When I play string 6 fretted on 7, 8, 9 or 10 there is a very noticeable buzzing noise. I don’t notice the buzz on any other string or anywhere else in the fretboard, unless I play a string very hard.
On those particular frets it seems I get that buzz even if I try to play very gently. It seems like maybe the fret wire on 11 might be sitting a little more proud of the fretboard than it ought to. But I’m not sure, and wouldn’t know how to solve the problem even if I’m right about the cause.
Could be neck relief, hump. Are we talking acoustic or electric? I had similar issue with my new Takamine, 13th e string. 12 and 14 fine. Adjusted the truss rod, sorted. One of my LPs had an E string buzz, razed the saddle a tad on that side, sorted.
If you haven’t made any truss rod or action adjustment before the buzz started, check if the frets are firmly in place. Also, given that the guitar is 17 years old, it could be caused by fret wear as well.
You can also check if the neck has a slight backbow or “hump” which leads to fret buzz no mater what. If this is the case, try to loosen the truss rod gradually to see if it solves the problem.
And of course, if nothing helps, just take the guitar to a luthier who can find out the best “cure” for the fret buzz.
Have you owned the guitar for a long time and it just started buzzing, or is the guitar new to you?
If it just started, look tat the frets and see if any are worn significantly. A worn groove in a fret causes the string to be lower when fretted there and that brings it closer to the next fret potentially causing buzz.
Just a thought. That would require a fret redress, worst case fret replacemenT.
Hi Jamolay, no the guitar was always doing this for the whole time I’ve owned it and was bought new. I’ve just never until now been this invested in playing, nor had ready access to a friendly community of other guitarists
New (including old unused) guitars frequently have small issues like a few uneven frets. Especially if it wasn’t stored well.
After reading the article above (or any others on these issues) make a plan.
Here are my suggestions:
Look carefully at the frets in question. Are they set all the way into the fretboard?
If you have anything straight that crosses three, not four frets, you can look for areas that aren’t level. Mark them with a marker on top of the fret if you need to.
If the frets don’t seem obviously or ridiculously out of whack, try resolving the issue with proper truss rod adjustment (easy) or, as mentioned, just raising the string a hair at the saddle. As long as you don’t make the action unpleasantly high, this may be adequate regardless of the problem.
If the frets themselves are enough of a problem that the simple adjustments can’t cure it without creating their own issues, then you need to fix the frets. You can do this on your own, but it is a pain.
Probably best to just take it to a Luthier. If it is a small problem it won’t be very expensive and they will address the whole setup. You will be happy you did!
I ended up taking this advice. Just got my guitar back today, fresh strings, frets polished, and the buzz is completely gone, guitar is a delight to play.
The whole service only cost 75 AUD, totally worth it. I did have to go without my guitar for a week but as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
