I just set up my guitar for a while, action, intonation, etc. and I experimented with the truss rod slightly. I couldn't get it to eliminate the buzz on the first few frets on the lower strings, and the action was already normal. The neck isn't warped or anything. So here comes the question: should I lower the first few frets to prevent the buzzing? How would I do this, simply sanding it down with finegrit sandpaper? What would I have to do afterwards to make the frets look shiny again, instead of all scratched up?
I assume taping the fingerboard to prevent damage while sanding the first few frets is the best idea. I'll only have to level the top part of the frets, where they come in contact with the low strings.

Does this sound like a good idea, and how should I go about doing it?

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What kind of guitar is it?

There are much simpler things to do first. I wouldn't recommend sanding your frets down yet, unless you do a complete fret level.

I'm having the same problem. I get buzz around the first couple frets mainly the lower strings (E A D). I loosened the truss rod about an eighth of a turn. Still hasn't solved the problem. Mine is a Ibanez RG.

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Pretty common.

Easiest solution is to get a few shims and place under the nut.

Try one full shim, and then cut one in half and place on the bass side and see if that helps.

Sounds like a good idea, I might do that but using a whole shim just to have equal height. Where can I get the shims from? You mean like a small thin strip of wood then glue it on top? Won't that screw the sustain up a bit?

I've read some guides on nut removal, and I'll probably do the side-tapping method. But what glue should I use for reattaching? I hear krazy glue is a bad idea, should I use like regular Elmers wood glue?

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If it's a locking nut, you can use masking tape as a shim. Just unscrew it from the neck and put a small strip under the side where you get the buzz. Just keep doing this until the buzz stops. Also, make sure you only do one at a time, other wise you may put too much on there and end up having high action.

And if it's a regular one, I'd just buy a new nut and file it myself. Since you have your old one, you already have a string spacing template.

Elmers wood glue is fine for the job.

I use brass shims. I wouldn't do any gluing. You never know, you might have to take them out at some point.

For a locking nut, I just remove the nut, and place a few shims underneath, then reattach. It's not going to hurt to have more of a shim on the bass side.

So your saying... remove the locking nut container from the neck and applying a shim underneath? What exactly is a shim? Just a thin piece of material? How thick should it be? Should I use a seperate shim for each pressure plate, like 3 shims total? I turned the truss rod another eighth of a turn and it hasn't solved my problem. I get bad fret buzz (drag) even around the upper frets. Can you, in a nutshell, explain the shim process. Thanks!

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Brass nut shims. They make them just for that purpose. 0.1mm thick. Place one, maybe two underneath the nut, then cut one in half and place on bass side. Use anything that you can think of that comes to mind.

Damn, where can I get them? I already searched froogle and ebay, no luck.

Mine is not a locking nut, I will have to use glue no matter what right?


It sounds like a really good idea, cause if you lift the nut, you can lower the bridge even more. You would have to shim the nut an insane amount for your guitar to get unlowerable action. The strings always slant down towards the nut, so raising the nut lets you put the strings more parallel to the fingerboard... cool!

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If it's a locking nut then there should be screws on the back of the neck to fasten that nut retainer. So you shouldn't have to glue anything, just screw it down tight.

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It's not a locking nut, god damn it.

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for starters, any adjustments you make to the nut- anywhere else on the guitar for that matter- have gotta be done in small increments, and chances are youll need to adjust the truss rod slightly after getting the nut height.

i also had this problem on my ESP V, everything else was set up correctly except for a buzz down near the bottom end of the register, so i used heavier wound strings. i tuned to A with 70 gauge ernies, they were a bit heavier but i got used to em, didnt have a problem with playing fast shit either like raining blood, but soloing, eg. slurs on the bottom string was a bit difficult but that was it.

hope this helps.

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unless your notes are dying out immediately a lot of distortion should get rid of the problem. For shreddng and tremolo picking (most of my playing style) you don't need a huge amount of sustain. Use enough distorion and the buzz isn't audible either. You just have to weigh if which is more important; low action and easier fingering or better sustain on a couple frets. Wearing down frets is irreversible except for replacing your frets (a lot of money) and will very likely just move the buzz up a couple of frets. I wouldn't risk it.

Ok, I'll just try to raise the nut then.

My question is: How do I raise it higher if it's not a locking nut?

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