A Fender Telecaster came in buzzing up and down the neck. The frets had divots worn into them and were uneven. Grind, level and polish, then a setup with 9s, nut adjusted, intonation set. Four hours, and the buzz was gone.
- Instrument
- Fender Telecaster, maple neck
- Tech
- Dave Eastwood
- Customer complaint
- Setup and a fret grind, level and polish
- String gauge
- 9s
- Diagnosis
- Frets divoted and uneven; buzzing up and down the neck
- Work performed
- Frets ground, leveled and polished; set up with 9s; nut adjusted; intonation set
- Parts
- None
- Bench time
- 4 hours
- Outcome
- Frets shiny and no buzz
What Came In
A Fender Telecaster with a maple neck, in for a setup and fret work. It buzzed up and down the neck.
What We Found
The frets had divots worn into them under the strings and were uneven from one to the next. With frets like that, a setup alone cannot cure the buzz.
What We Did
Ground, leveled and polished the frets. Set the guitar up with 9s, adjusted the nut and set the intonation. About four hours on the bench.
Result
The frets are shiny and the buzzing is gone.
When is buzzing a fret problem and not a setup problem?
When the frets themselves are uneven. Divots worn under the strings and frets that sit at different heights leave low spots and high spots along the neck, and no amount of relief or action change gets rid of all of them. A level takes the frets back to one plane; the setup comes after.
Related
- The Repair Vault
- Guitar Repair at Paul's Guitar Hideout
- How to Know If a Guitar Needs a Fret Level
- What Is Fret Buzz and How Do I Fix It
- Fender Telecaster: A Neck Too Straight to Play Clean
Bring It In
Buzz that survives a setup, or frets you can feel dips in? That is a level. Guitar repair at the Hideout.
Paul's Guitar Hideout is located at The Shirt Factory in Glens Falls, NY. Use the Cooper Street entrance and take the stairs up. If stairs are difficult or you're bringing in something you don't want to carry up, call or text us and we'll arrange access.
The Shirt Factory
71 Lawrence St., Suite 201B, 2nd Floor
Glens Falls, NY 12801
Wednesday–Sunday, 12–5 PM
(518) 217-8695 · info@paulsguitarhideout.com