Fret buzz can be caused by the bridge! 

It's nice to see Dan passing on his extensive expertise to the younger generation. Keep it up Mr. Dan!

Not sure why but stewmac videos are so calming and make me feel peaceful and they're very informative.

"Play something that's not chords" Words of wisdom, sir hahaha

it is extremely generous of Dan and StewMac to pass along these incredible videos of how we can all work on our guitars. I just want you to know how appreciative I am of you folks taking the time to make these videos and post them for us!

you can see the old generation with the knowledge and the new generation with the video editing and illustrations work hand in hand perfectly. great job!

Dan taught generations about guitar and bass set up. We owe so much to him.

Glad I came across this channel. Don't need any other with the excellent explanations of the information you guys give. 👍

Nice tip! Keep up with this kind of content, it helps a lot! Antonio, trucker, historian and guitar enthusiast from Brazil.

there is no doubt in my mind , this guy knows all the best ways to correct buzz from bridge to fret to tuning machine , and he shows us the best , quickest, most effective ways to do it which is a big plus in my opinion cause the faster you fix it the quicker you can play it . another awesome informative vidio from the best in the business!

These how to videos are absolutely life savers!!

When filing bridge saddles, I always stick a small piece of blue painters tape over the top of the stop-tailpiece to protect it from scratches and marring.

You guys are absolutely awesome! This is exactly the kind of tutorial I was looking for to fix my guitar! Thank you so much, and keep up the great work

Glad to see some new videos from Dan and Co.

Dan Erlewine and crew are AWESOME!!

I recently discovered that this was exactly my problem. I'm glad to finally see a good video about it.

Nice job. A great non-invasive fix that keeps that vintage guitar playing properly and the original parts are there for the hang it on the wall collector who wants everything original.

Dan has been THE guitar repair expert my entire life - at least since I put together my first kit guitar 26 years ago. I wish I had 5% of that man's knowledge of stringed instruments.

I'm learning something every time I come here. This is great.

You guys are great to watch. It's so relaxing and informative. We really appreciate you sharing your knowledge and I guess your viewers all want to come hang out in your shop.

Happy New Year, Master!

Great video once again by StewMac! thanks guys

Oh my god, this just helped me so much. Been trying to work out where this buzz could be coming from for weeks....

This channel is a goldmine

Thanks, so much compassion. You must really love the guitars.

Heck ya! Stewmac, I need every ONE of these vids. So important. Subbed a few vids ago😊

You just became my hero! Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom

I can see pure passion in younger guy!Great promise for tomorrow!

i subscribed cause i like their relationship. and the way the older guy kinda moseys into frame in every video. cracks me up. keep it up ps. i also love guitars

This was a super helpful video. Thanks so much!

Well I never! Been living with a fret buzz on the G on my Paul for ages had the frets done, nut checked, the truss rod adjusted and the fret board checked for twist. Never been able to get rid of the buzz. Just checked the bridge on the back of this vid and guess what, it's bowed like a bannanna. Thank you StewMac.

I don't need to do this on any of my current guitars, yet I was mesmerized and watched the whole thing.

I’d rather have a functioning new bridge than a faulty vintage one, no doubt.

I learned about wrapping over the stop tail piece to relieve the down pressure on the bridge and which also decreases string tension, increases harmonic character, from pictures of Duane Alman's Les Paul. He wrapped over a few of the low strings, think the low E A and D. Later I saw guys doing this for all of the stings and I asked them why. They told me and it made so much sense to me that I never went back to that punishing behind he bridge down angle that some think is the key to "sustain" or whatever. It's not, and it does tend to collapse the ABR bridge and leads to many other problems as you have shown us. Another thing I learned in time was not to set my action to low, even if the guitar could do it. This way the strings strings ring out so much better with a little air under them. No fret buzz or any very subtle (or not so subtle) rubbing that robs the guitar of tone and sustain when it is played with vigour. BTW, you probably know it, but Martin guitars have their legendary tone in part because they are designed not to have very low action. They may be a little harder to play, but that sound! It's really worth the extra effort. Cheers, Dan.

I started listening to the Prime Movers recently, Mr Erlewine is extremely cool

Thank you so much for this. Very useful and educative.

I just replaced the bridge on an Ibanez Artcore semi hollow. The bridge had collapsed, I originally deepend the grooves on the outer saddles but it was definitely better when I replaced the bridge with a higher quality Gotoh bridge.

There's some great info in this video!

This channel has helped me a lot. I'm already subscribed. I've given you a like button. Greeting from Malaysia. 🇲🇾😎

just a tip from one guitarist/builder to another, i always put a little masking tape over the pickup poles, just in case any metal filings manage to make it down that far, its just one of those little things that bugs me when you have little bits of metal stuck to your pickups, and i mean, its not really hard to clean the metal off, but hey, a roll of masking tape is cheap, and if you get the good stuff they use for painting, it peels off super easy without leaving any marks on pickups or pick guards plus its just handy to have around in general, great video though!

Thanks for this explanation

Excellent Work Bro... And Dan The Man Steps in to Give The Final Approval.. Lol... Awesome Stuff Guys 😃💯💯

00:49: the bridge itself is flat, but the saddles differ in height to match the fretboard radius. If the bridge collapses, however, the middle strings get lower and start buzzing on the frets. Just taking notes... These guys are great teachers, I'm feeling a lot more confident about how my guitars work.

Thaaaats why my LP was buzzing!!! and exactly where it was buzzing in the beginning of the video!!! I've been sooo Neurotic about my frets, thinking it was that, but my bridge is collapsed affffff!!!!

Awesome instructors

These guys are really good fixing a guitar

I didn't know bridges bended :o you always learn something new

Dude...totally worked!!!

what a great video!

I thought I was getting fret buzz after I installed a roller bridge on my Les Paul but it was harmonics generated in the short length of string between the bridge and tailpiece. These roller and tunomatic bridges to some extent are playing harmonics on the string. Notice how Paul Reed Smith bridges have long grooves across the full width of the saddle to properly stop the string vibration passing to the tailpiece-I think it makes a big difference. I made my own brass saddles with a flat top and groove to hold the string across the top and that fixed my weird noises that sounded like buzzing.

I usually learn something every time I watch your videos, thanks to Dans experience and knowledge and passing it on to the rest of us.

Thanks dan 😊

The young fella with the old pro, great watching this video.

Wow!!! Thanks so much. I've been having fret buzz. Got a 335. Adjusted the truss rod I don't know how many times, and the neck looks fine. Probably it's my bridge that is the problem. The bridge does look a little bowed.🤔

Dan is a true American treasure...

I have the same problem on a strat, i figured out it was caused by one of the saddles screws not being tight enough.

Thank you, folks.

Nice! Thank you.

This is a very informative and well put together video. I have an issue with a fairly new guitar were every fret is buzzing. Any tips please to get rid of this? Thanks

Saddle Savers in Tusq saved my new Sire T3 Tele for the “sitar” sound from my original Asian one.

What causes the bridge to collapse? Would you recommend purchasing and installing a new bridge vice the shop repair? Good presentation- thanks.

I was thinking about making a project guitar. I could get a light bodied cheap strat. Set it up nice and putting tex special pickups in it...then paint it with fiesta red and maybe relic it. Do you guys have fiesta red and nitro to make it look old?

very good video

brilliantly thanks!

Couple years ago that happened on a 2005 Gibson SG Standard I bought used that turned out to be quite buzzy. The TP was completely screwed down without top wrapping and all the strings were leaning on the back of the Nashville bridge. The bridge had completely collapsed and no radius left at all. Had then a look at my 1992 Gibson Les Paul Standard which I realize was starting to suffer a similar fate and that without having the TP screwed down. Those pot metal bridges are certainly not the best quality. I ended up ordering Pinnacle machined steel bridges from Philadelphia Luthiers which are probably not gonna suffer the same fate.

Gotta love Dane Erlewine. Raise your stop bar folks or top-wrap your strings!

Wow I've had a les paul for 10 years and I never realized this. Going to check mine right away. i play with 11's too

i have a strat, a squier strat, i set it up with a video on youtube, and it played perfectly, like frets were all leveled no buzz, the action was perfect the way i set it, and then i polished the frets cause bending and vibrato felt like it had friction on it that was making it really annoying to play, so i got steel wool and polished the frets, and it played really good, after that, but after a couple of days i decided to make my tremolo bridge a floating bridge, cause i didnt want the tremolo to only do dive bombs, and after loosening the back screws, i did it perfectly also measuring exactly how much it needed to be lifted off from the body that way its perfectly in tones and semi tones when increasing the tension of the bridge, and i assume that when making the bridge be angled the way it is on the floating bridge, the saddle height, also got lower, but i dont have any fret buzz that is constant, but i feel like in some frets, it plays perfectly but if i move my finger by small increments on that same fret the buzz happens, its usually really close to the fretwire on any fret, and someone told me its natural, but ive played this guitar for a month before, so i know its not normal cause it played perfectly, if anyone knows why this is happening please let me know, cause its weird and it doesnt look like any fretbuzz that ive seen on other guitar making it hard for me to know the cause

Once I get the markings after hitting it with a fret hammer, I use a jewelers small tip screwdriver to notch it deeper. I have a set with various sizes and it works perfectly!

Great video! But those files are expensive! I only have one bridge to do. Wish Dan still lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Was it Herb David Music store? Long time ago. I'm Jamie with the '53 Les Paul. Friend of Terry Crane, who sadly passed away a few years back.

outstanding!!!

Excellent as always... By any chance do you have a video if a saddle is at full travel and your string is still slightly flat. (In this case on my low E string). If there was no spring on the saddle screw I could get the extra adjustment travel, but not sure if I can remove it without causing a new problem. I thought of reversing the saddle, but I don't think it will give me enough adjustment. Can springs be removed without problems and is there a video on that procedure? Note: These are new strings with about 10 days break in period on a LP style guitar. Thanks. Phil NYC Area

This is exactly why you shouldn't crank the stop tail piece all the way down. I'm well aware that many players do this to top wrap but it's just a bent bridge waiting to happen. I've had my local luthier measure and put set screws into the tailpiece posts so there is a solid connection all the way down to the bottom of the hole. On the bridge studs, he made new posts from all thread to go to the bottom of the holes. All the sustain without a bent bridge.

10' inch radius on les paul? wow thats new!

Obrigado pelas informações

I bought a fret end file, I think with a regular triangle file I can make the overall shape, and the close to wood stuff I'll do with the special file. got a whole bunch of sandpaper wet/dry on the way as well so I think I'm gonna be good. If it all works out I might actually polish it. I happen to have these fairly big polishing wheels made of nylon, and it's used for brass material. Do you think that will work out on nickel frets? well I'll be trying it with a cheap guitar first anyway. But still. Maybe in the future I will refret a guitar, but I think for that I rather have someone specialized do it. First instrument I'd refret is my US fender. And by the time those Jumbo's can't be filed anymore probably I'll have saved enough to have it refretted with steel frets. I had my martin refretted with that and over 4 - 5 years there still isn't even close to a dent to be found at all.

I think they left something out in this video. They should have polished the slots they made in those saddles. If there's any sharp edges, that's where you'll have strings break. I'm surprised they didn't do or mention that. They certainly didn't forget to mention any of the tools they are trying to sell LOL. I've been enjoying watching Dan Erlewine videos since 1993.

This is another good reason for overwrapping the strings to the tailpiece

I just got a fender elite. Opened up the box n it played perfect. Action was low. Few hrs later my B string started buzzing. Almost the whole length of the string. Guitar was delivered n was outside for a couple hrs before I got it. It was about high 40s low 50s outside. I figure the guitar settled into room temp. And the string started buzzing. I wonder if the neck I moved? A little help thanks!

I always throw a little piece of cardboard or paper between the bridge pieces on my bass. Took me a good while to find out that was what was rattling.

Very helpful :)

Pretty fundamental what about acoustics? do you recommend a new bridge insert or a shim?

I've put cork pads and tape to cushion the buzz of the bridge saddles and screws

I like that Stu Mac gives you an alternative to their product as well as their own👍🏻👍🏻🎸🎸

great video. you should cover the pickups while filing though. the shavings will stick to the pickups and you can't get them off again.

You don't say it, but it is a 90s Les Paul Classic. Absolutely great guitars.

Very helpful thank you. Should I file notches on my Strat saddles for the same purpose of straightforward string guides?

My danelectro bass is doing this. I've been meaning to replace the bridge for months now

I love this videos, please I would like to see how eliminiate cigarette burns over the headstock

And THATS why I use only the 80's style block and tackle chrome over brass bridges on my tele's - all those caveman ashtray w barrels design picks up wayyyy more random harmonics and buzzing.

This has happened to both my 80’s les Paul customs

I'm just curious. Is it possible to do that to a Graphtech Ghost Piezo bridge? My Gibson Les Paul studio has 12 inch radius but my Ghost piezo bridge seems just flat. Just wondering if i have to file the bridge slot would it affect the Piezo system? Hoping for answers. Thanks!

Is the side of the bridge (the distance between the screws they're mounted on,, I mainly mean) more or less standardized for all brands? Wondering if I can buy a preslotted tuneomatic from Stewmac and fit it on a Dean with a similar bridge system. Pretty much an identical bridge system actually, I'm just not sure if the overall side of the thing from mount to mount is the same.

One thing that i always Wonder about. The replacment bridge saddles all have the with the angles up towards the neck, but I have found on several guitars needing to reverse the G string saddle so it can go back further just a bit to get intonation correct. Is this wrong? It has happened on a few LP’s I have that otherwise feel and play great. I just ran out of room in the normal configuration to get it intonated.

For that attachment at 6:18. Mark either side of it with a marker makes things a lot easier then fumbling around

Can this happen on a strat or tele style guitar? I have both that I can't seem to get rid of the buzz. Tried fret leveling, nut adjustments, professional setups, etc. Still buzzes. I'm not a heavy picker either. I have plenty of guitars that don't buzz. Any suggestions?

There's a Gotoh ABR-1 pre-slotted bridge replacement without the spring you can purchase

God bless you or sharing!!!

I have a style of tune-o-matic Bridge on my bronze series warlock but its one of the bridges where it goes under, wraps around the back and then over the top, its getting pulled forwards by a massive amount, much more than it should be. What do i do ?

Now that's something alot of Musicians don't realize. Fret Buzz can be caused by the bridge if it collapsed.

This actually was an issue I’ve been chasing forever on my old 007 Elite.