Is the action in need of adjustment? Or maybe the strings are super cheap-o? I'm a newbie to electric guitar. Maybe it's just me who's lame?
String buzz
On an electric guitar, should the strings buzz and rattle when you strum? For example, open E... hit it with a pick or your thumb, and it rattles and buzzes. This is a cheap guitar. I'm guessing it was a waste of money. Also, notes waver, or seem to waver, pitching up or down. Anyone?
Is the action in need of adjustment? Or maybe the strings are super cheap-o? I'm a newbie to electric guitar. Maybe it's just me who's lame?
Is the action in need of adjustment? Or maybe the strings are super cheap-o? I'm a newbie to electric guitar. Maybe it's just me who's lame?
# 1
It can be technique, or the guitar, or both. I have an American Fender Strat... so a higher end guitar... it sounds fairly noisy if you were to just listen to me play without amplification. However, plugged in it sounds great and the buzzes & rattles are just part of the tone of the guitar.
Fret buzz that just kills the note, and is heard clearly when the guitar is plugged in is a problem you'll want to address if possible. It can be the way the guitar is setup. Correctly setting up the action and intonation may cure or help the guitar sound a lot better. It may also be that the frets are uneven, and to fix that, you'd need to send the guitar in for an over-haul that might cost more than the guitar did. Some really cheap guitars can also be difficult to setup correctly as the components are such a poor quality its just not possible to dial the guitar in.
If you can hear the buzzes and rattles through your amp, then maybe consider saving up for a better guitar. If you don't hear it through the amp, then I wouldn't worry about if for now. You might also try to find an accomplished guitar player to try your guitar out for you and give you an opinion of how it plays.
Fret buzz that just kills the note, and is heard clearly when the guitar is plugged in is a problem you'll want to address if possible. It can be the way the guitar is setup. Correctly setting up the action and intonation may cure or help the guitar sound a lot better. It may also be that the frets are uneven, and to fix that, you'd need to send the guitar in for an over-haul that might cost more than the guitar did. Some really cheap guitars can also be difficult to setup correctly as the components are such a poor quality its just not possible to dial the guitar in.
If you can hear the buzzes and rattles through your amp, then maybe consider saving up for a better guitar. If you don't hear it through the amp, then I wouldn't worry about if for now. You might also try to find an accomplished guitar player to try your guitar out for you and give you an opinion of how it plays.
# 2
Even when the guitar is unplugged, you shouldn't hear much "buzzing" unless you're REALLY strumming on it. The harder you strum, the more the strings vibrate... which means the more space they need to vibrate. There are several factors that can contribute to fret buzz and several ways to remedy it... The first step would be to identify your ideal set up, then adjust the guitar accordingly.
String guage (size) is one of the first things I would look at. If you're using really light gauge (small) strings, the strings will take less tension to reach their standard tuning... meaning the elliptical pattern of their vibrations will be more broad. Basically, heavy guage strings vibrate in a tighter pattern than lighter guage strings and offer more "buzz" free benefits.
Truss rod... The truss rod is a nut and rod system that runs through the neck. This system is used to counter the string tension on the neck. If you detune your guitar or change from light to heavier strings you might notice that the strings are higher or lower to the fretboard depending on what strings you change to. If you intsall heavier strings, there will be more tension on the neck, if you intstall lighter strings there will be less tension on the neck. Without going into to detail about adjusting your trussrod, I'll just say that if you look down the edge of the fretboard from the bridge toward the headstock... The neck should appear almost flat with a SLIGHT curve upward (toward the strings) around the 5-7 fret. This is called "relief". If your neck looks completely straight or curving downward (away from the strings) then you need to adjust this.
There are cases where no matter how much you adjust a truss rod, there still seems to be some buzz... This can be a poor fret dressing or installation. This is pretty commong on cheaper instruments since the fretting process is such an involved process, it's often hurried or done by less accurate craftsmen and can leave a lot of inconsistencies...
Bridge height... Your guitar should ahve one of two types of bridge adjustments. Either it has individual saddles that have height adjustment screws or a tailpiece that has height adjustments on the mounting posts... If your truss rod is set properly and you're still getting fret buzz, you may need to raise your bridge/saddles. Remember that if you adjust the truss rod or saddles that you're changing the distance between the bridge and the nut... This will alter your intonation... search for that in these forums and you can learn all about it. I believe I have explained how to adjust it before...
Chances are, if you're getting a lot of buzz with just an open E string... try a heavier guage string first.
String guage (size) is one of the first things I would look at. If you're using really light gauge (small) strings, the strings will take less tension to reach their standard tuning... meaning the elliptical pattern of their vibrations will be more broad. Basically, heavy guage strings vibrate in a tighter pattern than lighter guage strings and offer more "buzz" free benefits.
Truss rod... The truss rod is a nut and rod system that runs through the neck. This system is used to counter the string tension on the neck. If you detune your guitar or change from light to heavier strings you might notice that the strings are higher or lower to the fretboard depending on what strings you change to. If you intsall heavier strings, there will be more tension on the neck, if you intstall lighter strings there will be less tension on the neck. Without going into to detail about adjusting your trussrod, I'll just say that if you look down the edge of the fretboard from the bridge toward the headstock... The neck should appear almost flat with a SLIGHT curve upward (toward the strings) around the 5-7 fret. This is called "relief". If your neck looks completely straight or curving downward (away from the strings) then you need to adjust this.
There are cases where no matter how much you adjust a truss rod, there still seems to be some buzz... This can be a poor fret dressing or installation. This is pretty commong on cheaper instruments since the fretting process is such an involved process, it's often hurried or done by less accurate craftsmen and can leave a lot of inconsistencies...
Bridge height... Your guitar should ahve one of two types of bridge adjustments. Either it has individual saddles that have height adjustment screws or a tailpiece that has height adjustments on the mounting posts... If your truss rod is set properly and you're still getting fret buzz, you may need to raise your bridge/saddles. Remember that if you adjust the truss rod or saddles that you're changing the distance between the bridge and the nut... This will alter your intonation... search for that in these forums and you can learn all about it. I believe I have explained how to adjust it before...
Chances are, if you're getting a lot of buzz with just an open E string... try a heavier guage string first.
# 3
could be that your guitar is due for a set up, I normally have my guitars set up once a year as it's not expensive and keeps them in a nice playing condition, I would recommend you do this as you will notice a difference when you have your guitar back
# 4
Originally Posted by: aschlemanEven when the guitar is unplugged, you shouldn't hear much "buzzing" unless you're REALLY strumming on it.
You really have to be careful as to what you define as "buzz". It would be easy to dismiss my Strat as a poor playing guitar because unplugged, it "buzzes". However, none of that translates into a "buzzing" sound when amplified. The guitar sounds great plugged in. Seems obvious, but it IS an electric guitar. Judge the sound/tone either through an amp, or pre-amp with the kind of sound you're going to use it with. What's interpreted as a little string buzz acoustically may not be present when you actually plug the guitar in. The reverse is also true. I recently extensively tested a Gibson Les Paul Traditional.. this was a brand new, $2300 instrument. It sounded great acoustically, but plugged in, produced an unwanted harmonic over-tone on a couple of frets. What was almost unnoticeable acoustically was very prominent when plugged in with some gain/overdrive added, and believe me, it sounded horrible!
I had a Peavey Falcon (before I bought my Strat) which buzzed, and was noticeable through my amp. It also had a couple of dead-spots where the note would not sustain. I took it to a guitar repair shop, and they sold me on a complete over-haul, including dressing all the frets. It cost me $150 which was a lot at the time, and the guitar sounded exactly the same when I got it back.
Moral of the story, check that any "buzzing" you hear acoustically is really affecting the sound of the guitar plugged in. Strats & Telecasters for example tend to sound "buzzy" when played acoustically, but that's really just a part of their character.
# 5
Originally Posted by: fuzzb0xcould be that your guitar is due for a set up, I normally have my guitars set up once a year as it's not expensive and keeps them in a nice playing condition, I would recommend you do this as you will notice a difference when you have your guitar backI agree with this; i have a cheap largely unknown brand of guitar that i used to practice the basics on. When first purchased, it was impossible to tune and was outputting all kinds of scratchy/buzzing sounds when the strings were struck. Now it produces a cleaner tuning for each string.
Taking your guitar to a specialist for a set-up isn't a bad idea.
Am I the only one who plays multiple instruments? Let's be inspirational and find our muses everyday!
# 6
What Kind Of Guitar Is It,that Makes This Buzzing,thats The First Thing U Need To Share ,other Then Its A Cheap Guitar.
# 7
Originally Posted by: Slipin Lizard
Moral of the story, check that any "buzzing" you hear acoustically is really affecting the sound of the guitar plugged in. Strats & Telecasters for example tend to sound "buzzy" when played acoustically, but that's really just a part of their character.
I undestand the term "buzz" can be interpreted different ways by different people. I set up all my own instruments and none of my 3 stratocasters buzz when I play them unplugged unless I play them aggressively. I do a full set up each time I change strings.
I guess some people would call the sound of an unplugged strat or tele "buzzing" but that wouldn't be what I would categorize it as.... historically people call that sound "twang".
# 8
Something else to consider is bumping up to the next heavier string gage.
On my last string change on my strat, I put 9's on just to mix things up (I used to use 11's). I also lowered the action. I had significant string buzz of the sort where the strings would hit the frets a little as they vibrated.
I new I was eventually going to move to 10's, so I left it alone figuring I'd do a full setup on my next string change.
Well, I only had to make some minor tweaks. Just moving to the heavier gage strings eliminated the buzzing.
The reason is with a heavier guage string, there is more tension in the strings. More tension in the strings means they will won't move as much when they vibrate.
On my last string change on my strat, I put 9's on just to mix things up (I used to use 11's). I also lowered the action. I had significant string buzz of the sort where the strings would hit the frets a little as they vibrated.
I new I was eventually going to move to 10's, so I left it alone figuring I'd do a full setup on my next string change.
Well, I only had to make some minor tweaks. Just moving to the heavier gage strings eliminated the buzzing.
The reason is with a heavier guage string, there is more tension in the strings. More tension in the strings means they will won't move as much when they vibrate.
# 9
