I own a '76 Guild D-40. Great instrument made during Guild's heyday but has required a lot of work to get in shape. It's the model that Ritchie Havens played at Woodstock. Over the past 6 years I have had it at four different luthiers to try to fix fret buzzing from the top two strings when playing a D chord. I have had it at Guitarworks in Evanston for a refret that was botched. I had it redone through Tobias Guitar in lisle, who did a good job. The major problem with the guitar is that it needed a neck reset, which is typical with older guitars and is an expensive repair. I had that done with Cremer Guitars in Aurora, paying over $900, and I was pleased with his work. However, after all the repairs, the fret buzz with the top two strings has remained, which means the frets are not completely level or the nut is bad. So I take it to John at Third Coast in Palatine, who's supposed to be good, telling him I want fret leveling, a new nut and and a setup. Not hard at all. I get the guitar back and all he's done is the setup with the fret buzzing remaining with the top two strings. So I called him today about it and he tells me the guitar is fine. No, it wasn't fine and if he knew his business he would not have given the guitar back to me the way it was. He said it could help to give the guitar some relief in the neck. I adjusted the truss rod myself and it was better, but I ask myself why didn't he do it in the first place? It's because he really doesn't know his business and what a good sounding guitar sounds like.

Have others on this board had similar experiences with luthiers? I would not call all of them luthiers, because only the masters are luthiers. I would consider Rick Cremer in Aurora a luthier. Most of the rest, though, suck and don't know anything. You're just throwing away good money with them.

Anyone here ever have experience with Chicago Fret Works on N. Lincoln?

I'm at the point now where I can do my own trust rod adjustment and setup work. It's an art form and takes time to learn. If you research some of the StewMac videos, they are very clear....STEP ONE IS SET THE TRUSS ROD. That has to have the desired straightness or slight bow. String gauge and the tuning you use also matters...A LOT. Your setup has to be done with that in mind.

With the guitar you have, I'd definitely recommend a trusted professional. Here's who I have used.

Fat Cat Custom Guitars in Elgin.
I went to HS with the owner (Scott). He's more of an electric guitar builder, but he does a great job doing setup and fret work. Really good dude. I live in Lake County, so it's a crappy location for me. If he was closer I'd use him exclusively....simply because he's a one-man small business, and I know he knows his shit.
http://www.fatcatcustomguitars.com/

Rice Custom Guitars in Arlington Heights.
They do work right out of their home....Father and Son (Rich and Chris Rice).
Very friendly and they've done some nice setup work for me. I would imagine they've worked plenty on acoustics over the years. Rich has been doing this forever. Same as Fat Cat...not the best location for me.

Music Gallery in Highland Park
https://musicgalleryinc.com/
Lots of high end custom electric and acoustic guitars. May not be the most inexpensive option, but they are good and unlike a guitar center, their stock of electric and acoustic guitars is the best I've been to in the Chicagoland area. I've been pleased with setup work they've done for me. Given their client base and quality of stocked inventory, I don't think you'll go wrong taking your guitar here. I have zero doubt they've serviced Vintage Guilds before. I believe they also have an in-house Plek machine. It's a very high-end, professional store.

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This guy knows what he's doing:

https://www.chicagoguitarrepair.com/

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His mind is not for rent to any God or government.

https://playersguitarshop.com/

Ask for Mike or Geno

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Unfortunately I can't help with the original question, but I have a guitar-related question of my own. I though we had an old thread somewhere about guitar playing but I can't find it, so I throwing this in here. I recently began playing guitar - I got an entry level Yamaha F335 for Christmas and it has been great - I have really enjoyed learning to play, I just love it. I have been practicing every day since I got it and have really improved. For a beginner I think I am doing pretty well, but recently I have begun noticing an unclean “twang” or “buzz” if I don’t hit a chord absolutely perfectly (i think maybe that effect has always been there, but maybe recently I am noticing it more because I think I am getting better and it is starting to piss me off). I know that it is important to learn to play the chords properly so I am sure technique is at least part of the problem, or maybe the entire problem, I don’t know. For all of you more accomplished players - how much does the quality of the guitar play in to something like that, or even the quality of strings being used? When I hear it, I typically slow it way down and play each note slow and as perfectly as I can, and even when I do that it seems like the chord has that unpleasant buzz unless it is hit absolutely perfectly. A friend of mine who plays a bit suggested that strings do get worn out after some time and can start to sound crappy, and I have played the shit out of this guitar the last 4 months.

Based on what I have offered above, would you say I need to not worry about the other stuff and just focus on technique as the root cause, or could there be something physical either in my very basic guitar model or age/quality of the strings? Thanks for any advice. I really love playing and look forward to cleaning up some of the melodies I have been working on, and if this is the best that my guitar can offer sound-wise I can deal with that. Id like to try to clean it up if I can.

Many of the "cheaper" overseas-made entry-level guitars are actually quite decent. Better guitars really have more to do with the quality of wood used in the instrument as well as the gauge of metal used in the bridge and tuning machines. How that translates to the player is mostly it's ability to stay in tune as well as the TONE and SOUND when plugged in and playing through an amplifier.

Guitars will shift with season weather changes....wood naturally expands and contracts with the weather. That will result in your fret / string buzz.

StewMac is an online parts and luthier tools retailer. They have tons of great videos on youtube that walk through guitar setup. It's probably definitely time for a string change, but that won't necessarily make your guitar buzz less.....you'll just be breaking a string at some point soon.

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thanks for the reply - as a follow up, I see there is a great variety of strings, its almost overwhelming. Is there a recommended brand/material/anything I should steer towards (or away from) for an acoustic guitar such as mine? If I buy strings, I want to make sure i am using something quality or at least something that isn't complete shit. Or are the all pretty much the same?

Something like this is fine.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... ic-strings

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The quality of the guitar and the setup makes all the difference. However, if you're not playing the notes cleanly or you're overstrumming the chords, that can cause more buzzing than if you play softly or moderately. If the neck tension is off, that could also be causing the buzzing, which you can correct by adjusting the truss rod. This is something you can do yourself. Frets that are not all level is another possibility, though given you have played it for only four months, they shouldn't be worn yet.

You asked about strings. I've always used light gauge phosphorous and been happy. I prefer D'Addarios over Martins. There are some strings that last longer than regular ones. I have not bothered to try those.

Humidifying the guitar is important. Lack of humidity with the guitar can cause it to sound bad.

One trick that will can help you get less buzzing is by playing the strings closer to the bridge rather than in the middle of the sound hole.

It might seem elementary, but having the tuning off can also give you buzzing. It doesn't take much for it to be off (it can be just one of the keys ) and to affect the tone. Electronic tuners are helpful as are the tuning videos on Youtube. Ultimately, you have to develop an ear for it, which comes with experience.

Perfectly setting your finger position can really help fret buzz. Each guitar and each fret is different so you need to learn your guitar.

As far as strings go, both acoustic and electric, I've always loved Elixirs

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

I'm a DR strings guy, but Elixir for acoustic are nice.

I also do my own setup as well. but, in order to get there you have to be willing to make mistakes, build your own, or mod an existing cheapo guitar.

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@audioidkid

I have always liked D'Addario Strings myself

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I almost HAVE to use elixirs. Something about my sweat just destroys regular strings. I mean I'd use them for a couple hours and they'd be useless.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Thank you everyone for your opinions and advice. I think I will try to restring this weekend, and keep working on the technique.

Well said.
It also takes a small investment in some basic tools. The StewMac Basic Setup Kit....I can't believe I went so many years without this. Worth every penny of $120.

I have honestly never tried Elixirs.....I'd be curious to try a set, but then again I don't like solving problems that don't exist and I'm good with my D'Addario 10's

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Then don't switch. I switched only because i was chewing through strings like crazy and elixirs seemed to last 10x longer. I also use a weirdo hybrid gauge setup that elixir does nicely.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

I should have mentioned earlier....that's a really nice guitar to have, Rube. I'm not big on acoustics, but if I had my choice....it would be one of those older Guilds. A friend of mine has both a 6 and 12 string Guild from the early 80's....they're wonderful.

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Thanks. I took a big risk on the neck reset and other repairs, but it paid off. I restored it because of the excellent materials and craftsmanship. They just don't make them like this anymore. Newer Guilds are lighter and more cheaply made, to save on materials costs. Mahogany guitars are every bit as good as rosewood. The fingerboard is rosewood, which I prefer to ebony. For me, ebony is too hard and does not project as well as a rosewood fingerboard. It's also has better aesthetics to look at, where you can see the texture of the grain lines.

I've got another Guild, a DCE5. It's the top of the line True American, but unfortunately is too costly to repair with neck problems. I bought it in 2000 and played it to death. I wouldn't mine getting a vintage Guild D-50, but for a 70s I would probably be looking at another neck reset unless I'm lucky enough to find one in excellent condition. I would not advise people buying guitars on eBay unless they're new. You just don't know what you're getting until you have it in your hands.

I had a JF-30 12 string some years ago as well. It was nice for a maple 12 string, but it's a gigantic guitar with a wide fingerboard. Not recommended for people with smaller hands. I have big hands myself and it was not easy for me to play.

The PRS Korean stuff is good. I've never had any issues with my Tremonti SE. I just replaced the nut and installed locking tuners. I'm not going to compare it to my Custom 22 but its a really good player. I heard they moved everything to Indonesia.

I went to Chicago Fret Works on N. Lincoln two days ago to have the work done on the guitar that the 3rd Coast guy in Palatine didn't do, which is putting in a new bone nut and fret leveling. The owner, Steve, seemed like a nice guy. He tried to sell me on a complete refret after telling me the frets were level. I opted for the fret leveling, instead. Should have the guitar back in about 3 weeks.

It was not easy to find N. Lincoln, traveling on Irving Park Rd. N. Lincoln is at the intersection with Damen, but no one tells you that and it isn't in the directions.

I would avoid Chicago Fretworks. The result from them was not good. Basically, a couple of hustlers running it. Off the bat they wanted me to do a refret for $550. It turns out that the buzzing I was hearing was mostly due to less than optimal neck tension/relief because of a bad truss rod nut and not being able to tighten it properly. I got a Gibson replacement nut off eBay for $8.00, which worked. Received it today. Now the guitar is playing like butter. Besides the full refret hustling, they couldn't wait to sell me things , like a humidifier, when I went in their shop to pick the guitar up. Just ridiculous the treatment I experienced. Most people wouldn't know any better.

To me, this is pretty much the state of the "luthier" profession---shameful. With few exceptions, you run into guys like this or others that don't know their business.

$550 for a refret is absolutely ridiculous.

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If you have a guitar that needs a neck reset or are looking to buy one that might need it like a vintage Martin or Gibson acoustic, my advice is to pass. You are basically opening up a can of worms or digging a money pit with expenses because the neck reset might be just the tip of the iceberg of what work the guitar really needs. I've been through it all with my vintage instrument, 10 years I've needed to restore my Guild D-40. At the end, I ended up with a working instrument but probably did 200+ hrs. myself on the work to eliminate the fret buzz that was pervasive on the fingerboard. If you have fret buzz, you know what I mean. It's the hardest thing to get rid of. All luthiers I've used are clueless what to do about it. There is a solution, though, and that is you have to strum every fret repeatedly (finger placed like you're barring) day after day for a good hour. If the guitar can withstand it, it will improve eventually. But you're going to wear down your fingers first before you notice results, so be prepared. Might work better with a capo.

There's no substitute for good tone on guitars and that's why the Martins always fetch premium prices because they play the best. Gibson's are also up there and so is Collings in my estimation for makers that produce acoustics with good tones. My feeling about Taylors, even the $3,000+ ones, is that they feel cheap, which isn't to say they're not beautiful to look at.