really need help on this :(

[martyfriedman86]

i'm having serious problems achieving low action on my new used rg 470
i've followed tons of tutorials i found on the net (including ibanezrules and this site ) and still i'm not able to get the strings close to de neck without fret buzz
now after playing around I got it at 4mm on low e and 3mm on high e but i still think it should be able to get much lower (i've read about people with 1.00 mm setup on high E and no fret buzz).

I already tried shimming (with to little pieces of cardboard) and got only a liitle better (from 5mm to 4mm)

I thought about changing the neck angle but i read that the neck angle only corrects buzzing on frets 1-12
and i've got buzzing on fret 17 mostly (at the moment i got buzz there)
If I lower the action i get buzzing all round my neck.
btw it's mostly straight has a very little bow to the front (i don't how to tell how little 'cause i have no idea how to measure this)

any kind of help and tips will be very appreciated
thank you in advance ^^

[King Nothing]

put your eye near the tuners and look down the neck at the frets and the edge of the fretbaord. It should be flat on the trebble side and curve up probably a little on the bass side towards the first few frets.
When you said you shimmed, you mean under the nut right? Ibanez sells shims cheap and they are much better than cardboard!
Since this is a used guitar and not a prestige, I'm gonna say that you probably need a fret dress. Your frets are probably worn down in some spots and probably weren't even close to perfect from the factory, so find yourself a good guitar tech to level & crown your frets. Hopefully you won't need to have any replaced. $75 is a normally around a good price for a fret dress and guitar set-up. And once your frets are level, you'll be able to set your action almost whever you want without any buzzing.
-Chris

[sniperfrommars1]

1mm is too much to hope for and I beleive pretty much no one who says they get it that low without any buzz or choking, but you should at least be able to get aroud 2.5mm with this guitar. He didnt shim the nut, he shimmed the neck (you realize that chagnes the neck angle too right?)

[martyfriedman86]

yeah
I shimmed the neck
and i don't think the frests are the problem, cause although the guitar is used it's in new condition
no scratches and no fretwear anywhere on the fretboard
i checked fret by fret yestearday when i toock the fretboard out for a clean before setup

[King Nothing]

I'm not sayin it's a good idea to get your action that low, just that you could almost get it with a perfect fretboard. Shimming the neck won't help you so unless you like the trem higher up how it is now, you can take the shims back out.
Do you have buzz bad on the first fret? Maybe you do need shims under the nut.
I still think it needs a fret level, my RG570 came from the factory with rediculous buzz on 15 and some on 17, I got the frets done, and now it's gone. Even if the frets aren't worn, they could be seated unevenly
-Chris

[martyfriedman86]

maybe it's that then...
I didn't know they could come uneven from the factory
i might take it to a luthier to have a look at as soon as I earn some cash
thanks

[King Nothing]

Yeah I'd let him take a look, he'd be able to tell fairly easily what the exact problem is

[felipe82]

Some pics of the frets and the action could help us a little.

[aloymetal]

Originally Posted by King Nothing

Do you have buzz bad on the first fret? Maybe you do need shims under the nut.
I still think it needs a fret level, my RG570 came from the factory with rediculous buzz on 15 and some on 17, I got the frets done, and now it's gone. Even if the frets aren't worn, they could be seated unevenly
-Chris

thats it! i'm also face the same problem even the guitar is new.
just do 'fret dress' on it.

[Lefty Robb]

You could have some raised or uneven frets, its fairly common on lower end guitars. A fret level, crown and dress would help wonders if it really needs it, as well as making sure the frets are all sitting correctly. a common price for that kind of fret work usually runs in the $80-100 range.

[martyfriedman86]

I don't know how much it would be here in argentina but i'm pretty sure i won't be able to afford such a thing after buying a guitar for some time.
we used to have 1 dollar = 1 arg "peso". now it's 1 dolar = 3 arg "peso"'s so you have to pay three times the orginal price of anything you want to buy.
If it needs fret work i might have to wait for sometime.
meanwhile... here are some pics that may be useful for you



the following one is with a capo on the first fret and my finger on the 24th fret:


high E view...


full neck view with capo and finger..



thanks everyone for helping me!
I really appreciate everything that's being done ^^

[sniperfrommars1]

I personally still see that hump in the second octave thats likely causing alot of your action problems, as you said the neck was shipped to you removed from the body. It may have had this hump before that though.

[S-man]

Holy Crap!!! That hump is huge. I hope that's the camera playing tricks. If not, I don't think that will ever play right. At least without more work than it's worth.

[martyfriedman86]

sorry
I don't know what a "hump" is
and how should I fix it

[S-man]

Between the 9th and 12th fret, there is an area on the fretboard, that appears higher than the rest.