SGman94 Posted May 30, 2009 Posted May 30, 2009 Hi. My Epi SG has some buzz on the low E and A strings. My guitar teacher and I have narrowed it down to the nut as being the problem. He is sure the problem could be solved with a quick filing. What stumps us both is that the nut starts high up off the fret board and is filed down along the strings to the point where it is even with the fretboard at the high e. My guitar teacher says that is a "tapered" nut, but we both don't if its supposed to be on that slant and require only a little filing to get rid of the buzz or if the nut is supposed to flat and even and require a lot of filing...please help me. Thanks in advance.
Stevie Nazarenie Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 i think the epi forums would be better. http://forums.epiphone.com/ they are very chatty there! what gauge strings are you using? if they are to heavy a gauge they may buzz. if you are a begginer use 9-42 and have it set for them. know your neck. is the neck bowed back or forward or flat? put a finger on the first fret 3rd string and a finger on the 15th fret 3rd string. the string beomes a "straight edge." and you can see if the neck needs some adjustment. if you look at the 10th fret and there is a no gap it would be too flat and you could move it forward abit. how high are the strings off the fretboard? are they in the specs for the guitar? my epi's nut slot is slightly angled back. filling the nut down too much would make you have a problem over the first few frets unless you are carefull. moving it forward would help in that case.
SGman94 Posted June 1, 2009 Author Posted June 1, 2009 i think the epi forums would be better.http://forums.epiphone.com/ they are very chatty there! what gauge strings are you using? if they are to heavy a gauge they may buzz. if you are a begginer use 9-42 and have it set for them. know your neck. is the neck bowed back or forward or flat? put a finger on the first fret 3rd string and a finger on the 15th fret 3rd string. the string beomes a "straight edge." and you can see if the neck needs some adjustment. if you look at the 10th fret and there is a no gap it would be too flat and you could move it forward abit. how high are the strings off the fretboard? are they in the specs for the guitar? my epi's nut slot is slightly angled back. filling the nut down too much would make you have a problem over the first few frets unless you are carefull. moving it forward would help in that case. i use mainly 10's and 11's...im more intermediate, i know that neck is perfectly fine...and its not that the nut is angled away from that fretboard, i mean its filed on a slant...its starts high above the board and then is filed down as you get to the higher strings.
80LPC Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 Can you post a macro picture of the nut ? You say there is buzz on the A and E, but is this with open strings ? Relief is most accurately checked by using the standard Gibson method of capo at the first fret and fret the 12th. Measure relief at the 6 / 7th.
Stevie Nazarenie Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 yeah the method i posted is another makers explanation. i think it is either for fretlight or variax. still a straight edge is a straight edge!
Sin Posted June 1, 2009 Posted June 1, 2009 If its the original plastic nut that came with the SG the best thing to do is trash it. Get a good one cut by a luthier for you, it is something cheap, and worth doing tone wise. this web site can ship some for you and has several options on the material the nut is made out of http://www.stewmac.com/
SGman94 Posted June 2, 2009 Author Posted June 2, 2009 Can you post a macro picture of the nut ? You say there is buzz on the A and E' date=' but is this with open strings ? Relief is most accurately checked by using the standard Gibson method of capo at the first fret and fret the 12th. Measure relief at the 6 / 7th.[/quote'] srry man...cant post a pic cuz i dont have a camera or a photobucket account
SGman94 Posted June 2, 2009 Author Posted June 2, 2009 If its the original plastic nut that came with the SG the best thing to do is trash it. Get a good one cut by a luthier for you' date=' it is something cheap, and worth doing tone wise.this web site can ship some for you and has several options on the material the nut is made out of http://www.stewmac.com/[/quote'] my sg was made with a graphite nut, nut a plastic nut Thank you
Geff Posted June 3, 2009 Posted June 3, 2009 I looked at my SG prophecy last night and assuming I understood your description properly, it sounds like you have a badly cut nut. My nut does not slope down to one side. If it is sloping until almost level with the fretboard, I dont see how you could get rid of fret buzz on that side, whatever you tried to do. I think you need a new nut. You are right, it is a graphite nut. I use 10s on mine and have it set exactly as it left the factory/QC check or whatever and have no noticeable fret buzz.
Stevie Nazarenie Posted June 3, 2009 Posted June 3, 2009 i have to question you when i hear the term "badly cut nut." has the guitar always been like this? are there any other floors with it? where did you get it. i had an epi off ebay and had this problem and it was fake... there are 2 main answers here: 1. the heavy strings are too fat for the nut slot? what gauge are 5th and 6th? 2. the neck needs to come forward too clear the first couple of frets if it is cut too low. i still don't know which ones are buzzing! the only other thing is go to the epi forum because this is not a gibbo and they know the model better, they might identify it better. for example alot of epi bridges tend to rattle. is this absolutely the nut?
80LPC Posted June 3, 2009 Posted June 3, 2009 You say there is buzz on the A and E' date=' but is this with open strings ? [/quote']
Geff Posted June 3, 2009 Posted June 3, 2009 i have to question you when i hear the term "badly cut nut." has the guitar always been like this? are there any other floors with it? where did you get it. i had an epi off ebay and had this problem and it was fake...there are 2 main answers here: 1. the heavy strings are too fat for the nut slot? what gauge are 5th and 6th? 2. the neck needs to come forward too clear the first couple of frets if it is cut too low. i still don't know which ones are buzzing! the only other thing is go to the epi forum because this is not a gibbo and they know the model better' date=' they might identify it better. for example alot of epi bridges tend to rattle. is this absolutely the nut?[/quote'] He describes the nut as sloping to one side to the point where it is almost level with the fretboard. I have a very similar model (different pickups is the only real difference) and checked my nut. My nut clearly does not do what he describes. Within the constraints of different diameter slots for the different strings, my nut is to all intents and purposes straight across. I would suggest that if the string starts at the nut almost flat on the fretboard, there is no way you are going to not get fret buzz. Thats why I suggest he needs to replace the nut.
SGman94 Posted June 3, 2009 Author Posted June 3, 2009 He describes the nut as sloping to one side to the point where it is almost level with the fretboard. I have a very similar model (different pickups is the only real difference) and checked my nut. My nut clearly does not do what he describes. Within the constraints of different diameter slots for the different strings' date=' my nut is to all intents and purposes straight across. I would suggest that if the string starts at the nut almost flat on the fretboard, there is no way you are going to not get fret buzz. Thats why I suggest he needs to replace the nut.[/quote'] Srry I took a better look at it...okay the nut is placed rite at the end of the first fret...meaning their is no fret exceeding past the nut and on the headstock like u would see on a fender and u can't see a piece of the headstock between the nut and the first fret...so it is lying perfectly straight against the fret. Now at the low e string if u are looking straight up the neck you'll see that the nut is roughly 1/2 in. higher than the fret and gradually slants down to where the nut is about 1/4 in. higher than the fret at the high e. My question is will making that slant a little less steep get rid of the buzz at the low e and a by filing it a little bit.
Stevie Nazarenie Posted June 3, 2009 Posted June 3, 2009 it's the nut slots that are cut that matter. if you mean the nut itself is higher at one end than the other it won't matter. nut files are seriously expensive and messing may cause frustration. i know when i was younger i got so fed up with the guitars i had they ended up broke! so get a shop to have a quick look. they are usually rubbish in england but he may have a pointer or get a camera. are you rattling all along the fretboard on those low strings?
SGman94 Posted June 3, 2009 Author Posted June 3, 2009 it's the nut slots that are cut that matter. if you mean the nut itself is higher at one end than the other it won't matter. nut files are seriously expensive and messing may cause frustration. i know when i was younger i got so fed up with the guitars i had they ended up broke! so get a shop to have a quick look. they are usually rubbish in england but he may have a pointer or get a camera.are you rattling all along the fretboard on those low strings? My guitar teacher will be fixing the problem as I wouldn't know the first thing to do by myself and it buzzes open then a lil less on the first fret,then gradually gets a little lighter going up the fretboard and then eventually stops anywhere between the 7th and 12th frets
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