Need help with fret buzz.

[tbolanos955]

I know this isn’t the right category to ask for help, but I’ll do it regardless, I recently bought a cheap Chinese guitar, big mistake, regardless of that I need help fixing it, there is a crap ton of fret buzz on fret 5 and below, and I wanted to know what can be the cause of it, there is minor fret buzz above that, but I’m sure witch just a setup it’ll be good,

[tbolanos955]

I also just started playing guitar 2 years ago, thus me asking

[tbolanos955]

Also throughout the neck, there are I believe are deadspots, where the note doesn’t ring, and buzzes a crap ton

[reTrEaD]

Hi tbolanos955

This is the correct board for your issue. However, I edited your thread title to more accurately describe the situation.
By the way, rather than make two additional posts before you get a reply, it's more efficient to edit the first post of your thread and add the additional information. Please do so in future threads.

From your description, it sounds like your bridge-height is too low and/or your truss rod is too tight.

Could you please post a pic of your guitar?

[frets]

Hi tblonos,

Don’t discard the Chinese guitar and don’t “fret”.👎🏻

Here’s what I do with the Chinese guitars that arrive at my doorstep. I hit them with a couple of light passes with a fret leveling beam. You can easily make one.

You’ll find that it will make your frets very even. Just use it judiciously. Do 2 passes, check it, repeat.

[thetragichero]

my gut reaction is truss rod too tight

[ashcatlt]

I’ve had guitars where the frets just weren’t even seated properly when I got them, and all I had to do to fix dead spots and buzzes was to bash them in with a hammer.

But yeah, if it gets worse on lower frets, it probably is the truss rod, though adjusting that might change the action higher up, so then you lower the bridge and then...pray?

Course sometimes buzzes and things are at least partly down to technique. I’ve had guitars set up, and the tech shows off a little and plays without any trouble at all, but then I pick it up and it doinks out all over the place, and I have my friend’s JM right now because he keeps having problems with it, but I can’t figure out how to fix it because it plays fine for me.

[frets]

Yeah, the truss rod comes first but it’s been my experience with these Chinese guitars time and time again that the frets are just uneven and not leveled properly. But definitely heed Trag’s and Ash’s advice on the truss Rod. Go gingerly, small turns...

[ashcatlt]

I mean, if you’re doing the leveling block, you kind of want the neck to be as perfectly flat as possible, and it’s not a bad idea to make sure all the frets are all the way in their slots first. Then level and preferably crown and polish, then hopefully when you put it on and string it up, it’ll bow just enough, but you usually have to tweak the truss for a bit anyway.

[reTrEaD]

Mar 6, 2021 14:38:45 GMT -5 ashcatlt said:

I mean, if you’re doing the leveling block, you kind of want the neck to be as perfectly flat as possible, and it’s not a bad idea to make sure all the frets are all the way in their slots first. Then level and preferably crown and polish, then hopefully when you put it on and string it up, it’ll bow just enough, but you usually have to tweak the truss for a bit anyway.

I agree, Ash.

Before blocking the frets, the first step must be to visually inspect each fret to be certain they are all seated properly.

The next step would be to take a straightedge that's long enough to span all (or at least most) of the frets and check the relief without any tension provided by the strings. Ideally, the straightedge won't rock along its length and there wont be a significant gap in the middle of the length. If necessary, adjust the truss rod tension to get the neck as flat as possible before blocking.

But I think we might be putting the cart before the horse here, in terms of blocking the frets. For someone without experience, the first steps should be adjusting the bridge height, and if necessary, adjusting the truss rod. If that makes the guitar reasonably playable ...