Fret buzzing

David Lawrence

Guys I know you see this all the time but my Dell Arte is buzzing really bad on the high e and b strings mostly between the 10th and 14th frets. My action is 4mm!! I don't understand the combination of relatively high action and fret buzz. I am pretty on top of my room humidity and it has been level at 44%. Normally I would just take this into a luthier, we have some great ones in Denver, but I have a gig in Crestone this Saturday. Is this a fretboard relief issue that can fixed with truss rod adjustments. If so what way do I turn it? PLease help!
I have a back-up guitar for my gig, but I was hoping to take this one.

Thanks a lot guys!

Jazzaferri

If you sight down the neck the answer is there.

If you action is truly 4mm either something is very wrong with your guitar or the buzzing is not a fret buzz

David Lawrence

Amendment: the action is 3.5mm. It feels like fret buzz because the the more i dig in, the louder the buzz

wim

It is possible for this to happen even with high action if a fret is higher than the previous one. You can check this by using a short and straight ruler - ideally it should lie flat across any group of 3 frets. If it "seesaws" on a fret somewhere in the problem area, then you have a high fret there and you may want to ask a luthier for a fret dressing.

Another thing to check: sight down the neck and make sure there is not a "hump" where the neck joins the body, a lot of selmer copies get this dreaded hump at around the 14th fret.

richter4208

Is this a new problem? Has the action changed suddenly or is this a problem that the guitar has always had? Are you traveling with the guitar right now?

juanderer

If there is a hump like @Wim Glenn suggests; invest in a humidifier if you don't have one already (you are best off getting one even if there is no hump!).

David Lawrence

You guys are awesome. I have not been traveling with the guitar but I have noticed the action climbing for the last week. I think the season changing is get the air a little drier. I am still not sure why a drier guitar and higher action would contribute to the fret buzz, but either way I doubled down on my humidity overnight and the buzz is already noticeably better. I will check for the "hump" later tonight, but I definitely think the guitar is due for a set up and fret dressing.

nomadgtr

Hey David,
FWIW I've noticed some fret buzzing since the holiday weekend that seemed to coincide with a big drop in the relative humidity that occurred here in CO as the weather cleared up. I'm down to 10-12% humidity outside here during the day right now where we had been up in the 30-40% range previously. Just a guess but I think that's the problem you're experiencing.

Jazzaferri

Have you looked down the neck yet? If so what do you see

David Lawrence

So, I looked down the neck and for the life of me I can't see any humps or problems. The noise is also very rattly. I tapped on the top of the guitar and starting hearing a weird noise. I think there is a loose brace. The one by the sound hole. Looks like you where right @jazzaferri. Something is more seriously wrong with my guitar.

jonpowl

Weird noise could also be a loose truss rod.