is the fretboard level? is there any relief at the 5th fret? what gauge strings?

 

Are you sure this isn't just the difference of new (eg- bright) strings vs the 7 month old (or older) ones that were on there previous? Newer strings do ring differently than old ones. Can the buzz be heard through the amp or just when you're playing unplugged?

 

Only when I play unplugged, but it's a annoyance as that's how I often practice. I thought it might be down to the strings, but if it is, it's a bit odd, it seems like a buzz, I think I'll get some other guitarists to take a listen and see what they think, before I look into getting some tech advice.

 

Only when I play unplugged, but it's a annoyance as that's how I often practice.

It's all fine and dandy to have a tech look at it but if you're playing an electric guitar acoustically and you're hearing fret buzz, that's normal unless you have a very, very light touch. What matters is do you hear the buzz through the amp. As someone has already said, new strings will buzz more than older, worn out strings...until the wound strings start to get grooves from the frets wearing into them.

What's the neck look like? Is it perfectly straight? If not, what's the relief at the 9th fret? What are the heights of the low E and high E strings at the 9th fret (not fretted but at rest)?

At some point, every guitarist has to compromise between having low action and some fret buzz. What that point is is different for everyone.

 

I've worked as a tech for the last 3 1/2 years. If you're not hearing buzz through the amp, you shouldn't have anything to worry about. If you're practicing alone without an amp, you should think about a cheap floor processor and some headphones.

You can get a decent Zoom for less than $100. I wouldn't put one in front of my live rig, but they are nice when you want to play quietly without disturbing anyone.