Help! i suck at setting up guitars

[Soundgarden1009]

i have a Music Man Axis with floyd rose. i was getting a ton of buzz on the first fret low E string so i just bowed(i think thats the correct word as opposed to arch) the neck via truss rod which got rid of it for the most part. but now my action is just a bit high. awhile back i rose the actual floyd rose bridge up a bit while trying to achieve the perfect action and tune but now i have to change it up again. so my question is: 1. is there a good website dedicated to setting up music mans? 2. what are all the factors affected by adjusting the bridge(string height etc.) you think i can just lower the bridge a bit now that my action is too high but the truss rod adjustment got rid of the buzz? 3. i also noticed that the first four or so frets are sharp and it straightens out around the fifth. what could cause this?

 

[andynpeters]

Yes there is a good website....the Music Man website....try here Ernie Ball ® Music Man ® Guitar F.A.Q.
Personally my only advice is to do what I do any time I have a problem with anything in life.....call a proper man who knows what he's doing.....but stick around as there are lots of much more knowledgeable people on here

 

[spychocyco]

Sounds like you need to take it in for a good setup job.

I'm dealing with a similar issue. I developed a buzz on the low strings for about the first seven frets. (I live in Louisiana and humidity is killer, so it's just the changing seasons from hot to hell on earth.) A couple of turns on the wheel got the buzz out, but left the strings above the 12th fret uncomfortably high for me. Back up a turn, the high frets are better, but the buzz started coming back in. Time to take it to someone who knows what they're doing before I get it totally out of whack.

 

[Lou]

Don't use the truss rod for setting action. Yes, it will effect your action, but the bridge is where you need to compensate for action. Get your neck at the proper relief, then set your action at the bridge.

 

[Stevie]

Ensure that your Floyd is always flush to the body. Then check to see that your neck is relief is per standard set up (check EB FAQ for details).

I've had the buzzing to the sitar sound with my Axis. Here is a few thing i have had to do:

1. Make sure all bolts in the nut, saddle are tight, mine were not.
2. I had buzzing when from about the 12th fret upwards (high E), and right to the last fret, which meant it was the saddle. So i swapped the saddles around. Buzzing fixed.
3. Sitar sound came from the burr at the nut. I got a someone smarter than me to take the burr out. No more sitar sound now.
4. Fret dress. Again from someone smarter than me. This stopped the fretting out i was experiencing from fret 15 to 19 on high E.
5. Slight reduction in neck pocket shim thickness. This allowed greater height clearance from fret to bridge.
6. Thinner shim at the nut to compensate for the reduction in neck pocket shim thickness.

Trial and error over time. The guitar plays much better now, but, moisture and humidity will always require some sort of tweaking.