Fret buzz

The rattling sound of a vibrating string striking a fret it is not meant to touch, which stops the note from sounding cleanly.

It is almost never a fault in the frets alone. The usual causes are too little relief, action set lower than the player's attack can tolerate, a nut slot cut too low, a high or lifted fret, a neck that has moved with the weather, or simply a heavy right hand on a low setup. Because several of these produce the same noise, the fix is to measure relief and action first and change one thing at a time, then re-check.

Example: a guitar that buzzes only when it is played hard may be perfectly set up, and the honest answer is that the action wants to be raised for that player.

Fret buzz

See also