Originally Posted by RAILhead
Open buzz only. I'm thinking it may be something on the saddle, but I'm replacing it as soon as the part arrives.
Open buzz only? Once fretted, no buzz? That rules out high frets, neck angle at the bolt-on joint (which can be corrected with business card shims, my friends) and saddle.
That's the nut. The nut slot isn't clean or isn't angled back properly, or is too low. Do you have the high E under its string tree on the headstock? Those string trees make an important difference.
Check the neck angle at the bolt-on joint as well, and check the neck relief (truss rod) -- but if it were the bolt-on and the truss rod, you'd be seeing other buzz problems.
Do you have flat feeler gauges? Get them at the auto parts shop.
1) Automotive Feeler Gauges - .05-1mm
2) 6" Depth Ruler - 150mm (this ruler has no space from the edge to where measurement marks begin)
Here's how I like to set up as a starting place, and then you can adjust from there.
TRUSS ROD:
The strings put a lot of pressure on the neck so it is necessary to provide some means of strengthening the neck and (hopefully) adjusting the flatness (concavity) to insure proper action across the length of the fretboard. Most guitars have some means of adjusting the tension of the truss rod, either at the headstock or neck joint. If your guitar has no adjustment, it has a fixed truss rod and there is no way to adjust out problems with the neck, just skip this step and hope for the best. Begin this adjustment by placing a capo at the first fret. Depress the 6th string at the last fret, now measure the distance from the bottom of the string to the 8th fret wire. If you know your neck's radius, this can be finely adjusted, If not set adjust the truss rod so the distance becomes .25mm using the feeler gauge. This is a very sensitive adjustment so go slow... Use the allen key for your neck and slightly turn the nut at the headstock (or philips screw at the neck joint) slip the feeler gauge between the string and 8th fret adjust until the gauge just slips under the string with no play. Sight along the string to make sure the gauge is not pushing up the string. Typical adjustments for different neck radii - 7.25" = .3mm, 9.5" to 12" = .25mm, 15" to 17" = .2mm. .25mm is a good compromise if you don't know the radius of the neck on your guitar. AGAIN, use very small adjustments of the truss rod 1/8 of a turn between measurements should get you there. If the truss rod seems very tight or adjusting has no effect, see a pro. I sometimes take the nut completely off the rod and drip one drop of oil or teflon lube on it so that I know I'm not binding on the threads.
ACTION
Tune the guitar. Using the depth ruler, measure from the bottom of the string to the top of the 17th fret wire. Using the saddle height adjustment hex screws, adjust this gap to 4/64" or 1.6mm. This is a good starting point. Play the guitar and raise the action in small increments to eliminate any buzzing or rattling. Again, this is personal adjustment. Fine tune until it feels right to you. Set all 6 strings in this fashion and finally, make sure each saddle is parallel to the bridge plate. Slightly adjust the saddle set-screws to accomplish this. Retune the guitar.
Make sure the pickup height is 2 to 2.4 mm from the bottoms of the strings, so that the magnets aren't pulling the strings down causing them to buzz on the last fret.
MY SETUP:
Neck relief: .007" to .012" around the 7th or 9th frets.
Action: measuring at the 12th fret. 5/64" on the treble E, 7/64" on the bass E. If I need lower action, 3/64" on high E, 5/64" on bass E. Capo on the first fret to take the nut out of the equation when doing this.
String breaking: look at the way the string comes to the saddle from your bridge: it can come through the body or through the flat end of the tailpiece on a telecaster depending on how yours is made. I like through the body, it gives a better sustain and tone for my ear.
Look and see if you see the strings contacting the saddle before they reach the peak where the string starts vibrating- if it does, it can kink the string there and cause premature breakage. I take short wire insulation and slide it over the string so that it prevents breakage behind the saddle.
Make sure your saddle pieces follow the same radius as your neck, with the bass side a little higher as indicated by the measurements I laid out above.
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