Wow, what a amazingly informative video! This should be required watching if you decide to even own a guitar. Thank you so much for your time to put something so time consuming and basically so much of yourself and not asking for anything in return. Nice job and thanks again.
I kinda agree and kinda don't agree with this being required watching if you want to own a guitar, agree because really, this stuff isn't rocket science, get used to it, get good at it and it doesn't take long, on the other hand, should you fully understand how combustion engines work and how to repair them in order to own a car? its definitely better that you do know in both cases, if you can repair your own guitars and cars, you can save a lot of money, but then, mechanics exist for a reason, just like guitar techs exist. Personally, i'd say this SHOULD be required watching if you want to own a guitar, it'll make your life far easier in the long run if you really enjoy playing guitar but if you wanna fork out the cash to pay someone else to do a 15-30 min job, i mean, sure, i don't exactly want to rebuild injector systems or fix cam timing on a car either, but if you also happen to be quite talented at working on cars, maybe you'd rather not pay a mechanic, ya know?
@Kevan Who really gives a crap about what you think... What kind of troll posts something stupid like this to a post that’s over five years old? Moron!
@@budandbean1 jeez settle down dude, what crawled up you and died, after all, i did say i generally agree with your comment, its just a simple fact that some people aren't really that great with doing things like doing a full setup on a guitar, or even changing some spark plugs in a car, like i said, yeah, it'd be better if you can do it yourself, its really not that complicated once you've done it a few times but wheres the shame in paying a professional to do something even better than you can?
It's refreshing to know that someone really knows their stuff. Thank you for the insight. I'm an engineer and I'll give you two thumbs up for your expertise.
Amazing video! I’ve watched countless truss rod/action/intonation videos and I could never get it quite right. This is THE best video out there and now my guitar is playing better than ever. Appreciate you!
What an extraordinary tutorial. I have a healthy obsession with tuning and caring for my guitars and I am always interested in learning what professionals have to say about guitar problems and how to correct them. I appreciate how you kept the explanations technical but to the point. Thank you, Will!
For the nut-lovers: @25:00 This is HUGE for people wondering if their nut is the right height/ making sure their nut isn’t causing intonation issues: Fret at third fret, your nut is the right height if there is a TINY gap between the string and the first fret. If you have buzzing between your first and third frets too, your nut is probably the culprit. This video is so helpful.
Your right about Guitar Center. In my area, they have no idea, on working on a Guitar. I was actually showing one of the kids how to make a saddle for an acoustic guitar. The kid did not have the proper tools to do it. All he had was sand paper.. He sad it took him hours to sand a bone nut, i was kinda in unbelief. Because Guitar Center, advertise that they have guitar techs...Very good video. I learned allot..👍🎸
This is the kind of quality content that makes TH-cam so valuable. I learned more about guitar set up in this hour than I've learned in a loooooong time of piecing info here and there over the years. I now feel much more confident going into making adjustments, because I have a much better understanding how the various aspects of a guitar respond to changes.
I have a guitar with fret buzz and absolutely no competent luthiers in my town. This video is an amazing resource, and after watching it, I believe I can actually fix my guitar now. I'll be ordering some tools and then getting to work on it. I also watched the other video you did on fret leveling and crowning. I think between the two videos, you covered it excellently. Thank you for taking the time to make these videos!
A lot of people really liking the paint job on this guitar is kinda surprising to me. It looks like an episode of telitubbies blew up on it. Just my opinion though lol. Great vid!
@DamageIncM Late to the party, but I'll be honest: its probably not the paint alone that makes it ugly. I love flourecent guitars but that together with the pick ups and the ... knobs (BLEH) ... just doesnt work that well. The damn thing looks like a duplo creation a 3 year old would make (if it accidently made a guitar shape).
I’ve been playing guitar for 2530 years and just wanted to say thank you you’re very thorough on everything especially since last year I switched to a seven string I have a Jackson that I’m having fret buzz with just the first well the lowest be string and I figured it out because it’s a cheap plastic nut I’m gonna use your baking soda and crazy glue approach thank you keep up the awesome content
These videos have been incredibly valuable to me. Fixing up pawn shop clunkers has become a hobby of mine. Your videos have saved me loads of money and frustration. Thank you.....
Gelvin if I were in your position I won't sell my self cheap because you are highly skilled very knowledgeable and know what you are talking about , the worries are other people who are watching g will have only little information and this even worse , the best is to always refer the right jobs to the right people , and I salute you my friend
Beginner guitarist of 6 months here....bought a mim fender and had weird buzzing...I have a critical ear not being a new musician, and it just really bothered me...techs couldn't fix it and sold it thinking higher end guitar would be the answer...I think it was the sitar sound you mentioned and could have been solved had I known this! Great video! I am learning so much and wish I found your channel sooner! Exceptional explanations!!!! If you had a course I would take it!
My father is western guitar maker for 45 yrs and he does everything exactly the same as you do in this video, only he checks nut height 1 fret further than you. I guess that makes very less to almost no difference. 12/10 tutorial. Great job mister.
Ahhhh....a breath of fresh air! I think I've encountered every single poor neck, fret, nut, saddle, intonation, and string issue/condition/relationship you've covered. I called it the "Pawn Shop Guitar Education". People trash their guitars set-up, or they have factory defects, so it sounds like crap. Instead of learning these set-up topics...they buy more distortion/effects .....then "Pawn It" I've scored some nice guitars this way. I absolutely "Love" your custom guitars headstock design...very lined up! 80's Colorful too!
this guy is absolutely bang on, learn from him. anyone that left a negative, stick to air guitar. simple. excellent Thank you for taking the time . Wish I had this 20yrs ago. A lot of us learnt the hard way., Again. Thank You
Thank you Will. People now days want to learn everything they need to know in a 5 minute video, but you simply can't cover everything in that time.Great video. I'm much more confident trying to find the issue I've been having...
Great explanations, and being graphically oriented, I love the diagrams. Especially when you are drawing "on the fly" while talking. Very easy to follow along...
Your video helped me find the problem I've had with my almost 30 year old mercury series Washburn. It was my very first guitar that was mine. I was getting buzz particularly on the B string in two locations. I kept thinking for years it was an adjustment issue. I found two very minute indentions on two frets on that string, exactly where it was happening. I was able to level my frets out removing the indentions and NO MORE BUZZ. Thank you for making this. Going to have it playing smoothly now. It does need cleaning and some adjustments (action, intonation) but for a long time I thought it would never play right again
Wow, I'm actually feeling pretty smart that you were one of the first guitar channels I followed, I'm up to probably 50 now. I just bought a Epi LP Custom and didn't realize until after the deal the frets are really worn down around 10 - 15 with flat places on a few strings and the action was so high when I got it, the guy said he liked it high but actually it just couldn't go any lower without buzz. So my new guitar is next to unplayable for me. Anyway I called one local luthier and it's going to cost me $125.00 to redress and polish.. and I'm just not very happy. But this video showed me there is hope. I'm going to watch it one more time as I prepare but thank you so much. I bet you get hate from some luthiers but I really appreciate how thorough and informative you choose to be. Thank you so much. I would recommend your channel to anyone.
You, sir, are a lifesaver. I was messing about on the internet trying to find out why in the world is my MIM strat fret buzzing like crazy. Turned out to be the truss rod, that needed some tightening. Setup the guitar afterwards with fender recommended settings. Action: Str 6-5: 2.4 mm, 4-1 : 2 mm. It's perfect.
I found your channel recently. I am impressed with your knowledge about guitar setup. I learned how to set up my guitars by myself, reading a lot of information on internet and some books. I agree with everything what you are saying about the fret buzzes and the truss rod adjustments. You are totally right. Your videos are the best ones on TH-cam; there are no other ones with such accurate and precise knowledge and information. I just saw your last video talking about your condition. I am so sorry. But be strong. I can see you are a warrior, and you can deal with this. Don’t give in without fight. Wish you the best to you and your family...
On the first guitar I ever owned, there were slight distortions on the fingerboard. Some frets were higher than others. I didn't have a sanding bar. I had a brand new American made 16" bastard file with fairly fine teeth. It worked great! I think it was better than a sanding bar. Sandpaper can have height variations where it wraps around the end of the bar. I was reinventing the process. I didn't have a fret rounding file and didn't know one existed. I just played with some flat-topped frets and I was happy.
Way cool I worked in a guitar shop for 5 years and your right on point. About gutter center and technic. My so called luthier boss would ask me why I was using a marker on the frets, but my machinist training worked well for guitar.. Nice work...
Great video! Only thing you didn't really get right was your comment having to set tremolo flat. You can screw the springs in and block it flat like Clapton or float it a step and a half like Beck or set the float at 1/8 in like Leo recommended, or anything in between that floats your boat and still get it setup without buzz by doing all the other great stuff you said.
I learned more on this video than I have ever learned on any single TH-cam video. Thanks for your time and effort making this stuff available to us players that need to learn as much as we can. I've learned that guitar playing is much like life. You are ALWAYS learning. At least most of us are. Videos like yours are INVALUABLE to most of us. Thank you!
Well, the first of two cheap used guitars I bought to learn on is done and wow what a difference. Half of it's frets needed to be tapped back down and even after doing that the height of the frets were all over the place. It took me a long time but it was worth it to make sure I got it right the first time. Now on to the other one. That one also has the nut slots too shallow.
This is awesome because he is giving the order of things to do. Straighten the the fret board with the truss rod 1st. A lot of instructions dont give the order of the steps. Just use a fret rocker or crown and polish or adjust the truss rod. But they dont do the order of things. This is great!
It's nice to hear someone confirm the issues with a scarf joint..I have an Ibanez with a scarf joint and sure enough it frets out at the 1st and 2nd fret and when looking for a replacement neck on Amazon the affordable ones have a scarf joint..
Excellent Video /Tutorial on the Mechanics /physics of what is going off when the string is set in motion, to give one an understanding ,Before setting about working on your guitar and making a complete Bollocks of it THIS IS A MUST WATCH VIDEO . Thankyou
so far best video I've seen about fret buzzing... thank you much! 21minutes in and already learned tons... usually everyone starts elevating the bridge so I was interested from the beginning when you actually explain why this may happen! good for you man.
I think you should not pay attention on bad criticism. What I mean is that if there is criticism at all should be constructive. You should understand how you impact on people. I just followed your video and helped me A LOT. Thanks for the information and hope you keep providing valuable information. Thanks!!!
I also made my own nut files by using a metal band saw & cut a series of notches along the edges of a set of feeler gauges. Use the kind that fold like a pocket knife. I had to clean up some burrs before they would fold without jamming. They work fine.
Great teaching !! Helped answer a few basic important questions necessary to start off right. It is a shame how many expensive guitars and necks on the market have horrible fret leveling if any! I was once replied by well known companies that fret leveling is such a personal thing that they don't offer it as part of the purchase. What B.S !! I don't know any guitar player that would not want to have the frets leveled and a buzz-free neck. I trust your explanations and you do know what you are talking about!!. Guys watch these videos , learn a lot and avoid being trapped by self proclaimed experts and waste money all the while remaining frustrated. I loved your comment about G.C. I have seen horrifying set ups and lack of care on expensive items have gotten horrible advice as well ( all about making the sale !). Anyway enough ranting I could go on for a while, I hope you put out more of these videos . The information is out there however Nobody tells you the Why's as if they are guarding the secrets. Thanks again and let's keep them honest !
Man I like this video! It's great to see a video that explains everything without the bull**** in detail. This video is for someone who's making decisions on how to tackle many different buzzing problems with any style type guitar. If you're having fret buzz, this will explain in plain english and gives an understanding information. You offers users different decisions to accomplish many problems within different sincerious of fret buzzing.
i have a Jay turser arch top hollow body....and a fender tele.....i play blues, and do a lot of string bends...upwards to 2 notes....from the 7th to the 17th frets...they are flattened out!....from low E string to G string.....i need to re-fret, just no time or money for shop....am thinking of doing it myself, from watching your vids...and my trusty stew-mac catalogue for proper tools and supplies!....love your vids.....very informative....i actually take notes!
Wow! What a great video! I can't begin to list all the things I've learned about guitars by watching this video. Not only is there tons of useful information in this video, it is presented in such a simple and concise fashion that even a guitar newb like me was able to understand the whole thing. I almost got hung up when you talked about the radius of the fretboard, but then it clicked and it was immediately clear. Obviously, if I want to know more about guitars, I should watch more of your videos. Thanks!!
Thanks for this video. A lot of the things that are in it I have known for years, but your experience has given you the ability to explain a few of my unknowns so that I have the knowledge to understand and fix the weird real world problems I have encountered and couldn’t find a cure for. I’m going back to even my best playing guitar and double checking certain aspects of the setups. I may discover something that I previously couldn’t remedy. Super good information. Thanks.
The pushing down of the strings at the bridge at 34:37 (and also the nut) is something that my friend René Martinez told me about, what he used to do for SRV when he tech'd for him. One gig, Stevie said he was having trouble staying in tune and René realized he had forgotten to push doen on the strings after he changed them that day. So he never forgot since.
I Agree 100% about: The Guitar Tech's @ Guitar Center. You might-as-well, take your Guitar to a Shoemaker. Those guys are so UnProfessional. Numerous people in NYC with horror stories. Great information. Thanks for sharing. This was awesome.
Per part 3 of your tutorial. You had stated that if the tremolo bridge is up too high, the action would be s**t, which I agree, but you stated the tremolo/bridge should be flat/parallel to the body of the guitar. Fender Stratocaster specifications for the vintage style bridges, require about an 1/8" gap between the back of the bridge and the body for proper intonation. But I do agree with the rest of your tutorial you covered. Great video, cheers!
Good vid. A guide I kind of use when setting the nut height is that the distance from the second fret to the string "when the first fret is depressed" should be the same as the first fret to the string when riding directly on the nut. Nice to have it just a tad more though as it does wear a bit from tuning.
I know this is an old vid but thank you. I have around 16 guitars and basses that need some degree of fret work and i’m not about to bring them all to a shop. Maybe one or two. But as I have been researching the DIY approach this really helps and is in line with what others have said. The one common thing i see on todays guitars is the failure to finish frets properly. That seems to be the main area ALL companies cut corners on to keep costs down. Even if they say they are Pleked, they can still be crap. Who cares what they used for so called tonewoods if you can’t get your action under 2.5 - 2:0 mm. Maybe they are all setting them up for slide players? LOL. A few tools i plan on getting the real deal, but there are some good DIY alternatives out there for leveling and notched straight edges and polishing. Just go slow and practice on something less expensive.
Excellent video, with enough information and dry humor to keep me going. Thanks for taking the time to do this. I enjoy your nonsensical approach and delivery.
Good video. Lots of useful info. One tip that I think should be added is about the fingerboard radius. When leveling the frets, if you have a single radius neck, to maintain that radius your have to keep the sanding strokes parallel to the center line of the neck. If you follow the string lines than you create a compound angled fingerboard. If you have a compound fingerboard or want one that you should follow the string lines.
You sir, are a king! Thank you so much for these video's! They help a lot for people like me who don't have the expensive luthier tools, but still want to do some adjusting themselfs.
Wow, thx! I'm by no means a luthier. I have expert mechanical skills, and as an amateur guitar builder I'm starting to develop a pretty solid understanding of how 'these things' (guitars, lol) work. The endless battle between string action and fret buzz on my 2 Telecasters had me a little frustrated. Both are fine, very well put together instruments with no glaring factory flaws. There are so many variables that can contribute to this condition, as well as a never ending choice of 5 minute videos addressing one or more of these issues to some extent. My attention span being short as it is l didn't hold out much hope for making it past the first 5 minutes of a 1 hour!! video about fret buzz. But you got right into it, captured my attention, and explained it all very simply without any 'this is a string, and this is a ruler. If that doesn't work... Burn your guitar....' crap. Anyways... Thanks. Big help.
This video was awesome, the only thing I didn't like was "heigth" I have some inexplicable hatred of that mispronunciation. The fact that I was able to sit through it for an hour is a testament to how awesome the content of the video is.
For making nut slots you can pickup a set of cutting torch tip cleaner files from a welding and industrial gas supply house. There are sizes from .008 through .1 inch. They are round and make microscopically perfect slots. You can pick these up for 5 or 10 bucks. I'm a part time luthier and a full-time welding supply salesman!
I started the practical part of the learning process yesterday. My leveling beam and notched straight edge arrived last week. I decided to take it kind of conservatively till I know what I am doing. I went to Home Depot and purchased a length of 1" square aluminum tubing and cut it into 8" pieces. Then I used my leveling beam to make sure two sides of each piece are dead straight. I put different grades of sandpaper on two sides of each piece so they go from 2000 grit all the way down to 400 grit. I used the 2000 grit side of one piece to allow me to get a good look at what I am up against. Then I graduated down to whichever grit I needed to do the job. Takes longer this way but I'm a newbee to fret leveling and crowning so I don't mind.
Just would to say thank you for this vid. It helped my les paul turn into an awesome playing guitar now. 2 weeks I bought a new epiphone les paul standard pro honeyburst and have struggled to get a good setup,low action,easy and comfortable playing lp. No matter what I did it was terrible compared to my other guitars. Well guess what had 1 fret that was just a tad low. I did everything almost exactly as you said and it's like a completely different guitar. I was on the verge of returning it to guitar center,it's the only shop in town. I do have experience setting up guitars. I have played since 1990 but only ever owned guitars like ibanez rg570,Jackson dk2m,Jackson Rhoads, and some similar all with floyds. I tried off an on for years to get a les paul but something always happened,stolen,taken from because of sketchy authorities and the last was ruined by guitar center. Never had one for more than week. Finally was able to get this one and it was terrible playing, but know I'm loving it. So thank you again.
Great video , i love learning guitar science, and you teach it very well and make it understandable. I'm currently suffering from 3rd fret buzz on my high e, and 1st fret buzz on my low e. I took it to a luthier who gave me a full set up , but since the weather got hot my buzz came back in the exact same place. And this is preventing my action being where a prefer it. Now i know what to do , thanks buddy.
Dude...Thanx for this vid. Replaced a neck on a bolt-on that was busted. I was going to bring it to someone to have it done. But, I figured if I fuck it up, what the hell...I'm out a neck. After the vid, I had the confidence to do everything and got it all good. Now I am setting up guitars for people who gig every week. Just have to start with one project that doesn't matter if you screw up, and pay attention. Your videos are great for the working musician who doesn't have the money of the stock-trading guitar hobbiest to have all their shit worked on by guitar techs and luthers.
When you clip your strings save the clipped parts. Glue them on to popsickle sticks for feeler gauges. Bug your lazy friends who use super skinny strings so you can have .009, .008. and now Rev Willy even makes an .007. These will give you a reasonably accurate read on nut height and relief. Get Erlewine's book. It's loaded with practical advice like this for working on your stuff. Good video. Thanks.
That´s excelent! I´ve learned a lot about fret buzz in theses videos. Thank you for sharing these tips, because they´ll help people like me to not be fooled by some guitar techs, mainly in Brazil. I know there´s a lot good technicians, you don´t have idea how it´s hard to find a good and honest technician here! I can start to make some small repairs myself on my electric guitars from now on.
EXCELLENT video!!!! (HUGE understatement, lol) I am very comfortable w/ most guitar repairs.. but don't mess w/ frets often (mainly because of lack of tooling..I'm not going to make mine or others worse, lol) but am ordering proper tools to FIX frets (finally) great stuff and SPOT on!
I am about halfway through watching this on my big screen TV and had to comment. A great video and very enlightening. I have a 2012 Fender American Standard Strat I purchased at Guitar Center. Don't know if I caused the problem but the open strings and harmonics are in tune but any fretted notes on the First (low E) string and the A string are always way sharp, more then a few cents. It's close to being a half a step sharp. I am hoping this will help me get my neck, bridge etc back in were it should be. Thanks much for this awesome piece of work.
Thanks for your reply. I think between nut and saddle my guess is the saddle, especially since it's the only thing I mucked around with without any real knowledge of what I was screwing up. You hour long video is a great reference.
+John Vander Wyden They have these guitars called "fanned-fret". While not specifically meant for keeping the lower strings at better intonation; they do help significantly with the natural "bad tune", of the lower strings as you progress down the fret board. As for me, I tune the "E" string just a TAD bit lower than the rest, on ALL of my guitars.
This is my 3rd time watching this. This answers most of my questions about some specific issues i am having right now with my schecters. You are a seriously gifted teacher Will. in 30 minutes i learned more about guitar-design than i did in the last 10 years of browsing forums and reading relevant literature. I would LOVE to see you do some videos on 7 strings and Extended Range instruments. I feel that ERG's and 7's are in an odd area between a guitar and bass, and have their own relevant set of physics to take into account when maintaining and repairing them. For example, most 7's need a bass-gauge string in order to play properly or have an odd scale length (26.625" 28.825" are popular), which introduces an odd host of issues when setting up and maintaining them.
of what? The suspense is killing me. I've been waiting for the conclusion of this comment for almost three weeks now. If you don't finish your thought soon I am going to sit here until
Great video. Very very informative. Thank you for taking the time to share all these tips and not just how to fix, but helping us understand why and how it happens in the first place.
Another excellent video. Informative and thorough while keeping it interesting. Have you given any thought to doing a video on a complete fret job (overhaul, not replacement). I watched the this and the other fret buzz video and now I'm hooked. I cannot wait to get the necessary tools and learn how to do a "neck overhaul". Thank you...
Delightfully captivating video.Thank you for sharing your wisdom and experience. You have a great approach with your teaching skills. I got so much back from this. thank you again!
Brilliant brilliant tutorial, thanks a bunch. Problem diagnosed (nut job) and still had it fixed by a guitar tech - just smarter to have the pro do it for a little outlay. Like yer man Buddy said this vid should be 'required watching'.
I inherited a late 80's Ovation Celebrity GC-3 solid body electric many years ago when my cousin passed away. It's a very nice sounding guitar but it has never played as well as most of my guitars. Today I was able to apply what I learned here to find out why it doesn't play so good. It has some frets that are lifted. I made a paper feeler gauge kinda thing and was able to easily slide it under some of the higher frets. I was able to tap a couple of them back down with a small tack hammer and a block of wood but one fret is being stubborn and won't go down where it is supposed to be. When my fretting hammer arrives I will be brave enough to try hitting it a bit harder. Haha
Such a thorough and educative video, thanks for sharing. I think my guitar has the scarf joint back bow issue. Couldn’t find the video you’ve mentioned though, where you teach to unwarp these types of necks. Maybe it’s not online anymore?
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I'm new in the guitar world. I have learned a lot of guitar repairs, lessons, and set-ups from you. Guitar Doctor Willie
Wow, what a amazingly informative video! This should be required watching if you decide to even own a guitar. Thank you so much for your time to put something so time consuming and basically so much of yourself and not asking for anything in return. Nice job and thanks again.
I kinda agree and kinda don't agree with this being required watching if you want to own a guitar, agree because really, this stuff isn't rocket science, get used to it, get good at it and it doesn't take long, on the other hand, should you fully understand how combustion engines work and how to repair them in order to own a car? its definitely better that you do know in both cases, if you can repair your own guitars and cars, you can save a lot of money, but then, mechanics exist for a reason, just like guitar techs exist.
Personally, i'd say this SHOULD be required watching if you want to own a guitar, it'll make your life far easier in the long run if you really enjoy playing guitar but if you wanna fork out the cash to pay someone else to do a 15-30 min job, i mean, sure, i don't exactly want to rebuild injector systems or fix cam timing on a car either, but if you also happen to be quite talented at working on cars, maybe you'd rather not pay a mechanic, ya know?
@Kevan Who really gives a crap about what you think... What kind of troll posts something stupid like this to a post that’s over five years old? Moron!
@@budandbean1 jeez settle down dude, what crawled up you and died, after all, i did say i generally agree with your comment, its just a simple fact that some people aren't really that great with doing things like doing a full setup on a guitar, or even changing some spark plugs in a car, like i said, yeah, it'd be better if you can do it yourself, its really not that complicated once you've done it a few times but wheres the shame in paying a professional to do something even better than you can?
u sound like a scumbag
This video is absolutely amazing, clear explanations with great examples and drawings to help understand. Love it.
This is one of the most thorough and useful videos on the subject, and should dispel any myths and fantasies, well done
It's refreshing to know that someone really knows their stuff. Thank you for the insight. I'm an engineer and I'll give you two thumbs up for your expertise.
First step: Remove frets
Congrats you now have zero fret buzz
@Jay Colten I hacked into your gfs as well, but it wasn't her Instagram
I thought zero fret buzz was when you have a zero fret and it's buzzing!
Amazing video! I’ve watched countless truss rod/action/intonation videos and I could never get it quite right. This is THE best video out there and now my guitar is playing better than ever. Appreciate you!
What an extraordinary tutorial. I have a healthy obsession with tuning and caring for my guitars and I am always interested in learning what professionals have to say about guitar problems and how to correct them. I appreciate how you kept the explanations technical but to the point. Thank you, Will!
It's always fun in Nostalgia to go back and look at your videos. They will remain a staple on TH-cam for eternity.
For the nut-lovers: @25:00
This is HUGE for people wondering if their nut is the right height/ making sure their nut isn’t causing intonation issues:
Fret at third fret, your nut is the right height if there is a TINY gap between the string and the first fret. If you have buzzing between your first and third frets too, your nut is probably the culprit. This video is so helpful.
Your right about Guitar Center. In my area, they have no idea, on working on a Guitar. I was actually showing one of the kids how to make a saddle for an acoustic guitar. The kid did not have the proper tools to do it. All he had was sand paper.. He sad it took him hours to sand a bone nut, i was kinda in unbelief. Because Guitar Center, advertise that they have guitar techs...Very good video. I learned allot..👍🎸
This is the kind of quality content that makes TH-cam so valuable. I learned more about guitar set up in this hour than I've learned in a loooooong time of piecing info here and there over the years. I now feel much more confident going into making adjustments, because I have a much better understanding how the various aspects of a guitar respond to changes.
I have a guitar with fret buzz and absolutely no competent luthiers in my town. This video is an amazing resource, and after watching it, I believe I can actually fix my guitar now. I'll be ordering some tools and then getting to work on it. I also watched the other video you did on fret leveling and crowning. I think between the two videos, you covered it excellently. Thank you for taking the time to make these videos!
A lot of people really liking the paint job on this guitar is kinda surprising to me. It looks like an episode of telitubbies blew up on it. Just my opinion though lol. Great vid!
check the 80's jackson, kramers , charvels, BC Riches.. all of em had fluorescent colors and custom airbrushed graphics
Took the words right out my mouth.
I was going to say it looked like a unicorn threw up on it, but teletubbies are apt as well.
The color only works on certain guitars, just like this color only looks great on a Lancia Stratos or Lamborghini Miura.
@DamageIncM Late to the party, but I'll be honest: its probably not the paint alone that makes it ugly. I love flourecent guitars but that together with the pick ups and the ... knobs (BLEH) ... just doesnt work that well. The damn thing looks like a duplo creation a 3 year old would make (if it accidently made a guitar shape).
I’ve been playing guitar for 2530 years and just wanted to say thank you you’re very thorough on everything especially since last year I switched to a seven string I have a Jackson that I’m having fret buzz with just the first well the lowest be string and I figured it out because it’s a cheap plastic nut I’m gonna use your baking soda and crazy glue approach thank you keep up the awesome content
Damn you must be good playing for that long
These videos have been incredibly valuable to me. Fixing up pawn shop clunkers has become a hobby of mine. Your videos have saved me loads of money and frustration. Thank you.....
Gelvin if I were in your position I won't sell my self cheap because you are highly skilled very knowledgeable and know what you are talking about , the worries are other people who are watching g will have only little information and this even worse , the best is to always refer the right jobs to the right people , and I salute you my friend
Beginner guitarist of 6 months here....bought a mim fender and had weird buzzing...I have a critical ear not being a new musician, and it just really bothered me...techs couldn't fix it and sold it thinking higher end guitar would be the answer...I think it was the sitar sound you mentioned and could have been solved had I known this! Great video! I am learning so much and wish I found your channel sooner! Exceptional explanations!!!! If you had a course I would take it!
My father is western guitar maker for 45 yrs and he does everything exactly the same as you do in this video, only he checks nut height 1 fret further than you. I guess that makes very less to almost no difference. 12/10 tutorial. Great job mister.
Ahhhh....a breath of fresh air!
I think I've encountered every single poor neck, fret, nut, saddle, intonation, and string issue/condition/relationship you've covered.
I called it the "Pawn Shop Guitar Education".
People trash their guitars set-up, or they have factory defects, so it sounds like crap.
Instead of learning these set-up topics...they buy more distortion/effects .....then "Pawn It"
I've scored some nice guitars this way.
I absolutely "Love" your custom guitars headstock design...very lined up!
80's Colorful too!
william amos I wish we had pawn shops in Denmark 😅
this guy is absolutely bang on, learn from him. anyone that left a negative, stick to air guitar. simple. excellent Thank you for taking the time . Wish I had this 20yrs ago. A lot of us learnt the hard way., Again. Thank You
Thank you Will. People now days want to learn everything they need to know in a 5 minute video, but you simply can't cover everything in that time.Great video. I'm much more confident trying to find the issue I've been having...
Great explanations, and being graphically oriented, I love the diagrams. Especially when you are drawing "on the fly" while talking. Very easy to follow along...
Your video helped me find the problem I've had with my almost 30 year old mercury series Washburn. It was my very first guitar that was mine. I was getting buzz particularly on the B string in two locations. I kept thinking for years it was an adjustment issue. I found two very minute indentions on two frets on that string, exactly where it was happening. I was able to level my frets out removing the indentions and NO MORE BUZZ. Thank you for making this. Going to have it playing smoothly now. It does need cleaning and some adjustments (action, intonation) but for a long time I thought it would never play right again
This is the video that every new guitar learner should watch. It contains tons of valuable information. Thanks!
Wow, I'm actually feeling pretty smart that you were one of the first guitar channels I followed, I'm up to probably 50 now. I just bought a Epi LP Custom and didn't realize until after the deal the frets are really worn down around 10 - 15 with flat places on a few strings and the action was so high when I got it, the guy said he liked it high but actually it just couldn't go any lower without buzz. So my new guitar is next to unplayable for me. Anyway I called one local luthier and it's going to cost me $125.00 to redress and polish.. and I'm just not very happy. But this video showed me there is hope. I'm going to watch it one more time as I prepare but thank you so much. I bet you get hate from some luthiers but I really appreciate how thorough and informative you choose to be.
Thank you so much. I would recommend your channel to anyone.
You, sir, are a lifesaver. I was messing about on the internet trying to find out why in the world is my MIM strat fret buzzing like crazy. Turned out to be the truss rod, that needed some tightening. Setup the guitar afterwards with fender recommended settings. Action: Str 6-5: 2.4 mm, 4-1 : 2 mm. It's perfect.
I found your channel recently. I am impressed with your knowledge about guitar setup. I learned how to set up my guitars by myself, reading a lot of information on internet and some books. I agree with everything what you are saying about the fret buzzes and the truss rod adjustments. You are totally right. Your videos are the best ones on TH-cam; there are no other ones with such accurate and precise knowledge and information. I just saw your last video talking about your condition. I am so sorry. But be strong. I can see you are a warrior, and you can deal with this. Don’t give in without fight. Wish you the best to you and your family...
On the first guitar I ever owned, there were slight distortions on the fingerboard. Some frets were higher than others. I didn't have a sanding bar. I had a brand new American made 16" bastard file with fairly fine teeth. It worked great! I think it was better than a sanding bar. Sandpaper can have height variations where it wraps around the end of the bar.
I was reinventing the process. I didn't have a fret rounding file and didn't know one existed. I just played with some flat-topped frets and I was happy.
"What I'm doing is I'm trying to teach you how you can do the stuff at home, with limited tools."
Sir, you know the shit.
Excellent coverage of the concepts instead of just going in and filing the frets. Appreciate this.
Wow, it's about time somebody explained all this . Excellent video!
Way cool I worked in a guitar shop for 5 years and your right on point. About gutter center and technic. My so called luthier boss would ask me why I was using a marker on the frets, but my machinist training worked well for guitar.. Nice work...
Just the best masterclass guitar tech videos on YT !!! Everybody who owns guitar must watch !!! this guy is just amazing teacher !!!
Thank you very much for the information you provided in this lesson. However, the word you were trying to remember is a scarf joint.
Great video! Only thing you didn't really get right was your comment having to set tremolo flat. You can screw the springs in and block it flat like Clapton or float it a step and a half like Beck or set the float at 1/8 in like Leo recommended, or anything in between that floats your boat and still get it setup without buzz by doing all the other great stuff you said.
I learned more on this video than I have ever learned on any single TH-cam video. Thanks for your time and effort making this stuff available to us players that need to learn as much as we can. I've learned that guitar playing is much like life. You are ALWAYS learning. At least most of us are. Videos like yours are INVALUABLE to most of us. Thank you!
Well, the first of two cheap used guitars I bought to learn on is done and wow what a difference. Half of it's frets needed to be tapped back down and even after doing that the height of the frets were all over the place. It took me a long time but it was worth it to make sure I got it right the first time. Now on to the other one. That one also has the nut slots too shallow.
This is awesome because he is giving the order of things to do. Straighten the the fret board with the truss rod 1st. A lot of instructions dont give the order of the steps. Just use a fret rocker or crown and polish or adjust the truss rod. But they dont do the order of things. This is great!
It's nice to hear someone confirm the issues with a scarf joint..I have an Ibanez with a scarf joint and sure enough it frets out at the 1st and 2nd fret and when looking for a replacement neck on Amazon the affordable ones have a scarf joint..
Excellent Video /Tutorial on the Mechanics /physics of what is going off when the string is set in motion, to give one an understanding ,Before setting about working on your guitar and making a complete Bollocks of it THIS IS A MUST WATCH VIDEO . Thankyou
so far best video I've seen about fret buzzing... thank you much! 21minutes in and already learned tons... usually everyone starts elevating the bridge so I was interested from the beginning when you actually explain why this may happen! good for you man.
I think you should not pay attention on bad criticism. What I mean is that if there is criticism at all should be constructive. You should understand how you impact on people. I just followed your video and helped me A LOT. Thanks for the information and hope you keep providing valuable information. Thanks!!!
I also made my own nut files by using a metal band saw & cut a series of notches along the edges of a set of feeler gauges. Use the kind that fold like a pocket knife. I had to clean up some burrs before they would fold without jamming. They work fine.
The absolute best video covering this subject anywhere!
Great teaching !! Helped answer a few basic important questions necessary to start off right. It is a shame how many expensive guitars and necks on the market have horrible fret leveling if any! I was once replied by well known companies that fret leveling is such a personal thing that they don't offer it as part of the purchase. What B.S !! I don't know any guitar player that would not want to have the frets leveled and a buzz-free neck. I trust your explanations and you do know what you are talking about!!. Guys watch these videos , learn a lot and avoid being trapped by self proclaimed experts and waste money all the while remaining frustrated. I loved your comment about G.C. I have seen horrifying set ups and lack of care on expensive items have gotten horrible advice as well ( all about making the sale !). Anyway enough ranting I could go on for a while, I hope you put out more of these videos . The information is out there however Nobody tells you the Why's as if they are guarding the secrets. Thanks again and let's keep them honest !
You're the man. I'm glad to see some of the info I'd saved that disappeared coming back. Hope you're feeling well.
One of the best well detailed informative videos I have seen on this subject great job
I watched this-then fixes my fret buzz issue in less than 10 minutes. Nice video!
I congratulate you fro the time you took to give such a comprehensive rundown on guitar buzz. I hate buzzing.
Man I like this video! It's great to see a video that explains everything without the bull**** in detail. This video is for someone who's making decisions on how to tackle many different buzzing problems with any style type guitar. If you're having fret buzz, this will explain in plain english and gives an understanding information. You offers users different decisions to accomplish many problems within different sincerious of fret buzzing.
i have a Jay turser arch top hollow body....and a fender tele.....i play blues, and do a lot of string bends...upwards to 2 notes....from the 7th to the 17th frets...they are flattened out!....from low E string to G string.....i need to re-fret, just no time or money for shop....am thinking of doing it myself, from watching your vids...and my trusty stew-mac catalogue for proper tools and supplies!....love your vids.....very informative....i actually take notes!
Wow! What a great video! I can't begin to list all the things I've learned about guitars by watching this video. Not only is there tons of useful information in this video, it is presented in such a simple and concise fashion that even a guitar newb like me was able to understand the whole thing. I almost got hung up when you talked about the radius of the fretboard, but then it clicked and it was immediately clear. Obviously, if I want to know more about guitars, I should watch more of your videos. Thanks!!
Wow great drawing illustration! thank you now i understand after 30 years of not knowing.
Thanks for this video. A lot of the things that are in it I have known for years, but your experience has given you the ability to explain a few of my unknowns so that I have the knowledge to understand and fix the weird real world problems I have encountered and couldn’t find a cure for. I’m going back to even my best playing guitar and double checking certain aspects of the setups. I may discover something that I previously couldn’t remedy. Super good information. Thanks.
The pushing down of the strings at the bridge at 34:37 (and also the nut) is something that my friend René Martinez told me about, what he used to do for SRV when he tech'd for him. One gig, Stevie said he was having trouble staying in tune and René realized he had forgotten to push doen on the strings after he changed them that day. So he never forgot since.
I Agree 100% about: The Guitar Tech's @ Guitar Center. You might-as-well, take your Guitar to a Shoemaker. Those guys are so UnProfessional. Numerous people in NYC with horror stories. Great information. Thanks for sharing. This was awesome.
Thank you for your knowledge and your time
Going to refret a guitar with nickel frets, then the 2nd one, stainless steel
Cool , thanks man. I regret taking up guitar now. I am going to go rethink my life choices
Awesome job! I am (now working on it) an agressive picker so this makes so much sense and will be observing from now on to correct. thanks so much
We need TH-cam more like this, thank you sir for your education!!!
Per part 3 of your tutorial. You had stated that if the tremolo bridge is up too high, the action would be s**t, which I agree, but you stated the tremolo/bridge should be flat/parallel to the body of the guitar. Fender Stratocaster specifications for the vintage style bridges, require about an 1/8" gap between the back of the bridge and the body for proper intonation. But I do agree with the rest of your tutorial you covered. Great video, cheers!
So funny when he said “that’s why plastic nuts suck…”. lol. I’m a beginner and am going to watch all of your vids on your channel. Thanks!
Good vid. A guide I kind of use when setting the nut height is that the distance from the second fret to the string "when the first fret is depressed" should be the same as the first fret to the string when riding directly on the nut. Nice to have it just a tad more though as it does wear a bit from tuning.
I know this is an old vid but thank you. I have around 16 guitars and basses that need some degree of fret work and i’m not about to bring them all to a shop. Maybe one or two. But as I have been researching the DIY approach this really helps and is in line with what others have said. The one common thing i see on todays guitars is the failure to finish frets properly. That seems to be the main area ALL companies cut corners on to keep costs down. Even if they say they are Pleked, they can still be crap. Who cares what they used for so called tonewoods if you can’t get your action under 2.5 - 2:0 mm. Maybe they are all setting them up for slide players? LOL. A few tools i plan on getting the real deal, but there are some good DIY alternatives out there for leveling and notched straight edges and polishing. Just go slow and practice on something less expensive.
Excellent video, with enough information and dry humor to keep me going. Thanks for taking the time to do this. I enjoy your nonsensical approach and delivery.
Thanks for the in-depth and physics-style approach! You're a friend to the youtube community
Good video. Lots of useful info. One tip that I think should be added is about the fingerboard radius. When leveling the frets, if you have a single radius neck, to maintain that radius your have to keep the sanding strokes parallel to the center line of the neck. If you follow the string lines than you create a compound angled fingerboard. If you have a compound fingerboard or want one that you should follow the string lines.
You sir, are a king! Thank you so much for these video's! They help a lot for people like me who don't have the expensive luthier tools, but still want to do some adjusting themselfs.
Wow, thx! I'm by no means a luthier. I have expert mechanical skills, and as an amateur guitar builder I'm starting to develop a pretty solid understanding of how 'these things' (guitars, lol) work. The endless battle between string action and fret buzz on my 2 Telecasters had me a little frustrated. Both are fine, very well put together instruments with no glaring factory flaws. There are so many variables that can contribute to this condition, as well as a never ending choice of 5 minute videos addressing one or more of these issues to some extent. My attention span being short as it is l didn't hold out much hope for making it past the first 5 minutes of a 1 hour!! video about fret buzz. But you got right into it, captured my attention, and explained it all very simply without any 'this is a string, and this is a ruler. If that doesn't work... Burn your guitar....' crap. Anyways... Thanks. Big help.
Watch any video on setting up necks you want as long as you watch this one as well. Very good.
Awesome advices. I really like how you put the knowledge in my head and telling the things that I hear in the deeps of my mind. Brilliant.
Thanks a lot for your effort that give much information and induce a confident skill to repair a guitar fretboard.
This video was awesome, the only thing I didn't like was "heigth" I have some inexplicable hatred of that mispronunciation. The fact that I was able to sit through it for an hour is a testament to how awesome the content of the video is.
For making nut slots you can pickup a set of cutting torch tip cleaner files from a welding and industrial gas supply house. There are sizes from .008 through .1 inch. They are round and make microscopically perfect slots. You can pick these up for 5 or 10 bucks. I'm a part time luthier and a full-time welding supply salesman!
I started the practical part of the learning process yesterday. My leveling beam and notched straight edge arrived last week. I decided to take it kind of conservatively till I know what I am doing. I went to Home Depot and purchased a length of 1" square aluminum tubing and cut it into 8" pieces. Then I used my leveling beam to make sure two sides of each piece are dead straight. I put different grades of sandpaper on two sides of each piece so they go from 2000 grit all the way down to 400 grit. I used the 2000 grit side of one piece to allow me to get a good look at what I am up against. Then I graduated down to whichever grit I needed to do the job. Takes longer this way but I'm a newbee to fret leveling and crowning so I don't mind.
Just would to say thank you for this vid. It helped my les paul turn into an awesome playing guitar now.
2 weeks I bought a new epiphone les paul standard pro honeyburst and have struggled to get a good setup,low action,easy and comfortable playing lp. No matter what I did it was terrible compared to my other guitars.
Well guess what had 1 fret that was just a tad low. I did everything almost exactly as you said and it's like a completely different guitar. I was on the verge of returning it to guitar center,it's the only shop in town.
I do have experience setting up guitars. I have played since 1990 but only ever owned guitars like ibanez rg570,Jackson dk2m,Jackson Rhoads, and some similar all with floyds.
I tried off an on for years to get a les paul but something always happened,stolen,taken from because of sketchy authorities and the last was ruined by guitar center. Never had one for more than week. Finally was able to get this one and it was terrible playing, but know I'm loving it.
So thank you again.
Great video , i love learning guitar science, and you teach it very well and make it understandable. I'm currently suffering from 3rd fret buzz on my high e, and 1st fret buzz on my low e. I took it to a luthier who gave me a full set up , but since the weather got hot my buzz came back in the exact same place. And this is preventing my action being where a prefer it. Now i know what to do , thanks buddy.
Dude...Thanx for this vid. Replaced a neck on a bolt-on that was busted. I was going to bring it to someone to have it done. But, I figured if I fuck it up, what the hell...I'm out a neck. After the vid, I had the confidence to do everything and got it all good. Now I am setting up guitars for people who gig every week.
Just have to start with one project that doesn't matter if you screw up, and pay attention. Your videos are great for the working musician who doesn't have the money of the stock-trading guitar hobbiest to have all their shit worked on by guitar techs and luthers.
When you clip your strings save the clipped parts. Glue them on to popsickle sticks for feeler gauges. Bug your lazy friends who use super skinny strings so you can have .009, .008. and now Rev Willy even makes an .007. These will give you a reasonably accurate read on nut height and relief.
Get Erlewine's book. It's loaded with practical advice like this for working on your stuff.
Good video. Thanks.
Thanks for showing tips, your experience and the traps I can easily fall in when tinkering with my guitar..
That´s excelent! I´ve learned a lot about fret buzz in theses videos. Thank you for sharing these tips, because they´ll help people like me to not be fooled by some guitar techs, mainly in Brazil. I know there´s a lot good technicians, you don´t have idea how it´s hard to find a good and honest technician here! I can start to make some small repairs myself on my electric guitars from now on.
EXCELLENT video!!!! (HUGE understatement, lol) I am very comfortable w/ most guitar repairs.. but don't mess w/ frets often (mainly because of lack of tooling..I'm not going to make mine or others worse, lol) but am ordering proper tools to FIX frets (finally) great stuff and SPOT on!
I am about halfway through watching this on my big screen TV and had to comment. A great video and very enlightening. I have a 2012 Fender American Standard Strat I purchased at Guitar Center. Don't know if I caused the problem but the open strings and harmonics are in tune but any fretted notes on the First (low E) string and the A string are always way sharp, more then a few cents. It's close to being a half a step sharp. I am hoping this will help me get my neck, bridge etc back in were it should be. Thanks much for this awesome piece of work.
Thanks for your reply. I think between nut and saddle my guess is the saddle, especially since it's the only thing I mucked around with without any real knowledge of what I was screwing up. You hour long video is a great reference.
+John Vander Wyden
check your nut slot before doing anything else!
+WillsEasyGuitar will could you please answer the questions i. asked on this video in the 12 the on this video.the jim
+John Vander Wyden They have these guitars called "fanned-fret". While not specifically meant for keeping the lower strings at better intonation; they do help significantly with the natural "bad tune", of the lower strings as you progress down the fret board. As for me, I tune the "E" string just a TAD bit lower than the rest, on ALL of my guitars.
+Quen Loust Which "E"-string ? I've located 2 on my guitar .
Wow, that is a lot of really useful information, a one-stop shop for problem solving. Thank you so much for this.
You Sir are a complete genius in your knowledge and communication!
Thank you so much.
Thanks for going into such depth, this is the best video I've seen on this topic 👍
Great video , probably one of the best there is for fret leveling there is.
This man knows his stuff !
Thank for the awesome video....did everything you advised and now no fret buzz!!!!! awesome!
This is my 3rd time watching this. This answers most of my questions about some specific issues i am having right now with my schecters.
You are a seriously gifted teacher Will. in 30 minutes i learned more about guitar-design than i did in the last 10 years of browsing forums and reading relevant literature. I would LOVE to see you do some videos on 7 strings and Extended Range instruments. I feel that ERG's and 7's are in an odd area between a guitar and bass, and have their own relevant set of physics to take into account when maintaining and repairing them. For example, most 7's need a bass-gauge string in order to play properly or have an odd scale length (26.625" 28.825" are popular), which introduces an odd host of issues when setting up and maintaining them.
of what? The suspense is killing me. I've been waiting for the conclusion of this comment for almost three weeks now. If you don't finish your thought soon I am going to sit here until
Just the diagram explained a huge amount of things to me. Thank you!
Great video. Very very informative. Thank you for taking the time to share all these tips and not just how to fix, but helping us understand why and how it happens in the first place.
Another excellent video. Informative and thorough while keeping it interesting. Have you given any thought to doing a video on a complete fret job (overhaul, not replacement). I watched the this and the other fret buzz video and now I'm hooked. I cannot wait to get the necessary tools and learn how to do a "neck overhaul". Thank you...
Delightfully captivating video.Thank you for sharing your wisdom and experience. You have a great approach with your teaching skills. I got so much back from this. thank you again!
Brilliant brilliant tutorial, thanks a bunch. Problem diagnosed (nut job) and still had it fixed by a guitar tech - just smarter to have the pro do it for a little outlay. Like yer man Buddy said this vid should be 'required watching'.
It is called a dove tail joint, if I am not mistaken. I like your videos, thanks for sharing your knowledge!
I inherited a late 80's Ovation Celebrity GC-3 solid body electric many years ago when my cousin passed away. It's a very nice sounding guitar but it has never played as well as most of my guitars. Today I was able to apply what I learned here to find out why it doesn't play so good. It has some frets that are lifted. I made a paper feeler gauge kinda thing and was able to easily slide it under some of the higher frets. I was able to tap a couple of them back down with a small tack hammer and a block of wood but one fret is being stubborn and won't go down where it is supposed to be. When my fretting hammer arrives I will be brave enough to try hitting it a bit harder. Haha
Such a thorough and educative video, thanks for sharing. I think my guitar has the scarf joint back bow issue. Couldn’t find the video you’ve mentioned though, where you teach to unwarp these types of necks. Maybe it’s not online anymore?
That headstock design is actually pretty slick looking. Good jobs you should modify it just a bit and patent it.