My Strat and Teles all have buzz on the G String

[Commodore 64]

I'm trying to ascertain what is normal for my Teles and Strat. My two teles , a '94 MiM Squier Series and a 2008 MiM, as well as my Strat, a '94 Squier Series, all have a bit of buzz on the G string.


FB Radius on all 3 guitars is 9.5"
This buzz is audible through the amplifier.
I've lowered the pickups, and the buzz still occurs.
It definitely is exacerbated by pick attack.
It is most audible when playing clean.
I have about a credit card's relief in each neck, but adding further relief doesn't help.
I've leveled the frets on the strat, and the buzz is still there.
If I press on the string behind the bridge on the teles, the buzz is still there.
Guy at my local music store said it's really minor and is common on strats/teles and not to worry about it.
It bugs the hell out of me, especially since my Samick LP and SX tele don't do it...(12-inch FB radius on both).


So any opinions? Is this just something I'm stuck with? Should I try to add a little fall away on the upper frets with my sanding beam?

[Tone2TheBone]

Stick a little piece of paper under the string at the nut. Or swap out the nut with a new Tusq. Just tossing ideas....

[Commodore 64]

Will try this for sure. FWIW, the Strat has a micarta nut that I cut myself, the other 2 are stock.

[Tone2TheBone]

Oh forgot to ask....what size strings are on those guitars? A lighter gauge string will vibrate a lot more on a nut and the fret board and cause an easy buzz. I put 10s on my Fenders and I don't get any string buzz at all but then again my action is not "Les Paul low" on those guitars. To me that is the nature of Strats and Teles they tend to have and require a higher action. Might be the gauge of your strings? If not then slightly raise the bridge by small increments on the G string to see if that gets rid of it. Could be a warped neck too I had that problem with a Muddy Tele I once owned.

[Commodore 64]

I don't mind a little height on my action. Now that you mention it, on my 2008 MiM, I swear I didn't hear much rattle, but then I put 9s on it. Maybe I'll got back to 10s.

[markb]

It's most likely a low nut slot. A new nut is the fix here. If you're changing gauges, check the relief. Too little relief will cause a fret buzz around middle of the unsupported portion of the neck, approx the 8th or 9th fret.

[deeaa]

Isn't it desirable to have your guitar playing cause buzz in G-strings? :-)

[Duffy]

What brand of strings are you using?

I have had some buzzing go completely away when I switched to Ernie Ball Super Slinky's and Slinky's, no affln.

I like to use DR "Pure Blues" on some of my brighter guitars to tone them down with a real nice full tone, knocking the edge off some of the brightness, but not silky smooth sounding like flatwound Chromes or other flatwounds.

You might want to try a set of flatwounds on one of your guitars to see if you like them. They sound cool. I think I have one set still, on one guitar. They definitely are not bright and could eliminate some buzzing, very possibly; and if you like the smooth tone you could solve your problem potentially that way.

Also, how many of these guitars have "vintage" style tuners? I have noticed a definite buzz present on some guitars with vintage tuners because there seems to be play in the post and grommet because they do not bolt down like the tuners with the tightening nut on the top of the headstock. I usually try to stay away from vintage tuners, although some vintage tuners are very good. My CV's have vintage tuners and they work well. I like locking tuners the best.

Your strings or tuners could be causing buzzing. Flatwounds, if acceptable to you, might be worth trying on one guitar just to see if you like them. I doubt if they will buzz. Go with the lightest gauge flatwound you can find and they also have the benefit of lasting a VERY long time before replacement. The Chromes are widely available and Fender makes some highly available flatwounds. Other companies seem to make better toned ones.

The flatwounds are just an idea. I know it is out of the question for a lot of players because it knocks the brightness off the ends of the wavelengths.

Hold down on the tuner and strike a note - does the buzz go away. You have to clamp it down tight with your hand. This was a surprise to me. Also make sure that the feet on your saddles are sitting equally square to the bridge plate. Unevenly screwed down saddle screws can cause a loose condition that will buzz.

A twisted neck would be a serious problem but I doubt a significant fraction of your guitars have twisted necks.

Do you change your strings one at a time when you change them? I find this to be a good idea for minimizing buzz after a string change. Taking them all off at once can allow the neck freedom to do a few different things.

You could have a sympathetic buzz somewhere other than on the string itself, as in the vintage tuners or loose nuts on modern tuners. You won't be able to tell if the tuner nut is loose until you loosen all tension off of the post that is placed on it by the string. This problem is probably very common and undetected on a lot of guitars.

Is it a torn speaker cone in your amp that sympathetically buzzes. Does the buzz exist when the guitar is not amplified?

Just some ideas. I know a lot of them may not seem like likely sources of buzz, but I have seen it happen and I am not fond of buzzing. Some players actually "like" to have some buzz in their guitar, extra low action, etc. They like that raggedy sound.

Hope at least one of these ideas is something of use to you.

[Duffy]

You are bad, Dee; VERY bad. Ha ha ha ha. I like that one.