Guitar buzz is the annoying sound (humming sound) caused by a guitar string buzzing against a fret wire, when you pluck/play the guitar string. Here’s how to get rid of guitar buzz?
Some guitars produce a noticeable buzz/hum when you crank up the volume and/or when you use your distortion or overdrive pedals. There are many who don’t mind it, because in certain cases, it gels well with the music they like to play.
However, there are some who find it annoying, especially if one of their other guitar gives no such problem.
What Causes Guitar Buzz?
The common causes of fret buzz are:
- Frets are not level throughout, some are higher/taller, some are low/shorter.
- String Action is too low
- Design of the Neck is such that it does not offer enough “relief” (neck is too straight, or bowing backwards)
How to Fix Guitar Buzz?
And what can be done about it?
Here’s what you can do to fix fret buzz that is caused by uneven fret heights:
Perform a fret leveling procedure. You will need some tools, supplies and even experience.
Here’s what you can do to fix fret buzz caused by low string action:
First you loosen the strings a bit to relieve tension, then increase the string action by making adjustments at the string saddles (located on the bridge).
When you observe that several strings buzz when played, it could be that the neck is back bowed (there’s not enough relief).
You can fix this problem by by loosening the truss rod, which will increase the amount of relief in the neck.
Guitar Buzzing on Fender Telecaster
For example, a fender standard telecaster plays beautifully but when played through either pups, it gives a noticeable buzz/hum that only gets worse when you use distortion.
This does annoy some people, considering the fact that the Les Paul studio doesn’t buzz this way, using the same setup. So its definitely not the cable or amp which causes the buzz.
The fact is that Telecaster pups are known/notorious for the hum that it generates, it’s the nature of the single coil that it uses, as opposed to the humbucker on the Les Paul (in this case Humbucker really means what it says).
So is there any way that guitar buzz can be minimized?
- You can minimize it if you turn down the volume, but then you won’t like it playing that way.
- You could replace the single coils with fender noiseless pups or something similar.
KeytarHQ editorial team includes musicians who write and review products for pianists, keyboardists, guitarists & other musicians. KeytarHQ is the best online resource for information on keyboards, pianos, synths, keytars, guitars and music gear for musicians of all abilities, ages and interests.
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