Truss rod adjustment / action..

[nhsmitty]

According to Dan Erlewine's Guitar Player Repair Guide, when adjusting the truss rod and action some sting buzz is OK as long as it's are not heard through the amp.

Is that pretty standard for most players? To leave some buzz if not heard through the amp and not affecting tone? This is my first venture into adjusting an electric guitar but I've adjusted several acoustic guitars where you want NO buzz at all. So this "OK to leave some buzz" thing is a different ballgame for me.

I've adjusted my truss rod for .010 at the 8th fret per Fender specs. Feels good, better than it was at .020. I like flat fretboards. I've left my string height at in-between 4/64" and 5/64" for now. Again that string height feels good, going a little higher wouldn't hurt I'm guessing, but would like to leave it be since she's playing very well. The only reason I would want to go higher would be to get rid of some buzzing that's not heard through the amp and doesn't sound is if it's affecting the tone. Before adjusting the truss rod there was some buzzing so it's not worse, didn't expect it to get better, but it's not worse.

So.. Some buzz is OK, back away from the tools? I'm letting my acoustic background be more nit-picky here than needed!
Or... Keep tweaking and get them buzzes out, you'll thank me later.

[JAM]

I dont measure the relief or the action height. I just adjust it so it feels right to me. Measured probably the action is 5/64 on both sides. I just leave a little bit of relief, I'll adjust so the 'stiffness' seems right. My Strats end up with less relief than the Gibsons (and the AS-73 which also is a 24 3/4 scale) I dont hear much buzz w/out the amp. You can get caught up in endless tweaking (dont ask how I know!) so if you're happy with the way the axe plays and sounds leave it alone. Sometimes the axe plays and sounds great and in search of the 'perfect' setup you'll screw it up.

[nhsmitty]

I know what you mean about endless tweaking. Been there, done that, but not with electric. My Strat wasn't playing or sounding that great to me before I started the adjustment process so I've definitely improved it to my taste so far. I was ready to get rid of it!! I guess I get caught up in measurements since that gives me something to go by or work from.

Until I get her right, I appreciate all the input I'm getting here.

[cdw2000]

On which frets are you getting the buzzing? If it buzzes somewhere between frets 1-8, then you probably need more relief. If buzzing occurs at the higher frets, then the culprit is string height.

I, like you, am a little anal about measurements, so I also setup my Strat to the Fender specs before I made any personal taste adjustments. I found the 0.010 relief to be just right though.

Because I also play acoustic, I find I tend to play a little harder than needed on my Strat so I do have to raise my strings a hair above spec to eliminate buzzing. It doesn't take much.

[nhsmitty]

It will buzz at any fret depending in my pick attack. No buzz if picked lightly, slight buzz if I play the way I want to play which isn't light but I'm not digging into the strings either.

I'll raise the strings a bit and see what happens. The buzzes were there before I took away some relief and they aren't any worse now, just still there, so maybe it's the string height.

[photoweborama]

yes, I leave a small amount of buzz in there..

[chuckocaster]

exactly. adjust til it sounds and feels right. i only use measurements as a place to start. but really, do what's best for you. i only find that i get some buzzing if the action is somewhat low, and that's never on my guitars.

technique plays alot into this too. it's not often talked about, but poor technique will make a well set up guitar sound bad. i'm not saying you are in this camp, but it is something to consider. meaning, set up the guitar so it sounds good for the way you play.

[Plugger]

Over the years, I've gone from a very low action to a medium low action. I like the range of attack you can get with a slightly higher action. If you are so low that the strings buzz when playing acoustically, it doesn't really give you a lot of headroom when it comes to attack dynamics, and that is a primary source of "tone is in the fingers"-type tone, imho.

And of course, even if you are OK with buzz at acoustic levels, you need to avoid buzzing when playing. I can't think of anything that kills sustain and tone more effectively.

-Mark

[stratcat55]

I try to keep the buzzing to a minimum but I really don't sweat a tiny bit of buzz if I can't hear it through the amp. You can tweak yourself crazy. I always did that, had a great setup, then the weather would change and screw it up. Now I'd rather just play and have fun. Be careful, you could end up like Eric Johnson and get totaly obsessed with the gear setups. The guy is an amazing talent, but I don't think it's worth the price he pays.

[Highway Chile]

I find it difficult to completely eliminate all acoustic buzzing on Strats (especially on the 6th and 5th strings during "spirited" playing). A little bit of buzzing when you really dig in is acceptable to me on those strings, but I usually won't stand for it on any other strings. Raising the 6th and 5th strings to 3/32 will almost eliminate all acoustic buzzing for most setups (my relief is about .013; I use Fender 10s strings) and I know a lot of guys that go to 7/64 on the 6th. I find that at 5.5/64 or so, I can live with it.

[stratcat55]

The only guitar that dosen't buzz at all is my 63 Supro. It has no truss rod adjustment, and believe it or not unless I lower the action to where I just can't stand it, it won't buzz. It's a really strange guitar and it's made out of the amazing "Reso-Glas". It's like the one Rory Gallagher is playing in my avatar only mine has the silver sound pickup and two more knobs.

[cdw2000]

Speaking of the 5th and 6th strings needing to be higher - Having owned an Epi Les Paul for years and being familiar with Gibson's setup specs, I was surprised that Fender recommends 4/64" for all strings.

The gibson spec is 3/64" on the high E and 5/64" on the low E string when measured at the 12th fret. This takes into account that the lower pitch strings vibrate more (displacement) when played.

[nhsmitty]

Thanks.

I got the buzzing under control with a 1/64" increase in string height.