Floppy Strings....

[The Alien]

Right now i have to make this guitar work because i don't have the money for anything else.
If my low E buzzes it's usually on the second or third fret(in that area the string is VERY close to the neck but around the 12th fret it's 0.4 centimeters above the fretboard.)
With the EB's i could not play an open E chord or it would rattle on th low E but with these strings that has been solved so it's definately an improvement.

I'm trying to play (thrash) metal which involves a lot of palm muted E string chugging an that is where the problem lies, i can't get a proper "thump" going and when i try to speed up (for instance the intro to Angel of Death) it becomes complete chaos.
When galloping on a muted power chord i also feel the strings slinky too much.
(i also feel like i can't attack the strings properly)

Now the EXL 140's on the low E actually aren't much more heavy than regular ones so maybe i should put on the Dunlop heavy cores(The package promises everything that i need so.... )

[rgorke]

Not really ?
But When my low E string detunes like half a step i have fret buzz.
(what is a "normal" nut hight?)
Also fret buzz was quite a big issue so i raised the saddle quite a bit.
The guitar in question is an ibanez GRGR121EX.

Again, pictures can help. Does it buzz just with the open E? How many frets buzz. If it is just the open note, then it may be the nut.

[The Alien]

The lowest 4 frets on the E and A buzz(slightly) when i pick very hard.
Could it help to have an even straighter neck for more tension, it seems like that would raise the action at the 1 to 4th fret and lower it between the 12th and 24'th? (12th fret action is 4mm,the nut is 2mm)
(It's probably worth to mention that i play unplugged most of the time when i'm practicing)

Also i have been looking at the D'addario site's string tension charts and they really confuse me(2 strings,the second one is bigger yet there is almost NO difference in tension or the bigger one has less tension )(Comparing the heavy bottom to extra heavy bottom)
I have no way of taking pictures but i can measure stuff...

[JimiJames]

At this point & two pages into it...Let's look at this from a learning curve and see it as an investment in knowledge.
By now I would tend to think you should have it looked at from your local G-Shop and pay for a set up.
Since you are paying you have the right to ask how & what is being done. Once you get your guitar back, you would have seen what the outcome of the Tech's work was so you can make a note of that the next time.
Depending on where you live in the world, I live in Chicago, and I absolute must/have to tweak my neck twice a year.
Money well invested.

Eventually start saving for another guitar of better quality and start thinking about the fact you could take a $100 guitar
and sound like a million bucks through an amp you just built or
a $1000 guitar through a $100 amp that sounds like $99.95

[The Alien]

First of all, i will be building an amp........after i "fix" the feel on this guitar,that's my number 1 priority because i can compensate for all of the guitar's shortcomings on the amp.

I'l look for a guitar shop and i will ask them if they could let me watch them do it or at least explain some things to me.

But anyway, thanks for helping me,(This seems like one of the nicest forums i have ever been on)

[bdc]

I but strings individually in bulk..(d aquisto)...about $3 a set.....I like 46 36 26 17 13 11........I vary sometimes on the G and B, but I hate big wound strings. I play standard tuning 1/2 step down in my band...On the guitars I keep in A 440 (not used in band) I use a run of the mill 10 gauge set...... The wound strings remain the same.....