Fret buzz

[Phil Starr]

Hi, I'm having problems setting up my Fender Jazz. Neck relief is slightly concave, pretty much the same as my Cort. I'm getting Fret buzz between the 7th and 12th frets (roughly speaking as it depends upon the height of the action I set.) To lose the fret buzz the action is too high. It has been back to Manson's once but it hasn't really solved the problem.

I kind of like to understand problems and to be able to solve them myself if at all possible.

Any suggestions?

[LawrenceH]

Hi Phil,
Is the concave bow totally even or does it have a 'wiggle'? I would try tweaking the rod slightly to bring it slightly straighter and see what effect that had - I've found that nearly straight works well for me though I think it depends on the strings and playing. It could be wear on the lower frets though, are they noticeably worn?

[Phil Starr]

Hi Lawrence, I've straightened the neck a little and raised the action at the bridge now, it isn't far short of straight. The bass is only a few months old so it isn't wear.

I've no idea how good to expect the action, the guitar tech at my local shop said if you want a Jazz with a low action then don't buy a Fender.

I love the sound of this bass, the neck profile is a joy for someone with hands like mine and it is very pretty but it doesn't seem as well made as my £200 Cort. Lots of little things, like rough edges on some frets. The nut wasn't properly filed and it doesn't stay in tune like the Cort. The finish is nowhere near as good and the bridge is so poorly made. It's a USA one as well but it just looks like there's a lack of quality control. Is this normal with Fender?

[LawrenceH]

Hmm, I have 3 Jap Fenders from 3 diff decades and they've all been great, but my MIM had a couple of issues and from reports on here the US stuff it seems can vary - though I am surprised there are finish and fret dress issues.
As you say though, the sound is great. The bridge...if it's a new US one it should be a high-mass vintage which are good - or is this an 'American Special'?
Anyway with my jazzes I do find the necks are a bit more changeable with the seasons than my old Ibanez, I put that down to one-piece maple being inherently less stable versus laminate construction. Once they're settled there shouldn't be any inherent reason why it can't get a good low action as long as you're prepared to tweak it every few months. Perhaps it needs a proper fret dress?

[Phil Starr]

I'm not saying the Jazz is awful, there's a surprising lack of care in it's assembly though. It is bottom of their range and the bridge is just a piece of pressed metal. The springs don't meet the saddles and the grub screws slide around on the chromed surface, part of the reason why the tuning isn't very stable I think. The neck is maple with a rosewood fretboard just like my Cort

I'm not that bothered about a low action as it happens and thanks to your advice I've reduced the relief on the neck so it is almost straight (thanks, you pointed me in the right direction)

I'm just surprised that this guitar is 5x the price of my starter bass but plays less well and is just less well made. I bought it for the sound and this is great but I'm wondering if I shouldn't have just replaced the pup's on my old Cort. I'm thinking in future I might just replace the Precision pup's on the Cort and use that rather than look out for a Fender P.

[lettsguitars]

Strings off. Truss rod adjust to get dead flat (use a straight edge), mask off the board, permanent marker along the tops of the frets. level frets with 320 grit paper stuck on a flat thing (the marker shows where your high/low spots are), recrown with sanding pad (the easy way), polish with wet/dry to 1200 (concentrating on the fret sides not the tops) then buff with jewellers rouge. There's nothing to it, but it's hard to explain without physically showing it done. There are numerous youtube videos that are pretty good. No reason why you can't get very low action providing the neck's a good un. You do get problem necks that obviously need a little more work, relevelling the board etc. Hope this helps.

[Phil Starr]

[quote name='lettsguitars' timestamp='1328460127' post='1527369']
Strings off. Truss rod adjust to get dead flat (use a straight edge), mask off the board, permanent marker along the tops of the frets. level frets with 320 grit paper stuck on a flat thing (the marker shows where your high/low spots are), recrown with sanding pad (the easy way), polish with wet/dry to 1200 (concentrating on the fret sides not the tops) then buff with jewellers rouge. There's nothing to it, but it's hard to explain without physically showing it done. There are numerous youtube videos that are pretty good. No reason why you can't get very low action providing the neck's a good un. You do get problem necks that obviously need a little more work, relevelling the board etc. Hope this helps.
[/quote]
Thanks, sounds scary as this is a new bass for me. I might see if i can go on tweeking before I try it. Could I use my diamond hones I use for sharpening plane irons? they measure about 8"x2" and are meant to be dead flat.

[lettsguitars]

Er, I don't see why not, though they may take too much off in one pass. I have no experience with diamond hones. I still use oil stones :s

[Phil Starr]

I've got them (diamonds) in 4 different grades, I'll stick to the finest. My stones get a lot of use so they don't stay very flat, one of the nice things about diamond hones is that they are pretty flat and stable.

Thanks for your help again.