Does a low zero fret cause a buzz?

Bill McNeill

I have a Gitane DG-255. It's a great instrument but it's got a buzz that's becoming unbearable. The open low E string buzzes whenever struck and buzzes sympathetically whenever a B note is played on any other string. Other tham that, the tone is fine.

I was talking to a guy at the local guitar repair shop, and he suspected that my problem was that the zero fret was too low, and the fix was to raise it. Does that sound reasonable? Is there anything else I should try before taking my guitar into the shop?

PS. This guitar shop has a really good repuation and I know they work with Selmer style guitars, so I'm inclined to trust their diagnosis, but I figure it can't hurt to get a second opinion.

djadam

When I got my DG-250M, the neck was really bowed in, so I used the truss rod to flatten it. The result was it was much more playable, but it buzzed on the low e. So I shimmed the bridge up a little bit and it helped the buzz, but the action still feels good. Still buzzes a little though.

I suggest shims before anything, since they are cheap and easy to do.

Josh Hegg

Bill,

How high is your action? The Zero fret might be too low but I have not seen any come that way from saga. But that is always a possibility.

Cheers,
Josh

Bill McNeill

The action is pretty low. About 1/8" at the 12th fret.

I discovered that a cheap fix is to lodge a tiny square of folded-up paper beneath the low E string at the 0th fret. This is actually working pretty well for me--the buzz is gone without diminishing the E string volume.