Epi Sheraton Help or Advice: Buzzing, Holding tune etc.

[brokenbones]

Hello,

 

I just scored a 1989 Korean Sheraton. It's a beautiful guitar but it's also causing me a great deal of headache. My problem is that it's very, very tricky to keep in tune. No joke, i'll play 4 first postion chords and have the thing go out of tune. Yet, I'll play an entire Pearl Jam solo and it sounds fine. My question is what are the common upgrades or repairs to help with the tuning problem?

 

The nut has to go. The frets are worn (40-60%) I would guess. I just tightened the truss rod a couple of quarter turns and that seems to have helped some. Also, i'm getting a lower, fainter buzz than the typical fret buzz. I thought it might have been the strings rubbing against the stop-tailpiece but I have checked that out. Are my frets most likely the problem for that buzz? Like I said, it is not loud at all and does not get picked up through the amp.

 

How much would a fret dressing or refret run me? This is not my primary guitar so i'll consider that before I drop more money into it. Could the nut be causing the buzz?

[animalfarm]

Not able to help you yet with your tuning problem, I'm dealing with one

of my own. BUT, the "buzzing" - When I first recieved my Raven West guitar

I notice that with SOME chords I could hear a faint buzzing, as if a thin piece

of metal was vibrating (while unplugged from amp). My ear tracked it down to the

general area of the bridge/bridge pickup. After I replaced my stock pups, the

buzzing stopped, and I noted that one of the solder joints on my bridge pup

was broken with a hairline crack. I whacked my tuning fork and placed the ball end

against the top of the pick up, and..... buzzed like crazy!!!! Apparently was picking up

and generating a "sympathetic vibration". Drove me nuts, just sounded like thin piece of metal.

WIERD, eh?

[Steven Lister]

My question is what are the common upgrades or repairs to help with the tuning problem?

#1 = properly wound strings on tuning pegs

#2 = graphite/pencil lead in nut slots to stop string binding in the nut

#3 = replacing worn out or bad string(s)

#4 = careful dressing of saddles to fix burrs

Overwhelming majority of "tuning problems" are traced to one of the above.

 

Fret buzz is fret buzz... if you have it and you know what it sounds like then you'll know it (and so will your amp). No offence meant but it sounds like you are taking a scattergun approach here instead of methodically isolating your problem and then taking only the needed steps to a fix.

-- Why adjust the TR if you haven't first taken relief measurements to know what they are and if they need to be brought into spec?

--Why assume that a fret dressing is your salvation before a proper set-up and new strings (and by a good tech -- not a minimum-wage GC music school dropout -- if you aren't sure how) ?

--Why does the "nut have to go?" Is it visibly cracked? Slot(s) could be worn to useless but if that were so you'd be buzzing like the devils hornets nest. Since you say you're not' date=' then the nut is not your main problem -- but maybe you just want a fancy new tusque or graphite one.

 

BTW fret dressing/re-fretting costs can vary just as much as the skills of those laying on the hands.

 

Good luck in your quest.

 

Hit every BLUE NOTE baaaby..., I'm going to play on:-"

[carverman]

Excellent ideas, Steven. The only thing that I might add is that if it is fret buzz, then the only way to

get rid of it without any expense, is to raise the bridge and saddle, and see how high you have

to go before the fret buzz disappears. This may result in very high action as well, which is undesirable.

 

Sighting down the neck, using a metal straight-edge etc will determine if there is any warp to the neck

and in some cases, you may not be able to get the neck perfectly straight. The frets will have to

be leveled,recrowned and if the wear is bad, replaced, and possibly the action may have to be raised

slightly as well. It's multi-stage trial process.

[newlife15]

hey guys, i also experience frett buzz on my les Epi Les Paul Custom AFTER i had it set up....

might someone please write down the steps to take to relieve this problem if it is just the tailpiece and stopbar?

i believe that all i have to do is raise it.

 

thanks