Hello there,

I'm an 'intermediate' guitar player, but I'm used to acoustics, not Electrics...so I'd appreciate a bit of advice. My Standard Strat (MIM) has fret buzz on all strings on any note (worse the further down you go, 6th string is the worst)...and I was wondering what could be done about it?

Took it into the shop I bought it from, they did a 'setup' but I'm still noticing the buzz (It's only noticeable when not plugged into the amp, or the amp is very quiet...it's nothing too severe, but it's not quite right either).

Any advice would be much much appreciated.

Sounds like you have too little neck relief, string height too low or the pickups too high. It's usual for a inexperienced tech trying to get the guitar playing as well as they can to go too much with all of em.
No1, lower your pickups (doubfull because the buzz gets worse on lower frets)
No2 raise the strings (solves most things, even if it's not the problem)
No3 increase the neck bow by loosening the truss rod a little. (likely)

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No no and no

+1

If none of these measures eliminates the buzz it's possible that the frets need to be leveled and re-crowned or the nut is simply slotted too deeply.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY

Just a thought re truss rods...

I would say go to a really good tech and have him do it for you. But, learning to do it yourself is a really helpful skill. So, if you are going to tweek the truss rod. Study up on it first. Read a good book or watch a few YouTube videos to get the principal and the technique.

A little adjustment goes a long way. Never reef on those things or force it if it doesn't want to move. It's easy to mess 'em up. Just a little nudge at at time. 1/4 turn max. Then let it rest over night. It will continue to settle in. This is especially true with MIM's, I think it's because the neck wood isn't as dense as the US models. Mine seems to bend like butter.

Dan Erlewine has a couple of great books that you might want to consider:

How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great

The Guitar Player Repair Guide - 3rd

Here's one of many good videos. I like this fella:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_qZ_QGXI4w

Here's another tutorial in 4-parts:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHHepmTX3So

Don't forget, once you adjust the truss rod you will need to re-adjust the intonation. Again, you might want one of those books. They will tell you how to do all of the things suggested in previous post, plus a whole lot more. The first book listed above is a good place to start.

All the best,

Doc

Thanks for the responses.

As for the truss rod, the neck looks really straight with a slight forward curve...that seems normal right? That or somebody told me the tuning pegs might need tightening? I might raise the action for the purpose of learning how to do it myself and see if that makes a difference.

Thanks again for the responses.

Not the tuning pegs. The problem lies somewhere between the saddles and the nut. In truth you can't accurately eye up neck relief. You have to gauge it to how you play. If you just tickle the strings you can get away with a far lower string height and straighter neck bow than if you whack the strings. A decent tech will watch you play for a bit to ascertain what is needed with your set up. Otherwise he's just going to set the guitar up to suit himself.
(one extreme to the other. Most of us sit somewhere in the middle)

What really needs to happen is that you could do with reading Erlewine's book (they are good). Doc Waters has put you onto a winner there. You'll begin to understand why you have to do what it advises. And then be able to sort the guitar out for yourself.

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No no and no

Thank you very much.

I will order those books. I need my guitar within the next few days so I'll take it to the store, but afterwards I'll sort things out myself with the knowledge I get from those books.

Do want my action as low as possible (big fan of Zappa's style and low action is just more comfortable).

Well you can have low action but you may have to adjust your playing style to suit it.
It's all about finding the balance mate. Where you're comfortable with your left hand to where you're comfortable with your right hand technique.

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No no and no

Thanks.

I'll have to learn by experience.

EDIT, the blade the guy uses in the Elixir video...where can you find something like that?

And out of left field...

If you are chiefly an acoustic player, any Strat set to optimum playability is going to have some buzz due to your habitual approach. The only way all this buzz is going to go away is for you to set your Strat up to acoustic parameters. As has been said, you have to find a happy medium, having to approach an acoustic and a Strat as two totally separate instruments in spite of the fact that you already know your way around on both.

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You dig?

I should have mentioned, they are both great books. You might not need both at once. There is a a certain amount of repeated info.

The How to Make Your Guitar Play Better is a more concise book for guitarists. Includes How to buy, how to set up, common repairs/adjustments, a great section at the back on the setups (string gauge & height, pickups heights etc) of some really incredible guitarists, sorted by guitar: ie; strat, tele, archtop...

The Repair Guide is a more in-depth manual (considered by many as THE manual) for guitar repair and set up

Read the descriptions and see which seems best for you.

You can get a feeler gauge here: Feeler Gauge
Ok, don't tell anybody, but I just use a credit card or an envelope. This ain't rocket science.

Doc

And we certainly ain't NASA.



Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY