1st Fret buzz with open E string on Series I

[Bassman8416]

I just put a set of Thomastik Infeld Flats on my Long scale Series I bass.  The E string buzzes when playing the open E. It looks to me like the slot/groove for the E string is too deep. Neck is straight both sides and every other open string rings true and beautifully. If I raise the bridge, its too high comparatively to having a nice even feeling set up. The Series bridge is non adjustable. I have seen techs use clear glue to raise the height on bone nuts. Do I need a new nut or is there a product that can give me the small amount of height need on the E string nut or even filing the fret down? I really dig the sound of these strings plus they are expensive so i do not want to just put a higher gauge string on. This set is .043, .056, .070, .100.

[edwardofhuncote]

You can do it with a little bit of the high viscosity CA glue, Craig, just be darn careful with that stuff. It will stick to brass enough for a little boost but that's about it. If you have a big glob of it in a nut slot, the string windings will eventually drag it right out. (sounds like you only need a couple thousandths here...) Tape off the area, and use accelerator to cure it. Pencil graphite helps too.


I'm right with you on the T-I's on Alembics. Sweet Sounds. You got another S1? How'd I miss that? 

[Bassman8416]

hey Greg, is there a brand you would recommend? Does this usually come with an accelerator or is that purchased separately. I could not live without the Sf-2 for very long...LOL.

[the_home]

To check if it is in fact a deep nut slot, you can try a fold or two of paper or tin foil and see if the couple of mm shim stops the buzz before the more complicated (and permanent) super glue fix.

[edwardofhuncote]

I use this stuff here, simply because I can buy it cheaper locally, and yes, buy the accelerator separately. (I go through a lot of it) Any CA glue will do but the high viscosity (gel) formula is easier to manage in this situation. It's pretty easy to dislodge from metal like brass, but you'll need acetone to remove it from the finish if you get clumsy!

Try Tim's suggestion first though... a couple little folds of tin foil under the string ought to tell you what you need to know. Might even be good enuff. 

Congrats on the new Series I... I don't think I've seen this one yet, but you ain't had too many ugly ones! 

[edwin]

What year is the SI? Many of them have an adjustable nut.

[Bassman8416]

This is a 78' Series I w/RF upgrade and a complete refinish.
The bass from this thread:
http://club.alembic.com/index.php?topic=23563.msg240275#msg240275
Definitely not an adjustable nut. I did a couple folds of paper and it was a tremendous improvement.Thanks you everybody

[edwardofhuncote]

Oh, that bass! I remember it now, glad you ended up with it, after a little ride on the merry-go-market.

One of a couple things is going on. It's possible someone filed the E-string nut slot out, but I'd check pretty close to see if the first fret was 'bucked' on the E end. Sometimes, particularly this time of year when it's dry/cold, the ebony contracts just enough to release the fret tang allowing it to spring upward, however slight. Added to that, those super-awesome T-I Jazz Flats are very low tension strings, which if the truss rods have any turns at all on them, might be just enough geometry to get you a little fret rattle. Put a short straight edge on there to check... if the first fret end is a bit high, you'll feel it bump. If so, this isn't a hard fix for a competent repair guy. Sometimes just a quick thump with a (nylon) fret hammer to re-seat the fret. Sometimes a little dab of CA glue in the slot, and clamp the fret in place.

Glad to hear you got some relief with paper shims meantime.

[soflbass]

Have you checked the neck relief since you've changed the strings? Whenever strings are changed, a full setup on the bass is recommended. Since the TIs have less tension than most average bass strings, more than likely, you may not have enough relief which can cause buzzing on the frets.

[gtrguy]

You can also remove the nut and put a shim under it to tilt it on the one side slightly.

[Bassman8416]

Quick update....brought it to my tech, he built it up with ca glue and accelerator. Beautiful neat job.
Bass sounds amazing !!!!
Thank you all for the advice and caring, as always folks here are like family !!!!

[tx196059]

Hey Craig. Glad to see the bass is still working out for you. When I had it, I thought the upper end sparkle was amazing with that wood combo. Would be interesting to hear a sound clip with the flats. Cheers!

Joe