FRETBOARD BUZZ

[pault]

I have an AW 100 and replaced nut and saddle with bone.  I am experiencing buzz on frets 12 to 15 on the D B E strings.  I am using .010s. 
Is this a winter time humidity thing? It began recently.
Would changing up to .012s help?
Ideas?

P

[ibanezfreak1960]

Did all this happen after the replacement?

[pault]

It has been several months since the modification.
Since it happens only in a small range of frets I wonder if there is some "fretboard hump" where the fretboard comes over the top; but I can not tell by looking.
Although I run a humidifier, it has been very dry here.
Paul

[BCy2k]

Hi Paul and welcome to ICW

Some more questions for you . . .

Where is "here"? Are you in a dry or humid climate? I usually have to make truss rod adjustments on all my guitars twice a year (spring & fall typically) where I live (Colorado). If it's been dry, the fingerboard may be shrinking slightly and this could potentially lead to what you're experiencing. Really hard to say anything for sure without the opportunity to do an in hand assessment.

Is/was your AW100 set up for 10s with a proper truss rod adjustment? That's a fairly light gauge for most acoustics. I suspect you'll find that even moving up to 11s might help things a little. 12s wouldn't be a bad idea either. You'll probably need to do a truss rod adjustment if you try a heavier gauge. I have one of my Tama 6 strings set up for 11s (3563) and the other set up for 12s (the 3560N). I used to have a Tama 3565 that I had set up with 10s, it played really well. Very similar to an electric, but it wasn't exactly a tone monster with such a light gauge on it.

It could be something else entirely, but if it was properly set up for 10s, I think a climate related issue may be the culprit. If not, I'd look into making the necessary neck relief adjustment and see what that does.

[pault]

"Here" is Greensboro North Carolina which is smack in the center of the state.
The modifications were made in the Summer which is very humid and we are having an unusually hard [and dry] Winter.  The shop did set it up for 10s at that time.  I don't really like them on the acoustic - little too much like my electric [Ibanez ARX 500].
I have pretty much decided to restring with 12s but before I do I wanted to hit the board for suggestions.
I have set up a humidifier set at 60 percent but it will take a few days for the wood to acclimate.
I have never made a truss rod adjustment although I tried and was unable to move the nut.  Maybe I didn't use enough pressure but it made me wary.  I was going for about a quarter turn counterclockwise to add bow.  Again, I am not sure on the procedure but it would seem logical to restring first, then adjust the truss??
If I am wrong on this, do let me know.
Aside from this issue, replacing the nut and saddle has made a monumental improvement in the tone.

Thanks for your help!!
Paul 

[jeffsailor]

A fretboard hump can be discovered by using a small straightedge. The area of the board over the body should be flat, so if you run the straightedge from the sound hole toward the nut, any hump that exists will be detected by a significant drop off in the fingerboard once you get closer to the nut (in the area of the fret buzz).

If you're going up to 12s, take it back to the shop. They're going to have to open the nut slots up slightly and since you're apprehensive about doing the truss adjustment, let them do it. FWIW, a 1/4 turn (90 degrees) on a truss rod is a HUGE adjustment. And since you're not sure that's the issue, have a pro check it out. There's a lot of things that can cause frets to buzz, and like BC said, your situation will require an in-hand visual inspection to determine the real cause.

just my 2 cents...
js

[pault]

Sometimes 2 cents are worth a lot!
Thanks for all the info.  I think it is back to the shop.
Paul