New J-45 owner - set-up problems

[Perrin]

Hey Everyone

 

Just recently purchased a J-45 custom shop (adircondack edition). What a beauty and lovely guitar. But I have experienced some slight set-up problems:

 

Buzz on the B-string. I think it is caused by a fret-problem around the 14th fret. They sanded it down in the store but the problem comes and goes still. Anoying. Can I tweak the truss-rod or anything like it.? How do I solve it without consulting a guitar-tech

 

Loose jack: The jack or pin (not sure what to call it) where I plug in the amplifier, keeps coming loose (very loose) My arms won't fit in the sound hole so I have to ask my girlfriend to get her hands dirty and help me tighten it.

 

How do I make it permanently tightened?

 

All in all I think these things should have been fixed on such an expensive guitar (2500$) Is it normal or is it just Gibson?

 

I hope someone can help me.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Regards,

 

Perrin

[geelinus]

You're right - these things should have been addressed, but that depends, at least in part, upon where you bought it. If you got the guitar from a brick & mortar dealership, take the guitar back for adjustments. If you bought it online, call the dealer ASAP to complain. I'm sure they'll make it right.

[guitarstrummer]

Have you had a set up done on the guitar? You should have the relief checked. The buzzing could be caused by several things. Depending on where you purchased the guitar, sometimes they sit in stores for a long time without proper humidification. This will sometimes cause buzzing on the D, G, or B strings (center most strings), since the top will drop if it hasn't been kept at the proper humidity level.

 

However, if it's brand new, it probably has light strings on it. I think I would first try to change the strings to a medium gauge string. That may be enough to eliminate the buzzing. A J-45 should have mediums on it anyway, IMHO. It will sound much better.

 

As far as the loose jack, mine has always done that too, but I'm usually able to finger tighten it enough from the portion located on the outside of the guitar.

[RogueBrit]

Perrin - I envy you your custom shop model. My '07 J-45 needed a little bit of work to get it in best playing condition also, and I don't think that you can assume setup is optimum. This work should be done by the retailer - if you buy from a proper outlet. But they are not always as good at this stuff as they think they are.

 

I have no issue with setups because I have done a lot of such work over many years. But I am understanding from your post that you do not have much experience, so this reply is making that assumption. Buzzes like you describe can be caused by a high fret - you can easily check by getting a short straightedge and see if it rocks on this fret. I hate to hear things like 'they sanded it down in the shop' though. Checking and dressing the frets to check they are all level - and then refinishing them, or correcting frets that are not properly seated, is rarely to be best addressed like that. Its a skilled job. The fact the problem comes and go is also a puzzle, and not to be diagnosed unseen.

 

Adjusting the truss rod adjusts neck relief - the amount of lift the neck has as a result of string tension. Relief may be a factor in your buzz but might not. Adjusting relief also affects string height (action) - and may require adjustment of the saddle. These things are all related. My advice would be to go to a guitar tech outfit that knows their stuff and get the setup checked over properly. They will check the frets are level , relief is correct, saddle height and action is optimum, string height at nut - and spread - is correct, and so on. It will be well worth any expense. From what you say, the problem is likely to be a small one, easily rectified. People may advise - take it back to the retailer. Trouble is, I don't see a lot of places that are capable enough to make me happy - if I can't do the work myself, I would rather have someone who knows their business to do it - and pay for it.

 

You can argue that the guitar should be OK as it comes from the factory. Well - yes and no. You don't know how long it has been laying around, it's been shipped and subject to changing temperatures and humidities and so on. It is not unusual for these things to cause a fret to pop up, or to affect action and adjustment - it happens on all makes and models. Plus a good tech will set it up to match your style of playing. My thought is - this is going to be a spectacular instrument you will love for years - get it set up right, right from the start.

 

The tech will also cure your loose jack plug. If you have a tool and can get your hand in its an easy job. You can put a smear of a mild thread locker on the threads to keep it tight, but i have never found this necessary. But if you do it yourself, do not overtighten - tight but not strained. Again - you can't really blame Gibson for this - changes in humidity can easily loosen things up.

 

Talking about humidity -what is yours like? Low humidity could cause the problems you are experiencing. Search the site - there's a lot of info about this. Take a look at Frank Ford's FRETS site also. Good luck with it.

 

Roger

[RXXX20]

I have an '06 J-45, which I bought in the store during 2007. So, I figure it was on the GC wall for about 9 months. In the end, it required a truss rod adjustment, and a lowering of the action at the saddle to make it right. I attribute that to the year/model of the guitar (Incidentally, I played an '07 that seemed fine right off the store wall, but maybe they had set that one up) and the fact I bought it where I did.

 

A professional setup will work wonders. In addition to fixing the action, any residual string buzzing can be fixed. The store should fix all that stuff, but they usually don't. Part of it comes from having the guitar, playing it, and noticing it, which always seems to take place at home.

[Perrin]

Thanks very much Roger

 

That was good advice. I live in Denmark and I bought it from Southpaw Guitars in Houston, so I won't be going that way again soon :-) But the store had a special guy coming by to fix the set-up. He definetely seemed to know his way around the guitars.

 

My J-45 had a clear and visible "high" 14th fret - I could even spot the "lump" along the neck myself. So he fixed it - but not quite enough. I will bring it to a skilled tech I know in Denmark. I was just looking to spare the costs.

 

Regarding the jack, I think I will give it a drop of the girlfriends clear nail-polish. It should help.

 

Humidity is an issue I guess. The first week it "slept" in the open on a rack. It seriously worsened the buss. So now I convinced the girlfriend it needs to "sleep" in it's box and the box needs to be in the living room - a wonder what flowers etc. can do. That helped a little bit. Next step would be a humidifier in the box.

 

Thanks again to all the good advice.

 

Perrin

[Taylor Player]

A nice cheap way to keep the humidity up in your case would be just by a couple small sponges or one large one and cut it into 2 or 3 smaller ones, soak the sponges, ring them out well, put them in a baggie with about 30 holes punched in or an old cleaned up soap dish with holes poked in the lid portion. Let that sit in the guitar case along with your guitar. It also helps to keep a sound hole humdifier like the life guard by Keyser or 1 to 2 "dampit" style humidifiers. That helps to keep the inside body of the wood humidified as well. The sponge/baggie helps to keep the fretboard, headstock and other wood areas humidified.

 

Good luck with the buzzzzzzzing!

[RogueBrit]

Perrin

 

A skilled set up will work wonders. But its no good having the setup up done in a nice comfortable (for the guitar) 45% RH and then keeping in an uncomfortable (for the guitar) 20% RH. Low humidity flattens out the sound board, lowering the action. It can shrink the fingerboard, making frets protrude from the edges, Ultimately, prolonged low humidity can open up ghlue lines and cause expensive damage. Guitars are best kept in the case and in humidity in the 40 -50% range if possible. If I have spent a lot on an instrument, and love it, I consider the relatively low cost of a case hygrometer and humidifier a no brainer. Over humidification, within limits, is less damaging than drying out - effects tend to be reversible, at least. Taylor Players advice is good for the time being!

 

Roger

[Jinder]

I agree. Whack that beauty into a good local tech and she'll be in fine fettle in no time. I'm envious! What a lovely guitar. Don't let your initial setup issues make you fall out of love with it. I'm not sure if he was the originator of the quote, but Townes Van Zandt once said that for the first few years of a guitar's life, it's still adjusting to not being a tree anymore!

[Perrin]

Thanks very much folks.

 

I took care of the jack with the nail-polish. It worked. And the buzz is less significant today :-)

Now I only need to find the short-cut to "not-sucking-but-actually-rocking-land". Any bright ideas.? :-({|=/

 

Jinder: Love you music!

 

Perrin

[brums]

Hi Perrin, have you resolved the problem with B string ?

 

I've a new J45 with that problem,

buzz on B string when I slide on..........

[Glorbon]

hmm i head that you could use a potato to keep your guitar humified. Just cut it in half and place it in your case, then replace it like every third day or something.

 

Does any1 know if that works?

[ballcorner]

A friend showed me many years ago that if you have a high fret you can tap it down with an upholstery hammer and this often solves the buzz. You don't hit it hard or often, just firmly two or three times on the spot where it buzzes and this has always resolved the problem for me.

 

Placing a piece of thin rubber or felt over the spot you are going to tap is recommended. An upholstery hammer has a square, flat head that is about 3/4" by 3/4". Don't use any hammer with a head that is not smooth.

 

I do realize this is a kitchen remedy for your boutique guitar. There is no substitute for a qualified luthier, so I offer this support only in the event that you are determined to DIY.

[ballcorner]

hmm i head that you could use a potato to keep your guitar humified. Just cut it in half and place it in your case' date=' then replace it like every third day or something.

 

Does any1 know if that works?[/quote']

 

While it might indeed work, I would be very reluctant to use that method. A potato, like any vegetable, gives off gasses as it ages and those gasses are probably not good for the guitar or its finish.

 

The theory is sound, however, in that you are putting moisture into the case in the form of a porous material containing water. If you examine most guitar humidifiers, you will note that they follow this basic principle - a sponge of some sort that you add distilled water to until the moisture transfers to the guitar - rinse and repeat.

 

Before I had a climate control system in the house, I used small plastic dishes (Tupperware, if you will) and drilled dozens of tiny holes in the lids. Inside, I placed a piece of real sea sponge which I moistened periodically and kept in the top section of the case, near the underside of the headstock.

 

A better solution is the Planet Waves humidifier that hangs in the sound hole supported by the strings. It comes with a filler syringe and if you use distilled, rather than tap water, you will get several years of service out of it.

 

Remember to keep a hygrometer in the case so you know when it is time to moisten your delivery unit. Also, you will likely find that spring and summer are more humid times when a humidifier in a case could cause more harm than good.

 

50% is ideal humidity. Anywhere between 40% and 60% is acceptable.