rlrlrl
Joined:
24 Dec 2007
Posts: 260
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 Posted: 05/12/2010 at 11:48 AM Post subject: The Setup Thread (action / fret buzz) |
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I'm wondering how other people have their Beans setup, and if anybody feels the same or different about some of these issues. Because the necks are not adjustable, everything comes down to the adjustments in the nut and saddles, or so it would seem. But really I think more of the issues lie in the frets: because jumbo frets are so wide, there's so much room for them to flatten out and cause buzzing, along the length that the string is touching them. I wonder if they're the biggest cause of fret buzz on beans. I really dislike wide frets. None of my TBs have action as low as I'd like it, and I think this is the culprit. The top of the fret has to have the perfect profile to play right. I know that should be the case on any guitar, but I feel like it may be particularly accentuated on a Bean, maybe because you can't add a slight back bow in the neck to mask the problem.
Any thoughts? Also if anybody here has had a Bean G&Ped or even refretted by anybody in the NYC area, I'd be interested to know who's done a good job.
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Joefish
Joined:
11 Dec 2008
Posts: 106
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| Posted: 05/12/2010 at 4:14 PM Post subject: RE:The Setup Thread (action / fret buzz) |
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Hi, Regarding your frets, if you say they're jumbo ¦. they're jumbo.
My bean which is basically NOS (since I started playing it daily last year) and does not have jumbo frets ¦ in fact, I would describe them as Les Paul fretless wonder frets.
I've seen a few posts on fret description and will let you know exactly what I have.
(BTW, my Tele has jumbo frets)
Joe
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Joefish
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11 Dec 2008
Posts: 106
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| Posted: 05/12/2010 at 7:45 PM Post subject: RE:The Setup Thread (action / fret buzz) |
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Sir, Once again you are correct and I am wrong!
... it seems that frets are either 6230 or (everything else) Jumbo
Please see the two closeup shots of my Bean at TB 3000 # 29 (Hank, thanks for the fast turnaround)
they sure looks like Jumbo frets .... I guess my Tele has 6100 frets
the following is from http://www.warmoth.com/Gu.....ar/Necks/FretSizePop.aspx (rlrlrl and myself say Thanks)
Item Number Width X Height Description Used By
6230 .080" X .043" This is the smallest fret wire. Vintage Fender necks.
6130 .106" X .036" Often referred to as "Medium Jumbo". Many Gibson necks.
6150 .103" X .046" A true "Jumbo". It is about the same width as the 6130 but a bit taller. Modern Fender American necks.
6105 .096" X .047" Narrow and tall. Our most popular choice!
6100 .112" X .055" Huge! This is big stuff for the almost scalloped feel. Common on Ibanez necks
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rlrlrl
Joined:
24 Dec 2007
Posts: 260
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| Posted: 05/12/2010 at 11:07 PM Post subject: RE:The Setup Thread (action / fret buzz) |
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Haha, well I'm not keeping score. But seriously, this is very useful information. Personally I always feel like I play more out of tune with big frets, and I love the vintage Fender size. I suppose Bean frets could turn into fretless wonder type frets once they've been ground and polished down so far that they are indeed wide and flat! My Artist is like that. It's just so hard to keep the crown of these frets pristine, and then you've got issues. To each his/her own, for sure.
Is anyone able to keep very low and easy action on a TB without buzzing or sitar noises?
Does anyone have a refretted TB, and how well does that work out?
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Chelsea
Joined:
13 Apr 2009
Posts: 22
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| Posted: 05/13/2010 at 10:47 PM Post subject: RE:The Setup Thread (action / fret buzz) |
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My TB2000 has a new fretboard and frets on it. The previous owner ripped the frets out causing the whole neck to splinter and then filled it in with what looked like flooring putty (see TB2000 #190). I'm not sure what size the frets are, but I'm pretty sure the luthier did the research and matched the kind originally used on TBs. There is a little bit of buzz but not enough to audibly hinder the sustain. The buzz can be heard through my practice amp, but through my tube amp it gets drowned out by the grit. My action is also set pretty low... I'm sure the buzzing could be eliminated by raising the strings, but I like the current setup so that's the price I'm willing to pay!
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soarshoulder
Joined:
09 Jul 2007
Posts: 32
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| Posted: 05/14/2010 at 3:34 PM Post subject: RE:The Setup Thread (action / fret buzz) |
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for the most part I think the reason that TB's are prone to buzzing with low action is that the neck is totally straight. When you do a truss rod adj. you usually set it to have a bit of relief since max string amplitude is at fret # 12. With a flat & non-adjustable neck you're stuck with it. The only thing you could do is to have a non-uniform fret height as you go down the neck to compensate for lack of relief. This is not only more costly, it also requires the person who is doing it to really know what the **** they are doing or else the instrument will very likely play like complete sh1t.
I have the action on my standard really ******* low and only notice the buzz slightly when unplugged. I dont think there is enough going on to **** with sustain or tone when plugged in though, so it is not really an issue for me. The 2000 I had was a bit worse, but I could kill the buzz at a reasonable action I think...
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admin
Joined:
01 Jun 2001
Posts: 1266
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| Posted: 05/16/2010 at 1:30 PM Post subject: RE:The Setup Thread (action / fret buzz) |
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Interesting story about the frets. I asked Travis a while ago about why they went with the jumbos.. and he said.. 'that's all they could get at the time'. Apparently back in the day, they didn't have the wide variety as they do today for fret wire.
Also, at that time the fret wire had a radius or curve pre-bent, and they ended up creating some type of jig to straight them out before setting them on the flat necks. Talking with another person that worked there at the time and works with guitars today commented that now the wire comes straight.. and now he needs to make a jig to get the radius back in there before setting them on his radius necks. I guess that's coming full circle.
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Joefish
Joined:
11 Dec 2008
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| Posted: 05/16/2010 at 6:58 PM Post subject: RE:The Setup Thread (action / fret buzz) |
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Bean frets are standard.
(per my friend/the Rothchild Marketing Rep that introduced me to Travis at The Chicago NAMM show)
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