Setup help please

[Dee]

First of all, sorry if this is a lengthy post. Some of you guys know I got the RG3120DR quite recently. Mostly this is a great guitar, but something is niggling me with the playability because I know it's not as good as it could / should be. Fret buzz is the problem. Now, I don't mind a little buzz as long as it's not too heavy, but currently it's just a little too much, plus the action isn' t that low.

I took out a shim which was at the body-end of the neck pocket -- with it installed, the top of the board was buzzing and the lower end wasn't, the action was way too low at the top. Once removed, I was able to lower the action a little, but it's still not "right"! I'm wondering if there's too much relief in the neck because it feels too high in the middle, only there's what looks like the right amount of relief needed.

I'm wondering if I need a fret level. I've been setting up my own guitars for a long time, but this one just doesn't feel great. My RG750 feels faster and more comfortable, has a lower action, yet it's a beat up, 16 year old thing.

Before anyone suggests the really obvious stuff such as truss rod adjustment, as I said, the neck looks like it has the correct amount of relief (about .5mm). Another thing is, the buzz is mostly on the bottom E string only.

I just can't get it spot on. Only thing I can think of is the frets are uneven, but I can't tell by the naked eye. Then again, there's very little fret wear... I'm stumped.

[guitarsalad14]

Hmm... I think this is a job for the Jedi Master of setup, Rich!

[Rich]

Did you change strings to the same that are on the 750?

[john1880]

i have a RG3120, and it is not my favorite guitar. beautiful, but not the best player. one thing was the frets. different than on my other RGs. narrower and you feel them more when you run your hand up/down them.
another was the finish on the back of the neck. it was sort of "sticky" and not smooth like my other RGs.
as far as the buzz goes, I noticed that mine was a little more prone to a natural buzz, and I think it was because of the frets. I got mine playing pretty well, but I keep it in the case mostly.
check your pickups and make sure they aren't so close that they are pulling the strings and causing buzz...especially on the High E side.
my friend got one too at the same time i did(musicians friend blowout special). his had a high fret and it was brand new!

john

[Dee]

Originally Posted by Rich

Did you change strings to the same that are on the 750?

I did indeed. I'm using D'Addario XL120. Actually, the 3120 originally came strung with 10's and it had 5 trem springs. At that point there was way too much relief in the neck, but after I restrung with the lower gauge it was improved. I don't know if the original owner made any adjustments to the truss rod but it looks to me like he didn't, it seems like it hasn't been changed from the factory setup because it looks fine to me, and this is why I'm stumped! Everything looks in order, it just doesn't feel good.

I only wish you weren't thousands of miles away Rich, I'd send it over for a setup.

[sniperfrommars1]

How much fretware is there? Its always possible you need a fret level, my biggest question is what is your action at the 12th and 24th frets no your E strings? Those are the strings i use btw .

[Dee]

Not sure, all I have is some crappy ruler, according to which it's approximately 2.7mm on the low E, both at the 12th fret and the 24th. For the high E, it's something like 2.0mm at both the 12th and 24th.

Fret wear is very minor, hardly any at all, plus yesterday I 0000 grade wire-wooled the frets so they're nice and smooth.

I wonder if a shim at the headstock end of the neck pocket would make a difference...