Jazzmaster pick guard buzzing
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2021 11:31 am
Hi all,
I'm dealing with a buzzing issue on my Player Jazzmaster and wondering if anybody has solved a similar issue. More details below, but the short version is the strip of the pick guard between the cutouts for the bridge and the bridge pickup is warped and comes away from the body of the guitar. I'm virtually certain this is the source of the my buzzing problems. Has anybody else had this problem and if so how did you solve it?
Here are all the things I checked first:
- Is it an electronic buzz? No - it occurs both plugged in and unplugged.
- Is it regular fret buzz? No - string height measurements and relief are all normal as measured with a string height gauge. Also the problem occurs for several strings at various points on the neck and has a distinctly "plasticky" rattling sound, not the metallic buzz from contact with frets.
- Is it coming from the bridge? No - I've replaced the stock bridge with a Mustang style bridge (with 9.5in radius) and shimmed the neck. Adding additional downward pressure on the bridge doesn't solve the problem.
And here's why I think this is coming from the pick guard itself:
- The strip of the pick guard between the cutouts for the bridge and the bridge pickup is visibly warped (it's hard to measure with strings on, but a 0.6mm pick will slide in, so it's probably somewhere between 0.6 and 1mm)
- Downward pressure that reduces the gap reduces the buzz
- Downward pressure that eliminates the gap eliminates the buzz
So assuming this is the right diagnosis, what's the solution? Three come to mind, but I don't like any of them:
1. Add some dampening material into the gap (foam or otherwise). But adding anything that could exacerbate the problem by creating additional upward force seems like a bad idea.
2. Add additional pick guard screws (probably two, maybe three) to this strip to force it down and flush with the body. Apart from generally not wanting to drill holes in my guitar, I dislike this approach out of concern that the warped bit will exert greater than normal upward force on some short screws, eventually pulling them out and leaving me back at square one and with new visible holes in the pick guard. (Also not sure if adding new bits of metal under the strings and so close to the pickups could cause problems.)
3. Buy a new pick guard. I'd like to avoid this cost if possible. I'm also worried that the problem could actually be caused by some minor flaw in the body that would result in the exact same problem again.
Any insight here would be greatly appreciated!
I'm dealing with a buzzing issue on my Player Jazzmaster and wondering if anybody has solved a similar issue. More details below, but the short version is the strip of the pick guard between the cutouts for the bridge and the bridge pickup is warped and comes away from the body of the guitar. I'm virtually certain this is the source of the my buzzing problems. Has anybody else had this problem and if so how did you solve it?
Here are all the things I checked first:
- Is it an electronic buzz? No - it occurs both plugged in and unplugged.
- Is it regular fret buzz? No - string height measurements and relief are all normal as measured with a string height gauge. Also the problem occurs for several strings at various points on the neck and has a distinctly "plasticky" rattling sound, not the metallic buzz from contact with frets.
- Is it coming from the bridge? No - I've replaced the stock bridge with a Mustang style bridge (with 9.5in radius) and shimmed the neck. Adding additional downward pressure on the bridge doesn't solve the problem.
And here's why I think this is coming from the pick guard itself:
- The strip of the pick guard between the cutouts for the bridge and the bridge pickup is visibly warped (it's hard to measure with strings on, but a 0.6mm pick will slide in, so it's probably somewhere between 0.6 and 1mm)
- Downward pressure that reduces the gap reduces the buzz
- Downward pressure that eliminates the gap eliminates the buzz
So assuming this is the right diagnosis, what's the solution? Three come to mind, but I don't like any of them:
1. Add some dampening material into the gap (foam or otherwise). But adding anything that could exacerbate the problem by creating additional upward force seems like a bad idea.
2. Add additional pick guard screws (probably two, maybe three) to this strip to force it down and flush with the body. Apart from generally not wanting to drill holes in my guitar, I dislike this approach out of concern that the warped bit will exert greater than normal upward force on some short screws, eventually pulling them out and leaving me back at square one and with new visible holes in the pick guard. (Also not sure if adding new bits of metal under the strings and so close to the pickups could cause problems.)
3. Buy a new pick guard. I'd like to avoid this cost if possible. I'm also worried that the problem could actually be caused by some minor flaw in the body that would result in the exact same problem again.
Any insight here would be greatly appreciated!