I hear a slight buzz when I play toward the middle of my Telecaster neck. Since it's fairly new, should I take it to the shop or try adjusting it myself? I was able to raise my bridge. That helped but it still buzzes a little.

I'd appreciate hearing from your experience. Thanks!

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Are we talking standard tele? Or a custom with one of those odd 3-screw neck joints?


Also what bridge are we talking about? I had some troubles on a part-caster that had a great MightMite neck & Wilkerson Compensated saddles + old style box bridge. Could never get the height right without adjusting the neck position. My modern Tele Standard with the modern saddles could have been adjusted without altering the neck.


Year & model would be good? Neck joint type. Bridge Style. Bigsby? Probably not right? B-Bender? Probably not either.


On a run of the mill Tele I'd do it. I have over tightened a Warmoth neck and split it slightly in one corner. Really stupid thing to do, so that was a learning lesson. When I had the buzzing on the partscaster I think I used a small piece of cardboard to 'shim' up the neck pocket. I know guys who add all sorts of things to create a tighter pocket, but I'm not there yet.


Lots of great on-line with step-by-step instructions. Stewie Mac I think has a good tutorial as well if I remember correctly.

Eek. Could be so many things. You could have one or two frets that need shaping (not likely on a nearly new guitar), you could need to add neck relief or maybe even just a nut or bridge adjustment. Do you have a friend who knows guitars who can help? You should learn a bit about this yourself before trusting your guitar to someone.

If you're not confident and don't understand how to set up a guitar then it's probably worth taking it to a tech or the shop if it's still in warranty (or see if you can get a personal recommendation for a tech - some techs appear to know no more than you presently do!).


However there's a LOT on the web about setting up guitars. If you want to try it then I'll dig out some links.

Agreed....find a GOOD Luthier. Prof.musicians can advise there. Sounds like the truss rod needs a "reset". The rod compensates for string tension.

Not something to tinker with until you know how.

I do my own guitar set ups (minus fret dressing) You can screw up a neck real quick!


Neck relief / truss rod adjustment is a very simple thing. Taylor used to include neck rod adjustment wrenches in their guitar cases! I agree with John except that it's like saying, "find a good auto mechanic". Rare as hen's teeth. I know of none in my town that I would trust. I work on my own guitars.

Many guitar makers include truss rod wrenches with their guitars, but there's a lot of mythology and fear behind truss rod adjustment. It's even worse in the bass world, where some guys suggest you need to leave the bass 24 hours between adjustments, slacken strings before adjusting & all kinds of irrationalities.


The most important things about truss rod adjustment are to know why you're doing it and to remember never to force it, instead doing a small amount at a time.


Anything beyond intonation I send to my favorite tech.  It doesn't have to be done that often.  My tech in Sarasota Florida charged 135 dollars to level/re-crown the frets, adjust the neck and adjust bridge saddle height.  He also replaced the nut with a graphite one.  My guitar plays like a dream.  Worth every penny.

Fender has very detailed setup instructions online (just google for Tele Setup). If you're even a little bit handy, go for it. I've been doing my own work on my instruments since I was 16. It's not as hard as most people make it seem.

It really just sounds like a truss rod adjustment is needed as they weather changes. You'll likely need another come late autumn/winter.


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