Intense fret buzz

[garnfeld]

Hello!

I'm a beginner when it comes to playing the bass - I got an Ibanez TMB30 about 2 months ago as my first bass, and have had no problems except for INTENSE fret buzzing on the D string on the 1st,2nd and 3rd frets: the 1st is the worse of them all, it barely even makes a sound except for the horrible buzz.

I've attached a video to show what the buzzing sounds like.

How would I go about fixing this problem? Like I said, i'm new to the bass scene and have little to no knowledge on maintenance, unfortunately.

Any help is appreciated!!

Thanks  

[Aidan63]

check the string heights of all the strings (plenty of bass set up videos on YouTube), if the D string is lower than the rest then adjust the bridge saddle to raise the string height till it is the same height above the 17th fret (or 12th fret, just be consistent) as the other strings

[Reggaebass]

Hi and welcome garnfield 👍, if you look down the fretboard from the headstock end, is it straight or does it have a slight back bow 🙂

[nilebodgers]

If you really don’t have the tools and knowledge to fix it then you need to get someone to help. I know that is tricky at the moment, but you might get an experienced basschatter near you to pick the bass up (suitably distanced) and do a quick set-up. It probably just needs the neck relief adjusting (via a truss rod tweak) and the bridge saddle height setting to something sensible.

If you want to learn how to do it yourself there is a good series of bass setup videos on the elixir strings YouTube channel. It will mean buying some basic tools though.

[Bigguy2017]

1. Look along the neck - compare it to the super straight string. Is it straight or a little bowed. Ideally you want a tiny bit of forward bow (relief).

2. String height - a good starting point is to slide a 10p piece under the strings, on top of the 12th fret - it should just catch on the string... Adjust bridge saddles to suit.

3. Now have a look at the bridge saddles - are they fully down on the plate or way high with the screws maxed out? Ideal is about half way through their adjustment range. If way out the neck angle is wrong.

4. Nut height - this may be your problem. Fret each string at the 3rd fret and slide a strip of paper (standard copier paper) between 1st fret and string - it should just fit - more than a double thickness or less than the single paper is a problem.

5. Check for high/low frets - a straight edge or fret rocker is needed here.

 

To fix 1 requires a truss rod adjustment - with the correct size tool, a newish instrument (and some common sense) this can be attempted - should only take a quarter/half turn. Otherwise requires a visit to a bass tech...

To fix 3 requires a shim in the neck pocket.

To fix 4 & 5 requires a visit to a bass tech and either a replacement nut or some filing.

 

Edited February 10, 2021 by Bigguy2017

[Bobo_08]

Had the same issue on my own bass recently... also a beginner here. Not enough relief in the neck and strings a bit too low. if you wish do do yourself you will need some tools. As the guys said you would benefit from a setup, depending where you are one of the members he may help you otherwise find local shop to do a set up, cost wise should be around 30 quid, assuming you don't require a set of strings. 

 

Get it done asap, leaving it like this makes it awful to play and will only leave you feeling frustrated and demotivated. 

[PlungerModerno]

A bass neck is not too complicated, but it is a bit tricky to figure out exactly what's wrong when there are a few things interacting:

1. The flatness of the neck (bow/relief, not the radius of the fretboard):

2. The nut height.

3. Saddle height.

 

In my experience the most common cause of fret buzz is 1, the neck wood shifting with the seasons. A truss rod tweak usually fixes this.

Next most common is 3, usually caused by a slipping saddle screw. An oldschool fix is a drop of weak glue or varnish or nail polish on the thread to keep it slipping. Usually works for ages, and unlike superglue or epoxy, doesn't need a welding torch or strong solvent to remove it when you want to make an adjustment lol.

2. May be caused by a bad fit, e.g. switching gauges of strings (usually going from 40 - 100's to 55 - 120's or another big change), or just a nut wearing out after a lot of use.

I'd say follow the steps from @Bigguy2017 above. To check the neck for a modest amount of relief have a gander at How to check neck relief on a bass guitar for an idea of how to do it with tools, replace the feeler gauge with a piece of printer paper folded over a couple of times flat (4 thicknesses) and you should be good! a capo really helps here, but an extra pair of hands will work.

 

EDIT: Welcome.

Edited February 10, 2021 by PlungerModerno

[garnfeld]

Hello all!

It has been about a week since I posted - thank you all for your contributions, they were incredibly helpful and i'm awfully grateful! 

After playing around with what could be various different  causes for my problem, I found that the bridge saddles were the cause of the fret buzzing (like how many of you suggested) - after adjusting this, they were fine.

Once again, thanks so much!!

[Bobo_08]

1 hour ago, garnfeld said:

Hello all!

It has been about a week since I posted - thank you all for your contributions, they were incredibly helpful and i'm awfully grateful! 

After playing around with what could be various different  causes for my problem, I found that the bridge saddles were the cause of the fret buzzing (like how many of you suggested) - after adjusting this, they were fine.

Once again, thanks so much!!

Nice work! Fairplay to you for having a go and solving this issue yourself, It's deffo worth getting a couple of tools going forward, string height gauge and a set of feeler gauges are super useful like this you can measure and even write down you preferred settings so you can replicate the setup in the future. 👍

Edited February 15, 2021 by Bobo_08