Hello all.
I have a major problem for the passed couple of months and don't know where else to go. I have a 2002 fender strat texas special HSS. I have had this guitar since 2002 with no problems. I set it up at least twice a year. About 3 months ago I sent it out to be set up and get back a guitar full of fret buzz. I then get the guy to set it up again with no improvement just terrible action. After a battle I decide to give a new guy a try at it...with no success…he lowered the action but now I get more buzz. I went to a 3rd guy and still have no success. This guy builds guitars for a living and has been doing so for over 25 years. He did the best he can with it and told me that “thats just how it is unless I want some fret work done”. Now he did everything so please don’t respond with advice on how to fix it...such as nut, trust rod, action and neck adjustments. This has all been tried and failed. My question is how this could have happened? Has my guitar warped? I love this guitar and I record and play professionally. My work is up at my website www.TheStoneMile.com to see for yourselves. My problem is that this guitar is now useless to me since the fret buzz gets recorded in my software at the studio. I can’t record projects with this kind of distortion. I’m also afraid to buy a new strat...will this happen again?
I’m frustrated...disappointed...and don’t know what else to do.

Thank you very much
The Stone Mile.

well, what do you want. If the guy said it needs fret work and you don't want any other advice then I guess you should get the fret work.

Please read my question: "How could something like this happen?"

hmmm sounds like a bit of a 'trust your mechanic' situation to me. Did the frets buzz before you sent it to be setup? If not then it sounds like something the repair guy has done to facilitate more work for himself. A horrible suggestion i know but sadly quite plausible given the economy.

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No no and no

if your guitar was good and then came back bad the guy is responsable, that sucks.... one more reason why I am a pro "set it up yourself" guy .....

yeah i figured that the first guy screwed it up..but what can be wrong?! At this point i just want to sell it and move on. This guitar is DEAD to me!

You can buy a new neck for a couple hundred.

hey,

i had a similar experience with a new strat... don't know what i did, but i set it up myself, changed the gauge of string i was using and it made it all better...

good luck

There could be several reasons why your guitar is not good now the only reason to know what is wrong with it is to take a look at it.... maybe he screwed up the truss rod and it isn't pulling the neck back enough now or it could be some fret dress that he did ... who knows but thats certainly sad that the guitar is not good anymore sorry dude! is it a MIM or a MIA ?

Yeah at this point im so frustrated bc i have my studio all set up and ready and the last thing i thought would go wrong is my strat. And yes its American. I bought it for 1200 brand new back in 2002. It was upgrade model bc of its 3 tone sunburst color. Honestly i stuck with this guitar bc the HSS made it so versatile. If i had to buy a new one it would be this one again...or a G&L commanche...but nevertheless...im real upset...

I live around the NYC area...if anybody here is from that location and wants to take a look at it, be my guest.
THanks

You could pick up one of Dan Erlewine's books, like How To Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great! and go through the whole set up yourself. This will accomplish a couple things, you will learn about how your guitar needs to be adjusted, and the importance of setting it up right. You will most likely learn how to diagnose many common problems. This will make it so you don't have to trust your precious axe to any one else, except for major repairs. And odds are (in my opinion,) unless your tech actually wrecked some parts, doing this will probably eliminate your issue. Even if it doesn't you have only the price of the book, and an afternoon in time to lose, as you are ready to give up on the guitar already.

I'll tell you from experience, knowing how to set up your own guitar is a true blessing. I learned because a tech screwed up one of my guitars, and I have never looked back.

If it needs fret work it needs fret work. I bought an American Fat Strat Texas Special in 2001 and I can see wear on some of the frets now. At some point you have to bite the bullet and do some fret work, which I have done before but it's a pain.

He shouldn't have given you a buzzy guitar. He should have adjusted it the best he could to produce no buzz. And when you complained about the action (which you would), then he should have said, "I'm sorry, but that's the best we can do here without working on the frets."

And you can always get a second opinion.

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James Burton Upgrade Telecaster
Hot Rodded Am Fat Strat Texas Special (now featuring Kinman Traditional II pickups)
Fender Blues Jr.
SWR California Blonde
Pedals Pedals Pedals

IF I WERE A BETTING MAN, AND I AM, I WOULD BET IT'S ONE OF TWO THINGS. EITHER HE SHIMMED THE NECK WHICH WOULD CAUSE A HORRIBLE BUZZ NO MATTER HOW THE ACTION WAS SET, OR DRESSED THE FRETS WRONG.

Sorry about your guitar. Suggestion: I have witnessed the affects of over-tightened truss rods. This will straighten the much needed natural curvature of a Strat neck causing fret buzz. Loosen the truss rod leaving very little tension in the neck - with the guitar strung. Leave it sit for about a week. After that, put very little tension back on the rod, retune, and hear how it sounds.

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MacAttack

GOOD CALL!