acoustic set up question ??

fenderfreak · February 7th, 2004, 09:16 AM

the action on my samick seems a little low and the high "E" and buzzes a little but on the F note at the 13th fret is completely dead but is OK at the 14th fret ? any info would be a big help thanks JB

Raymond · February 7th, 2004, 02:32 PM

Check the fretboard for loose, rust, and worn frets. With time, strings make notches in the frets and therefore they need to be dressed. Loose frets will cause buzzing and worn out frets would produce the dead noise you're describing.

If you see enough material in the frets, you could try to dress them with sand block and 800 and 1000 grit sand paper. A cheap Samick isn’t worth a pro job fee, and it’s easy to do. I'm not a pro and I've dressed all my frets, especially in cheap guitars. A pro should be consulted fro refrets and more difficult tasks.

Just sand the frets in the direction of the neck from the last one to the first one. I apply highlighter blue marker in the frets so you’ll know if you’re doing it evenly. Apply masking tape around the body at the bottom and avoid hitting the nut. I usually remove the nut. It isn’t a big deal. You can glue it again. Start with 800-grit until all notches are gone. Then switch to 1000 to start the polishing. After you see all frets are leveled, either use steel wool 0000 or 2000-grit sand paper to finish the polishing. Loose frets can be fixed with crazy glue.

It could also be nut. Fret a string in the 1st fret, and measure the distance between the top of the 2nd fret and the bottom of the string. Then fret the string at the 3rd and measure the same distance at the 1st fret. They should be same. If not, the nut slots need to be corrected. This job requires certain tools that we usually don’t have lying around the house…I recommend going to the public library and get any of Dan Erlewine’s books.

Remember that it could be both problems…

fenderfreak · February 7th, 2004, 09:46 PM

thanks Ray!!!! ill hit the libary monday and check the rcommended material . ''''''the frets look pretty fresh and the ax is in great shape.... I hope derssing the frets will clean up any problems THANK YOU !!!! JB

Teletwang · February 8th, 2004, 05:07 PM

A light dressing is simple enough( as above) but if stoning is necessary
then so is recrowning those frets.BTW,it actually sounds like you may have a
loose fret...check the dead note fret and if necessary dab a little super
glue and push down for a few seconds.

February 7th, 2004, 09:16 AM	#1 (permalink)
fenderfreak Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2003 Location: lancaster ca Posts: 276	acoustic set up question ?? the action on my samick seems a little low and the high "E" and buzzes a little but on the F note at the 13th fret is completely dead but is OK at the 14th fret ? any info would be a big help thanks JB __________________ Help Mr.Wizard! Help

February 7th, 2004, 02:32 PM	#2 (permalink)
Raymond Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Herndon, VA Posts: 2,417 3 Photos	It could be two things.. Check the fretboard for loose, rust, and worn frets. With time, strings make notches in the frets and therefore they need to be dressed. Loose frets will cause buzzing and worn out frets would produce the dead noise you're describing. If you see enough material in the frets, you could try to dress them with sand block and 800 and 1000 grit sand paper. A cheap Samick isn’t worth a pro job fee, and it’s easy to do. I'm not a pro and I've dressed all my frets, especially in cheap guitars. A pro should be consulted fro refrets and more difficult tasks. Just sand the frets in the direction of the neck from the last one to the first one. I apply highlighter blue marker in the frets so you’ll know if you’re doing it evenly. Apply masking tape around the body at the bottom and avoid hitting the nut. I usually remove the nut. It isn’t a big deal. You can glue it again. Start with 800-grit until all notches are gone. Then switch to 1000 to start the polishing. After you see all frets are leveled, either use steel wool 0000 or 2000-grit sand paper to finish the polishing. Loose frets can be fixed with crazy glue. It could also be nut. Fret a string in the 1st fret, and measure the distance between the top of the 2nd fret and the bottom of the string. Then fret the string at the 3rd and measure the same distance at the 1st fret. They should be same. If not, the nut slots need to be corrected. This job requires certain tools that we usually don’t have lying around the house…I recommend going to the public library and get any of Dan Erlewine’s books. Remember that it could be both problems… __________________ "That's a hard pill to swallow, buddy; when you find out what the blues is all about"

February 7th, 2004, 09:46 PM	#3 (permalink)
fenderfreak Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2003 Location: lancaster ca Posts: 276	thanks RAY thanks Ray!!!! ill hit the libary monday and check the rcommended material . ''''''the frets look pretty fresh and the ax is in great shape.... I hope derssing the frets will clean up any problems THANK YOU !!!! JB __________________ Help Mr.Wizard! Help

February 8th, 2004, 05:07 PM	#4 (permalink)
Teletwang Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Connecticut Age: 41 Posts: 1,275 1 Photos	A light dressing is simple enough( as above) but if stoning is necessary then so is recrowning those frets.BTW,it actually sounds like you may have a loose fret...check the dead note fret and if necessary dab a little super glue and push down for a few seconds.