krishotsaucemiller Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 I own 2 Casinos. 1 Lennon & 1 Pearless Casino.. The Cheapo Korean plays great w/ little or no buzz. Its never been professionally leveled, crowned or even set up by a tech. On the other hand I've invested over $650 into getting my $2,600 Lennon Casino to play just even okay (leveling the frets didn't work, so I had it completely re-fretted along with having the fretboard re-leveled too) It helped barely but it still buzzes horribly on the low E string starting from the 5th - 8th fret. I know that some fret buzz is normal when strumming hard, but this thing buzzes even when playing mildly soft. I've taken it into 3 different professional techs & they've all told me it doesn't need to be leveled again, they all tweak the neck relief & raise or lower the bridge & send me off on my way (knowing they haven't done sh%t). The techs in town now are beginning to get short with me, so I don't really trust their professional opinions anymore, but even with the frets re-leveled, the fretboard re-leveled & having it professionally setup the thing still buzzes pretty bad!!!!!!! Shouldn't that amount of work put into a guitar have made a difference?? The luthier I hired builds guitars & has been doing so for over 30 years, & I've played some of his factory made instruments & they are amazing, so I know he is a reputable repair tech...;) So, I am dying to know if this is: A) Probably just a bad guitar, & will never be able to be fixed :) Inherent to Vintage spec Casinos with 14 degree neck radius's with 12 degree ABR-1 bridges PS/ If anyone has any suggestions, tips, or anything I might try PLEASE SEND ME A REPLY!!!! Thanks a million guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 I have no issues with my JL Rev[confused] ...... Though I have one of the best Techs/Luthier in the bizz, and there's no issue he can't over-come. Take a look in the direction of the nut... it might be cut too deep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krishotsaucemiller Posted January 17, 2010 Author Share Posted January 17, 2010 I doubt its a nut problem because the buzz doesn't occur on open strings, plus he replaced the nut with a brand new bone nut (kinda pissed me off too, because now its out of vintage spec) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duane v Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 Well I wouldnt worry about vintage specs, becasue there are other things about the Rev that don't match 65 specs. what's your string height???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 Don't think it's the neck radius, vs Bridge radius...as my '66 has no such problems, has never had a fret job, or nut replacement, at all. I do have a "Nashville" bridge on it, now...but, I still have the vintage ABR-1, as well. So...??? Don't know what to tell you, that you haven't already tried. Just on the off chance, are the pickups (or pole screws) really close to the strings? I've had that cause buzzing, in certain other guitars...which only showed up, about 5th or higher frets....it was the neck pickup, that was a bit too close...again, on that particular guitar. It was NOT a "Casino," though. So...again...just an idea. Hope you get it sorted out. Good luck! CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeper Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 Are you certain it is fret buzz? Some times other things can make a very similar sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krishotsaucemiller Posted January 17, 2010 Author Share Posted January 17, 2010 The string heights are above Gibson factory standards... I dont know what else to do now. I own 9 other guitars & none of them have a problem like this.. The only reason I was ticked off about the new nut is that it lowered the resell value I think. But I dont know who would wanna buy this guitar with the way it plays now anyways.. This guitar was one of my dream guitars & to have it play like crap just breaks my heart.. Any master luthiers around Ft Wayne Indiana please contact me!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krishotsaucemiller Posted January 18, 2010 Author Share Posted January 18, 2010 Are you certain it is fret buzz? Some times other things can make a very similar sound. Yes I'm positive its string buzz towards the center of the neck. A real annoying one too. Almost completely masks the fundamental of the note & adds a weird harmonic to the already evil fret buzz.. The string doesn't mute out, just buzzes real bad. Tried relief + bridge height + re-fret + + fretboard re-level + prayer.... Nothing short of pathetic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeper Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Well, having a bone nut installed won't hurt your resale on it one bit. You have checked the relief in the neck, not too much bow or back bow right? Could it be the bridge? I have had bridges only buzz when certain notes are plays, and can seem like fret buzz. Of course the other option is that what you are hearing is minute about of buzz that happens whenever you fret a note on any guitar, you may just be hyper sensitive to it. Did any of the techs give it a clean bill of health, or throw up their hands and say "I give up"? Does the sound come through on the amp? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krishotsaucemiller Posted January 18, 2010 Author Share Posted January 18, 2010 The buzz goes through the amp. Just to be sure I recorded it directly into Logic. The neck relief is set to Gibson factory specs. I've kinked the bridge retainer wire to eliminate it from vibrating. I even put tape on it just to be sure. I have 11-52 gauge strings on her. I might try a new pair tomorrow just to throw out the "bad pack" factor. Like I said though, I'm completely at a loss for options. I'm a professional keyboardist & have toured the states with several national/international blues artists. I repair all of my Wurlys, Hammonds, & Rhodes whenever they need fixed so I'm not a part time clueless musician with unrealistic expectations out of my instruments. I always like to educate myself & get hands on with my equipment to learn what makes them tick, but this guitar has just really :- "---- Let me down".. The tech who did the major work to her told me "It plays amazing" 30 min before I came & picked her up. Took it home & it still buzzed just like the day I took it to him before he worked on it.. I held my breath & told myself "Okay, maybe you're just freak'n out." So, I set her aside & didn't come back to her until a few hours later. I tried playing it for a 2 hours straight just to see if things would get better....They didnt No tech so far has thrown there hands up & told me to count my losses, but I get the vibe that they think I'm being paranoid & too picky perfect. I SWEAR TO YOU I"M NOT THOUGH!! The guitar has real issues & for a buzz to be louder than the fundamental of a note & then to have a tech tell me I'm being too picky is very insulting & downright wrong!! So, I think ultimately I'll have to fix this myself somehow. Should I post picks or possibly post an audio clip of the buzz? Thanks again for commenting & trying to help me out guys/gals. I'd really appreciate it if you could maybe keep in touch w/ me if you feel like you could give me more tips or steer me in a direction toward a solution in any way.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbotime Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Hi, I'm no expert, but I do tweak my own guitars. With my Dot, I do get a tick of buzz on the low E, if I hit it hard. On all guitars really. But on a moderate strum, it should be minimal to buzz free. If you work on your own guitars, you need a straight edge for checking relief. I bought a 36" steel "Yard Stick" at Home Depot and cut it down to around 18" It cost like 6 bucks. You can cut the remaining piece and make a fret rocker out of it. It's not going to be as accurate as a precision made straight edge, but it will do. Check the relief. You want about .010" clearance at the 7th fret. A thin business card will do for a gauge. A little more is OK for a stubborn problem, but not much more. Check for a high fret too. You say the buzz in midway down the neck. That is typically a high fret issue. Even though it was re fretted, a Pro Luthier can have a bad day. If you're there, next sight down the neck and look for a twist. I can't see how a pro could miss that, but who knows? Next I would check every screw and part for tightness. Don't overtighten anything, but snug everything up. INCLUDING the retaining nuts for the tuners. Also check the tension screws on the tuners. [small screws in the buttons] Pick guard is tight? Maybe try removing it. Do you trim your strings when you change them or do you leave the "Cool Looking" wires all over the place thing? Trim them. Any chance that one of the wires inside is misplaced? Maybe it's close to a rib or something inside. If all else fails, drop the strings down to 10's. You'll still get good tone and volume. Well maybe a little less volume. I'm using 10's on the Dot and they work OK. Hope this helps in some way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeper Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Did things get worse after the refret? Where are you located at my man, I'll take a gander for ya. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdsmith3 Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 I have a little bit of fret buzz on my low E string at the same spot (5th to 8th frets or so). It does not come through the amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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