G string fret buzz at 22nd fret...

[bradland]

What's up guys, just lookin' for a little insight, experience, and or wisdom here.
I have a 2006 Gibson Explorer ('76 Re issue) that has recently developed an annoying g string buzz around the higher frets. I live in dry ass Arizona where keeping guitars properly hydrated is a continuous battle. I checked the basics first, neck relief and string height. Adjusted the truss rod slightly and after a few days the buzz still exists. Some further investigation with feeler guages leads me to believe its the 22nd fret specifically. Currently the guitar is in the case with two homemade humidifiers at approx 48%. My fear is the fretboard has raised slightly at that end where it meets the body. Am I thinking at all corectly here? Has anyone else experienced this? I want to give it a couple weeks to see what the 2 humidifiers can do. If that doesn't help maybe have some work done on that last fret? Thanks in advance for any help....

[zeppelin101]

Pics would be nice I guess. Anyway take it to a Luthier and see what they say

[bradland]

As you know we are talking about some pretty exact tolerances here. I'm not sure if a camera can capture adequately. I'll try though, thanks for the quick response.

[bradland]

A couple pics

[H.E.L.Shane]

A few points

your neck pickup is pretty high, the magnets can actually pull on the string and affect tone if they are too close..

the truss rod really doesn't move the neck that high on the board. It has more of an effect after the neck neck joint and heel. Just like air or water, the rod is going to take the path of least resistance and move the neck where its thinner.

to get a perfect, low action, the bridge will have to be adjusted when the rod is adjusted... its a matter of geometry and vibration arc of the string..

Very simply, you might have had a fret crawl up, its not a bing thing really, a competent guitar tech should be able to tap it in and if necessary, spot level the last few frets and hav e the guitar playing buzzless in less than half an hour. (assuming thats the only problem)

[dspelman]

Originally Posted by H.E.L.Shane

A few points

your neck pickup is pretty high, the magnets can actually pull on the string and affect tone if they are too close..

Or you may be contacting a pole piece.

If you have a good 18" metal straight edge, or even a decent 4" one, you should be able to see if you've got a high fret at 22. Easy Squeezy to dress that puppy, especially since it won't affect any other action issues down the line. If you put that straight edge on the 15th - 22nd fret, you shouldn't really see any air at all between the edge and any of those frets. If you do, you've got a high fret.

As mentioned, the truss rod won't affect that area of your guitar, and it's only for producing a certain amount of relief (you can quickly measure that at the 7th fret by holding down the string at the first and 22nd frets. If you can slip a *new* playing card under the string at the 7th fret without lifting the string, you generally have just enough. If the card is *loose* under there, you probably have too much relief.

[bradland]

Thanks guys! I realize adjusting the truss rod isn't doing a thing for that last (22nnd) fret. Checking the relief and adjusting the bridge accordingly were my first steps in narrowing down the source of the buzz. It was only after all that when I figured it had to be number 22. It seems much better now but I am going to purchase a quality straight edge this weekend.

Greatly appreciated!!

[MorePau1]

Originally Posted by bradland

What's up guys, just lookin' for a little insight, experience, and or wisdom here.
I have a 2006 Gibson Explorer ('76 Re issue) that has recently developed an annoying g string buzz around the higher frets. I live in dry ass Arizona where keeping guitars properly hydrated is a continuous battle. I checked the basics first, neck relief and string height. Adjusted the truss rod slightly and after a few days the buzz still exists. Some further investigation with feeler guages leads me to believe its the 22nd fret specifically. Currently the guitar is in the case with two homemade humidifiers at approx 48%. My fear is the fretboard has raised slightly at that end where it meets the body. Am I thinking at all corectly here? Has anyone else experienced this? I want to give it a couple weeks to see what the 2 humidifiers can do. If that doesn't help maybe have some work done on that last fret? Thanks in advance for any help....

Sounds like you have floating frets, its and easy fix... Take a wooden mallet, and hammer lightly at the spot where you have the buzz. If that doesn't work, you need fret crowning. Or, just raise your action a touch.

EDIT: woops, forgot to read...