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I recently finished assembling and stringing up an SJ-200. Some relevent details below... and I'm having a frustrating problem. The A string is buzzing on the first 5-6 frets when picked medium to hard. Open is fine, and the Low-E and D strings won't buzz no matter how hard I hit them.

I've tried making a new saddlewith more arc, double and triple checking the frets, and verifying the action is "normal". Nothing helps. I have also tried exaggerating the neck relief and a higher saddle.

Any suggestions would be welcome!


Details on the build: scale 25.312", Adi top, Eastern Rosewood back and sides, EVO frets, bone nut and saddle, action .017-.025 at the first fret and around .1+ at the 12th. The body has a LOT of resonance. Radius is 16" at the first, 20" at the 20th and the saddle is just a hair over 20".

Thanks in advance for your help.

Changed the string yet?

+1


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Yeah, that’s a fair point. This is the third set I’ve had on, but, the first set of this specific combination of brand and gauge.

I’ll replace it with the same thing today and report back.

Thanks!

Often times fret buzz isn't fret buzz.... 70% of the time it's something else buzzing. But it could be a loose fret (#5-7 would be my guess).

I'll assume you have checked these same notes on the E string at frets 5-12 and did not get the any similar but fainter buzz.

Other things to check that are usual suspects; tuners and especially bushings, String balls at pins/plate, any electronics wires etc that could vibrate.

Could be a lot of stuff, I had a buzz from a loose paper label in a guitar that drove me nuts hunting for 2 hours until I found it.

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Brian

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Thanks Brian. When I was setting it up I did have some issues with the nut and saddle as I was shaping them, but that sounds much different to my ear. The good news is that I haven't installed the pickup yet, so one less variable. After the new strings, I'm going to try and post a video of me plucking the E, A and D. I'm hoping that will help. Seems a recording is worth a thousand words when it comes to instruments!

Ok guys... Put a brand new A string on and it's nearly the same. Maybe a little bit better, but that's seconds after putting it on. I bet once it stretches a little we will be just about where we were.

I'll try to get a video or recording tonight.

Have you checked your fret plane to be sure that it's level? What you are describing sounds like one possibility is an unlevel fret plane (high frets) and/or a bit of back bow in the first five frets. This time of year you should be humidifying your shop in so much as dryness will throw a neck into back bow at times, drop the top dome and cause the action to be too low.

I wish I could see your guitar. We diagnose correctly the cause of fret buzz in only seconds over and over again all day long in our shop simply by sighting the neck and playing strings open and fretted.

Check your fret plane. If you don't have one of those awful fret rockers check them out at Stew Mac and make one with anything that you can mill perfectly flat in various lengths to span three frets no matter where they are.

Thanks Hesh. I used a fret rocker all the way up the neck and everything is true. There is a slight neck relief that's just visible as you look down the fretboard from the nut.

If I run an 18" straight edge up the neck (starting with it resting against the saddle) it will click on every fret as it slides toward the nut, which tells me the neck relief is realistic, and confirms what the fret rocker was telling me.

Thanks Terrence: Let's check something else too please.

Please measure the hight of the A string from the top of the crown of the 12th fret to the bottom of the A string and let me know what you see? It should be around 5/64th" and not much lower or that can cause buzzing.

This begs another check and that is the saddle to be sure that the saddle radius is a match for the fret board.

Since the buzz doesn't happen open it's not likely the A string nut slot. Let's check the saddle crown where the A string passes over it. Maybe take a pencil and with the string removed from the bridge rub it (the pencil) on the saddle crown and observe the black mark. If it's wide like there is not much of a crown that can cause a buzz or sitar sound too. Solution is to use files and refine the saddle crown(s) if this was the issue.

Hesh, I will check those two things before I take the strings off this afternoon. It's possible the saddle is a little too flat (radius-wise, not crown-wise, and I do like low action... so it could be just the right combination of the two. As far as the string contact, I looked pretty closely at that with magnifiers when I filed the ramp on the back for each string. However, the saddle will be off for the finishing, so I'll have plenty of time to take a second look.

Unfortunately, I have to start finishing tonight so I won't be able to mess with it much more for a couple weeks.

Thanks everyone for your input. After the finish is cured and buffed we'll see where it's at with final setup and adjustments.

Did you check for loose frets? Easy way to do that is to tap on them (lightly) with the fret rocker. I tap each fret on the bass side then middle then treble side. The sound of a loose fret is really obvious.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"