dave_bass5 Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Having got my Jack Casady bass set up to just how i want it (more or less), im getting fret buzz at the 5th fret on the A string, and only this one note. its quite loud when playing in isolation, although masked when the band are playing. All other notes seem fine. Ive tried to find an issue with the frets but cant see anything. Going to run a straight edge over it later but its strange that its just that one note. Any ideas what could be causing this?. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stylon Pilson Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 It sounds like either the 5th fret has been worn low at that point, or the 6th fret is uneven and is high for that string. Does the fret buzz go away if you raise the action? S.P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 15, 2019 Author Share Posted January 15, 2019 Thanks for the reply. The buzz sort of goes away with a higher action, but if i strike each string with more force it will come back at that one point if that makes sense. I play with a pick which seems to make it worse. it seems to only be there at the attack part of the note, it doesn't happen once the string is ringing. . I agree, it sounds like an uneven fret, either 5th or 6th, so ill need to put some straight edges on them. ive never had this happen on just the one string before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stylon Pilson Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 It does sound like it's uneven fret wear, yes. The only other possibility that leaps to mind is that something is vibrating (like a loose tuning peg, or the truss rod) which can often sound a lot like fret buzz, but from what you've said, that seems unlikely. S.P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The59Sound Posted January 15, 2019 Share Posted January 15, 2019 Possible neck bow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stylon Pilson Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 13 hours ago, The59Sound said: Possible neck bow? Fret buzz caused by backbow would probably not be isolated to a single fret or a single string. S.P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrCrane Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 Is the string ok? My daughter had a similar issue on her bass and on examination, the string had been damaged where it passed over the fret in question. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 16, 2019 Author Share Posted January 16, 2019 Thanks for the replies and suggestions. its a new bass (Nov 2018) so not likely fret wear, but i do think it might be uneven. im on my second set of strings so its not that. If i press down really hard i can avoid it, same with plucking very softly, but thats not the answer. if increase the neck bow it does make a difference, but again, thats not the answer as the action then changes. Might take it to the Gallery and get them to have a look. i think it could do with a check up anyway, some of the fret edges are quite rough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 Sounds like you could do with a fret skim and dress - if the fret edges are sharp, chances are is that the frets have just been put in and thats it. To get the best out of your instrument, they'll need to be skimmed, crowned and dressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blisters on my fingers Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 I'd try a proper fret rocker rather than a straight edge, that way you could assess the frets over the whole neck. I had a similar problem with a newish bass bought from here, fret buzz on the low C on the A string. The 4th fret had not been filed correctly, so the C note buzzed, but only that one note, on that string. Then found the same thing way up the neck on one note on a string at the 10 or 11th fret. So on my bass raising the action at the bridge was not the answer, and adjusting the truss rod would just confuse the issue. Recommend using a fret rocker as a first step to solving the problem. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoonBassAlpha Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 I use an old credit card as a fret rocker. It's free and does the same job. I'd keep current ones away from the pickups though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 On 16/01/2019 at 14:19, dave_bass5 said: Thanks for the replies and suggestions. its a new bass (Nov 2018) so not likely fret wear, but i do think it might be uneven. im on my second set of strings so its not that. If i press down really hard i can avoid it, same with plucking very softly, but thats not the answer. if increase the neck bow it does make a difference, but again, thats not the answer as the action then changes. Might take it to the Gallery and get them to have a look. i think it could do with a check up anyway, some of the fret edges are quite rough. Happy to take a look at it Dave, if it's only one fret, can soon get that sorted for you. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 20, 2019 Author Share Posted January 20, 2019 Thanks Gary. I might take you up on that. Still got a few tweaks to do but, if they don’t work ill be in touch. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 20, 2019 Author Share Posted January 20, 2019 On 16/01/2019 at 21:50, blisters on my fingers said: I'd try a proper fret rocker rather than a straight edge, that way you could assess the frets over the whole neck. I had a similar problem with a newish bass bought from here, fret buzz on the low C on the A string. The 4th fret had not been filed correctly, so the C note buzzed, but only that one note, on that string. Then found the same thing way up the neck on one note on a string at the 10 or 11th fret. So on my bass raising the action at the bridge was not the answer, and adjusting the truss rod would just confuse the issue. Recommend using a fret rocker as a first step to solving the problem. 5 hours ago, MoonBassAlpha said: I use an old credit card as a fret rocker. It's free and does the same job. I'd keep current ones away from the pickups though! Cheers guys. I do have a proper fret rocker somewhere, i just cant find it at the moment. Like i say ive not exhausted the fault finding yet, but i have a feeling ill let a pro do the fixing if it needs it. Ill only mess it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 On 15/01/2019 at 13:42, dave_bass5 said: Having got my Jack Casady bass set up to just how i want it (more or less), im getting fret buzz at the 5th fret on the A string, and only this one note. its quite loud when playing in isolation, although masked when the band are playing. All other notes seem fine. Ive tried to find an issue with the frets but cant see anything. Going to run a straight edge over it later but its strange that its just that one note. Any ideas what could be causing this?. It's not so unusual for there to be an isolated high spot. As @gary mac says, not a big job when done by someone who knows what they are doing. Would be worth popping it over to him rather than messing about too much. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 (edited) Is the fret seated right down properly? Is there any movement when you press it down? A mate of mine was struggling with his 8 string last week having replaced a dodgy nut. Turned out the fret wasn't seated properly and needed a bit of superglue wicking in and clamping down Edited January 26, 2019 by Norris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 27, 2019 Author Share Posted January 27, 2019 On 26/01/2019 at 10:10, Norris said: Is the fret seated right down properly? Is there any movement when you press it down? A mate of mine was struggling with his 8 string last week having replaced a dodgy nut. Turned out the fret wasn't seated properly and needed a bit of superglue wicking in and clamping down I have checked the surrounding frets. All look like they are seated ok. I’d expect at least the outer string to have an issue if it was raised, not just the second one in. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted January 27, 2019 Share Posted January 27, 2019 They can bow. It's certainly worth checking before you start removing any material Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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