Bad Fret Buzz On Higher Frets. Please Help!

organworthyplayer337

organworthyplayer337

Professional Hack
Oct 28, 2014
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#1
I just bought a bass and when setting it up I realized the bass has bad fret buzz on the higher frets.

It starts around fret 14/15, and it's almost like a "fretting out" sound. The note doesn't ring out, it gets cut out. And if I drop the saddles even a little, the note doesn't even exist and you'll hear the same note (the note before it cuts out) over and over.
^^^ hope that makes sense

I checked for high frets by using a metal ruler and credit card and there does not seem to be any high frets.

The action has to be too high (for my liking) for the buzzing not to be there. The saddles can barely make it half way down before it buzzes like crazy again. There is no buzzing on any other frets around the fretboard.

The truss rod is tight, it can go further but it is tight. Saddles are 90% maxed out in height. There is a shim, but a thin shim.

TL;DR:
- Frets 14 - 20 are fretting out and buzzing, no other frets are affected
-Bridge saddles have to be high in order to remedy the buzzing, raising the action too high for my liking
-NO high frets
- What's wrong?

I did search for higher fret buzzing but need some personal instruction :)

Any thoughts?
 
Last edited:
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#2
organworthyplayer337 said:
I just bought a bass and when setting it up I realized the bass has bad fret buzz on the higher frets.

It starts around fret 14/15, and it's almost like a "fretting out" sound. The note doesn't ring out, it gets cut out. And if I drop the saddles even a little, the note doesn't even exist and you'll hear the same note (the note before it cuts out) over and over.
^^^ hope that makes sense

I checked for high frets by using a metal ruler and credit card and there does not seem to be any high frets.

The action has to be too high (for my liking) for the buzzing not to be there. The saddles can barely make it half way down before it buzzes like crazy again. There is no buzzing on any other frets around the fretboard.

The truss rod is tight, it can go further but it is tight. Saddles are 90% maxed out in height. There is a shim, but a thin shim.

TL;DR:
- Frets 14 - 20 are fretting out and buzzing, no other frets are affected
-Bridge saddles have to be high in order to remedy the buzzing, raising the action too high for my liking
-NO high frets
- What's wrong?

I did search for higher fret buzzing but need some personal instruction :)

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
A Fender, perchance? Ski ramp?
 
#4
organworthyplayer337 said:
I just bought a bass and when setting it up I realized the bass has bad fret buzz on the higher frets.

The truss rod is tight, it can go further but it is tight.
Click to expand...

That might be your problem. Righty tighty lefty loosey.

When you loosen up you'll get more forward bow in the neck. When you tighten up it straightens. You can even put your own backbow in it by tightening too much.

I'm guessing your going to have to loosen off until you get it correct. By then you should be able to lower the strings to desired height.
 
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#5
ZenG said:
That might be your problem. Righty tighty lefty loosey.

When you loosen up you'll get more forward bow in the neck. When you tighten up it straightens. You can even put your own backbow in it by tightening too much.

I'm guessing your going to have to loosen off until you get it correct. By then you should be able to lower the strings to desired height.
Click to expand...
So loosen the truss rod off then try to lower the saddles?

Thanks for the help
 
#8
organworthyplayer337 said:
So loosen the truss rod off then try to lower the saddles?

Thanks for the help
Click to expand...

All things being equal, when you loosen off the truss rod you will create forward bow (How much depends on how much you loosen the truss rod. It doesn't take much at all to get the desired setting usually).

When you've got this right then you can adjust string/saddle height and then intonate.

It might take a few tries to get everything right where you want it.
 
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#9
ZenG said:
All things being equal, when you loosen off the truss rod you will create forward bow (How much depends on how much you loosen the truss rod. It doesn't take much at all to get the desired setting usually).

When you've got this right then you can adjust string/saddle height and then intonate.

It might take a few tries to get everything right where you want it.
Click to expand...
Ok, I will try this tomorrow. If that doesn't work, any other guesses?
 
#10
ZenG said:
All things being equal, when you loosen off the truss rod you will create forward bow (How much depends on how much you loosen the truss rod. It doesn't take much at all to get the desired setting usually).

When you've got this right then you can adjust string/saddle height and then intonate.

It might take a few tries to get everything right where you want it.
Click to expand...
Usually you want to turn the truss rod a 1/4 turn at a time. Make sure to check the effect under the full tension of whatever tuning you're going to use as the tention affects the neck bow.
 
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#12
The truss rod has no effect beyond about the 12th or 14th fret. It controls the amount of relief in the centre of the neck, but can do nothing for that area where the neck is connected to the body, and about 4 of 5 frets back from there towards the nut.

You need to get the entire neck geometry right. Look at the sticky
ALL BASIC SETUP QUESTIONS ANSWERED HERE
 
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#13
Reedt2000 said:
Adding relief might help. I'd also look to see if the neck is shimmed too high at the heel. I wonder if the neck angle is too extreme. Is it a new or used Bass? Bolt on I assume.
Click to expand...
It's used but was made late 2016. The neck angle doesn't seem too extreme. With or without the shim, the buzz is still there. The shim is about business card thickness.
 
#14
Turnaround said:
The truss rod has no effect beyond about the 12th or 14th fret. It controls the amount of relief in the centre of the neck, but can do nothing for that area where the neck is connected to the body, and about 4 of 5 frets back from there towards the nut.

You need to get the entire neck geometry right. Look at the sticky
ALL BASIC SETUP QUESTIONS ANSWERED HERE
Click to expand...
For some reason the link doesn't work for me :(
 
#16
organworthyplayer337 said:
I have 5 other basses and I have been able to achieve some pretty good set-ups with them. This is the first time I've come across this situation with the circumstances that surrounds it.
Click to expand...
Well strings are different tensions. Higher tension strings have more pull and then there's the particular wood used for the neck and the design of the neck.

I have basses that take almost nothing to adjust...and then I have one that seems to take a lot of turn to even get the neck to move.

You may possibly have to shim if none of the above advice works effectively.

Different necks seem to respond differently to truss rod adjutsments. Some make a "bow".

Others the string nut end of the neck comes up in a bit of a 'ski jump ' effect.

Depending on which end of the neck the adjustment nut is can also affect the look of the 'bow' that is formed in my experience.
 
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#18
Contrary to what most here are saying, you actually want to tighten your truss rod and raise your saddles. This is to prevent the action from being too high (below the 12th fret) after you raise your saddles (to fix 14-20).

Gary Willis' guide is the most straight forward. Here's the relevant link and info: Adjusting The Neck
"If after lowering the strings, the notes buzz only above the 12th fret, then there's too much bow in the neck. You'll need to tighten the truss rod."
 
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#20
Chaosreigns said:
Contrary to what most here are saying, you actually want to tighten your truss rod and raise your saddles. This is to prevent the action from being too high (below the 12th fret) after you raise your saddles (to fix 14-20).

Gary Willis' guide is the most straight forward. Here's the relevant link and info: Adjusting The Neck
"If after lowering the strings, the notes buzz only above the 12th fret, then there's too much bow in the neck. You'll need to tighten the truss rod."
Click to expand...
I think that's the situation I'm in. I tried to tighten the truss rod a little to compensate but the action is still too high because of having to keep the bridge saddles at a certain height.
 
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