Hi,

I bought the strat new a couple of weeks ago, but there is an anoying buzz on the open E and when played fretted (dissapears) around the 10th fret.

I assumed that the guitar would be set-up and ready to go from new.

Do I need to adjust something?

I'm a slightly concerned about taking the thing apart as it's my first electric and I don't want to damage anything.

That said I'll have a go at anything.

Thanks,

Scooby

Sounds like a truss rod adjustment is needed. If you dont know what your doing dont touch the trussrod adjuster. You can easily wreck that nice new guitar with it. You'd be best off to take it back to where you bought it and ask them to sort it out. It is an adjustment issue, not a fault 999 times out of a thousand. Still better off to put it in the hands of those who sold it you. Their duty is to sell you a guitar that is setup and works correctly.

All the best with it mate.

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Niki gave you some great nuggets there, especially the parts about leaving the truss rod alone and just taking the git back to be adjusted. Let me just add a bit, though. These are just some thoughts...

1) With new strings, sometimes the low E will buzz a little. That is, if you play the guitar a bit, this might go away. Along these lines have you also checked to make sure you are tuned to a normal E. Being tuned down even a little will place less tension on the string that could cause a constant buzzing.
2) If not (1) above, I would try raising the saddle height of the low E a very small tad. Often times with a slight buzz, you can raise the saddle to get rid of the buzz without an appreciable change in action.
3) If not (1) or (2), then likely you can not fix this yourself.

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

Thanks guys.

I tune it by ear and always re-check with an electronic tuner.

I'll play it a while longer and see if it persists then I'll try raising the saddle height as suggested.

If this doesn't work I'll take it somehere local to get it set-up correctly.

Ideally it would be best to get the dealer to do it, but I bought it via the net for the best price, and it would mean boxing it up and posting it out again.

Thanks,

Hi Scoobiedoo,
All good suggestions. Could be a number of things though.
If a string is buzzing open......1st- it could be the string.
It could be that the nut slot is cur too thin.
It could be that the nut is cut too low for where the neck is set.
A quick test for that is simple. Hold the string down on the 5th fret (A).
If the string is touching the 1st fret, its probably cut too low.

In slight defense of set-ups........remember that you're dealing with wood and humidity. Shifting of specs can occur fairly easily. If you bought it recently, it wouldnt be a bad idea to bring it back down to the store and have them take a look.
Hope it all works out.
Best regards,
rob

Thanks for the advice.

Rob I know your an incredibly busy bloke. If you happen to pass buy and see this, I'd like to thank and quiz you a little over the above statements.

On the slot depth method, I fret the 3rd fret and get a tiny bit of clearance over the 1st fret (dunno why, its the way I was shown). Presumably your method results in a finer, more accurate depth? I better get practicing on that one.

Can you tell me what width you cut slots at please? I cut my high E's at .012" but am experiencing a touch of dullness to the open note. The angle of the cut is ok, the saw is shaped to give a rounded cut, I'm a little confused about it. I've come to the conclusion that the string is hitting the side walls as it vibrates.

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Heya Niki! :O)
My method of checking the nut height for an open string (usually the low E), is not ascientific method at all.....on the other hand...whenever I've used it, thn actually checked with a gauge, its been correct. Go figure.
The actual spec is on the set-up guide in the support area of Fender.com I'm pretty sure. So....thats my quick check method....if it fails that...time to get the feeler guages out and do it for real.
As far as the width goes....the width just needs to be a teeny tiny bit wider then the string. I'm not sure what we're using now, but i imagine most are still using the files like are found here:
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Speci ... Files.html
Then its just a matter of using some finesse...which sounds like you're more than aware of.
On the high E's & B's we would use a nut saw--again just barely wider than the string. You just want enough clearance so it doesnt stick...but not so much that it moves around in there.
Hope that helps a bit!
ALl the best,
rob

Ah thankyou Sir. Very much appreciated.

Its nice to see that the guys in the know still go alot by "feel", despite having all the machinery they could need at their disposal.

I'll be reverting back to the razor saw then for the E&B. I've gotta go chop some cow up now. This has all re-inspired me to get back carving.

Thanks for your time Rob.

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