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Post subject: Re: Some minorly alarming discoveries
Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 5:15 pm
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Rob Schwarz-Fender wrote:
I too would recommend you have a reputable and authorized Fender Service Tech have a look.

I've an instinct this may turn out to be the best advice of all in this particular case.

DIY is all very fine, but there are limits...

Cheers - C

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Post subject: Re: Some minorly alarming discoveries
Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 6:02 pm
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Rob Schwarz-Fender wrote:
Giving advice is good. Disagreeing is fine. Discussing is encouraged.
Let's keep personal attacks out of it. Name calling doesn't strengthen a point, it diminishes it.
Please treat each other with respect.

Code of Conduct: "Don't harass, abuse, threaten, flame, stalk, or spam other users."

Just sayin.

All the best,
rob


What Rob said. :D

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Post subject: Re: Some minorly alarming discoveries
Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 9:18 pm
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But to "harass, abuse, threaten, flame, stalk, or spam other users" is half the fun! :lol: :lol: Just kidding. I have seen that a few times! (inside joke!) :shock:

I do want to know how the story ends. I suspect a warped neck. I had one guitar that played fine and then this started developing. I adjusted everything, and kind of know how to do that pretty good for an old fart. Took the neck off to find it twisted for some reason. Really weird—but then guitars are made from wood and stuff happens. Let us know the end of the story!

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Post subject: Re: Some minorly alarming discoveries
Posted: Mon Aug 19, 2013 9:39 pm
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Thanks a lot to everyone who has been more than generous with tips and guesses. It is tough to figure out over just my posts, more than understandable. Heck, I'm baffled and I have the thing in front of me....

I will play around a little more, but if it comes to having ridiculous action for the sake of avoiding the buzz (which at the most recent specs I've posted, is worse than before), then I will bring it to a good tech.

On that note - anyone have any recommendations on a good tech in or near western Massachusetts? I live in a very big city, but guitar shops are few and far between locally... I have yet to find someone I'm too thrilled with.

Again, thank you everyone for the time and tips.


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Post subject: Re: Some minorly alarming discoveries
Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 2:10 am
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jlevesque88 wrote:
On that note - anyone have any recommendations on a good tech in or near western Massachusetts? I live in a very big city, but guitar shops are few and far between locally... I have yet to find someone I'm too thrilled with.

Miami Mike is in your part of the world. If there's a good tech around he'll know. I'll PM him and ask him to look in on this thread...

Good luck - C

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Post subject: Re: Some minorly alarming discoveries
Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 4:45 am
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Two guys come to mind in the greater Boston area.

Jim Mouradian and Steve Morrill. I also like Wolf Ginandes over at Berklee's Tech shop (he does work for other local shops too).

http://mouradianguitar.com/contact_us

http://stevemorrillguitarrepair.com/

Mr Music in Allston and Performance Music in Woburn are
both good and authorized Fender dealers too.

Good luck!

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Post subject: Re: Some minorly alarming discoveries
Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 5:40 am
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Yep! :wink:


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Post subject: Re: Some minorly alarming discoveries
Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 1:10 pm
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fhopkins wrote:
Yep! :wink:


Heyyyy - - good to see ya, Hop! :D

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Post subject: Re: Some minorly alarming discoveries
Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2013 3:46 pm
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Miami Mike wrote:
fhopkins wrote:
Yep! :wink:


Heyyyy - - good to see ya, Hop! :D

Yes indeed - hiya, Frank! We're putting the band back together! :D

And to Mike, thanks for the info. I knew you'd know. 8)

Cheers - C

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Post subject: Re: Some minorly alarming discoveries
Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2013 5:34 am
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Ceri wrote:
Miami Mike wrote:
fhopkins wrote:
Yep! :wink:


Heyyyy - - good to see ya, Hop! :D

Yes indeed - hiya, Frank! We're putting the band back together! :D

And to Mike, thanks for the info. I knew you'd know. 8)

Cheers - C


Most welcome and if the OP wants to jam - Smokin' Joe's in Brighton, The Next Page in Weymouth, Johnny D's in Somerville, The Chicken Bone in Framingham and Pete's in Quincy. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Some minorly alarming discoveries
Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2013 7:40 am
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I'll keep it in mind! It's tough for me to get to that side of the state too often... I'm on the side where we still have all of our "R"s :lol:, but my brother lives in Watertown, so I'll definitely keep it in mind next time I'm heading out that way.


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Post subject: Re: Some minorly alarming discoveries
Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2013 11:22 pm
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jlevesque88 wrote:
Okay here we go-

I took some measurements of the action, and while I was at it, everything else. I brought the truss relief to about 0.15mm and after doing so (and making sure 1/8th inch gap between tremolo and guitar, and tuning and whatnot), action is about 3mm at the 17th fret on the low E and just over 2mm on the high e.

I'm working on getting pictures now, but for right now that's what I have. The buzzing doesn't happen strumming open strings, but does once I start picking notes right from the first fret. It is prominent on all the strings, usually lasting all the way down to around the 20th fret or so, then it seems to not be as bad for the last two frets (some strings are a little worse than others, but all have it all the way there). It does seem to be a bit worse towards the lower end of the neck (first frets).

Hope this helps, finally had a chance to sit down with it.


Just out of curiosity, could you measure the string height at various points on the neck, so we can get an idea of the neck angle and the geometry you have going? it is sounding a lot like a neck angle problem to me.

my initial thought is that you need to adjust the neck angle so that the headstock is 'higher' because your neck is currently angled back. Take some more measurements.

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Post subject: Re: Some minorly alarming discoveries
Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 10:56 am
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thompal wrote:
Just out of curiosity, could you measure the string height at various points on the neck, so we can get an idea of the neck angle and the geometry you have going? it is sounding a lot like a neck angle problem to me.

my initial thought is that you need to adjust the neck angle so that the headstock is 'higher' because your neck is currently angled back. Take some more measurements.


Just saw this now when I came on to give a very late update, sorry to ignore you like that.

So I ended up caving and bringning the guitar to a tech that's not far from the house, someone who I've never worked with (he works out of the only local shop in town). I brought it in telling him the issue, that I wanted it fixed and a full set up while he was at it since I thought I might be wrong on my measurements.

Get my guitar back yesterday... same flipping problem. Measurements are to fender suggested specs, blocked the trem, and the buzz is almost worse than it was before (when I had the action set very high). Mind you, this is after the tech and another employee at the shop insisted that it "played great" while i was checking out. I didn't have time to play it there as I may or may not have been on the clock for my law enforcement job... we won't get into that though.

First, I'm going to call and complain today, but I now know I'm not completely out of my mind if a tech brought it to the same specs I thought I had and still no luck. Also means I'm not completely incompetent taking measurements.

Just thought I'd fill everyone in on this seemingly endless battle.


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Post subject: Re: Some minorly alarming discoveries
Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 11:59 am
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Just wondering. Is this the first Fender you have ever owned? Does it only buzz when you hit the strings fairly hard? Does the guitar fret-out at all so some notes can not be played at all? Can you hear the buzzing when the guitar is plugged in? Is the guitar unplayable?

I ask all these questions as Fender's, which I love obviously, buzz, especially with light strings and/or when strummed hard. I let one of my Gibson Jazz friends play my Strat which is set up with .10s and the action is pretty low. (He has an ES175 with .12s, flat wound). He started playing (unplugged) and then there was some buzzing. He looked at me and said, Ah, Fenders! So they do that naturally under some circumstances. If I pluck hard a Strat with .09s on it it will buzz. Plugged in I never hear it, even though I pound the guitar.

So I am trying to understand the amount and cause of this buzzing, as it might be normal. I can make the strings on my Martin buzz is I play wild enough. :shock:

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Post subject: Re: Some minorly alarming discoveries
Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 4:20 pm
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Sorry to hear you're having so much trouble getting your guitar to play like ya want it.

What strings are you using?
You said at the start of the thread
Quote:
So I had some issues with buzzing a while ago on my 2012 MIA strat, only after I had restrung it for the first time.


I'll admit that I haven't gone and checked our specs lately, but unless they've changed, everything is pretty much aimed at the "MID" spec. In other words, folks will want their action lower and play light. Others play harder and require higher action to not "buzz".
Your Standard is 9.5" radius so action can go a bit lower than say, a vintage Strat, but not as low as a flatter radius.

I think the question you should ask the tech(s) you brought it to who said it played fine, is why its buzzing for you?.......and what do they define as "fine"?
The question they should really answer is if all those specs and measurements everyone has listed in this thread are good on this guitar. Everything works in sync...from the strings to the frets to the neck angle to the bridge.....etc etc.....(and yes...even the pickup height...though they would have to be pretty close to the string).
Your tech's job and what you paid for is not to make it play for them.....but to make it play for you or at very least tell you why that isn't possible.

I recommend further discussion.....
Hope it gets better for ya.

All the best,
rob

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