Hey all.

Any other HW1 owners having problems with buzz on the E and A strings? I set the guitar up to Fender specs and it was even worse. So I had to back out the E & A strings to stop some of the buzz, but cant get rid of the buzz on some frets. At this point I dont think it will ever go away no matter what adjustments are made. This is my second HW1 because I returned to first one because of this problem. They gave me a new one in the box but the same problem is there. Maybe its the jumbo frets causing this and I just have to live with it?

Welcome.

Sight unseen, there isn't much we can tell you other than bring it back.

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You dig?

Understood, but this is my 2nd one already. I was just wondering if any other HW1 owners are getting this buzz problem too? What are the chances of me getting two bad HW1s?

Quite high.

Factory setup can sometimes leave a lot to be desired. Its probably nothing more than a setup issue, either a high fret, bad nut or too low a string.

Also dont discount a technique issue coming to light on that guitar.
I tried 2 highway 1's a few months back, neither of em came out of the factory set up too well. A lot of fender guitars dont play well in shop, here. I think a lot of it is wood movement during shipping. The rest is just down to bad service by the shop.

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No no and no

hi mate,

. just take it to a GOOD guitar tech. mine had to be fret dressed a teeny bit. a good tech will be able to get rid of that buzz tho.

youve got a great guitar there, just pay the 50 dollars or wot ever and get it done well.

all the best

I have buzzes on my HWY1 even after 2 "professional" setups (Sam Ash, etc.) over the last year. (And buzzes thru an amp.) They told me buzz is common but I won't settle for that. You will never get a guitar that plays perfect in the store. My HYW1 sounds a little better when I set it up, I've fooled with different neck reliefs and action but still get too much buzz. The neck is very straight and frets are set very well. The "professional" repairmen didn't even look at the neck relief (truss rod wasn't even moved) which just shows you how intelligent they are. Still looking for a solution.

That's just it, I don't want to keep spending money on setups when they are going to do no more then what I did. I too hear it through an amp. This is a great sounding guitar but it seems like there are issues with buzzes. I don't want to raise the action anymore because its already over 2mm high, and still buzzes on most frets. Don't want to bring it back again, I guess there is no other choice but to deal with it.

Your neck is now completely straight? Not the Fender specs?

Does it buzz on only a few select frets or is it quite a few? Also, does it only buzz when you strum hard? If it's only like one or two frets, it could use a fret dress. If it buzzes over quite a few frets or only when you strum hard, a higher action or heavier string gauge is in order (Assuming your neck has ample relief already). My Jackson RR1, which has jumbos, was originally set up with .09s, but I couldn't stand the buzz on the E and A strings so I upped the gauge to .11 and raised the action slightly-problem solved. Anyways, best of luck, hopefully I helped >_>

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I traded my car in for a microphone.

Its quite a few, all on the E and A. You don't have to strum hard, its just there. It was even there on an open E until I raised the action. It came with 9's and was setup for 9's. I switched to 10's and it got a little better, but again I did raise the action. Maybe 11's are the answer. I have never used 11's, is the G string on 11's wound?

Have you taken your guitar to a decent technician to have it professionally set up?

When I bought mine there was absolutly 0 buzzes in it and still no buzzes to this day. Of course I spent hours in the shop playing different Fender models. Once I found the one I liked, I played it with and without an amp to see what it sounded like.

RK

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

I spoke to one over the phone at Sam Ash, the place where I purchased the first one and received the replacement direct from Fender still in the box. He told me all Strats buzzed and its to be expected. So at that point I decided not to waist money on a "tech".

Well I own a Highway 1 Stratocaster that does not buzz. It is not normal to have buzzing on your guitar. You would be a surprised what a good technician and a professional set up/intonation can do for you. Very few guitars (let alone Fenders) come out of the box perfectly set up.

RK

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

Originally posted by dacop

The G Strings on .11s are usually not wound, but you can tell if they do have a wound g string if they have a small w by the g string gauge on the package.

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I traded my car in for a microphone.

i have a hwy 1, am strat, and a cp 60s
the hwy 1 is 1 of my favs.
it did have fret buzz issues, after 3 setups. its perect.
when i set up my hwy1 to spec by the book.
i had buzzing all over the place.

i do have to set the action slightly higher than my am strat due to jumbo frets (i think)
adjust the truss rod.
adjust brige height from body.
adjust string heigt
then adjust intonation.

look at the neck, does it look straight, slightly bowed, or opposite of bowed

If higher guage strings are allieviating the problem then its either the neck is too straight or bowed back, or the string height is set too low. I personaly think 5/64's is way too low for any guitars bass strings. I may set a D string that low, E and A at around 1/4"/4mm at the 17th fret.

Anybody who tells you all strats buzz is a fool and has obviously never played many. I own 4 that cost from £200 to £2000 new. NON of them buzz.

The techs your problem not the guitar. Stop using department store style instrument shops, find a good knowledgable tech (ask at a local recording studio) and pay for his services. It will cost but will yeild the results you require.

The other option is to learn to do it for yourself.

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No no and no