Guitar Problem

[sinktylersink]

So I brought one of my older electric guitars (that I probably haven't played in literally 1.5-2 years) to school with me this semester rather than bring my main electric up (I live in the dorms). Anyway, I went to change the strings today and as soon as I took the old strings off the bridge and tailpiece fell off. After putting them back on (the tailpiece is still a little loose) I went to restring it. Once I got the new strings on I started tightening them and realized that something wasn't right. They were ridiculously buzzy and just plain not working on higher frets. After looking at it I'm thinking the action may need adjusted (not sure why though as I never had problems before and didn't change the gauge of string or anything). My questions are: Could this be the problem and is it worth it for me to try to fix it myself or should I just take it to the music store (I believe they have a luthier that comes in)? Also, should I just look into having a full setup done (I think they do them for about $30, I'm not sure if that's reasonable as I've never had a setup before)? Thanks guys.

[patrickhowell]

Alright, what kind of guitar is it ? Based on your description, I'm assuming it has a tune-o-matic bridge and stop tailpiece. Is that correct ? How well was the guitar set up before ? Also, it sounds like you probably changed string gauges (or maybe string types), right ? That can have a huge effect on the way a guitar is set up... Plus cold weather can really screw with instruments.

I'll quote my post from another thread on the basics of guitar setup:


1) Truss Rod

This is a metal pole inside the neck of your guitar that holds the neck straight. The adjustment is at the end of the neck and it takes an Allen wrench to adjust. Here's how to check and adjust:

Hold down the low E string on the first and last frets. There should be a slight gap between the string and the 8th fret. If it needs adjusted, loosen the strings first so that you don't have a lot of tension on the truss rod. If there's a large gap, you need to turn the truss rod clockwise. If there's no gap, you need to turn it counter-clockwise. Don't go more than 1/4 turn. Tune back up and check again.

2) The Nut

This is the white (usually) plastic piece that your strings rest on at the top of the neck. Here's how you check that:

Put a capo between the second and third frets (or just hold down each string) and check the clearance between the first fret and the string. It should be a very small gap. If it's too big, the nut has to be filed down and this is permanent. You could try it yourself but if you go too low you'll have to replace the nut. I'd recommend getting this done by a pro unless you feel really comfortable doing it.

3) Bridge Saddles:

These are the sliding metal pieces that your string sits on at the other end of the guitar. Once the truss rod and nut are good, then the bridge saddles will be all that's left to adjust for your action. Move them as low as you like, but be careful to check for string buzz before moving on.

4) Intonation:

The distance between your bridge saddles and nut is a small adjustment to fine-tune your guitar but it is very important to make sure your guitar is in tune on all the frets. Tune up with a tuner. Check the tuning of the 12th fret. If it's sharp, move the bridge saddles away from the fret. If it's flat, move the bridge saddles toward the fret.

[sinktylersink]

It's an ESP Viper. Tune-O-Matic Bridge and Stop Tailpiece, yes. It wasn't set up great before but I mean, it played and this was never an issue. I think it had 9 gauges on it before which is what I restrung it with. The guitar has basically just sat under my bed for a year and a half though which could be the root of the problem. Also I didn't really think to check it before taking the old strings off. If I'm going to try to adjust the saddles I'm just wondering, which way do I turn the screws to raise the strings and which way to lower?

[patrickhowell]

Sorry, the directions I wrote up before were for a strat, so I can clarify a little better for your guitar... Since guitars fitted with a tune-o-matic bridge generally have a flatter neck radius, they only have two adjustment screws, on either side of the bridge. Turning those screws clockwise will lower the action, counter-clockwise will raise it. Make sure you have the truss rod straight before you set the action, though. If you prefer really low action, then a little string buzz isn't a big deal... you will lose a little sustain in exchange for faster playability.

When you're setting the intonation, you use the little screws conveniently placed under the strings where they're hard to reach. If the fretted note on the 12th fret is sharper than the 12th fret harmonic, turn the screw clockwise to move the bridge saddle away from the neck. If it's flat, turn it counterclockwise to move it closet to the neck.

[sinktylersink]

Alright thank you. It sounds like I tightened the bridge too much when I put it back on. I'm gonna have to check the intonation now too as well since I was playing with those knobs seeing if they fixed my problem. I'll have to check it all out when I get back to my room.

EDIT: It was the action, once I got that raised and the intonation straightened out everything was good to go. Thanks so much.