This is by the way my very first post, so hello to all you out there. I was told by one of my close friends that this was THE place to get any questioned answered...so here I am.
I just recently got an epiphone les paul standard for christmas. And when i administered the first string change...I began to get an annoying fret buzz on my low-E when i play open, and also on my A-string when i play frets 2-5. It is not that noticable on the A-string unless I play unplugged, but the low-E is almost unbarable! What should i do to get this fixed...???
Any help with getting this problem fixed would be MUCH appreciated.
Kidd.
"Its not about what showing people what you can do with a peice of wood with strings on it. Its about making music."~~~John Frusciante.
Hi Kidd. First off, welcome to GN. Not being much into electric guitars, I was wondering if you changed strings with the same gauge as you originally had on the guitar, and did you tune it with a tuner. Possibly the bridges could have move while you changed strings. I'm sure other electric players can solve this for you. Good luck.
Denny
Key Kidd,
Welcome to GN!!
Congrats on your Les Paul :)
As mentioned before, if you changed string gauge, you'll most likely need to adjust the height of your bridge. You can simply screw "Out" (counter clockwise) that thumbscrew on the upper (closest to the Low E String) part of your bridge. But go SLOW, like half turns only at a time. This will raise the action a little bit.
Of course, you'll need to release the tension on your strings first. Then adjust the bridge, then retune and see how it goes.
REPEAT as necessary.
It can take a few times to get it right so patience is the key here. Don't rush it. If you go too far your action will be raised way too high. Then just lower it back a quarter or half turn.
Second: dude, don't play that thing unplugged..... Sheesh!! When you do, you play it too "HARD". What do I mean?
Plug it in, dime your amp and play it hard...then play it soft.... (hehehehehehe) Same thing right? You don't need to "WHACK" on an electric guitar, especially a Les Paul to make it sound right.....despite what you see in music videos.
Again, welcome to GN!
Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing. - Wernher Von Braun (1912-1977)
Thanx both of you, the only thing is it wus a brand new guitar and so I honestly do not know what gauge string was on there before i had bought it. But i have 9's on there right now, and quite frankly that's the only gauge i use.
The only reason i play unplugged is because when its late at night i cant play or else my parents get angry. I have headphones, they just are almost more of a hassle to use, so they arent really worth it.
Kidd
"Its not about what showing people what you can do with a peice of wood with strings on it. Its about making music."~~~John Frusciante.
Well Kidd, I don't know about the Epi's but the Gibsons string with 10's as a standard. You will probably need to loosen up the relief just a hair.
I suspect your guitar is fine and it just needs a little setup and fine tuning. I'm not sure if Epi's come with 9's or 10's either. Did it come from a shop or was it ordered via a catalog or online? If you got it from a shop, they might set it up for you without charging you. If you feel comfortable there are DIY instructions for setups on the net. If not though, take it to someone who knows what they are doing. That is a nice guitar and you don't want to mess it up. Some times the new strings are just more lively so they can rattle when you whack them. I find new guitars have stiff strings cause just sitting around can take the life out of a set of strings. Also keep in mind that a little rattling when played unplugged is acceptable for an electric with low action.
Welcome to Guitar Noise! :D
"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --
You know, there was another thread here about a pro setup. I always let my tech do the first setup on any new guitar. Why you might ask. He puts it in a gig and levels the frets, polishes them and rounds and smooths the ends. The nut is filed to proper height. He knows how I want it setup, string Gage and height and he looks for any problems. The cost is about $100.00. If you have ever played a guitar setup like this then you will know why I do it.
After that I do it on my own.
There is absolutely no way i feel comfortable with doing anything on my own. :shock:
I frankly just dont trust myself to do it. I did buy it from my local guitarcenter and i had planned on taking it there to get it set up, but i had no idea how much it would cost to get everything fine tuned, especially because i have no idea what i really like in a guitar, playability wise. I havent really played around with any of that and i suspect i will now. I'm going to give it another go at changing the strings, but i dont know what good it will do because i have had them on there for around 3 weeks.....yikes. 21 days times 3 hours.....63 hours of play time....i think i should try and keep it under 50. :D
"Its not about what showing people what you can do with a peice of wood with strings on it. Its about making music."~~~John Frusciante.
