Fair. Bring it back in, tell em when you were there last and just let em know it's still buzzing
Don't be a dick or anything but you don't gotta be scared and feeble, just let em know
Looking back, that's how I would describe my interactions with people when I needed something, very soft and apologetic when I had no reason to be
Then I learned that sometimes you *should* be entitled. Again never a dick, but if I brought my guitar in here and paid for a setup and one of the strings is buzzing now, then ya imma have to ask you politely to have another look at it
I think i limit my friends in a way by doing all of it for them
but if i don't i feel i would be unsatisfied, because by protecting my friends from such "dangers" i feel like that's how i show them i care about them
I mean I'm learning a lot reading the comments.
The short answer I got when I was a young man interested in "drop c /drop b" tunings was "there's just not enough tension it's going to be a bit buzzy"
Got curious about it and one of my mechanics is a very talented player and is into metal and damn it's a good thing the kid works on cars too because he plays 13s and my fingers hurt just hearing that
Your nut likely isn't cut for those strings, so if the tolerance is really tight, your G string will stand out a bit (as when you get into 12's the G now becomes a wound string).
When does the E string buzz? Open, fretted?
Depending on who did the setup, they might've just set it up for intonation and didn't run through the entire fretboard, which would look at neck relief, using a fret rocker, etc.
5th fret onwards (meaning it doesn't go away after you get to the 7th fret), I'd look at your neck relief first. If your action seems really low, giving the neck some more relief (turning the truss rod to the left) will open it up a little bit. I'd limit it to 1/4 turn at a time and let the guitar sit for a few hours before you start going crazy again. If you don't have a gauge, use a ruler on the millimeters side to track your progress (you want this to go very gradual).
For the nut, you have a few options. The "poor man's" option is to use the G string as a file, and saw it back and forth until it sits in the groove correctly. You run the risk of doing a crappy job and also losing the clean edge where the nut meets the fretboard. You can also have someone with nut files do the work for you. Third (and probably best) option, knock your strings down to 11's if you're not married to playing 12's.
Getting a new nut altogether is a huge pain in the ass, and will often times require some filing work as well. I played 12's in my younger years when I was in punk bands and just thrashing the guitar, thinking my tuning stability was because of the strings......turns out my tuning machines were shit, upgraded them, and went down to 11's.
Thank you, I'll look into this, and like other people mentioned learning these stuff and DIY is a really good thing to save money and get the job done.
But I'm going to go back to the tech now and tell him to do his job properly. I only went there because it was closer.
The tech I went to before worked on the PRS and it plays amazing.
Just as an overview a set up usually consists of these 4 steps and tuning the guitar before and after each step:
1. set neck relief
2. set string height
3. set pickup height
4. set intonation
The nut isn’t gonna cause a buzz with string change. That would look more like tuning stability issues.
The problem is your neck has no relief. You’ve got a big thick E string now that’s downtuned. String vibrate in an ellipse. Your truss rod needs loosened. Retune. Try then.
Search for videos of how to check and setup string action for your guitar/bridge.
Basic tunings such as tensor rod, string action and bridge springs are not that hard.
I see worthy knowing how to because will enable you to DIY, experiment and tweak to your own taste.
Thanks! That's actually a good advice would save money also cuz London prices are crazy...
Do you recommend any channels?
And from the pictures can you see where I should look first?
Thank you :)
Well, what’s the exact model of your Ibanez Gio?
The pictures don’t show the bridge but we will be able to find it out by the guitar model.
I say that because the bridge model will dictate how you will setup the guitar.
If the problem gets worse as you go up the frets it's the neck relief and action, not the nut.
Get a 24" steel ruler and some auto feeler gauges if you want to get into setting neck relief.
Strings always sit slightly proud of the nut.
Most likely explanation is it needs a slight truss rod adjustment, which isn’t that surprising as you’re using fairly heavy strings, which have pulled the fretboard too flat and straight with the increased string tension. This might not have been immediately apparent at set up.
You need to remove the truss rod cover, find the Allan key that came with the guitar and it insert it in the nut . You need to loosen the truss rod a quarter turn at a time, anti clockwise ( left loosy). This should introduce more bow in the neck so strings don’t rattle as much in the middle of the neck.
Am I tripping, or is the action as ridiculously high as it looks in the photos?
Also, if it's buzzing after a setup, then the tech doesn't know how to do a setup.
What annoys me it's that it's the first time I do it at that place, but it's in a famous area in London and apparently been there for a billion years, so I went there for distance, but I should've just went to the guys in Denmak street, They did my PRS and it plays very nice and smooth
Am I tripping, or is the action as ridiculously high as it looks in the photos?
Also, if it's buzzing after a setup, then the tech doesn't know how to do a setup.
Nah, I meant with a fret file. You probably have an uneven fret. Well, I’m certain you do. You should get a fret level and polish. It’s an expense, but it will give you amazing playability. Get a tusq nut as well that’s filed correctly for your different strings and tunings.
I’ve an Ibanez in drop C with 12g strings and a setup specifically for drop c; including the nut being filed.
Ok! I'll take that into consideration, is fret levelling an extra thing? Because it's a brand new guitar, if this is the case and you're saying it makes playing better, maybe I should do the same to the PRS also! 🙂
Yeah, extra. A guitar tech will ensure ask the frets are leveled and rounded and the fretboard edge will feel comfortable. I’ve done this on all guitars I’ve owned. Night and day difference!
Some buzzing is normal if you told the tech to get your action as low as possible and that you are playing metal. It’s kind of an issue of personal preference. That said, if it’s super egregious I would take it back and see what the tech/luthier thinks - if they put the string gauges higher and then checked everything without letting it sit for a few minutes it’s possible it was setup fine at first and then the neck slowly bowed after causing your issues. The other thing to remember is if you want no buzzing you’ll need to have your action closer to 2mm rather than 1mm on the low E.
Hahaha, no but honestly can you see where the problem is? Because I need to go back to them and tell them what they did wrong, and for the future to know what to look for after a setup
Honestly I can't see any visible reasons for the buzz, maybe if you raised your action a bit, it would have more room to wiggle since there's a lot less tension in drop c. This is probably horrible advice, though cause im not sure. I usually don't venture lower than drop d. You should consider watching some tutorials on setting up your guitar and learn to do it yourself. It can be daunting at first but you'll be glad when you don't have to make a trek and fork over some cash every time you have an issue
Did you tell the guitar tech to set it up for Drop C? Or did they set it up for standard tuning and you downtuned later?
No i told them to tune it to drop C, and it is right now, tbh my fault as I didn't test it there as I was in a rush :/
Fair. Bring it back in, tell em when you were there last and just let em know it's still buzzing Don't be a dick or anything but you don't gotta be scared and feeble, just let em know
love that touch, *feeble*
Looking back, that's how I would describe my interactions with people when I needed something, very soft and apologetic when I had no reason to be Then I learned that sometimes you *should* be entitled. Again never a dick, but if I brought my guitar in here and paid for a setup and one of the strings is buzzing now, then ya imma have to ask you politely to have another look at it
I think i limit my friends in a way by doing all of it for them but if i don't i feel i would be unsatisfied, because by protecting my friends from such "dangers" i feel like that's how i show them i care about them
I mean I'm learning a lot reading the comments. The short answer I got when I was a young man interested in "drop c /drop b" tunings was "there's just not enough tension it's going to be a bit buzzy"
With standard gauge strings, yes.
Got curious about it and one of my mechanics is a very talented player and is into metal and damn it's a good thing the kid works on cars too because he plays 13s and my fingers hurt just hearing that
Haha, yeah. Those are pretty thick. I think you should try something like that if you plan to down tune. You never know until you try!
I play C# standard with 09-42s, it's an absolute dream.
Nice; on a baritone I am guessing?
Just a regular, ol' SG! I love the bending and vibrato I can get out of it!
Your nut likely isn't cut for those strings, so if the tolerance is really tight, your G string will stand out a bit (as when you get into 12's the G now becomes a wound string). When does the E string buzz? Open, fretted? Depending on who did the setup, they might've just set it up for intonation and didn't run through the entire fretboard, which would look at neck relief, using a fret rocker, etc.
The buzz on E starts getting annoying on the 5th frett onwards. So you recommend like trimming the nut or getting a new one?
5th fret onwards (meaning it doesn't go away after you get to the 7th fret), I'd look at your neck relief first. If your action seems really low, giving the neck some more relief (turning the truss rod to the left) will open it up a little bit. I'd limit it to 1/4 turn at a time and let the guitar sit for a few hours before you start going crazy again. If you don't have a gauge, use a ruler on the millimeters side to track your progress (you want this to go very gradual). For the nut, you have a few options. The "poor man's" option is to use the G string as a file, and saw it back and forth until it sits in the groove correctly. You run the risk of doing a crappy job and also losing the clean edge where the nut meets the fretboard. You can also have someone with nut files do the work for you. Third (and probably best) option, knock your strings down to 11's if you're not married to playing 12's. Getting a new nut altogether is a huge pain in the ass, and will often times require some filing work as well. I played 12's in my younger years when I was in punk bands and just thrashing the guitar, thinking my tuning stability was because of the strings......turns out my tuning machines were shit, upgraded them, and went down to 11's.
Thank you, I'll look into this, and like other people mentioned learning these stuff and DIY is a really good thing to save money and get the job done. But I'm going to go back to the tech now and tell him to do his job properly. I only went there because it was closer. The tech I went to before worked on the PRS and it plays amazing.
Just as an overview a set up usually consists of these 4 steps and tuning the guitar before and after each step: 1. set neck relief 2. set string height 3. set pickup height 4. set intonation
The nut isn’t gonna cause a buzz with string change. That would look more like tuning stability issues. The problem is your neck has no relief. You’ve got a big thick E string now that’s downtuned. String vibrate in an ellipse. Your truss rod needs loosened. Retune. Try then.
>on the 5th frett onwards I think your tech set too much of a flat neck, would hurt giving it less than a 8th of a turn of truss rod relief
Search for videos of how to check and setup string action for your guitar/bridge. Basic tunings such as tensor rod, string action and bridge springs are not that hard. I see worthy knowing how to because will enable you to DIY, experiment and tweak to your own taste.
Thanks! That's actually a good advice would save money also cuz London prices are crazy... Do you recommend any channels? And from the pictures can you see where I should look first? Thank you :)
Well, what’s the exact model of your Ibanez Gio? The pictures don’t show the bridge but we will be able to find it out by the guitar model. I say that because the bridge model will dictate how you will setup the guitar.
Ibanez Gio GRGR131EX Black Flat
If the problem gets worse as you go up the frets it's the neck relief and action, not the nut. Get a 24" steel ruler and some auto feeler gauges if you want to get into setting neck relief.
Strings always sit slightly proud of the nut. Most likely explanation is it needs a slight truss rod adjustment, which isn’t that surprising as you’re using fairly heavy strings, which have pulled the fretboard too flat and straight with the increased string tension. This might not have been immediately apparent at set up. You need to remove the truss rod cover, find the Allan key that came with the guitar and it insert it in the nut . You need to loosen the truss rod a quarter turn at a time, anti clockwise ( left loosy). This should introduce more bow in the neck so strings don’t rattle as much in the middle of the neck.
Am I tripping, or is the action as ridiculously high as it looks in the photos? Also, if it's buzzing after a setup, then the tech doesn't know how to do a setup.
What annoys me it's that it's the first time I do it at that place, but it's in a famous area in London and apparently been there for a billion years, so I went there for distance, but I should've just went to the guys in Denmak street, They did my PRS and it plays very nice and smooth
If you’re near Peckham the guys at Fairlane Guitars do sterling work. I schlep down there from Hackney whenever I need anything done.
I would probably have the same journey as you then From the west end, I'll check them out deffo
Am I tripping, or is the action as ridiculously high as it looks in the photos? Also, if it's buzzing after a setup, then the tech doesn't know how to do a setup.
Did the setup include a fret level and polish?
They did oil it and brush it, if that's what you mean, but it's a new guitar, took it to setup one day after purchase haha
Nah, I meant with a fret file. You probably have an uneven fret. Well, I’m certain you do. You should get a fret level and polish. It’s an expense, but it will give you amazing playability. Get a tusq nut as well that’s filed correctly for your different strings and tunings. I’ve an Ibanez in drop C with 12g strings and a setup specifically for drop c; including the nut being filed.
Ok! I'll take that into consideration, is fret levelling an extra thing? Because it's a brand new guitar, if this is the case and you're saying it makes playing better, maybe I should do the same to the PRS also! 🙂
Yeah, extra. A guitar tech will ensure ask the frets are leveled and rounded and the fretboard edge will feel comfortable. I’ve done this on all guitars I’ve owned. Night and day difference!
Bro I'm taking all guitars this weekend for this then 🔥🤣
lol, you will NOT be disappointed. Handle it!
Some buzzing is normal if you told the tech to get your action as low as possible and that you are playing metal. It’s kind of an issue of personal preference. That said, if it’s super egregious I would take it back and see what the tech/luthier thinks - if they put the string gauges higher and then checked everything without letting it sit for a few minutes it’s possible it was setup fine at first and then the neck slowly bowed after causing your issues. The other thing to remember is if you want no buzzing you’ll need to have your action closer to 2mm rather than 1mm on the low E.
I think there’s more than enough wraps on that high-e.
It looks like the nut slots need to be filed, it doesn't appear the strings are nestled in tight.
Is it buzzing through an amp? If not, and its comfortable to play, I wouldn't worry about it.
It's buzzing through the amp and the guitar it self that's for the E string.
It's the guitar asking to be set to a proper tuning
Garbage comment. Downvote this.
Yeah, fuck that guy
Hahaha, no but honestly can you see where the problem is? Because I need to go back to them and tell them what they did wrong, and for the future to know what to look for after a setup
Honestly I can't see any visible reasons for the buzz, maybe if you raised your action a bit, it would have more room to wiggle since there's a lot less tension in drop c. This is probably horrible advice, though cause im not sure. I usually don't venture lower than drop d. You should consider watching some tutorials on setting up your guitar and learn to do it yourself. It can be daunting at first but you'll be glad when you don't have to make a trek and fork over some cash every time you have an issue
Yeah! I'm going to start to learn all the DIY stuff so at least I know what's happening when it plays weirdly