Trying to get rid of BUZZ sound & ACTION .. (Epi LP 100)

[hicacolis]

Hi all..

 

Just want to thank you all for trying to help n throwing some opinions before hand...

 

Alright.. My Epi LP 100 has Buzz'ing sounds when i play around fret 3 (Low E string)

 

Thus, i tried to adjust The bridge posts and the truss rod.

 

 

 

At the moment, no Buzzing sounds caused by playing the guitar,

But i starting to realize that the gap between the stings and the neck, is kinda.. maybe i should say far (Or should i say "there is an action"?)

I've uploaded some actual photo of the guitar..

 

Please give me some opinions..

 

 

Thanks

 

Fret 1 - 5

 

 

Fret 5 - 9

 

 

Fret 9 - 15

 

 

Fret 15 - 22

 

 

 

Top Bridge Post

 

 

Bottom Bridge Post

[TWANG]

press low e at first fret.

or put a capo on at the first fret.

 

then press fret 15 or 17 on the low e.

 

there should be a small gap around fret 7.. that is the strings should not lay flat on the frets with those two frets pressed.

 

If it's big.. or none, you need a truss rod adjustment.

 

a string vibrates more in the middle than on the ends.. so the truss rod is there to allow the neck to curve inward away from the strings.

this is called relief.

 

Now. your strings are waaaay too high, anyone can see that.

and your pic site says I have to read a thing and click yes to see a large picture which I'm not gonna do so I can't really say there is too much relief, you'll have to look yourself and judge that.

 

the noise can be one of a few things.

nut slot cut too deep.

 

so first, press low e at third fret..

distance between bottom of low e string and top of 3rd fret should be a hair.

an actual hair. or piece of copy paper.

no more.

If it's flat against the top of the fret, that can be part of the problem.

 

second check the relief in the neck as described above.

if it doesn't have enough relief, that can be part of the problem, too.

 

My suggestion is.. first adjust the truss rod so that when you site down the neck it looks as absolutely straight as possible..

 

then you can check the nut slots on each string as described above and make sure all are right.

 

then raise the bridge, if needed, so that there is NO string against fret noise.. no rattle.

then lower the bridge until you get a noise .. repeat that until you get another noise. etc..

this is helping you find the high frets if they are there.

 

you can do this as you go along.. say you lower the bridge a bit.. and when you play.. you find the 3rd fret low E makes a noise..

using a felt tip pen.. put a line on the low E 4th fret just under the string.

the idea is to map out with those lines where the noise is coming from.

 

the idea is to lower the strings until they are at an action you like..

and then you'll know how much fretwork it needs.. assusming the nut slot was ok.. or the truss rod relief didn't solve this in the first place.

 

when you adjust a truss rod.. first turn it 1/4" or so.. counter clockwise.. this takes the stress off the threads.. unfreezes it

 

tightening the truss rod.. clockwise will move the headstock end back.. counterclockwise moves it forward..

counterclockwise makes more relief.. a bigger bow. a deeper curve.

after you straighten the neck.. and lower the bridge to the action you like.. you can put some relief back in the neck and see how much that clears it up.

 

don't go more than 1/2 inch turn on the truss rod wrench at a time.. and twist the neck a bit after you do it.. one way with one hand and the other way with the other.. firmly but gently to let that truss rod settle in.

 

If you find you would have to put too much releif in.. then don't do it. You need a fret level.

 

someone's shouting at me to dig their stupid car out so I was rushing like mad here. luckily we can both count on the other members to clarify and enlarge..

 

Happy Holidays..

TWANG

[Ed Zeplin]

The action does look kind of high and the bridge seem high as well. Can you post a shot of the neck looking down from the headstock? just to see how the neck bow looks.

 

Z

[hicacolis]

Wah thanks Twang.. its kinda complicated but ><

 

Zeplin, is this what u're asking?

 

 

[lpplayer]

I dont mean to cut in on twang and zeplin's advice to you.....but from the headstock shots, it looks like you have too much forward bow in your neck.

 

Everyone sets their guitar up differently, but as twang said- most folks start off with a dead straight neck. After my neck is straight, then I focus on the bridge height.

 

For bridge height- I will sit there and tweak it to the point where the action is comfortable for me. I do not rely on measurements. I like it "medium low" if that makes sense...low but still enough that I can do bends easily, and with as minimal fret buzz as possible....some amount of buzz will occur- can not be avoided.

 

Another thing about your headstock photo I wanted to point out.... Like I said everyone is different....but if you look, your nut is thicker (higher) on the bass string side, and angles down lower on the treble string side. When I set my bridge- I set it so that it approximates the nut- higher on bass side, lower on treble side. In your photo, it looks like the treble side of your bridge is way higher than the bass side- so it appears you have this wavy kind of string path going on. Everyone is different- some set up the bridge dead straight across, some with the treble side a bit higher.

 

If I had your guitar- I would tighten the truss rod- small increments over to the right. This should take some time- adjust to the right- then let it sit- the wood needs to "move". Retune, paly a bit, check straightness again.

[RobinTheHood]

hicacolis: Are you saying that it ONLY buzzes at the 3rd fret on the low E? If that is the case, other possible causes could be a worn fret or the nut slot is worn down too low.

I would take it to a pro and have it diagnosed. Have them do a typical setup and then get their opinion.

[Ron G]

Set-up can be easily broken down to a few basic areas:

 

1) "Action" - string height as determined by the bridge height. Usually measured at the 12th fret with no strings depressed, from the top of the fret to the bottom of the string. Epiphone factory spec is 4/64 for the high E, 6/64 at the low E (a good place to start).

 

2) Nut height. With the strings depressed between the 2nd and 3rd frets, the gap between the first fret and the strings should be approximately .005 inch. Any lower than that might cause fret buzz on open strings.

 

3) Straightness of neck/truss rod adjustment. With strings depressed at the 1st fret and the fret where the neck joins the body, there should nominally be an approximate .005 gap (relief) at the 7th - 9th fret. Using the depressed string method of determining relief (as opposed to using a known straight edge), the primary reason a gap is usually specified is that no gap could indicate a backbow condition, which can be a primary cause of fret buzz.

 

4) Intonation, where the fretted note of each string at the 12th is exactly one octave higher than the open note. Adjust bridge saddles to attain this.

 

If fret buzz is still a problem after such a nominal setup, one or more high frets would be the likely culprit.

 

Keep in mind that this is very basic and that there are many minor variables due to idiosyncracies of each guitar, personal preferences and playing style, guage and type of strings, etc..

 

Hope this helps.

[hicacolis]

Thanks u guys for the opinions..

 

Yes, I'll bring it to a pro or guitar stups place just to make sure its going to be alright.. = )

 

Thanks a lot everyone

[peeper]

Set-up can be easily broken down to a few basic areas:

 

1) "Action" - string height as determined by the bridge height. Usually measured at the 12th fret with no strings depressed' date=' from the top of the fret to the bottom of the string. Epiphone factory spec is 4/64 for the high E, 6/64 at the low E (a good place to start).

 

2) Nut height. With the strings depressed between the 2nd and 3rd frets, the gap between the first fret and the strings should be approximately .005 inch. Any lower than that [i']might[/i] cause fret buzz on open strings.

 

3) Straightness of neck/truss rod adjustment. With strings depressed at the 1st fret and the fret where the neck joins the body, there should nominally be an approximate .005 gap (relief) at the 7th - 9th fret. Using the depressed string method of determining relief (as opposed to using a known straight edge), the primary reason a gap is usually specified is that no gap could indicate a backbow condition, which can be a primary cause of fret buzz.

 

4) Intonation, where the fretted note of each string at the 12th is exactly one octave higher that the open note. Adjust bridge saddles to attain this.

 

If fret buzz is still a problem after such a nominal setup, one or more high frets would be the likely culprit.

 

Keep in mind that this is very basic and that there are many minor variables due to idiosyncracies of each guitar, personal preferences and playing style, guage and type of strings, etc..

 

Don't forget a good cleaning! And through inspection for other issues is normally performed at this time as well.

 

Hope this helps.