Hey, my beautiful new LP has one slight issue that is annoying me a bit. Open G (and ONLY open G) has significant fret buzz due to the first fret. It's not coming through the amp or anything but i practice at relatively low volume and it just bugs me.
My guitar teacher reckons that instead of trying to raise the action i should just get some fine sandpaper and carefully (very carefully so i don't hit the fretboard at all) try to take a fraction off the 1st fret itself.
Sounds good to me and i'd prefer to keep the action where it is as it plays really well - but has anyone got a different opinion to this suggestion?
Thx
You need to check the neck relief. When you tune from standard to Open G, the string tension goes down. The neck curves backward and you get fret buzz.
If you plan to stay down in Open G, you might want to go up a little on your string gauge to keep the string tension about where it was. Or adjust the truss rod for less tension.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Just guessing, but I believe he meant the unfretted G string, not tuning to Open G.
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
Hmmm. Hadn't thought of that.
Open G's a tuning to me, not a string or a chord. :D
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Having never dressed a fret before, if I was going to do it I'd consider practicing on some old junk guitar before I went to work on my Lester....
But even before that, just being carefull, are you sure that it's fret buzz at the first fret? Reason I ask, is that it's the G-string you're talking about and my experience has been that that string is the string most likely to give me trouble on both my Strat and my LP. It's like the third string is in a no-man's land where it'd kind of rather be a wound string. When I change my strings I seem to find that about 50% of the time I get some wierd buzz that sounds like fret buzz but it's actually down at the bridge - I give the string a little wiggle there, make sure it's seated right on the saddle, make sure the saddle (on the Strat) is making good contact with the plate it rests on, etc..., and it goes away.
It's like the 3rd string being non-wound isn't up to quite enough tension to get itself seated right without a little help. (All you experienced luthiers out there, flame away telling me it's all in my head, I don't care, it's real, I tell you, it's real, real real.... Really.... :wink: ).
Richochet you're too smart for your own good :D
I just meant the G string unfretted in standard tuning. Lets not make this more complicated!
Quarterfront - it's definitely fret buzz in my case, and only coming from the first fret.
Actually, I just thought that I haven't changed the strings since I bought it (although they are in reasonable nick) but I think I'll give it a string change first, then go with the sandpaper option if it's still buzzing.
Thanks guys.
Don't touch the fret, it sounds like your nut slot on the G string is cut too low, (wow, this really doesn't sound right. :oops: ) Place a piece of paper between the string and nut slot and see if it helps, if it does, then put a new nut on! I've seen this when someone goes from a wound G to an unwound G.
Working on the nut is a lot easier than messing with a fret and is easier to undo if whatever you do doesn't work.
A wound G is thicker than an unwound one so the slot would be larger and the string would sit lower in the nut, causing a buzz.
When I die, I want to go peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather, not screaming......
like the passengers in his car.
I'm with racetruck, dont touch that fret! I would suspect you might not have enough neck relief. I just had that same problem with my SX Strat on the 2nd fret. I checked the relief and there was almost none. I added a little and it plays fine now.
"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --
I would not dress any frets. Rather, take it into a Gibson pro shop and have them check it out.
