Help! Setting up my EBMM JP6

[mgs316]

Ok, so I changed to 9's to try them out and at first I hated them but now I think I like them.

So anyway, I got my trem dead parallel to the body now. I've intonated the thing and it's holding it's tuning great.

My issue is that the D string buzzes even when unfretted. I was actually hoping to drop the action a tad on the neck because the rest of the strings seem to have some space to go down a tad bit.

I started adjusting bridge saddle height, (I assumed this is what I should do), I helped some but I obviously don't want it too high relative to the rest of my strings.

I'm not too familiar with who to trust and take it too in Minneapolis plus I like doing things my self.

Any suggestions?

 

[TNT]

No, don't touch it, you were so close!!!!

If you had the bridge perfectly level, simply do this (even though the D string buzzes, we'll fix that later):

Be sure the neck is straight (adj. the truss rod for this)

1. First, lower the pivot screws to where you want your action (don't think about the D string right now, just the other strings)

2. Now adjust the trem springs to level out the bridge again. Now at this point the D string should really buzz, but the other strings should be fine.

3. Now, get some FR saddle shims and put one or two under the D string saddle (to lift it), the buzz should be gone. Do this to any other strings that may buzz. You can also put some relief in the neck with the truss rod, but I personally don't do this.

Ta da - you're done!!

 

[Dizzy]

TNT, this is a JP we're talking about - No shims required.

IF NEEDED, he can raise the saddles with the two grub-screws
(i.e. screw them in to raise the saddle).

With regards to the D-string buzz, it depends where it's buzzing.

If it's close to the nut, raising the saddle height won't do jack - except give a ridiculously high saddle sticking way above the other strings.

If the D is the only one buzzing unfretted, relief is OK, and the action of the other strings is OK, it may well be a nut slot issue.

 

[mgs316]

TNT, this is a JP we're talking about - No shims required.

IF NEEDED, he can raise the saddles with the two grub-screws
(i.e. screw them in to raise the saddle).

With regards to the D-string buzz, it depends where it's buzzing.

If it's close to the nut, raising the saddle height won't do jack - except give a ridiculously high saddle sticking way above the other strings.

If the D is the only one buzzing unfretted, relief is OK, and the action of the other strings is OK, it may well be a nut slot issue.

Yep, it's the second/third fret I think. When I fret at the first or second it buzzes, not after.

Hope it's not the nut. Guess I'll have to monkey with action and see what changes.

Thanks for replies.

 

[TNT]

Dizzy,

Yeah, I hear what you're saying, however you can approach that a couple more different ways, for height adjustment or reduction, etc. . . .

That fret buzz can be tricky. If it is isolated on the 2nd or 3rd fret, and not after that, it may just need a slight adjustment on the individual 4th fret only.

What do ya think??

 

[Dizzy]

Yep, it's the second/third fret I think. When I fret at the first or second it buzzes, not after.

Hope it's not the nut. Guess I'll have to monkey with action and see what changes.

Thanks for replies.

JUST CHECKING : I assume you've done the right thing by contacting CS first before posting here ???

If so :

It's only a nut slot issue when it buzzes open, but is ok when fretted.
Your 1st post only mentioned buzzing on the open D
But if it's still buzzing when fretted at 1st & 2nd fret, then it's not a nut slot issue (fretting takes the nut out of the equation).
A little more relief usually fixes the problem here.

If the action on all other strings is OK and you have enough relief, then the frets may need a bit of attention (I say frets because a little adjustment to one fret may well affect what happens on the adjacent frets towards the bridge)

If so, this is getting into guitar tech territory now, so once you've exhausted all diagnosis options you should really get some professional / specialist help.
In any case, taking it to a good tech right away might just save you a pile of time. We can speculate all day long here and still not fix yer problem

BUT, to just to make sure you've done the basics right :


To check the existing state of the neck
(Copied from a previous post of mine ):

Checking Neck Bow

Correct truss rod adjustment is determined by the amount of bow or relief that is in the neck. To check neck bow, hold your guitar in playing position and check the low E and high E strings using the following method. With your fretting hand, hold down the string at the first fret. Now with your picking hand thumb, fret the same string at the area where the neck joins the body (around 16th fret). While holding both sections of the string in place, stretch your index finger of your picking hand as far as possible into the middle area of the neck (frets 7-9) and tap the string down to the frets. The amount of distance that the string is travelling to reach the frets is the amount of bow that is in the neck (you may also use feeler gauges to measure this distance, but it’s not necessary). It may desirable to have a slight amount of bow, but not too much. About .3 mm - .5 mm (.010” - .020”) is usually plenty of bow. Having too much bow will cause excessive buzzing in the center area of the neck and will cause the strings to be farther away from the frets in that area making it harder to play. Having too little bow or backbow to the neck will cause excessive buzzing on open notes and fretted notes near the nut area, and will bring the action down too low across the entire fretboard.

Once you have determined the amount of bow that is in the neck, then adjust the truss rod accordingly . Loosen the truss rod (counter-clockwise) if your neck is backbowed. Tighten the truss rod (clockwise) if your neck is underbowed (too much bow). Note: Loosen no more than 1/4 turn, then tune and recheck neck bow until your neck is properly adjusted.


EBMM also has a good youtube vid with Drew giving a demo :

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNHV-IHhhBU]YouTube - Truss Rod Adjustment[/ame]

 

[patpark]

If he went from 10s to 9s the truss rod needs to be loosened for the lessser tension of the 9s. I would check neck relief first before twiddling with the saddles.