Is it normal to have a little fretbuzz?

It comes down to your style as well how much an issue it would be to you.
Jazz players are those flat necks and low action players, because to them, fret buzz is not so much of an issue because the play with a light touch.
If you play metal trough a lot of distortion, again, not an issue.

The only time when this is an issue to me, is when i play my Strat unplugged (which i do often). Only then fret buzz can be annoying.

My string action is a little higher since i bend, because bending with low strings is a struggle, so i am not contemplating on it.

But to answer your question on technical things, a little fretbuzz might occur for sure on a normally set up guitar.
But i can let you in on a little secret. The tussrod has barely any function to the higher register of the neck.That means where the neck goes from being round to becoming a square because a) its thicker and stiffer and b) it´s clamped to the body and has no freedom to move.
So if you have any fret buzz up there, the tussrod will almost rarely be able to solve it. You have to work the frets to level or better, have them slope slightly down. On high radius necks especially because bending up there often chokes out the string. So sloping the last 7-8 frets is one way to do it, even if it means sacrifice a little fret material, but it is a little meticulous work. But this off course only applies if you bend some..

I believe David Gilmour had this done or something similar to his Candy Apple Red 83 Strat.

You say you maxed out your saddles. That is not correct, and the neck might need a little shim. But did your luthier check the relief of the neck? A completely flat neck will for certain buzz. A little relief can remedy plenty buzz as well and too much relief will only give you a crazy high action but no buzz (until you hit the last 8-9 frets). So before shimming i would check if relief is good (if there is any at all).
Is it a two point trem or 6point?

 

What the luthier said does not sound correct in my opinion. Fret buzz is a no-no. What did the luthier say was the cause of the problem?

 

Just for reference, I've never seen or heard of a Strat that won't buzz at least a little if you pick or strum very hard. Really that's true for any guitar.

 

No, fret-buzz is not part of the design or specification. It is a defect which may be corrected and then again, maybe not.

 

First off , none of my strats have fret buzz.that’s a broken guitar in need of repair. So his statement “ all strats have fret buzz and there is nothing to fix it” is false. So everything he says that follows is also probably wrong.

 

@Fenderbaum definitely seems to know what he's talking about. It's not an ideal situation, but I personally would rather have a little fretwork done and keep the saddles a bit lower than have them all raised up just to avoid a little buzz. The latter doesn't sound like it's as much fun to play.

Does the buzz come through the amp? Does it have any kind of "fretting out" muting effect, or is it just some buzz? Is it consistent, or does it depend on how heavy-handed you're playing? Have you tried taking the strings down a gauge?

I have some buzz on both of my Strats. I do like the action pretty much as low as I can get away with, more because of ease than any particular technique. I have never noticed any of the buzz coming through the amp, and that's the only reason I would do anything about it.

 

I used to think that some level of fret buzz was inherent to the Start design and just had to be accepted - until I finally got one that didn't have it. It may require a slightly higher action than you'd prefer, but it is absolutely possible with the right setup.

 

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Back in the late 90s I was interested in a Surf Green Fender 50s Reissue Strat that had some noticeable fret buzz and asked the sales person if he could get it set up correctly.

He told me that Strats are known for having fret buzz and that it was part of its character. I didn't believe him and insisted he get off his lazy ass and have it adjusted or I wouldn't buy it (I didn't say it quite so rudely though).

He eventually did so grudgingly...



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none of my guitars have fret buzz.
it takes awhile to learn how to set up a guitar properly and get good at doing it, but you will be glad you learned.

 

There’s a different between buzzing and fret slap that just happens from aggressive picking. My neck is almost dead straight and I have no “buzz” at all, but if I pick or strum aggressively I will sometimes make the string slap against the frets, but not much. My action is really low. A pro setup should cure this. I don’t know what goes on above the 12th fret because I rarely go up there.

 

Fretting out? No good.
A little bit of "buzz", a lot of buzz?
Does it stop buzzing if you pick and fret softly?

If you pick softly and fret with a light touch, and it buzzes, that needs to be corrected (if it bothers you).

If you play softly and it doesn't buzz, then YOU need to find a happy compromise.
I could set up my guitar, for my touch, and have no problems. If I hand my guitar to someone who has a heavier hand, then they would get buzz.

So, determine if the guitar is the problem, the set up (or lack thereof), or the player's technique.

 

Depends on how much alcohol your frets have been drinking.

 

It's actually how you can set the height of the strings. Here's a video where a luthier uses the technique.



I thought this was a pretty cool trick and I use it myself now. All guitars are made different and they've been through different temperature and humidity conditions. By adjusting the guitar to sound rather than a number out of a book, I think you get better results.

 

Absolutely normal. I’ve never play a guitar (wood and metal- durable goods mad by imperfect human hands) that did not have a fret buzz in one place or another. Some of the best guitar tones on record wer from guitars that buzzed somewhere on the fretboard. If you can here it and it’s unbearable thru the amp at a relatively decent volume it probably worse unplugged....but if you can’t then just Go with it.

 

always set the relief first, then your saddle height, and finally, the intonation.

 

All of my basses occasionally buzz a little. Could be my slightly heavy attack but I’ve reached the point where I set the action to where I’m comfortable and then, if it’s really bad, I’ll raise it a ‘til it’s acceptable.