Novice guitar set up, fret buzz

Nodferatu · 10-12-2014 6:42pm #1

hey there, i'm looking for help in setting up my guitar, it was set up fine but i decided to mess around with it last night as im eager to learn how to set up. i was trying to fine tune the intonation but when i did that now some of the strings are buzzing mostly up at the top of the neck but less so down near the bridge. would like advice and help for a beginner as id like to get my guitar set up. its an epiphone les paul

Nozebleed · 10-12-2014 6:46pm

What did you do exactly?

Nodferatu · 10-12-2014 6:57pm

i checked the intonation and some of them were a tiny bit sharp so i altered the intonation but i had to screw almost two or three full turns of the screws on the saddle for them to tune right. since i did that its been buzzing a bit.

Dord · 10-12-2014 7:00pm

intonation shouldn't really affect the action. did you retune after intonating?

Nodferatu · 10-12-2014 7:05pm

yes i re-tuned each time if needed. wondering if the neck might want adjusting with this cold weather, or could/should i chance altering the neck?? i'd need advice on this matter tho before proceeding. the strings action is low at headstock but asd it goes down the frets the string gap gets bigger

Nozebleed · 10-12-2014 8:15pm

There.s more chance of string buzz if you have really light guage strings on the guitar say 9's. Id always use 10,s. Dont adjust the neck just yet. Re adjust the saddle till the buzz stops and start again. Start with the lightest e string.

wild turkey · 10-12-2014 10:11pm

1 , What type of guitar is it , acoustic ,electric ,les paul ,strat etc

2 , If you havent adjusted the truss rod I would leave it until last raise the saddle a turn at a time on both ends until the buzz stops , then lower it to taste

3, Messing with guitars can be very expensive, if your not sure get it set up professionally

Nodferatu · 11-12-2014 8:32pm

wild turkey wrote: »

1 , What type of guitar is it , acoustic ,electric ,les paul ,strat etc
Messing with guitars can be very expensive, if your not sure get it set up professionally

Nodferatu wrote: »

its an epiphone les paul
i decided to mess around with it last night as im eager to learn how to set up

also... i have other guitars so im not stuck to play guitar or anything

wild turkey · 11-12-2014 9:12pm

Sorry, Didnt see the les paul bit

If your not stuck for guitars go for it! Its good to have something to experiment on and learn by your mistakes , just dont go too mad on the truss rod.
Theres any amount of videos on youtube showing you how, start with Dan Erlewine & Stewmac.

Ps; Stewmac have a tool for everything but you'll find an alternative for most of these at home

Nodferatu · 12-12-2014 8:24pm

Thanks Wild Turkey, Is altering the truss rod in general used to alter the action? ill look up the video's you mentioned, i have searched youtube but most of the ones i looked at seem to complicate or did not clarify things

Dord · 13-12-2014 1:28pm

As it's a Les Paul (assuming a tune-o-matic bridge), you've probably lowered the bridge while intonating it. There's a small wheel on the bass and treble side of the bridge that adjusts the bridge height. You should check this before adjusting the truss rod.

Always make the most of the adjustments at the bridge before resorting to truss rod adjustments.

wild turkey · 15-12-2014 8:19pm

Nodferatu wrote: »

Thanks Wild Turkey, Is altering the truss rod in general used to alter the action? ill look up the video's you mentioned, i have searched youtube but most of the ones i looked at seem to complicate or did not clarify things

The truss rod is for straightening the neck but in doing that you are raising or lowering the action
I set my action by three things, the nut, truss rod adjustment & bridge / saddle height
If the nuts too high it messes everything else up , best solution is to remove the nut and sand the bottom on a flat surface until you reduce it to the right height.

Next I do the truss rod, put a capo on the first fret and press the string on the last fret, you are now looking for about 1mm between the top of the 7th fret and the bottom of the string. I like my necks a little less than the 1mm so I usually gauge it by eye but a 0,72 pick would do fine

Then do the bridge height lower the bridge until the strings start to buzz and then raise them up a little . I usually do bends on the strings from the 12 fret up as I find these can buzz when bent up about 1/2 a tone or so , if its still buzzing raise it a little more

Then intonate

A Les Paul is one of the easier guitars to do, Teles may require a slight tilt on the neck and individual saddle height adjustment usually done at a radius to account for the radius on the neck

Strats the same as teles but require setting up the tremolo and tensioning it done by the springs & two large screws going into the body

Sorry for the late reply I had a long weekend, most of which I dont even remember !

DamianK · 23-12-2014 7:30pm

Hi,
I got Les Paul year ago and discovered it is not setup properly right to my ears.
I find this website very helpful:
guitarrepairbench.com/electric-guitar-repairs/electric_guitar_repairs.html

And a movie particularly to set the intonation
youtube.com/watch?v=PNoYCdbQHbw

It is always a compromise between the action and fret buzzing, you may have a bit buzzing when playing without the amp but you want hear through amp

DamianK · 23-12-2014 7:42pm

You are bit far otherwise I could help you with that.
Remember to have your strings continuously tuned after any change. The tension must be applied all the time.
1. start with checking the rod
2. lower/lift up the bridge that holds the strings until you are happy with the buzzing level
3. start with intonation
If the fretted 12th fret plays flat compared to the harmonic 12th fret, the scale length needs to be shortened and the saddle should be adjusted toward the fretboard. 12th fret flat = move saddle closer to the fretboard
4. lower/lift up the pickups to get the tone you want

il gatto · 05-01-2015 8:12am

Eye up the neck and check for a bow. Put a straight edge on and see if it rocks or l;eaves bit gaps. if it looks ok, onto the bridge. don't touch the truss rod yet. I'd lift the bridge first until the buzzing just stops. Unless it was a drastic lift, the action should be fine. Then set the intonation.
If the action is too high, check the nut and truss rod. If the action is high on the first few frets, it's probably the nut. If it's ok there but too high further up the neck, the truss rod might need adjusting. Make sure that you do it in no more than 1/4 turn at a time. Less is better. If you're careful, you won't do anything irreversable. If you're not happy fiddling with stuff like that, get a setup done by a pro.

Novice guitar set up, fret buzz

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