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nasty fretbuzz on first few frets

Discussion in 'Hardware, Setup & Repair [BG]' started by thehangingmist, Sep 14, 2010.


  1. Sep 14, 2010 #1
    thehangingmist

    thehangingmist

    Dec 14, 2007
    New Delhi, India
    i've got some nasty fretbuzz happening on the first few frets. the truss rod isnt moving any bit either, its totally jammed. so what can i do now?
    dont have any half decent luthier/tech guy around here so i have to fix it by myself. its a great cheapo bass but i have to fix this issue, please help :)
     
  5. Sep 14, 2010 #2
    jady

    jady

    Jul 21, 2006
    Modesto, CA
    Is the nut cut too low?

    If so a quicky fix is to take a business card and cut a little rectangle to put under the string at the nut. No sub for a new nut but in a pinch it will work.
     
  9. Sep 14, 2010 #3
    Ewo

    Ewo a/k/a Steve Cooper Supporting Member

    Apr 2, 2008
    Huntington WV
    Check the stickies in the repair section of the bass guitar forum. Lots of useful info there. :hyper:

    My strong advice: don't mess with the truss rod until you've got a good sense of what it's supposed to do and how you're supposed to adjust it.
     
  13. Sep 14, 2010 #4
    Ewo

    Ewo a/k/a Steve Cooper Supporting Member

    Apr 2, 2008
    Huntington WV
    Good point! That can cause buzz, too.

    But first, just try slipping a small piece of paper under the string, where it sits in the slot of the nut. That'll raise the string. If it helps the buzz, then you've identified the problem.

    Do all the strings buzz in the first five frets?
     
  18. Sep 14, 2010 #5
    thehangingmist

    thehangingmist

    Dec 14, 2007
    New Delhi, India
    i have worked on by basses before and i know when and how to adjust the truss rod. anyway,
    the nut isnt cut too low really, its way lower on my geddy lee but that doesnt have this buzz and the the frets are not sticking out either. i think the neck is too straight.
    its buzzing a lot more on the lower two strings as they are "looser" and have less tension thus more freedom to buzz around i guess
     
  22. Sep 14, 2010 #6
    JLS

    JLS

    Sep 12, 2008
    eureka, ca
    I setup & repair guitars & basses
    You can neither loosen nor tighten it? It sounds as though it needs to be loosened.
     
  26. Sep 14, 2010 #7
    NickInMesa

    NickInMesa

    Jan 1, 2009
    Mesa, Arizona
    You may need to add a bit of relief or raise the saddle.

    I do my own setups now and each bass is a different animal.
     
  30. Sep 14, 2010 #8
    thehangingmist

    thehangingmist

    Dec 14, 2007
    New Delhi, India
    yeah it needs to be loosed but its not budging either ways at all, its totally jammed. raising the bridge saddle only raises the string height and the buzz remains unless i raise it way too much and make it difficult to play. am thinking about getting higher gauge stiffer strings
     

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