anzafrank Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I get some prety good buzzing at the 13th and 14th fret-first string on a 86 J-30. Any way to fix it? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acousticologist Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I get some prety good buzzing at the 13th and 14th fret-first string on a 86 J-30. Any way to fix it? Thanks. Try playing on the 12th??? Nah, just kidding. Had a similar problem on a Martin which just couldn't be solved by tickling the saddle down, or noodling with the neck. Found the solution by shaving a couple of the higher frets which I NEVER go to. Like 18 19 20 or something round there. took off the smallest amount which made all the difference. I can play symphonies up the neck and not get so much as a rattle... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anzafrank Posted February 27, 2011 Author Share Posted February 27, 2011 Try playing on the 12th??? Nah, just kidding. Had a similar problem on a Martin which just couldn't be solved by tickling the saddle down, or noodling with the neck. Found the solution by shaving a couple of the higher frets which I NEVER go to. Like 18 19 20 or something round there. took off the smallest amount which made all the difference. I can play symphonies up the neck and not get so much as a rattle... Now why didn't I think of playing on the 12th fret? A little shaving makes sense, but I will leave that up to someone who actually knows what they are doing. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Probably the 14th fret "hump"....... take it to a luthier.....may need a little fretboard planing and some refretting, may need to file down some frets, may need a neck reset.......a good luthier can make the measurements and give you the good news...good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Probably the 14th fret "hump"....... take it to a luthier.....may need a little fretboard planing and some refretting, may need to file down some frets, may need a neck reset.......a good luthier can make the measurements and give you the good news...good luck +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat-o-steve Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 Try humidifying your guitar......if it has "dried out" from the dry winter or forced heat in your home, the wood has shrunk and moved, possibly lowering your action to where the buzz develops. I'd try humidifying the guitar for about a week or so before trying ANYTHING else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brians356 Posted February 28, 2011 Share Posted February 28, 2011 I wouldn't humidify the guitar unless it is dry. Just "humidifying" a guitar is not often the way to go. For one thing it takes a while for humidity to make a change in the guitar. I would first try to determine from other data if it is dried out. Has the problem appeared recently, or is the guitar new to you? Are fret ends sticking out? Has the action height changed? Where in the country do you live? If you live in a cold climate, how warm do you keep the room where the guitar is stored? What is the relative humidity in that room? I'm guessing it is the common "hump" where the neck meets the body, and a slight leveling of the frets there will cure it. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anzafrank Posted February 28, 2011 Author Share Posted February 28, 2011 I should have said at the start that I bought the guitar in 03, and it had the problem then, but the sound was so good, I bought it anyway. I live in so. ca., so the weather is mostly dry. I had the same problem with a 68 yamaha where the neck meets the body, so i'm hoping the frets only need to be shaved a bit. Thanks for the imput guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brians356 Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 If you don't want to tackle leveling them (with the neighboring frets) yourself, it won't cost much to have it done. If someone tells you it needs neck or fretboard work, try another luthier. If you look over on UMGF.org, there is a thread active in which I describe how to do this yourself using a simple flat file and masking tape: http://theunofficialmartinguitarforum.yuku.com/topic/115676/Filing-down-a-single-fret Works the same for 1 or 2 frets needing leveling. However, you really need a "Fret Rocker" from Stew-Mac to check things out. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anzafrank Posted March 1, 2011 Author Share Posted March 1, 2011 If you don't want to tackle leveling them (with the neighboring frets) yourself, it won't cost much to have it done. If someone tells you it needs neck or fretboard work, try another luthier. If you look over on UMGF.org, there is a thread active in which I describe how to do this yourself using a simple flat file and masking tape: http://theunofficialmartinguitarforum.yuku.com/topic/115676/Filing-down-a-single-fret Works the same for 1 or 2 frets needing leveling. However, you really need a "Fret Rocker" from Stew-Mac to check things out. Brian Thanks for the link. I will not try this myself because I would like to have Chuck Block (Blocks dad from Alison Krauss) take a look at the action anyway. He has set up a few mando's and a banjo for me in the past. Also, I don't know what i'm doing. I've set up a few guitars in the past that turned out good, but without the proper tools. Older and hopefully wiser now. Love all those guitars you have Brian! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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