Just purchased a brand new American Deluxe Strat. It is my first Strat and is an amazing guitar. The action on the guitar is PERFECT. However, I am getting some buzz on the 2nd and 3rd frets, on the low E and A strings. I do NOT get buzz if I play the strings open. I do not have buzz anywhere else on the neck either.

The guitar was out of tune (flat) when I received it. I am hoping tuning it to pitch and letting it sit overnight will help a bit?

What is my best course of action? I am a little reluctant to loosen the truss rod, as I don't want the overall action of the other strings affected (like I said, they are perfect). Should I raise the string height a bit on the E and A strings?

Thanks

Your first course of action would be to tune the guitar to pitch and play it.

Then read this:

http://www.fender.com/support/articles/ ... etup-guide

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Bill

If the action of your strings are ok ; take some mesurement , not only the your eye. Is ok ? Yes.

After that you can loose a little bit the truss rod. But workin with the truss rod without mesuring tool like feeler gauge and staight edge ( or use one string for straight e. ) Is like the lotto...... because truss rod doen'sn work the same way all the time.

Wait couple hours at least betwen each truss rod adjustment, sometimes it take 12 hours to be stabilize.

Hi slyri, +1 on reading the setup guide if you plan on DIYing it. If the problem is the trus rod, you should adjust the trus rod. If it's the action, adjust the action. What not to do is try & compensate one for the other. If you have any problem like this, the guitar is not properly set up. Measure, pinpoint the problem, & adjust accordingly. The order is important as well. 1st the trus rod, then the action. I'd just check everything. cheers

+1 mojjett

I doubt it's the truss rod if its just the low E, and B strings. The radius of set at the bridge shouldnt follow the radius of the fretboard exactly, even on a compounded fretboard like I believe the new Am DX's are. The Low E and A string should sit a bit higher than the rest of the strings relative to the fretboard radius.
Just tune it to pitch; then using the allen wrench raise the saddles on each of those two strings until you dont have the buzz anymore, regardless of the radius. Ususally you'll find if you just adjust the individual saddles to the point where they go from slight buzz to no buzz, you'll get the radius right anyway without having to use a guage.
Remember to check the intonation once you raise or lower any saddles, because they will go out.
Don't overthink it, just adjust it to feel, and sound. Its your own guitar, its not like you're doing a setup for someone else and you dont know how they play. Setup instructions are more or less guides to give you average heights and measurements. Just because Fender says the string height should be = X, doesnt mean it HAS to be that high. Maybe you have a heavier hand, and for you Y is the right string height.


If you do have to adjust the truss rod, just like the other person said; loosen it a bit before you tighten it. If its a dual action truss rod, you wont have to turn it as much to make a big difference. I would differ in the aspect of letting it sit for several hours. I'd suggest you play it after you adjust it. Play it like you'd play any other time, this will warm up the neck and allow it to settle in faster and better than waiting for it to happen.


Where the strings buzz will be indicative of what you have to adjust. If they're buzzing closer to the nut, you probably do need to adjust the truss rod. If they buzz when, say; you're fretting it at the 7th fret, and it buzzes at the 9th or 10th, thean its probably just a case of the saddle being too low.

Thanks for all of the responses guys. I did raise the action a bit and it seemed to help a little. I didn't want to raise it too high....because then it may be strange with having the action low on half of the strings and higher on the others

I plan to work on it a bit more tonight and if I can't get it sorted, it's going to the tech. I am really reluctant to touch the rod, as I've never done it before and don't want to cause permanent damage. Also, I understand adjusting the rod will affect action everywhere else on the neck.

slyry,

You can't damage the truss rod if ;

1- you use a good allen key, forget the one Fender give .it too loose on the truss rod head .

2- you turn ONLY 1/8 turn at time .

3- Wait couple hours between another adjust.

So I guess I should detune the guitar before adjusting it? I guess what would happen is that releasing tension will slightly raise action. Then I would have to compensate with the higher action by lowering the individual saddles (on the higher strings of course)?

Yes if you loosen truss rod =higher action. Tune the strings each time.
Don't use only you eyes, you don't have enough experience . If you can't mesure you are like a blind and you'll do a poor job. Tool for that are just few $$, sparplug gauge at your auto part.
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For a good neck set up you should take some mesurement of the neck curve to be close at fender spec . Yes it is a matter of taste but you have to start somewhere. All my Strat have .010" at 8 th fret.
When you have that, or close, you adjust the action with what Fender suggest.

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If you play hard OR you change strings for bigger one, you need more curve on neck OR higher action.
The fist 4 years a new guitar need more truss rod adj, because the wood is not dry
At each season , trus rod adj.
If you change your playing, truss rod adj...

For all of these , many many years ago I learn how to adjust all my guitars and they are always at their top.

With time and experience you will find the best set up for your guitar and you see that all your friend's guitar are poorly adjust AND hard to play.

thank you. I am going to take it to a tech and ask him to set it up and then ask him what he did. I really want to learn how to adjust a truss rod, but not on my new $1400 strat. I am going to practice on my old Ibanez

What size allen key for the truss rod on a Fender? Do you know? For measurement tools, what do you recommend?

Thanks again

Truss rod allen key for fender is 1/8 inches, buy a good American made that fit thight inside truss rod . Tight fit ; very important.
Also a feeler gauge , sold at all Auto parts with gauge from .009 to .20 inches is good

For your Ibanez you'll need metric "wrench socket" it is not an allen like fender. A tool that fit in truss rod hole is not easy to find. I buy a soket and with a grinder I have the right fit.

I'm sure on you tube you'll find a lots of video about truss rod adjustments.

Good luck , take your time and you will learn how to do a good job. It is very easy to do when you know how.

Thanks much

y not just take it to a good tech?

Bluegrass, a good tech won't give you the same good job that if you do the job at your home with your personnal need. Unless you see him many time a year and he know your need.

Most of the time you won't go to see the tech as often your guitar need it ( $$$)

Almost all guitar I try are wrong, not enough for not playing "right" but not for say ;. Wow , good and easy playing guitar"

But sometimes I understand you have no choice or you don't like working on guitar.