Acoustic Guitar - Easy Action no Buzz? Help a newbie.

[OCDaveWilcox]

Hey guys, first post in this section. I hoping you guys can help or tell me there is no luck.

I'm mostly an in the box "producer" but lately I've been putting some guitar on the tracks and I'm liking the results. However what I don't like are my guitars. It seems they are either always too high and hard to play, or they rattle and buzz on the frets. I don't know much (if anything) about the actual physical properties of the guitar.

But can someone tell me, is it possible to find a good acoustic guitar with strings that are low to the fret board, easy to strum, with out all the buzz? The same really goes for electric too, I've picked up 1k+ guitars that just feel awful to play. Is there a secret I missing ? Do you need to have a personal guitar guy prep a guitar for you for fine tuning?

Also any suggestions on a nice acoustic 1k or under?

Sorry if this is a dumb question. Thanks everyone.

[Jmoon79]

Going sub 1K and finding a decent acoustic is not hard, as long as you don't fall for one of the big manufacturer's (Martin, Taylor, etc) little tricks, like a guitar made of Koa with a Taylor sticker on it for $500.

I'm sure some players out there like Koa, and good for them, but it's like a spongy mess to me.

Action has to do with a lot of things, string guage, neck straightness, bridge height, playing style, etc, etc...

Yes, you need to have a professional set it up for you. This SHOULD NOT cost more than about $25-35. If it does, find someone else. Once it's set up, use the same guage strings that were on it when it was set up, or if you change, have it re-setup for the new guage. Then when the seasons change, set it up again. Wood expands and contracts with humidity and temperature changes.

Bottom line is, if it's rattling and buzzing in the store, it will rattle and buzz at home. If you find one you really like, but it buzzes, make them set it up for you before you buy it. If it still buzzes, don't buy it.

I always see guys who want a new guitar in the shops peeling off their best riffs trying to impress people at the store. I play every single note on the fretboard, one at a time, listening for an even tone, no dead spots, no high spots, bend every note a little, see if it goes dead, or if it rings out like it's supposed to. Bring a tuner with you, and check the octave of several notes to make sure the intonation is correct.

If you're a novice player, developing better strength and chording techniques will alleviate buzz if the guitar is right. If you're a decent player, and the guitar is buzzing AND set up properly, what you have is a paddle.

I'd look at Guilds (but be careful, there's more lemons than diamonds in Guild) Blueridge (higly reccomend) Gibson, Taylor, and Martins to name a few. Look for solid wood, and get it set up and maintain it properly.

HTH

[Jmoon79]

Breedlove is good too.

[Manfrensengensen]

You can go buy a new guitar and set it on a stand when not playing it and when I starts to dry out from sitting by a furnace duct, wood stove or setting in the sun, it will need the truss rod/neck adjusted just like the guitars you have.

When wood dries out frets can push up, necks move or twist and internal braces on acoustics can come loose/unglued. Keeping guitars in optimal humidity is important. Acoustic solid tops can crack along the grain too.

[archfrenemy]

I went on a hunt for an acoustic guitar that had "my sound". I decided that I did not want to limit myself in what guitars I would try, so I tried every guitar I could get my hands on no matter what the price or brand. I wanted to pick my finalists only by sound and ease of play. Although there were a few $10,000 guitars in the top 5, the overall winner was a cedar Simon and Patrick that was under $700. To be honest it was not even a close contest.

So go play them all, take your time, ignore brand names and even ignore price until the end and you will probably find the right axe.

[Mellonhead]

get an older Guild preferably an F series make in hoboken or westerly ri....any good accoustic player knows of them...but still very underated...as durable as a gibson...sound at least as good as martins... and play like a dream.... put martin silk and steel strings on whatever you buy...and besides.. a great investment

mellonhead

[AwwDeOhh]

My Taylor (614ce) plays like an electric.
Super-low action, plays like butter, no buzz. Reliable for over a decade now.
(have a Koa Taylor T5 as well, love it!)

The comment about getting your guitar setup is spot-on. Store it in a hard case when it's not in use. If it's 'dry' season, a humidifier can help keep it from warping.

Never owned a Breedlove, but they do play nice too. (i believe it was started by a Taylor co-founder, iirc)

[vintagelove]

best cheap players I have seen are Alverez. Only a couple hundred bucks, will let you know if you want to take it seriously or not. Good luck

[archfrenemy]

Remember to consider the string gauge of guitars you try out. Personally, I never buy a guitar that is strung with light or ultra light strings. Not only does it make guitars sound twangy, neutered, and buzzy, but it makes off guitars somewhat playable which allows them to mask problems. Once you think you have found something extremely promising, don't be afraid to ask them to swap strings at least to 10 gauge (or higher if you are comfortable) and have them adjust the truss tension to get the proper action you want. (anything without a truss rod is a toy by the way) You should always try and leave with a ready to go well balanced easy to play guitar that has been strung with your gauge strings. You may also try out a Taylor big baby. My buddy has one and I thought his sounded ok and was easy to play.

[mcgruff]

Originally Posted by OCDaveWilcox

But can someone tell me, is it possible to find a good acoustic guitar with strings that are low to the fret board, easy to strum, with out all the buzz?

Buy a guitar for the sound and don't worry about the action. They all need a setup, unless you had it custom-built (although Taylors have a reputation for being better than others).

The only thing to watch out for is a low break angle (the angle the strings make as they bend across the saddle). You need a decent angle for tone (the saddle acts like a lever on the top). so, if it's already quite shallow, there won't be much scope for lowering the action.

When you take it for a setup the luthier will need to know what guage of strings you like and what style of music you play. At the minimum he'll make a new saddle. Perhaps also a new nut. The truss rod might need a tweak and there might be some fret leveling/crowning to do.

Everything will (or rather should...) be measured to very fine tolerances. A perfect setup will have just the right height at the nut and the saddle, and a tiny bit of curve in the fretboard to follow the line of the vibrating strings. When you get everything right it will utterly transform the playability of the guitar.

It's quite a skilled job - there's no way you can have all that done for $25. My advice is do not take it to anyone like that.

However, you could try a bit of DIY first. Get a few bone blanks and make a few saddles which are lower in height (keep the original untouched for reference!). Lowering the saddle often improves things greatly (this is pretty much all you'll get for $25) but, for the best possible setup, you need someone who knows what they're doing to look at nut height, neck relief and fretwork in addition to the saddle. They all work together and have to be perfectly matched.

Try the acoustic guitar forum for more advice about setups.

[nighthawk128]

If you are buying a guitar---as James Taylor says---buy a quality instrument that sounds good-plays well for you. If you go a hair over $1000 you can get a Martin or Taylor acoustic. Do not get the bottom of the barrel starter guitar. It will serve you well to pitch in extra bucks.

If the guitar sounds bad, you wont play it. It will not record well-that I can tell you for a fact.

You want low action but leave that to a guitar tech to handle.
Good luck

[RockstarWizkidd]

I would just like to say that I have an Alvarez FD60AMB (Fusion series). I think the list is $950? You can get them for 400 used, or 700 new. Everyone who plays it oohs and aahs. I love it. Here's the best part, they're reliable. I had one that had the face crack on it. Guess what? Lifetime warranty. They literally just sent me a brand new one in the box. (mine was a factory blemish too, the new one is not. Trying to figure that out still...) Moreover, I accidentally sent it in without thinking to take the strap off. They returned my strap and mounting hardware with the new one, along with a handwritten letter saying that they thought I would want them back. The most impressive customer service I have ever encountered. The whole thing took like 2 weeks. Try doing that with and xbox. Plus microsoft charges you when their product breaks. I don't know if it's because it's all maple, but my Alvarez seems to have more trouble with low humidity that some of my friends. Literally my only complaint other than there;s no pickguard on it (which I could do). Seriously, Alvarez is a good company, and they aren't supposed to have a lot of lemons.