How much frett buzz do you tolerate?

[Everton FC]

Hate it.

I tend to keep my action low, and I strum on the aggressive side. So I'm prone to a bit of buzz when I re-string. This Simon & Patrick Songsmith Concert Hall I picked up a month ago (CDN $80.00 used. Good deal!) suffered from low-E buzz after putting on new coated D'Addario PB Lights - did truss rod adjustments (two slight ones) and was thinking this guitar wasn't for me. Then I decided to play the new strings hard - this guitar wasn't played much, if at all, prior to my getting it. Now, very little, if any buzz. In fact, I'd say it's gone, for the most part.

But I don't like buzz!

[hotroad]

I had the privilege of being in a very high end luthiers shop the other day and a very top notch, well known acoustic guitar player was there too trying out a guitar. He was playing one of the luthiers highest end guitars. (read that $20,000). He asked the luthier to lower the action on the guitar he was playing and I was surprised he asked for that but he did. The luthier complied and brought the guitar back to the picker and the player commenced to strum fairly hard. He said that was what he liked to hear, the 'stings banging on the fretboard'...his exact words. And banging they were as I was sitting right next to him. He said he loved the percussive effect of the low action and fret buzz. But not for me. Oh, and he did buy the guitar.... which was built for him but not set up like he wanted it.

[devellis]

I don't mind a bit of controllable buzz but it has to be controllable. For example, from time to time I like to yank the low E up off of the fingerboard and let it thump back with a buzz. I also find that my right hand technique (if you can call it that) often has me displacing the highest two strings away from the fingerboard rather than parallel to it. That will sometimes cause some buzz but if I become mindful of it, I can rein it in. I personally don't like a setup that has buzzes occurring that aren't intentional on my part or that would require me to be extra-gentle in order to avoid them. Some buzzes can also arise from finger positioning without the setup being to blame. Not every guitar I've played has been equally tolerant of careless finger placement. Move too far back from the fret and a lot of guitars with completely acceptable setups will buzz.

I think the bottom line is that you should have the guitar set up the way you like it. If you enjoy a bit of buzz as sort of an accent when you drive a string really hard, then who are we to object? There are all sorts of playing styles out there that I wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole. Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them. And I'm sure plenty of players would cringe at stuff I like to do. It's the old bug-vs-enhancement issue.

[Sonics]

Pretty much depends on your perspective. If it's buzzing all over the guitar all the time, then you can consider it an 'effect'. People have been known to stuff foam, felt , etc, under the strings at the bridge to get a certain 'vibe'.

However if it's buzzing in one localized area or a string , then it's annoying...and we do not like 'annoying'.

[Pitar]

I suppose the proper answer would be all of it or none of it.

[CycleBob]

When I started guitar i would tolerate a bit of buzz for nice low action. Now buzz sounds terrible to me and drives me insane. I would like to submit an answer of zero.

[George Henry]

I don't like fret buzz at all. I worked 6 years as a set up tech, so I know how to minimize it. If I have a guitar which I can't make buzz free, it's down the road. I recently had a chance to purchase a guitar on which the set up was so low that it buzzed everywhere. I could hear it's potential, so I took a chance. I'm glad I did. A higher saddle, fret dress, and set up later, I had a tone monster.

[Johan Madsen]

Originally Posted by wiseblood97

I've been having some fret buzz on my guitar on the first fret, but only when flatpicking it real hard...

I don't know if I like the sound of it or not, it gives a rawness to it that I kind of like. Plus I've seen a lot folk and bluegrass players that leave it like that too.

I was wondering what's everyone's opinion? I definitely can't stand it if it stops the note from really ringing, but if it only shows a little bit on the lower strings when playing harder.... I like the sound of it.

Here's an example... (such a great tune and performance BTW) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsOwuVQ4VUQ ..Maybe it's unavoidable too, if you hit strings that hard, I don't know.. Anyways was just wondering what's everyones take on this!

As you say I like the rawness a bit of buzzing provides, and I sure dislike the high action feel, comfort matters more than sound to me