I bought a brand-new Fender T-Bucket 300ce friday.. I loved it at the store, but I didn't have a pick to play it with.. When I put my pick to it at home, it has fret buzz, so something is not lined up right. I called the store that sold it to me, and the guy said I'd have to pay 50 bucks and drive 2 and a half hours, and that it would also take 2-3 wks. I'm so pissed!!! I'm going to call Fender in the morning, but does anyone else see a problem with this??
Brand New Guitar, but an extra $100.00 (Figuring gas) to make it play like it should.. I can get a cheap wal-mart guitar that has no fret buzz..

Just raise the action a bit or see if the neck needs to be adjusted.

_________________
Favorite bands:

Melvins
The Jesus Lizard
Cows
Big Business
R***man
Minutemen
Flight
Minor Threat
Big Black
Shellac
Karp
Scratch Acid
Wipers
Pixies

What store that sells guitars doesn't have guitar picks to lend? And how could you love it at the store without being able to play it?? Just take the damn thing back and write off the gas to experience.

_________________
Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963

I realize that it's probably something minor, but I have no experience with adjusting guitars, and I feel like Fender should make this guy fix this at no charge.. Being an authorized dealer, that is.. I would hate to screw up this new guitar.

I hear you.. I am a beginner and don't have much knowledge.. I did play it, but without a pick. It's a very minor buzz that only really happens when a pick strums it kind of hard.. It's no big deal, but this guy trying to tell me it will cost me an extra $50.00 for this, I do not feel is right.

Okay, you've calmed down, that's good. You can't hurt a guitar by raising the action a little. Adjusting a truss rod, on the other hand, is probably not the route to go for a beginner - it still gives me the heebies now and then when I do it.

Your guitar should have come with 2 or 3 Alan wrenches, one of which is going to be very small and it can be used to raise your bridge saddles, where your strings go over the bridge before they go through the guitar.

Using that little Alan wrench, just turn the set screw on each side of the bridge saddle for the offending string(s). Try 1/4 turn at a time, clockwise looking down, raising the saddle until your string buzz is gone. It shouldn't take much and yes, you can do it without wrecking anything. It's one of the most basic parts of owning a guitar.

$50 is a pretty standard charge for setting up a guitar and hollering at the guys who sold you the guitar is a good way to get the price to go UP, not DOWN. And don't blame Fender, either. These guitars go through a lot of hands before they end up in OUR hands and most guitars need at least a little setup when you buy them.

HTH

P.S. Next time, take a pick with you!

_________________
Dennis in CR
Rockin' since 1963

take an allen wrench and back off the truss rod 1/4 turn. that should solve the problem. then bring it bac a bit at a time till it buzzes again and then back it off a tweak. most likely the action is too low or you got a back bend in the neck. what hes charging you for is a setup. and that should have been done when you bought it. if you dont know how i suggest you learn .

Thanks for the help, and for the record, I have not hollered at anyone lol.. I just spent my paycheck to get this guitar, and when I asked him could I get this fixed, he told me it would cost.. I just didn't feel that was right, but I'm gonna try to do what you suggested..

Thanks, I realize that a "set-up" costs money & needs to be done, but like you said, I figure it should at least be set-up good enough for it not to buzz.. He told me he had just taken it out of the box. It was my fault for not having a pick, but the guy just kind of acted like it was not his problem. I won't buy anything else from him..

And i'm sorry for the ignorance everyone.. I'm NEW

i can tell you for future reference ive never bought a guitar new or used that didnt need to be ste up. specially out of the box. i once saw a guy at guitar center playing a brand new gibson lespaul the neck was wicked bowed. the salesman was gonna just sell it to him as was. i stepped in and told the guys sister who was there with him that it needed a setup badly then asked the salesman if they did that the answer was no with a pissed look. too bad for him then i put a casino that was perfect in his hands . buying guitars is like everything else . buyer beware. btw ive never been to a guitar shop in my life that wouldnt loan you a pick which tells me to tell you . to stay aon track and stay out of that store in future.

also i would do the neck tweak before you start messing with the saddles. your choice. but the neck is easier and quicker to put back to where you started. put a marker mark on the trusrod nut and go 1/4 turn at most if you decide to put it back to where you started the mark will tell you where to stop. and btw im talking about loosening the truss rod. this will put a slight bow in the neck very slight. i do this all the time. it shouldnt affect your action very much at all.

Makes sense.. I do, however, feel uncomfortable toying with a new guitar when I simply am ignorant and could easily screw something up.. I think I'll call fender and see what they suggest. I'm not mad at Fender, just ticked at the situation. If I have to pay to have this set-up properly, no biggy, I'll just deal with the buzz for now. Thanks for your help.

Most will, but... enough dealers and stores have 'that' employee. You know the one. 'That' employee who seems to work a few too many hours that week - or not enough. 'That' employee who has had a bad day - or a bad life and is all too willing to share it with a customer, especially with a novice guitarist or a new to that shop customer.

'That' employee who has worked there too long, but doesn't have enough gas to get into management and away from the customers who bother him/her.

We have all met 'that' employee - if not at your local shop, then at the car repair shop, the DMV, at work, at school, etc.

'That' employee is the one who won't lend a pick.

yeah that guy is everywhere i go.lol

went to gc to get a tube. this guy is behind the counter goes into the computer tells me they have none . lol idiot im looking right at 3 in the case so i tell him hey sell me one of those . some people shouldnt be working in stores. anyhow let us know how you make out in the mean time you may want to pickup dan erlewines book. i got it and i can tell you its saved me alot of cash

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Guitar-Player-R ... 45fc987c90

worth every cent. specially for a beginner.

I believe Mr. Brandon has purchased an acoustic. The 300CE does not have adjustable saddles so that is not an option. Before adjusting your trussrod Brandon you might try adjusting your pick attack or try a thinner pick that will bend more as you strum. If you are a beginning player you may just be strumming harder than you need to.You might also be fretting the chords harder than you need to. This can also cause fret buzz especially if the action is low to begin with. Acoustic guitars are much more sensitive to heat and humidity changes than a solid body electric. All new guitars will have a settling in period as they adjust to the new environment. Read your owners manual thoroughly before making any adjustments. It may not be necessary. If you continue to hear the fret buzz identify exactly where it occurs ie what frets and what strings then call your dealer and explain the situation politely. If they refuse to look at the guitar without charging you come back to the forum and I'm sure we can walk you thru any adjustments you might need to make.
PS welcome to the forum there are plenty of knowledgeable helpful people here

I would take it back, get a refund and never deal with the horseholes again. You shouldn't have to pay for a first setup. Fender QC and the store itself should have made sure it was at least decent and playable. Usually all you have to do is ask for a pick.

I just bought two guitars from two different places in the past month and a half. A Martin acoustic and a Gibson Studio LP 60's Tribute. The first Gibby I tried had a horrible setup, probably from hanging on the wall through all different climate changes. They tried to tell me the setup would be $60. I just laughed and told the guy that was a deal breaker. Luckily there was another one in the box that had an amazing setup and I took it home.

The moral to the story is when you try something out, put it through it's paces. Take your time before you plunk down your hard earned cash. Make sure it's right. A guitar should pick YOU. Not the other way round. Don't but something just because you want it now. Take your time.

Personally, I would save a little more money and get a Martin, Taylor or Breedlove. It would be well worth it. After 40+ years of playing, I now have my first really nice acoustic. My Martin plays better, is built better and sounds better than any acoustic I've ever owned. Even the lower end Martins are a great value. They won't have a shiny gloss finish, but they'll last a lifetime.

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal