bongofury Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Hi I have an ace frehely budokan epi and it has mayjor fret buzz on the e and a string. I read some threads that the ultra 3 has the same problem and i noticed that the ace budokan and the ultra both have that same neck i think they call it a D neck shape.and another guitar i think the 339. is this a problem because of the neck shape and can it be fixed. I love the sound and finish also the feel of the neck but the fret buzz is driving me crazy. does any one have any insight to this thank you bongo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Flyswatter Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 As you saw in the other thread, my Tribute Plus has the same problem. It has the 60's style slim taper neck, which feels FABULOUS to play, it just sounds like a chainsaw with all the buzzing. I have $100 acoustic guitars with lower action and no buzzing than my brand new $600 Epiphone. That's scary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 any new guitar, whether Gibby/Epi/other, needs to be set up before it's playable.....neck adjustment, action, etc. if you change string sizes it'll possibly need a new nut... hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keesee54 Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Check a few simple basics first and eliminate as you go.... Make sure the collar inserts of the tuning keys are tight in the headstock to insure that the machine head isn't the culprit. It seems to be the last pace people look because they assume these don't come loose. It's always a good idea to go over everything with a good phillips screwdriver whenever you restring or do cleaning.. You'd be surprised at what you find. Next, I would make sure the saddle for the offending string is properly seated into the tune o matic. The only other problem for open string buzz would be an improperly deep cut of the nut for that string. I like to set the heigth of the tune o matic as low as possible before buzing occurs and yours may be a bit low on both guitars causing the problem. Try raising the tune o matic by detuning all of the strings to about half tension and move the thumb wheels on the main studs counter clockwise about 3/4 turn. I recently sold a Black Korina Explorer that had a buzz so bad that it muted the open sixth string. The nut slot for the sixth string was cut too deep and I had to install a new nut, but the funny thing was that the string played perfectly at the first fret and everthing above that! This needs to be addressed first and after that, start looking for string buzz at each fretted notes up the scale.... You didn't mention, and I'm curious to know just where the buzzing occurs? Is it only confined to the higher strings or lower ones? And at what point up the neck? Hope this helps, Keesee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Agree 100% regarding proper setup. After that is done, a few comments: Acoustic guitars generally have heavier strings which (all else being equal) must have a higher tension to achieve a given pitch than lighter strings. So acoustic guitars generally buzz less or not at all. Some amount of general light buzz is normal with low action on an electric, unless you are using a light picking attack. Normally this light buzz occurs on most areas of the fretboard and cannot be heard through the amp. If you lighten your pick attack it should go away. If it's occurring only in one or a couple of places on the fretboard, can be heard through the amp, or won't go away with a lighter attack, that would indicate a problem (assuming a proper setup was done of course). A fret dress would be in order then. In my experience most new mass produced guitars like Epi's could benefit from a fret dress, some more than others. The neck shape should have nothing to do with fret buzz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bongofury Posted February 16, 2013 Author Share Posted February 16, 2013 The buzzing is mainly on the low e and A they seems to buzz all over the fret board The guitar sounds great but the buzz throws you off when playing because u cannot hear the notes Properly and clear. I was concerned that it was the neck style D because the ultra 3s had the same problem and the same neck It's just upsetting because you get so excited about the guitar then there's these things that hinder your Playing. The pearloid tuners are flimsy too they look good but function poorly I had a tech look at the guitar and he said the nut looks a little high. I'm going to send it in for a Complete set up and hopefully that fixes everything Thanks bongo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Sounds like you may just need to raise the action on the bass side a little bit. If you haven't done a proper setup yet, the setup will probably cure it. Note that the nut slot depth will have no effect on fretted notes that are buzzing, but can affect intonation and the feel of the notes on the lower frets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Flyswatter Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 The nut being high won't cause all the buzzing on fretted notes. Mine is buzzing all over the fretboard, no matter where it's setup. I've tried everything from no relief to ungodly high relief, as well as very low bridge to a bridge so high you could pass a cruise liner under it, and every combination of both. I am pretty sure mine has got uneven frets, which is rather sad for a $600 guitar. I also have a stripped strap button, stripped truss rod cover screws, and a wire that's improperly soldered on one of the pots. The finish sure is pretty, but I didn't really buy it just to look at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Flyswatter Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 You know what, take it to a Gibson authorized repair center if you have one nearby. The one near me fixed my problem. I stuck my foot in my mouth talking too much trash, because although I still have SOME buzz, the guy I saw today changed my whole outlook on this instrument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Glad you got it fixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bongofury Posted February 22, 2013 Author Share Posted February 22, 2013 You know what, take it to a Gibson authorized repair center if you have one nearby. The one near me fixed my problem. I stuck my foot in my mouth talking too much trash, because although I still have SOME buzz, the guy I saw today changed my whole outlook on this instrument. Can you elaborate on what he told you please. Because I too am being made out to be a trash talker just Because I have several deficiencies with my guitar that I'm not happy with. Thanks Bongo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Flyswatter Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Well, to be fair, mine had a lot too. The truss rod screws were stripped, the strap button screw was stripped, there was a hole in the filler around one of the inlays, there was a wire hanging by one thread on one of the caps, and the action was way out of whack. This guy took about 30 mins to put every one of these things back in place. He did some work on the nut, adjusted the action again, fixed the inlay, fixed the stripped screws, soldered the wire back on, and actually got my action fairly low. There is nothing wrong with talking trash. We're paying good money for these things, and I don't care who made it, or what the price point is, or any of that. When you buy a product, you have every right to expect it to properly fulfill it's purpose, or they shouldn't sell them for any price. Some of these issues really should have never left their plant. Then to think they were also inspected and set up here in the U.S. before we get them? Epiphone seriously needs to address this stuff, or they're going to start looking real bad. I have a cheap Squire that I bought my sons a few years ago for $179 that plays like a dream. There is no excuse for shoddy products. If they have to raise their prices to get it right, so be it, but the real story is, they need to get it right. I'm finally happy with mine, I hope yours turns out the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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