier that runs a shop out of his garage and he did a set up. It's much better than it was before. However the Luthier did notice that some of the frets were higher than others. There were 2 frets on either side of the 5-7th a bit off. The rest looked fine he said.

I was measuring relief using the string and capo method, but when I took it into the luthier he used some special tool and told me I actually set up the bass with some back-bow. I shrugged and just let him handle it. Now it plays totally fine, though I will say it's still got more buzz than I am used to, however at least now it's consistent across the strings for the most part.

I chalk it up to differences in the bass construction vs. others I've played before as well as the fret levels being slightly off. I am used to playing Jazz basses and this is a different animal I suppose. I might have the frets leveled eventually but for now it's working--I can play with consistent right hand technique and avoid all the buzz.

 

[OOD]

I took my L2000 into a luthier that runs a shop out of his garage and he did a set up. It's much better than it was before. However the Luthier did notice that some of the frets were higher than others. There were 2 frets on either side of the 5-7th a bit off. The rest looked fine he said.

I was measuring relief using the string and capo method, but when I took it into the luthier he used some special tool and told me I actually set up the bass with some back-bow. I shrugged and just let him handle it. Now it plays totally fine, though I will say it's still got more buzz than I am used to, however at least now it's consistent across the strings for the most part.

I chalk it up to differences in the bass construction vs. others I've played before as well as the fret levels being slightly off. I am used to playing Jazz basses and this is a different animal I suppose. I might have the frets leveled eventually but for now it's working--I can play with consistent right hand technique and avoid all the buzz.

Thanks for the info.

 

[OOD]

@Antisyzygy i think I had to much relief. I tightened the rod and it seems to be much better. if I use a lot of force the frets will buzz but if I play normaly I'm good. I used a .010 business card on the 7th fret. Only problem is some of my saddles are bottomed out so I can't try to go any lower.

 

[Antisyzygy]

@Antisyzygy i think I had to much relief. I tightened the rod and it seems to be much better. if I use a lot of force the frets will buzz but if I play normaly I'm good. I used a .010 business card on the 7th fret. Only problem is some of my saddles are bottomed out so I can't try to go any lower.

Hey nice! I tend to have a bit higher action because I absolutely HATE buzz and I like to hit the strings hard if I want to.

I'd be interested to know if you have frets that aren't level as well. Another guy in this thread said that most G&Ls he's owned need a bit of leveling straight out of the factory.

 

[OOD]

Hey nice! I tend to have a bit higher action because I absolutely HATE buzz and I like to hit the strings hard if I want to.

I'd be interested to know if you have frets that aren't level as well. Another guy in this thread said that most G&Ls he's owned need a bit of leveling straight out of the factory.

ive had this bass for almost 8 years so that wouldn't shock me. I Need to get my guitar tech to look at it.

 

[Zooberwerx]

@Antisyzygy i think I had to much relief. I tightened the rod and it seems to be much better. if I use a lot of force the frets will buzz but if I play normaly I'm good. I used a .010 business card on the 7th fret. Only problem is some of my saddles are bottomed out so I can't try to go any lower.

I always thought the G&L set-up specs were a bit on the high side with the relief @ .018. The G string saddle was bottomed out so I removed the neck and inserted an end-of-pocket shim (two stacked pieces of 0.43 mm tonewood veneer) which worked perfectly. My relief is somewhere in the .012-.014 range.

Riis

 

[CrmdgnthDrdg]

I got a G&L L2000 Tribute a couple weeks ago, and I noticed right away that it had super low action. It made quite a lot of fret buzz when fretting the D string mostly, on the 2-4th frets. If I hit the A and G string just a bit harder than neutral it will sometimes happen on those string as well. However on the D string I can't adjust my playing style to eliminate fret buzz without going quiet.

The neck doesn't appear warped in any way.

I decided to follow the G&L user manual and set up my G&L L2000 the other day, but there's still quite a lot of fret buzz, more than I'd be comfortable with normally with my technique. The D string still has the worst of it.

So long story short :

1. Fret buzz, mostly on the D string in the 2-4th frets
2. I did a G&L Spec Setup
3. It didn't fix the problem

My understanding is the following :

1. It's not the nut -> Open strings don't buzz
2. It might be there isn't enough relief -> I measured and I'm in spec but on the shorter side
3. I could set the action higher -> The action is about where I want it though, but it's lower than Fender specs which is what I normally play
4. Lots of other people seem to have problems with L2000's buzzing

What do you guys think I could do to set this up better? I can play a bit lighter to reduce fret buzz but the technique changes between the D string and the others to do so.

My thoughts are to try the following :

1. Heavier gauge strings
2. Raise the D string a bit more, but also raise action to be closer to Fender specs like my other basses
3. Add relief to the neck

Would I be a candidate to get a Fret leveling? I don't want to take the bass back quite yet because well, I'm not convinced it's even set up properly. It should still be under warranty though.

Be a darling and upload the manual! G&L is as dead as Leo and George, and so is their website! Don't sell it on EBay like a chud, share with those privileged enough to have grabbed them while they were alive. Pretty Please!