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Post subject: Fret Buzz On Squire Strat
Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 12:06 pm
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Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2015 9:24 am
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I purchased a Squire Strat (made in China) about two months ago. Since day one, it has had some minor string buzz on the high E and B strings at the first fret only. I raised the saddles a little, which took care of the problem at first.

The problem seems to have come back and is also affecting the G string, again only at the first fret. I've raised the saddles some more, which makes the strings pretty high above the neck at the higher frets. It's kind of like playing a clothesline.

I tried moving the high E saddle back and forth a little, which I know will affect the intonation, and I don't think it helped eliminate the buzz. Is this just the price one pays for buying a cheap guitar. Other than this issue, I really like the guitar. It is my first electric, so I have nothing to compare it to.

Is adjusting the truss rod the next step, and is this something I can do without screwing up the instrument?


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Post subject: Re: Fret Buzz On Squire Strat
Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 12:41 pm
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Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 1:53 am
Posts: 4240
At this point, I believe there's nothing wrong with the guitar, it just needs a proper setup.
And yes, that is the result of us wanting to buy cheap - many (most) stores sell guitars as they come from the factory, so they can save the setup price and sell for a few dollars less.

A setup for a new instrument should cost about 60-80 €/$ if done by a pro. Money well spent, IMHO.

If you want to do it yourself, start by reading this Strat Setup Guide
You can of course just experiment with the truss rod; a moderate adjusting with 1/4 turns at a time won't harm anything.
But measure your relief first, to see how it suits the "factory specs", then you'll know which way to adjust.
The problem in first DIY setups lies in that we don't know your guitars other initial settings - so an advice like loosen/tighten the truss rod would just be guessing.

Two oh-by-the-ways:
A guitar that is set up properly should play just fine without any relief (when played with a normal touch).
And: you have put on a new set of strings, right?


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Post subject: Re: Fret Buzz On Squire Strat
Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2015 11:47 am
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Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2008 2:01 pm
Posts: 1598
I completely agree with jmattis's comment...just want to add a couple of small things to consider.

If the guitar was purchased brand new...yea...probably needs a setup. As jmattis said, low end guitars don't get the same attention at music stores (even online music stores) that more expensive instruments do. Most of the time they come in the door, a salesperson takes it out of the box and puts it right on display where it gets banged on by every weekend wanker in town. Online stores are worse as the guitar never gets taken out of the box, let alone inspected. Even though the guitar was setup at the factory, remember it's probably been in and out of a couple of warehouses, shipped and re-shipped, etc., long before it made it into your hands.

-If- the guitar was purchased as a used instrument, while it again likely needs a proper setup (90% of the problems with electrics in general come down to the setups), depending on how old the instrument is, I might also look for signs of heavy wear as well. Frets do wear with the course of normal playing and some of us do play the crap out of our cheap instruments, LOL! If it's a used instrument, it's not impossible that you may have a flat spot on a fret (something to look for when you replace those strings!). Along with a proper setup, low end instruments (particularly used) can often benefit from a good fret dressing as well.

Since you said you had adjusted the saddles to try and compensate for the buzz, should you try your own truss rod adjustment (do NOT over tighten...as jmattis said, no more than 1/4 turn at a time), remember that neck relief and saddle height go hand in hand. Follow the info in the link jmattis gave you there and you should be fine.

Also, since it sounds like you're relatively new to all of this, a little something to keep in mind...depending on where you live, remember - it's that time of year. Spring and fall always seems to wreak havoc with guitar necks (particularly new guitars)...many of my instruments usually need a tweak or two here and there this time of year (one of my Ovations just started buzzing like the begabbers on the 2nd fret this past week). Just remember that a guitar is NOT a piano...they do require periodic maintenance. Change the strings on a regular basis, check the intonation every time you change the strings and plan on a proper setup every 20,000 miles as needed 8) .


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