Fret buzz on zero fret bass

[only4]

After a recent string change to a slightly thicker gauge my bass has developed a fret buzz around the first three frets, which I would usually attribute to the nut slot being cut too low, but what can you do if the bass in question has a zero fret which is showing no sign of wear and the neck relief hasn’t noticeably changed?

Cheers

[Trueno]

Deleted... stoopid answer because I didn't read the post properly

Edited February 17, 2018 by Trueno

[Grangur]

"The neck relief may not have "Noticeably" changed, but has it "measurably" changed? 

Sitting where we are and you sitting where you are, do we know how close it was to having fret buzz before you started?

The answer has to be to check over the setup.

[Woodinblack]

I posted the same thing last month, having had the same problem, also when I changed strings, don't know if yours is the same but maybe something in there helps?

 

[only4]

14 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

I posted the same thing last month, having had the same problem, also when I changed strings, don't know if yours is the same but maybe something in there helps?

 

Thanks for this, did you manage to sort yours out?

[only4]

2 hours ago, Grangur said:

"The neck relief may not have "Noticeably" changed, but has it "measurably" changed? 

Sitting where we are and you sitting where you are, do we know how close it was to having fret buzz before you started?

The answer has to be to check over the setup.

My honest answer is that I didn’t measure the neck relief prior to the string change so it’s hard to put a figure on it but I can say that there wasn’t any string buzz at all with the old strings.

What’s confusing me is that I thought that fatter strings would have exerted more tension on the neck thus exaggerating the relief.

I only upped the gauge because they were the only new set I had knocking around, I’ll see if this is still a problem when a replacement set comes today of the originals.

 

[Woodinblack]

35 minutes ago, only4 said:

Thanks for this, did you manage to sort yours out?

I did in the end, my string wasn't pulled down hard enough over the nut.

[TheGreek]

Question rather than an answer - wouldn't adjusting the truss rod solve the problem?

[only4]

1 minute ago, TheGreek said:

Question rather than an answer - wouldn't adjusting the truss rod solve the problem?

Yes, in theory more relief would solve this problem but then the neck will be quite concave leading to higher action in the middle.

Amazon delivery of new strings has just arrived so will put them on and see if the problem goes away.

[only4]

New strings of original gauge fitted and problem resolved. Maybe string tensions were the problem between different manufacturers even though I assumed bigger gauge equals more tension?

[Acebassmusic]

Sometimes it can be a problem with the WIDTH of the nut slot. If the original gauge were a snug fit and then you fit thicker strings they wouldn't sit far enough down into the nut and could cause some buzz (it would tend to be only on open strings though)

[dannybuoy]

A low nut should only affect the open string. Once you fret the note at frets 1-3, all that matters is the height and condition of the fret you're fretting and the all the frets further up, shape/relief of the neck and bridge setup.

[Woodinblack]

A low nut shouldn't affect an open string on a zero fret bass