Do you think fret buzz is part of the guitar sound?

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aliendawg
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Do you think fret buzz is part of the guitar sound?

Post by aliendawg » Wed May 06, 2020 11:20 am

I've been thinking about buzz lately. A lot of the guitar videos I watch have some, and it kind of adds character I think. Almost like it's the Fender sound.

I remember a friend saying "Well, my bass gotta HONK dude!!". And it kind of makes sense ;D

Do you think it's part of the charm, or should one always chase a setup with virtually zero buzz?
Last edited by aliendawg on Thu May 07, 2020 5:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Danley
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Re: Do you think string buzz is part of the guitar sound?

Post by Danley » Wed May 06, 2020 12:43 pm

I think zero buzz/unplugged depends as much on playing style as anything; but I typically won’t compromise on action anyway. More than 2mm at the 12th fret on any string is too much, but all my guitars can be set up lower than that with no buzz when I play. Even severe buzz to a degree can end up masked by the amplified tone anyway. So it doesn’t make as giant of a difference as people think, even if it bothers us as guitarists.
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Re: Do you think string buzz is part of the guitar sound?

Post by aliendawg » Wed May 06, 2020 6:38 pm

That's a fair point! You're right, most of the time buzz is masked by amps
"With the resurgence of offsets it seems like we're also seeing a resurgence of people who don't know what to do with them" - 601210

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Re: Do you think string buzz is part of the guitar sound?

Post by adamrobertt » Thu May 07, 2020 6:06 am

"Virtually" zero buzz is the key. It is almost impossible for a guitar to literally be buzz and rattle free. When I set my guitars up I usually am OK with what I consider "acceptable" rattle that you can't hear through an amp and is mostly inconsequential. Even my guitars that have gotten the PLEK treatment still do this - it's just how it works.

I always am amused by dudes who are chasing the "literally 0 buzz" dragon. Not gonna happen bro, unless you want high action.

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Re: Do you think string buzz is part of the guitar sound?

Post by Kinx » Thu May 07, 2020 2:39 pm

I consider buzzing frets as a part of my sound to some extend, adds juice to the distorted sound - I'm quite annoyed when bent notes die out, but I don't really mind fret buzz or any sympathetic rattle for the matter. It's also part of the jag/jazzmaster sound for me :D I really like to use super-microphonic guitars (such as Eko 500-3V or ancient Jolana Diskant archtop), because they add so much character to the mix when all the noise is properly tamed in a musical way.
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Re: Do you think string buzz is part of the guitar sound?

Post by jorri » Thu May 07, 2020 3:26 pm

Sometimes i get a bit of sitarry twang off hitting the open string ringing out. Love it. anything fretting out i hate, but i am sure there are plenty of records with some buzzy tones. I guess with anything sounding like its meant to be there and owning it is the trick ;D

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