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Weird String Buzz Issue

Jorge Estremera

Jorge Estremera

Guest
Nov 5, 2014
33
13
54
New Jersey
#1
Hello Everyone,

After playing guitar for many years, I've decided to take up bass just to try something different. I bought a Fender MIM P Bass and was pretty happy with it until I changed my strings. I put on a set of La Bella flats and started getting a buzz on the G but only from the 7th fret on (almost sounds like a sitar). I raised the action on the G to 6/64" but that's higher than I would like and it didn't really do much to alleviate the problem. The frets seem to be pretty level and this didn't start until I put the new strings on. Can you guys give me some pointers on what to look for?
 
#2
Check the neck relief. Flats are higher tension so chances are you have too much bow (relief) in the neck and it needs to be straightened a little bit. While in playing position, fret or put a capo on the first fret and then press down on the 17th fret with your pinky on your right hand. Using your thumb press down around the 9th fret and see how much the string moves. You want it to move only slight amount, about the thickness of a business card. If it moves too much you want to straighten the neck by tightening the truss rod (when looking at the nut of the rod, turn it to your right...remember, lefty loosy, righty tighty). If it doesn't move much at all, the neck is too straight and needs to be loosened a bit so you'd turn it to the left. Do the adjustment with the bass tuned. Turn about a 1/4 of a turn at a time and then check the tuning and re-check the relief. Give it another 1/4 turn if necessary but don't go more than 1/2 turn per day because you might adjust it more than you need to and when the neck settles over the next 24 hours, you'd then have to go back and adjust in the other direction.
 
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#3
fourstringdrums said:
Check the neck relief. Flats are higher tension so chances are you have too much bow (relief) in the neck and it needs to be straightened a little bit. While in playing position, fret or put a capo on the first fret and then press down on the 17th fret with your pinky on your right hand. Using your thumb press down around the 9th fret and see how much the string moves. You want it to move only slight amount, about the thickness of a business card. If it moves too much you want to straighten the neck by tightening the truss rod (when looking at the nut of the rod, turn it to your right...remember, lefty loosy, righty tighty). If it doesn't move much at all, the neck is too straight and needs to be loosened a bit so you'd turn it to the left. Do the adjustment with the bass tuned. Turn about a 1/4 of a turn at a time and then check the tuning and re-check the relief. Give it another 1/4 turn if necessary but don't go more than 1/2 turn per day because you might adjust it more than you need to and when the neck settles over the next 24 hours, you'd then have to go back and adjust in the other direction.
Click to expand...

It definitely had way too much relief. I made the adjustment as you suggested and the problem was slightly alleviated but, unfortunately, not gone. I guess I won't know the full effect of the truss rod adjustment right away.
 

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