What am I doing wrong in my setups? [1st/2nd fret buzz]

[Bassaga]

I've done my own setups almost from the beginning, and it always goes pretty well. Just did one on my new bass and it shocked me how well it plays now. Except it buzzes on the first fret of the E and A strings [also has a B string, but no buzz there]. Made me think, my electric guitar buzzes on the first fret, especially E and A. Before I gave a Squier to my nephew, it buzzed on the first fret on the A and D strings. It's not all of my instruments, but certainly a suspicious number of them.

I always just figured it was a low cut on the nut, since it's up there on the first one or two frets and everything else plays beautifully. But it keeps happening, so I'm starting to wonder whether I'm doing something wrong when I do a setup. Heck, that Squier I nearly rebuilt from the scrap heap, including putting a new nut on it. That nut came from Ebay, straight out of the bag, seems unlikely it would have been cut too low. None of these instruments buzzed before I did a setup on them, but they all had pretty high action. Fixed the rest of the fretboard beautifully, but am I messing up something at that end of the neck? Or is it just goofy luck and I should put some super glue and baking powder in the nut slots?

 

[pcake]

i run into this a lot with cheaper instruments. i recently ran onto the exact problem you describe with a squier bronco that we couldn't fit at all because the neck pocket was carved so deeply and at an odd angle. after shimming it, the buzz improved but not enough, so i exchanged it. besides sloppy neck pockets, sometimes requiring shimming, i find a lot of frets that aren't perfectly seated in cheaper basses. do you find there's enough travel on the saddles?

 

[tb-player]

My first inclination is that the neck is too straight... needs more relief. If that doesn't work, neck angle/shim is the next option. If you can't find what you're looking for with that, get it to a good luthier who does fretwork.

 

[J Wilson]

A quick check: A good average clearance (strings unfretted) between the underside of the string and the top of the first fret is .020", measured with feeler gages, under each string.

This will help you eliminate whether it's incorrect nut(s) or something else.

 

[SharpCat]

Also check first fret being high. Normal rocking doesn't work for that. Rest the rocker on 2 and 3 and slide up the board to touch fret 1. Should slide over without hitting.

 

[Turnaround]

Since it buzzes when fretting at the first fret, it's not a problem with the nut - it's no longer part of the geometry of the vibrating string. The problem may be insufficient relief or a high fret.

 

[96tbird]

Since it buzzes when fretting at the first fret, it's not a problem with the nut - it's no longer part of the geometry of the vibrating string. The problem may be insufficient relief or a high fret.

To reiterate, THIS^.

What OPs trouble indicates is that setting relief and action as low as they have isn’t going to work without investigating the frets for high spots. Until you do that, the solution is to add a little relief and perhaps raise the action a bit. A shim isn’t going to help fix a fret problem either.

 

[sissy kathy]

To reiterate, THIS^.

What OPs trouble indicates is that setting relief and action as low as they have isn’t going to work without investigating the frets for high spots. Until you do that, the solution is to add a little relief and perhaps raise the action a bit. A shim isn’t going to help fix a fret problem either.

OP has already stated this isn't unique to one instrument, but with many of them. IMO that pretty much eliminates high frets, I think his necks have too little relief. OP loosen that trussrod a little and watch your first few frets stop buzzing. If that makes the action too high, lower the saddles. If the saddles are on the deck, time for a shim.

 

[pepj]

Can't tell unless I got my hands on it..but I've a feeling its around the nut...?
Don't underestimate the cut of the nut.
When I collected my first Custom...I totally missed the reason why the renowned luthier was very impressed with the job he did on the nut..
Went right over my head because I was more impressed by the coffee table looks...
Suffice to say..he was dead right.

 

[Chris Chong]

Too little relief and fret levelling is the likely problem

 

[Geogio]

Post a picture of the bridge saddle height and the side dots past the 12th Fret get the body in that shot too... sort of like a ship in the water kind of angle... the dots being the depth markers on the hull.

The neck relief checks out at .008? What about at .010?

Pick up height?

Factory spec on every thing?

There us all kinds of stuff it could be from a warped neck to a neck wood that hasn't been kiln and dried throughly, which is not unheard of, to the need of a shim, pick up height drawing the strings down etc...

Now is a good time to ensure everything is set to factory spec if it is not already because it gives you a point of reference, the "supposed" standard (which sometimes isn't the case at all).

My 2centavos

 

[sissy kathy]

Post a picture of the bridge saddle height and the side dots past the 12th Fret get the body in that shot too... sort of like a ship in the water kind of angle... the dots being the depth markers on the hull.

The neck relief checks out at .008? What about at .010?

Pick up height?

Factory spec on every thing?

There us all kinds of stuff it could be from a warped neck to a neck wood that hasn't been kiln and dried throughly, which is not unheard of, to the need of a shim, pick up height drawing the strings down etc...

Now is a good time to ensure everything is set to factory spec if it is not already because it gives you a point of reference, the "supposed" standard (which sometimes isn't the case at all).

My 2centavos

So you're suggesting he has five or six necks that are warped, or with high frets, all the while knowing the OPs is doing their own set ups and has the buzz on the first couple frets on most of them? You are seriously considering that? The simple explanation is there isn't enough relief in the setups being done.

 

[Geogio]

So you're suggesting he has five or six necks that are warped, or with high frets, all the while knowing the OPs is doing their own set ups and has the buzz on the first couple frets on most of them? You are seriously considering that? The simple explanation is there isn't enough relief in the setups being done.

I'm not suggesting anything sissy Kathy. What is being described is a buzzing, I listed a few things that could resonate. If I was to take a quick stab at any two things it would be neck relief, and perhaps the need of a shim. Like the rest of the respondents I don't have any idea without a Hands-On inspection. The OP describes some buzzing - the fact that some Maples that come out of Asia are not properly kilned and have been an issue might be one thing to ruminate. Fret levels etc...

Don't make it into anything other than what it is - a guesstimation based on no physical "evidence" other than a bare bones description.

 

[sunbeast]

Fret buzz only on the lowest frets is usually a sign of too little neck relief. Set bridge action til the frets above the 12th play cleanly and feel good, then adjust the relief til the first 5 frets play cleanly. Beyond that you may have to check for high or low frets if you are finding random buzzes that only affect a single note or single fret