Odd buzz on 1 fret only - ideas?

21

Yes i do.
What’s funny is i was thinking to go through all my basses this weekend and check/optimize the nuts.
This issue came up on year Aerodyne today as i swapped out the bridge and neck plate and set it up again and noodled a while. I’d only really played the next chalk lake George song on it to see how it sounded and didn’t hit that fret. I’d noodled a little before and knew i heard something odd but didn’t check in out as I knew I’d go through the bass again.

I’m seeing and feeling that optimum nut height plays a big role in feel thus wanting to take closer looks at them.

And yes the paper bit solved it. Frets are fine btw

22

Interesting, so it’s a nut angle thing.

23

This is exactly why all basses should have a Warwick type of nut.

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24

agreed, best nut ever

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25

Could you explain what feature(s) a Warwick type nut has, that others don’t? Thanks!

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26

They are adjustable. Two allen bolts to raise/lower each side of the nut.

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27

I was just about to reply but @howard beat me. :laughing: They call it Just-A-Nut. You can see it it in action here:

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28

This…

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An easy test that’s reversible to see if your nut needs to be higher.

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29

thanks @John_E

30

Thanks @howard and @paul! I’ll check out the video.

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31

OK, so I ‘fixed’ my nut, and…I was wrong.
Still there, there is also a bit of a less noticeable buzz when I get the next fret up.
What I do notice about the buzzing frets is they are worn, and a bit ‘flat’ vs. a nice rounded top.
Could this be the cause of the buzzing?
From a level standpoint there is not one fret higher than the others that I can detect.

32

A low area on the fret might act like a low fret with the adjacent one being higher, yes. If it really bugs you, might be worth having someone take a look.

33

Ya at some point I will for sure. Until then it’s a single fret on a single note I can deal.

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