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Fret buzz


Rageofklugman
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I've got a minor issue with a Squier Bronco bass that I've been tinkering with and thought that the collective mind of BC was sure to offer helpful advice.

One of the mods I thought I'd try was to replace the neck screws with those bolts and inserts you can get. It's meant to improve the contact between the neck and the body and also means that the neck can be removed multiple times without damage. Anyway, that all went fine, but since I've re-attached the neck I've been getting really bad fret buzz when I hit the strings hard, something I don't remember being an issue before. 

I've raised the bridge saddles significantly and that's helped, but there's still more buzz than I remember. Interestingly, there's almost no buzz on the frets by the nut, but it gets worse on the higher frets as you work back towards the bridge. I'm guessing that the bolts have subtly changed the angle of the neck and that perhaps the neck relief needs tweaking? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

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It definitely sounds like you've now angled the neck back slightly, causing the heel end to be slightly higher in relation to a straight line between the nut and the bridge.

Are the new inserts in the neck definitely flush or below the surface of the neck? If they are then the neck angle shouldn't have changed. Make sure the inserts are ever so slightly below the surface of the neck and refit the neck but maybe try doing all four bolts up 'til they're nearly done, but then fully tighten the two nearest the bridge first and then the other two. This might just pull the heel end down slightly more. 

The only other thing could be if there was any kind of shim in the neck pocket, even if it was just a tiny piece that has fallen out. Although a shim is usually to fix the opposite of your problem so unlikely. 

 

 

Edited by Maude
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Just now, Rageofklugman said:

Thanks Maude, that's really helpful. I'll take the neck off to have a look at how the inserts are sitting. Pretty sure there wasn't a shim in the neck pocket - if there was it must have been very small and would be lost forever on my storeroom floor!

Yeah the shim thing wouldn't make much sense anyway as it would've had to have been a shim at the nut end of the neck pocket to lift the headstock up. Most shims are either full pocket to keep the angle the same but lift the entire neck towards to strings, or just a small shim at the bridge end of the pocket to tip the neck backwards to lower the strings. 

Hope you get it sorted. 🙂👍

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Right, I've taken the neck off and one of the inserts at the heel end is sticking out slightly. Tried to tighten it, but the hex key won't grip it properly - the insert seems to have lost its shape slightly so I can't get any thing to grip it. Perhaps putting a shim at the other end of the neck pocket would help to tip the neck back into the correct alignment.

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23 minutes ago, Rageofklugman said:

... it's only sticking up a about a millimetre or so...

A millimetre or so deviation at that spot would make one heck of a difference to the neck angle, as far as the string is concerned. Probably visible to an experienced eye, and quite certainly a contributing factor in your 'buzzing' issues. It needs sorting, especially as the whole idea of the exercise was to get a better neck/body join..! B|

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A tiny amount will make a huge difference. Imagine the neck pivoting on the outer end of the neck pocket, now lift the heel end of the neck even half a mil and think how far the headstock end will move. 

You definitely need to get those inserts flush or ever so slightly sunk into the neck. You can run the side of a bank card across the neck to check that they don't protrude. Don't try to counter the problem by adding a shim somewhere else, you'll just be chasing the problem around in circles. 

The phrase, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it', springs to mind here, but that's no help I realise. Also it's good to learn about these things and you don't learn without making a few mistakes, I applaud anyone who gets stuck in and has a crack. 

Get that rogue insert screwed in more or filed flush and I'm sure things will look better. 

🙂👍

 

Edited by Maude
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Another tip to get good contact in the neck pocket is to slightly loosen the neck screws when strung up to tension. The string tension will pull the neck tightly into the body, then jus tighten the screws again and retune.

Needless to say, you don't need to loosen the neck screws very much at all!

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Update: Pleased to report that filing down that insert so it was flush with the base of the neck heel seems to have done the trick, so thanks for the advice. Another good thing to come out of this is that I discovered that I own a file. I can't for the life of me think why I would ever have bought one,, but there we are.

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