How to Troubleshoot a Buzzing Issue on My Gibson Custom Les Paul?

[adam888]

Hey everyone,

I am facing an issue with my Gibson Custom Les Paul. Lately, it's been making this annoying buzzing noise when I play certain notes, especially on the lower frets. It's definitely coming from the guitar, not my amp.

I've already tried messing around with the setup and tightening everything up, but it's still buzzing away. I'm wondering if this is a common Les Paul problem or if there's something else going on.

I also check this: https://forum.gibson.com/topic/121541-fret-buzz-troublesrubyhooting/ But I have not found any solution. Could anyone provide me the best solution for this? Has anyone else dealt with this? Any ideas on what might be causing it or how to fix it? I'd really appreciate any advice!

Thanks a bunch!

[PrairieDog]

Hi there, Have you tried adjusting the truss rod? And made sure your frets are all in good shape, no uneven/excess wear?  From what you are saying, I’m assuming you are an experienced player, otherwise, buzzing on notes down by the nut is often easily resolved by concentrating on fretting technique. If you’ve looked at everything in your set up, and can’t find an answer in the toubleshooter, probably time to take it to your luthier to have them check out what is going on.  Sounds like you’ve covered most of the usual suspects. 

[rct]

"mess around" with set up specs is doing it wrong.  It needs to be set up to the specs Gibson says makes their necks function properly.  Set it up in the right order, to the right numbers, then start trying to figure out anything that doesn't work right.

rct

[PrairieDog]

6 minutes ago, rct said:

"mess around" with set up specs is doing it wrong.  It needs to be set up to the specs Gibson says makes their necks function properly.  Set it up in the right order, to the right numbers, then start trying to figure out anything that doesn't work right.

rct

Of course what you said.  I naively assumed when he said “messing” that he meant “I made sure anything out of spec was back where it should be.” I didn’t think he may have been actually been changing things up. 

[JO'C]

Hi Adam,

Try rocking the bridge. I have a 1969 ES-335 that has nylon saddles on the original bridge. I kept popping strings off the saddles while doing bends. At my luthier's suggestion I had him install a Tone Pros bridge. When I got it back from setup it played great, better than it ever had since I got it. Then I started playing some leads high up on the neck and started to get some weird resonant vibrations. Being a cause and effect guy (engineer), I started my search for the source of the resonance. Turned out that the bridge was being held in by the string tension in a position away from the neck. I released the string tension and pushed the bridge toward the neck, held it there and re-tensioned the strings and the problem went away. It's still fine nearly a year later. 

Might not be your issue but it's an easy try.

Good luck,

JO'C

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

Could be lots of stuff. I had a loose nut on one of my tuners that made the guitar buzz. A quick tweak with a nut driver after taking 45 mins to find it solved the issue. Good luck.

[Sheepdog1969]

On 7/25/2024 at 7:46 AM, adam888 said:

But I have not found any solution. Could anyone provide me the best solution for this? Has anyone else dealt with this? Any ideas on what might be causing it or how to fix it? I'd really appreciate any advice!

A few years ago I started to actually follow proper set up procedures each time I restrung my guitar. After decades of failing to do this, I was quite surprised at what I had been neglecting, and how much "slop" this neglect had caused.

1.  Each time you restring your guitar, check every nut and bolt you can access (save for internals) for tightness. Tuning machine screws (on the rear of the headstock), and the nut that secures the tuning post to the headstock, tend to loosen over time. I even check the knurled ring that secures my pickup selector, to make sure it's tight. Don't forget to check pickup ring mounting screws.

2. Inspect new strings for defects, such as burs and/or winding flaws. Clean/polish frets if needed. Oil fretboard if needed. Wipe off pickups with a soft cloth.

3. Use graphite, or other guitar specific lube, on nut slots, string guides, etc., to prevent string binding issues.

4. After stringing and string stretching, tune your guitar and then verify that your neck does not require a truss rod adjustment. You will need a capo, the appropriate feeler gauge for your type of guitar, one finger, and a truss rod wrench. "Fret buzz" between the first and 7th fret often results from the neck being too flat and/or being convex, rather than being slightly concave. There are tools and rules required for this adjustment. Refer to a qualified Luthier if you do not have the tools, or if your are unaware of the "rules".

5. Once your truss rod adjustment is complete, make sure your "Action", string height, is set to Gibson specs. Actions that are too low will cause "fret buzz", Actions that are too high reduce playability and may cause intonation issues. 

6. Verify your nut height. Nut heights that are too low cause string buzz issues. Again, tools and rules are required.

7. Verify the intonation of your guitar. Intonate if required.

8. Adjust pickup height if necessary, to account for changes in string to pickup distance due to the above detailed adjustments.  

If, after completing the above steps, you still experience "fret buzz"/string rattle, you may have worn/uneven frets and/or your action is set too low. Alternatively, your bridge radius may not match the radius of your neck, and the saddles may need to be filed, (on Tune-o-matic type bridges) to allow the string radius across the bridge to match the neck radius. Again, tools and rules are required.

Hope this helps!