Bongo action, strings, and fret buzz

[Psychicpet]

I personally don't like getting set-up, the last time my "buddies" did that to me I got 10-15 with no chance for parole!

 

[skabassist13]

btw...I take it these are super slinkies?

i think so.

 

[jongitarz]

i think so.

Indeed they are

 

[c0d3h4x0r]

For my Bongo 4, action at the 12th fret:
E, D, & G: 3.5/32"
A: 3/32"

... with Ernie Ball Super Slinkies, 40-100, at standard tuning.

I was never able to get the action much lower than 5/32" on my Bongo-5's B, E, or A strings without considerable fret buzz all up and down the neck, regardless of the amount of relief I placed in the neck. This was definitely not a case of one particular fret sitting higher than the others; the buzz was not isolated to a single fret or spot on the neck.

But last night I was able to get the action down to 3.5/32" or less by adding additional shim to the neck, to rock the neck back a bit. The only other change I made was to raise the saddles -- I left neck relief alone, and am using the same strings at the same tuning.

When I took the neck off, there was one small plastic strip (a shim) near the bottom of the neck inset. I cut two additional pieces of slim cardboard (like index card) and stacked them with the original plastic strip, and reassembled. I have to have the saddles raised almost to max now, but I get no buzz with the action on the B and E strings set to 3.5/32".

Thinking about the physics of the change I made, the additional angle on the neck (angling it backward by adding more shim) plus raising the saddles should have had no net effect, but clearly it did. Can anyone out there explain why this helped?

 

[Moondog]

i've heard of a guy in toms river, nj who does a fret job for 25 bucks...but i dont know if thats true or not and it probably only matters to about 3 people here

DirtyMooch - any specific info on this guy would be appreciated. I'm 1/2 hour from Toms River & have been looking for a good "fret" guy. Don't want a cheap job, just a good job. Thanks.

 

[midopa]

Correction on my measurements:
E, D, & A are at 3.5/32". The G is the one at 3/32".

Sorry, codehaxor, I don't know why that happened and I believe the guy who'd know is staying away from this thread.

 

[TheDirtyMoocher]

if you can wait like a week i'll ask my bass teacher, i know he's pretty good friends with the guy...i think he's a pretty good all around guitar/bass guy because my bass teacher (ryan thompson if you're interested) traded him like a year of free lessons to help him build a 6 string picolo bass which looks really good...but yeah i'll ask him next week

 

[tylerwylie]

I just got in a Bongo 6 HH, still setup like stock and I only get noticeable fret buzz / rattle sounds on my B string on the 5th (sometimes) and 6th fret. Is there any way to fix this without raising the action? Maybe one of the frets will have to be filed down?

Thanks in advance.

 

[cellkirk74]

I just got in a Bongo 6 HH, still setup like stock and I only get noticeable fret buzz / rattle sounds on my B string on the 5th (sometimes) and 6th fret. Is there any way to fix this without raising the action? Maybe one of the frets will have to be filed down?

Thanks in advance.

I would raise the b string at the bridge a bit if the restis fine...

 

[Powman]

This thread gives me a headache...but I have one comment.

There is no perfect setup IMHO. What works for one person does not work for someone else. I use a lighter touch when when I play my basses. Hence I can get away with a lower action. Someone else who digs in deeper might get fret buzz.

 

[maddog]

I just got in a Bongo 6 HH, still setup like stock and I only get noticeable fret buzz / rattle sounds on my B string on the 5th (sometimes) and 6th fret. Is there any way to fix this without raising the action? Maybe one of the frets will have to be filed down?

Thanks in advance.

since you say you just got it in and the buzz is around the 5th and 6th fret, I'd try adjusting the relief before messing with the saddles. The neck may have shifted in transit. The FAQ lists how the string-to-fret heights should be measuring.

 

[MrMusashi]

i would contact eb customer service about this matter.

i keep hearing good things about them

MrM

 

[hachikid]

I was never able to get the action much lower than 5/32" on my Bongo-5's B, E, or A strings without considerable fret buzz all up and down the neck, regardless of the amount of relief I placed in the neck. This was definitely not a case of one particular fret sitting higher than the others; the buzz was not isolated to a single fret or spot on the neck.

But last night I was able to get the action down to 3.5/32" or less by adding additional shim to the neck, to rock the neck back a bit. The only other change I made was to raise the saddles -- I left neck relief alone, and am using the same strings at the same tuning.

When I took the neck off, there was one small plastic strip (a shim) near the bottom of the neck inset. I cut two additional pieces of slim cardboard (like index card) and stacked them with the original plastic strip, and reassembled. I have to have the saddles raised almost to max now, but I get no buzz with the action on the B and E strings set to 3.5/32".

Thinking about the physics of the change I made, the additional angle on the neck (angling it backward by adding more shim) plus raising the saddles should have had no net effect, but clearly it did. Can anyone out there explain why this helped?

I know this is gravedigging to the max right now, but I gotta say that thanks to this post my BFR Bongo 5 plays like an absolute dream now. My action is sitting between 4-5/64th's across all the strings with absolutely no buzz. I could actually go around 3/64ths across all strings and have minimal buzzing that isn't audible through the amp, but I preferred the feel of having the strings just a little higher.

For reference, the shim I used was a around 1.3mm's. I'm going to buy a 1 degree tapered shim from StewMac after I figure out what my other basses need so I can save on shipping, and install it and be done with buzz forever.

 

[danny-79]

I know this is gravedigging to the max right now, but I gotta say that thanks to this post my BFR Bongo 5 plays like an absolute dream now. My action is sitting between 4-5/64th's across all the strings with absolutely no buzz. I could actually go around 3/64ths across all strings and have minimal buzzing that isn't audible through the amp, but I preferred the feel of having the strings just a little higher.

For reference, the shim I used was a around 1.3mm's. I'm going to buy a 1 degree tapered shim from StewMac after I figure out what my other basses need so I can save on shipping, and install it and be done with buzz forever.

Reading old threads saves starting new ones!
Never tried the tapered shims, bit unnecessary for a minor adjustment is my trail of thought

 

[five7]

I like using shims but I do like low action. The ones from EB are the best, holes are cut and 3 sizes of thickness.

 

[Creech]

I was getting some fret buzz, my truss rod is pretty much maxed out, and the action is still high. So, thanks to this thread, I went to get some shims.

This proved to be difficult. Even the distributor tried to talk me out of it, referring me to their approved luthier. The luthier, in turn, wouldn't supply any, but would install one at substantial cost. Even if he did, I wasn't prepared to do a 3 hour round trip, so I went to a music shop recommended by the distributor. They tried to get me to order through Stewmac. Come on. The shop assistant had to email his boss to contact the distributor to add the shim codes to their inventory so the shop could bring it up on their computer to order them. It took a week for that to happen, so I go in tomorrow to pay for them before they'll put in the order. It could, and I expect it will, take over a month before they arrive. I thought it'd be easy, and I'd get a quality shim with pre drilled holes. In the meantime I'm going to slice one out of a block of wood. No wonder people suggest cardboard and credit card to do the job.

 

[strummer]

I was getting some fret buzz, my truss rod is pretty much maxed out, and the action is still high. So, thanks to this thread, I went to get some shims.

I use nylon guitar picks, making two shims take a couple minutes
I am a bit worried about your statement that the truss rod is maxed out? Do you mean you can't turn the wheel any more and your fretboard still is too concave? If that's the case, I expect shims wont do much good.