My guitars 3rd fret buzzes like a fridge...

[jamie.pope]

Hey gang

I've noticed a common problem with an old acoustic of mine, the fact that on the Low E and A strings on the third fret i get the most outrageous fret buzz, it sounds absolutely dreadful.

Can anyone give any tips in how to cure this problem?

Cheers in advance

Jamie

[jamie.pope]

Can anybody help?

Please?

:)

[indytruckboy]

the best i can tell you jaimie is the fret needs to be brought down. best down by a tech because the files are expensive. i bought them but i have used them more than once and sometimes for friends. basicly the fret needs to be shaved down and then repolished. very time consuming to be done properly. the only other option you have that may work is to shim the nut. that will raise the string action at the top. i dont belive its a truss rod issue myself, before anybody tells you to start cranking on that thing.
mike

[jamie.pope]

Originally posted by indytruckboy
the best i can tell you jaimie is the fret needs to be brought down. best down by a tech because the files are expensive. i bought them but i have used them more than once and sometimes for friends. basicly the fret needs to be shaved down and then repolished. very time consuming to be done properly. the only other option you have that may work is to shim the nut. that will raise the string action at the top. i dont belive its a truss rod issue myself, before anybody tells you to start cranking on that thing.
mike

Thank you very much.

Man, i didn't realise this was going to be such a painstaking job. Unlike with electric guitars, i can cure these problems myself. But it doesn't seem that way with acoustics.

Oh well....*breaks open wallet*.... :mad: :D :p

[indytruckboy]

the cheapest way to do so would be to shim the nut first. you can do it yourself. and if it doesnt work you can always take the shim out. all you need is some elmer's glue or wood workers glue. PM me and i will send you more info if you want.
mike

[Motorhead]

Indytruck is right ... raise the nut and leave the rod alone.

I know to many players that have messed with the rod and broken it. Look at your guitar ... how do you change a truss rod on an acoustic?!

[indytruckboy]

you want me to answer?:D

[Motorhead]

Originally posted by indytruckboy
you want me to answer?:D

.... I should have added : without charging 5 to 8 hours of bench time :)

[ikkyu2]

Is the problem that the strings are buzzing against the fret, or that they are buzzing when they are fretted on the third fret?

[jamie.pope]

Originally posted by ikkyu2
Is the problem that the strings are buzzing against the fret, or that they are buzzing when they are fretted on the third fret?

When they are fretted on the third fret.

[indytruckboy]

you think you are up to shimming your nut?

[Motorhead]

Originally posted by indytruckboy
you think you are up to shimming your nut?

... there might be children present :)

[jamie.pope]

LOL

Motorhead, good one...;)

Erm, could you possibly tell me how to shimmy my nut, and then we'll see. :D

Again, i thank you VERY much.

[indytruckboy]

*the music assosiation of america has deemed this forum rated R. and any minors should be in accompany of a legal parent or guardian*

[Rock A My Soul]

Look at the fret itself. Are there notches in the fret underneath the strings? This happened to my first electric at the 2nd and 3rd frets on a couple of strings, and it caused extreme buzzing.

[indytruckboy]

to remove the nut you must get a pice of wood and tap the nut sideways out of slot. its only held in with the glue i mentioned so it will come out. clean all residual glue from the nut and slot. use a small piece of laminate or plastic cut to shape the slot at the desired thickness. glue this all together but dont go crazy with the glue. immediately restring or apply a soft face clamp and allow to dry overnight. not to bad.

[oi oi oi]

but if you pick up the nut too high, wouldnt the intonation be wrong up the neck? happened to me when i put a new nut on my guitar. whatever you do though, dont use polyurethane glue. i have found it to be a bit permanent. i am have a bit of fret buzz on my les paul, but its on quite a bit of the frets much higher on the neck, like at the 12th fret.

btw, this is very irrelevant, but in the very first post, the word friends is a funny looking link to a dating service... was that intentional or is the site bugged?

edit: i now know it is a bug, for the words "dating service" became a link to that site when i posted

[indytruckboy]

wtf are you talking about. its not a link on my browser. see what happens when you visit to many **** sites. just dont infect the rest of us with your viruses.

[Motorhead]

Originally posted by indytruckboy
wtf are you talking about. its not a link on my browser. see what happens when you visit to many **** sites. just dont infect the rest of us with your viruses.

yup!

[cormac]

jamie do you have a tech you go to for setups? i would have him look at it and maybe have another one look too and get some ideas that way too. i don't know how much you've messed with setups ... sometimes it's best to leave it to the pros. :)

[jamie.pope]

Originally posted by cormac
jamie do you have a tech you go to for setups? i would have him look at it and maybe have another one look too and get some ideas that way too. i don't know how much you've messed with setups ... sometimes it's best to leave it to the pros. :)

Yeah. I mainly setup electrics myself, but have never attempted an acoustic.

I think, if i really wanna get this done, i'm going to have to drop it in on a pro.

:)

[cormac]

Originally posted by jamie.pope
Yeah. I mainly setup electrics myself, but have never attempted an acoustic.

I think, if i really wanna get this done, i'm going to have to drop it in on a pro.

:)

:) yeah if you can find a good one, i've found it's the way to go ... i've worked like a dog at setups and they just are never as good ... and the place i go now is only $30 u.s. so it's not even worth my effort to do it ... and their setups are perfect :)