Gibson LP Studio Low E Buzz

[OldGuitarGuy]

I have a Gibson LP Studio with low E fret buzz around the middle of the fret board with 46-10 GHS Boomers. Any thoughts on best way to fix?

[Black Dog]

Can you localize it to one particular fret, or is it a range of frets?

 

It may just need a setup. Check your neck relief.

[cody78]

What Black Dog said and maybe check your action height isn't too low too.

[Rabs]

Yes.. Simplest thing to try is to raise the bridge a tiny bit... Like a quarter of a turn anti clockwise.. If that fixes it the bridge was (obviously) just a bit low. If not you may need some minor fretwork.. OR the truss rod may need a slight tweak (only turn it about a quarter of a turn clockwise at a time if you try it).

[brad1]

Check the relief.

[OldGuitarGuy]

Can you localize it to one particular fret, or is it a range of frets?

 

It may just need a setup. Check your neck relief.

 

 

The buzz is in the middle range of frets. I put a straight edge across the frets and the 8th fret top is about .037" off the bottom of the straight edge. So this means I should tighten the truss rod clockwise until the gap is only .012" - correct?

 

Do you think the middle range buzz is caused by the current excess bow? I want to keep the action as low as possible. Do string types/brand make a difference? I was going to install Gibson Brite Wires 46-10 because that's what came with it from the factory. The guitar has the original p-90's.

 

Thanks!

[NighthawkChris]

The buzz is in the middle range of frets. I put a straight edge across the frets and the 8th fret top is about .037" off the bottom of the straight edge. So this means I should tighten the truss rod clockwise until the gap is only .012" - correct?

 

Do you think the middle range buzz is caused by the current excess bow? I want to keep the action as low as possible. Do string types/brand make a difference? I was going to install Gibson Brite Wires 46-10 because that's what came with it from the factory. The guitar has the original p-90's.

 

Thanks!

 

It can get a little complicated here... given you absolutely know your frets are level, you need to capo the first fret, depress the 17th fret - where the neck and body essentially meet laterally - then check the gap around the 7th or 8th fret which spec calls for around 0.010”. I like this to be less but YMMV.

 

After you have the neck around straight, then check string height. Simply adjust the bridge post heights for the bass side and treble side. Spec calls out 5/64” low E and 3/64” high E. You can lower/heighten if you choose because specs are guidelines.

 

After you have these set, then you could adjust intonation if you choose.

 

But as I briefly mentioned, you need to make sure you have level frets too which is the very first thing that needs to happen. Need to have neck straight with special tool to verify though... only with a guaranteed straight neck can you tell if your frets are level. Taking care of guitar problems is a bit tough at first but after you do it for years, you just know what you can and can’t do.

 

If you have any more questions don’t hesitate to ask. Best regards!

[Black Dog]

The buzz is in the middle range of frets. I put a straight edge across the frets and the 8th fret top is about .037" off the bottom of the straight edge. So this means I should tighten the truss rod clockwise until the gap is only .012" - correct?

 

Do you think the middle range buzz is caused by the current excess bow? I want to keep the action as low as possible. Do string types/brand make a difference? I was going to install Gibson Brite Wires 46-10 because that's what came with it from the factory. The guitar has the original p-90's.

 

Thanks!

 

Everything Chris said is correct. You want to make sure the frets are in good shape. Although, if it's a guitar that was PLEK'd, and it's fairly new, they probably are good.

 

It sounds like you have too much relief in the neck. That can lead to buzzing, especially if you set the action really low, which you say you do.

 

What Gibson recommends is to slowly tighten the truss rod until the neck is flat. Then back it off 1/8 turn or so. A little goes a long way.

 

The guitar has to be tuned to pitch and every time you adjust the truss rod you should re-tune it because it can change quite a bit.

 

A lot of people are afraid of the truss rod but it's really not a big deal. As long as you go slow, and don't use any power tools, you won't break anything.

 

The strings won't make any difference unless you're changing gauge significantly.

 

Here is the Gibson step-by-step guide:

 

http://archive.gibson.com/backstage/tech002printable.htm

[NighthawkChris]

Good point Black Dog, I forget to mention to always tune to pitch before checking relief... That's pretty important step, haha!

 

To OP, the reason for this is you are essentially balancing the tension in the truss rod and the strings to give a neck a particular amount of relief - given the string tension being applied at pitch of course. Luckily you have a fixed bridge on a LP, because this gets really fun when you get into floating trems... They take a bit more time and effort, but again, knowing is half the battle in these things... And make sure you have the right tools for the job. I figure that I have expensive guitars, so I buy good tools instead of cheaping out here. No way would I want to put an inferior tool to work on a guitar like a nice Gibson. Just some more garb to take in, haha! Best regards

 

[OldGuitarGuy]

I have a 2010 Gibson USA Les Paul Studio 50's Tribute model in the attached pictures. It has the P90 pickups. Is the Tune-O-Matic bridge facing the wrong way? The adjustment screws are currently facing the tailpiece. Should they be facing the pickups? Also, all of the intonation wedges are currently facing one way. Should the wedges on the high three strings face one way, and the wedges on the three low strings the other? Finally, is it ok to raise the tail piece a little to keep the strings off the back edge of the bridge? Thanks for your help.

 

 

image3.jpeg

 

image2.jpeg

[Black Dog]

I have a 2010 Gibson USA Les Paul Studio 50's Tribute model in the attached pictures. It has the P90 pickups. Is the Tune-O-Matic bridge facing the wrong way? The adjustment screws are currently facing the tailpiece. Should they be facing the pickups? Also, all of the intonation wedges are currently facing one way. Should the wedges on the high three strings face one way, and the wedges on the three low strings the other? Finally, is it ok to raise the tail piece a little to keep the strings off the back edge of the bridge? Thanks for your help.

 

 

image3.jpeg

 

image2.jpeg

 

I can't see the pictures so I don't know for sure what you have. But, ABR bridge screws should face the pickups. Nashville bridges screws should face the tailpiece. As for the orientation of the saddles, the most classic would be half and half. The slanted side facing the tailpiece for the unwound strings and facing the pickups for the wound strings. Gibson seems to like the D string saddle slanted to the tailpiece as well. But, it doesn't really matter as long as you can get it intonated well. It's OK to raise the tailpiece to get the strings off the bridge, but not necessary. Just don't tell Joe Walsh.

 

 

 

[rct]

...I want to keep the action as low as possible...

 

This, in my experience, is always the problem. You don't win a prize for having your strings as low as possible. You will have a harder time playing and you will find yourself losing control of the strings with them "as low as possible". Guitars were never meant to be fretable by blowing on the stings.

 

"Lift your strings a tad", that's always my advice and always will be my advice. Set your guitar up to play well, not to meet some arbitrary numbers someone tells you you should be able to meet. Most of the time you can't meet those numbers. Always be reasonable, that's how guitars should be approached. Take it to a trusted, respected local pro, tell him to set it up to play well all over the neck. I guarantee you it will come back "as low as possible" without buzzing and fretting out all over the place, which is actually slightly higher than "as low as possible". That is the best way to play a guitar, any guitar.

 

rct

[pauloqs]

I can't see the pictures so I don't know for sure what you have. But, ABR bridge screws should face the pickups. Nashville bridges screws should face the tailpiece. As for the orientation of the saddles, the most classic would be half and half. The slanted side facing the tailpiece for the unwound strings and facing the pickups for the wound strings. Gibson seems to like the D string saddle slanted to the tailpiece as well. But, it doesn't really matter as long as you can get it intonated well. It's OK to raise the tailpiece to get the strings off the bridge, but not necessary. Just don't tell Joe Walsh.

 

That's one of the first great lesson I've learned from this forum. I've always heard people say that you needed have the strings not touch the back of the bridge. I didn't particularly headed to that advice and never had any issues, but always though I was doing something technically wrong. I've also heard people attribute that to the neck angle, which I learned here is totally false. Then I read something in this forum that totally made sense to me. The Nashville bridges are a bit wider in order to allow for a bigger intonation range. The result is that the strings will touch the back of the bridge. So I conducted a simple test, not claiming it's scientific, but just to confirm it for myself. I tested the ABR-1 of my R0(G) on my Standard, which the neck has the more contemporaneous bigger angle relative to the R0 and had the tail piece all the way down, as flush to the body as possible. I set the action at medium height, not a low as I normally have it, but not the highest suggested height either. I just wanted to get a feel for it. As many of you would expect, the strings did not touch the back of the bridge piece. So my guess is that Joe Walsh plays the actual burst from the '50s and 1960, which I think has the ABR-1 or something similar to that, so the strings naturally clear the back of the bridge. Whereas with the Nashville ones, the strings do touch the back of the bridge. I apologize for the long ended tangent. I just found it interesting this subject being hinted at again, which this forum taught me that I wasn't doing anything technically wrong.

 

As for OP's problem, I agree with what others have said. Finding a good action height is not necessarily equal to finding the lowest action height. I've had guitars where I lowered the action a bit once I got them and others that I decided to raise the action because of buzzing. Sometimes the frets themselves can be the culprit, but sometimes manufacturers with ship guitars where the action is just too low. I found that to be especially true with brands that target a more heavier style of players that like to do some very technical and impressive shredding. Maybe it's what their targeted customers want or maybe it's a marketing strategy, or both. If the neck is not warped and the frets are done well, it's finding the right amount of neck relief and action height. Some players might tolerate a bit of buzzing, provided it's not being picked up by the amp. I personally prefer to minimize buzzing whenever possible. I find that with the 12" radius on Les Paul's I can get the action comfortably low without buzzing. I usually set the relief on my LPs around 0.010" or 0.011" and the action around 0.06" on the low E and 0.06" and 0.04" on the high E. I might tweak it a bit depending on the guitar, but these usually work for me or are at least are good starting points before I make my finer and final adjustments. I have set friends LPs a bit differently based on their personal preferences.

[Col Mustard]

Here's another thing to consider:

 

Humidity changes can affect your guitar's setup, including the neck's curve (relief)

and the frets... Sometimes they rise out of their slots, or partially so, in response

to changes in humidity.

 

This particular winter, where I live in Michigan, has been very hard on guitars.

I own a 2018 Gibson J-45 that I bought about one year ago, just before Gibson's

problems came to the surface. That instrument was set up perfectly when it arrived,

so either the guys in Montana did it or the guys at Sweetwater did it.

But somebody did. I've been playing my new J-45 for a year, but in February I noticed

that it began buzzing. I'm like WTF!

 

I do keep an Oasis humidifier in each of my acoustics... and I do have a humidifier running

in my living room and in my upstairs bedroom. But this particular winter was so harsh that

these were not adequate.

 

I took my new Gibbie to Dave Collins, my favorite Luthier in this area. He told me that he

expects to see lots of guitars coming in for the same reasons. Bad reactions to the dryness

caused by furnaces blasting away night and day, keeping us warm.

 

He re-hydrated my J-45 by putting her in a big plastic bag with wet sponges and hanging

her in a hydration chamber. Then he set her up properly and leveled her frets and actually

put the bridge back on, because it was beginning to come off the guitar.

 

I don't blame Gibson for this... I did leave the guitar out on a stand in the same room that the

humidifier was running. I just didn't know that my humidifier wasn't adequate. He and I talked

about whether the bridge problem could be construed to be a warranty issue, and he said that

normally Gibson would cover it, but in these times he wasn't interested in pursuing warranty work...

because they are in bankruptcy, and if you want to get paid, you stand in line and take a percentage

of what you should get. So I just paid him for his service, glad to have someone who knew what

to do.

 

Wow... Anyway, acoustics are much more vulnerable to this than electrics are, because of all that

exposed wood inside. But electrics are vulnerable too, especially when the winter is so harsh.

So a couple of my electrics have begun buzzing too, and I loosened the truss rod just a bit and

raised the action just a bit, and now they play fine... and we wait till warmer weather brings

Michigan's normal summer humidity, which will change them back again. And then I'll set them

up again...

 

So this is the way it is... in my area anyway. Confirmed by my luthier, who is looking forward to a

good amount of work, caused by the weather and guitarists desires to have their guitars out on

stands, unprotected.