robcachia Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 Just taken delivery from Gibson of this beautiful guitar and was disappointed to find that the low E string buzzes from the 12th fret onwards (even though the check list indicates that all had been approved before dispatching). This is not fret buzz, but is due to the string touching the intonation adjusting screw on the bridge. Has anyone else had this problem and can it be fixed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 Photos would be very helpful, but I've never heard if, or seen, such a problem. For this to happen the groove in the saddle would've had to have been cut WAY TOO DEEP, and this kind of error on a premium dollar guitar is very unlikely. Sounds to me like a professional setup is needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robcachia Posted March 12, 2010 Author Share Posted March 12, 2010 Thanks for your reply. It uses a floating ABR-1 bridge which sits on an ebony base – can't see any grooves that have been cut out for its placement. As you mention, think I'll take it back to Gibson for them to sort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Please post some detailed photos of your problem. SHOW us what your problem is. The bridge of an L-5 is made up of group of parts, many replaceable, serviceable and repairable, and inexpensively at that. There is most likely no need to send the guitar back to Gibson. Photos, photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robcachia Posted March 13, 2010 Author Share Posted March 13, 2010 I'm new to the forum, so not sure how to upload photos. Please could explain how and I will gladly upload some to show the problem, thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 This seems to be the official "how to post photos" thread. http://forums.gibson.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=11276 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robcachia Posted March 14, 2010 Author Share Posted March 14, 2010 Please see some photos below. You will see that the position of the low E string intonation screw sits too high and just touches the 'open' string – so when played from the 12th fret upwards the string presses down on the screw head and buzzes. Is it possible to lower the angle of the screw without altering the intonation position? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JazzGtr Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 Nope! I didn't have this problem with mine. Jazz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lespaulj45 Posted May 4, 2010 Share Posted May 4, 2010 have a good luthier set this guitar up to your liking. At this level of guitar you should be happy with it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob R Posted October 16, 2010 Share Posted October 16, 2010 How high is your action at the 12th fret? By the looks of those bridge thumb wheels I'd guess it's quite high. The distance required to fret a note in the upper range of the neck could contribute to the angle of the string as it passes over the intonation screws. This will bring the strings and screws into very close proximity. My L-4 CES uses the same bridge and my thumb wheels are all the way to the bottom. Of course, variance in neck angle could account for this, plus I like a very close action. 1/32 at the 12th fret on all strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robcachia Posted October 16, 2010 Author Share Posted October 16, 2010 How high is your action at the 12th fret? By the looks of those bridge thumb wheels I'd guess it's quite high. The distance required to fret a note in the upper range of the neck could contribute to the angle of the string as it passes over the intonation screws. This will bring the strings and screws into very close proximity. My L-4 CES uses the same bridge and my thumb wheels are all the way to the bottom. Of course, variance in neck angle could account for this, plus I like a very close action. 1/32 at the 12th fret on all strings. This problem has been fixed now thanks. The 6th string intonation screw was not sitting down properly in its seat because the fitting of the screw was too tight. A few hard turns of the screw eventually got it in it place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny W. Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 This problem has been fixed now thanks. The 6th string intonation screw was not sitting down properly in its seat because the fitting of the screw was too tight. A few hard turns of the screw eventually got it in it place. I've had these screws pop up during shipping. I just push them back down with a small screwdriver. Danny W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valriver40 Posted November 15, 2010 Share Posted November 15, 2010 This problem has been fixed now thanks. The 6th string intonation screw was not sitting down properly in its seat because the fitting of the screw was too tight. A few hard turns of the screw eventually got it in it place. glad you found the problem and solution. i had the same problem on a new es 175 a few years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klytz Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 How high is your action at the 12th fret? By the looks of those bridge thumb wheels I'd guess it's quite high. The distance required to fret a note in the upper range of the neck could contribute to the angle of the string as it passes over the intonation screws. This will bring the strings and screws into very close proximity. My L-4 CES uses the same bridge and my thumb wheels are all the way to the bottom. Of course, variance in neck angle could account for this, plus I like a very close action. 1/32 at the 12th fret on all strings. Hi Bob I have en L5, too, and I think that he standard position of the bridge is - as you call it - high. Compared to the picture mine is the same. A wonderful instrument it is, indeed. kind regards from Denmark Klaus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robcachia Posted March 21, 2011 Author Share Posted March 21, 2011 Hi Bob I have en L5, too, and I think that he standard position of the bridge is - as you call it - high. Compared to the picture mine is the same. A wonderful instrument it is, indeed. kind regards from Denmark Klaus Hello Klaus, what is the action at the 12th fret on your L-5, mine measures roughly 3/32 bottom E and 2/32 for the top? Thanks, Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klytz Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Hi Rob Sorry I am not a master of U.S units but the action at the 12th fret on the 6th string is 2 mm which should be 0.0787 inch. On the 1st string the action is about 1 mm which is 0.0397 inch. I hope that you can understand the measures, since we are dealing with the metric system in most of Europe including Denmark. I used an app on my iPhone to convert the measures. The guitar is brand new. I got it 3 days ago and the instrument was produced exactly one year ago. It was the last to get in Scandinavia for the next 9 month, so I was lucky that there was one available when I had the money for it. I am used to playing an ES 175 and this new baby is somewhat different. I shall have to practice a lot I think to get the best out of her! Kind greetings Klaus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robcachia Posted March 22, 2011 Author Share Posted March 22, 2011 Hi Rob Sorry I am not a master of U.S units but the action at the 12th fret on the 6th string is 2 mm which should be 0.0787 inch. On the 1st string the action is about 1 mm which is 0.0397 inch. I hope that you can understand the measures, since we are dealing with the metric system in most of Europe including Denmark. I used an app on my iPhone to convert the measures. The guitar is brand new. I got it 3 days ago and the instrument was produced exactly one year ago. It was the last to get in Scandinavia for the next 9 month, so I was lucky that there was one available when I had the money for it. I am used to playing an ES 175 and this new baby is somewhat different. I shall have to practice a lot I think to get the best out of her! Kind greetings Klaus Thanks Klaus, I'm actually from the UK so metric works better for me. If my conversions are correct then I'm roughly sitting 0.5mm higher than the action set on your L-5, so were not miles apart from factory setup. I might try and see how much I can lower from the bridge before it starts to buzz. Not sure I will be able to push it to 1/32 (0.8mm) across all strings as Bob has without a professional setup! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klytz Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Thanks Klaus, I'm actually from the UK so metric works better for me. If my conversions are correct then I'm roughly sitting 0.5mm higher than the action set on your L-5, so were not miles apart from factory setup. I might try and see how much I can lower from the bridge before it starts to buzz. Not sure I will be able to push it to 1/32 (0.8mm) across all strings as Bob has without a professional setup! Hi again Rob I could not help reacting to your expression "without a professional setup." This is an expensive guitar. Wasn't the instrument supposed to be set up by professionals when leaving the factory? Once I got an LP for which I had to pay 130 € to have the frets corrected when the guitar was brand new. I know it was not a custom shop model but it ought not be needed with a new instrument. Kind greetings Klaus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robcachia Posted March 23, 2011 Author Share Posted March 23, 2011 Hi again Rob I could not help reacting to your expression "without a professional setup." This is an expensive guitar. Wasn't the instrument supposed to be set up by professionals when leaving the factory? Once I got an LP for which I had to pay 130 € to have the frets corrected when the guitar was brand new. I know it was not a custom shop model but it ought not be needed with a new instrument. Kind greetings Klaus Your right, on such a top dollar guitar you would expect it to be set up to a certain 'standard'. However, when I got my guitar the 6th string intonation screw (posted pics above) was touching the bottom E string, which made it buzz badly from around the 12th fret onwards. So, who ever set my guitar up at the factory didn't do a very good job at inspecting it properly, as a proper setup would have easily picked this problem up! There were also some minor cosmetic flaws which I was not too happy about (especially on a guitar of this standard), which I ended up living with as I found Gibson customer service a nightmare to deal with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klytz Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Your right, on such a top dollar guitar you would expect it to be set up to a certain 'standard'. However, when I got my guitar the 6th string intonation screw (posted pics above) was touching the bottom E string, which made it buzz badly from around the 12th fret onwards. So, who ever set my guitar up at the factory didn't do a very good job at inspecting it properly, as a proper setup would have easily picked this problem up! There were also some minor cosmetic flaws which I was not too happy about (especially on a guitar of this standard), which I ended up living with as I found Gibson customer service a nightmare to deal with. Hi Rob. Then I had the luck that my guitar was perfect from the moment that it was unpacked. But buying an expensive guitar here in Denmark can be a kind of a lottery, since you can not go into a shop an try some different species of the same model, since we are so few potential customers. My new L5 was ordered from the store to be delivered from the Scandinavian Agent - and as you already know it was the last one in Scandinavia. If I were not pleased with the instrument we had the possibility to send it back again. Fortunately it was not necessary. Kind greetings Klaus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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