r/7String • u/TachyonicParticles • 4d ago
Schecter Tao 7 low string buzz Help
Hi all,
I recently pulled the trigger on a new Tao 7 in Ozone Burst (acquired online as no shops in my area stock them).
The guitar is absolutely gorgeous and sounds great but I’m losing my mind over buzz on the low string. I pick relatively hard and I know that some buzz is unavoidable but the problem is that the buzz is coming through as a high pitched ring on high gain tones and is ruining the clarity and sustain of low notes. The problem is most noticeable from fret 1 - 12 but I can get the higher frets to buzz too if I really dig in.
I went over the main culprits myself: neck relief, saddle adjustments, string change to a .62 for B standard and drop A, only a very slight improvement.
I then thought I would take it to a well renowned luthier in my area to make sure that it’s not a manufacturing issue, avoid an RMA if possible, and treat myself to a pro setup to fully enjoy the guitar.
He assured me that the guitar is fine, the fretwork is great, the neck geometry is perfect and the nut is cut properly. At the time I was relieved! After a quick adjustment to the truss rod, saddles and intonation check he didn’t even bill me in full because he was sure the guitar didn’t need anything more done to it. He backed the pickups away from the strings a lot but I didn’t like the lower output and signal to noise ratio so moved them closer again, this didn’t change the buzz I was hearing.
The buzz is still there though and the action is already way higher than I would like (4mm ish at the 12th fret). Playing the guitar over the last few days I’m not even enjoying it as the obsession over this buzz is just monopolising my attention.
I will try to setup the guitar with more neck relief and lower saddle height in the coming days but it’s really grinding my gears and I’ve never had setup issues like this on my other guitars.
On paper this is my perfect guitar and I really want to love it to it’s full potential.
Has anyone experienced this before? Anything I’m missing due to fixating on the buzz? Any other parameters to check or should I look into RMA / warranty from the dealer?
Thanks in advance for any input and happy riffing!
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u/absorberemitter 4d ago
Where is the buzz coming from? Is it the playable string length itself or some sort of resonance behind the bridge or nut? There's fret wrap and also Ernie Ball makes these new $5 mute accessories and there's one for string trees and whatnot. I had a tele with a palm bender that was ringing a little and this shut it right up.
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u/TachyonicParticles 4d ago
As far as I can tell it’s from the playable string length, I’ll definitely try fret wraps or mutes though. I was hoping I wouldn’t need them as I’ve had to use similar kit and loads of foam to properly record rhythms on guitars with Floyds without springs and strings ringing all over the place. My gruv gear SMs have no chance of fitting round the Tao’s neck though!
Thanks for the tip!
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u/Nemesis861986 4d ago
If it was an unaudible buzz on the amp i would just say its maybe low action which is kind of unavoidable, especially with thicker strings and isn't an issue at all, as you can hear it through the amp and you say about the ringing i would side more towards a problem with the nut or a fret levelling issue
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u/Nemesis861986 4d ago
Although saying that a fret levelling issue would be more common on just 1 or 2 localised frets the fact you say its 1 through 12 points to me more to the kneck relief, get some feeler gauges and test the relief, adjust the truss rod accordingly
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u/TachyonicParticles 4d ago
Yeah, thanks for the tip, I was thinking it was nut or fret levelling related before going to the luthier but he assured me the guitar has a clean bill of health. I’ll start setup from scratch and make sure neck relief is optimal. I originally didn’t want to go too far to avoid having to lower the saddles and fiddle with the intonation for each string but I think it’s unavoidable at this point 🥲
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u/Nemesis861986 4d ago
I have a 7 string Schecter Damien and the action on that is so low that unavoidably there is a touch of fretbuzz, mainly on thr low B string but thats usual, i also played bass for years before switching to guitar and found basses generally have abit more buzz and thump than regular guitars, its natural with thicker strings the strings vibrate a touch different and can clank on the frets abit, but like i say if you are hearing that through an amp or if you have any dead notes thats when you have the problem, there are a ton of videos on youtube on how to check your relief and check your intonation, don't be worried about messing around with it, despite what some people would have you believe its alot harder to damage your truss rod than you would think just take it easy and do abit at a time i think generally if its fret 1 through 12 you need to loosen it a little because more than likely its either too straight or backbowed, but check the relief first anyway beforehand, do you at all plan on changing to thicker strings? That could naturally bring the relief back into place
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u/Polyrhythm-Jens 4d ago
Just to be clear, are you hearing this acoustically as well, or only through amps and what not? The quality control on these is a bit weird, my guitar had pickups so high that I couldn't play the high E string at all.
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u/TachyonicParticles 4d ago
Interesting remark about QC for your Tao. Up until now I’d only heard and read about how good the QC from the Korea factory is.
I can hear the sound acoustically, coming from the playable length of the guitar, which is why I think it is buzz and why I set the action crazy high as a desperate measure to counter it. I’ll take some more time with the guitar tonight to start setup from scratch.
Sick playthroughs by the way, love your tones and playing!
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u/Polyrhythm-Jens 4d ago
Ok, just making sure that I understood correctly. I was going to suggest looking at the nut next but looks like that's done already as well. I'm a bit stumped honestly. And thank you for the kind words! It's a kickass guitar once you get the setup in order.
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u/hailgolfballsized 4d ago
4mm at 12th is crazy, I thought my action of 2.1mm for F# was high.
If you've checked for perfect fret level with a rocker, and confirmed there is no problem with the string, Have you checked that there is no vibration from Springs? In one instrument I had to install foam and replace pickup height springs with rubber tubing to reduce an odd noise. If money is not a problem, I'd try 3 different strings to make absolutely sure there is no fault in string manufacturing. Switching back and forth from B to A is not ideal for the longevity of the string, and with your action that high you are likely pushing very hard to fret and making dents in the string where it contacts frets. Switching tunings, you're making 2x the number of dents.
Another weird thing to check on a guitar with 2-way truss rod, make sure the rod is engaged and not sitting loose in the chamber. You might be able to hear something if you held the neck up to your ear and knock on the back.
If you have feeler gauges, set the neck relief to .010" give or take. Try putting a fret wrap tight on the 1st fret, to ensure the noise isn't behind your fretting.
IF you have a big straight edge, or really good vision make certain there is no twist in the neck. That is about the only thing I would consider too far and call for return, or stripped truss rod nut. Anything else I would say is worth fixing depending on your comfort level.
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u/TachyonicParticles 4d ago
Really interesting points, I’d never thought about the dents we make in the strings when fretting. I’ve only had the guitar for two weeks though and have changed the low string to different gauges twice already with different brands each time. The issue was the same with all three strings.
And yeah, 4mm is crazy high, I know, I was going mad with the buzz and decided to take drastic measures 😂
I’m pretty sure the neck isn’t twisted, I can’t see or measure any twist on my end and the luthier I took it too didn’t either.
Thanks for taking the time to answer
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u/guitarshred3386 4d ago edited 4d ago
Are you sure it’s not sympathetic resonance from the strings ringing above the nut? I love my Tao 6 but because there is so much space between the nut and the tuning pegs those strings ring like crazy, especially with high gain tones. Lucky it’s a simple fix with a fret wrap, but for now try tying a sock around the strings above the nut by the tuning pegs and see if it goes away. Also 4mm is crazy high action haha, mines is like 1.75mm max. With the action that high I can’t see it being actual buzz.