Ok, what movie is that from?....:cool:

Seriously - my 5120 has two minor issues:

One - after intonating the bridge, the B string is not in line with the bridge. It's coming over the Bigsby at an angle. It plays fine, but I'm wondering if this will be a problem.

Second - this was an issue out of the box, and now with new strings (Skinny Top/Heavy Bottom) it remains: starting around the 10th fret and going upwards, the notes will play in tune, but there is also slight rattle as the string hits the upper frets. Is this a "raise the bridge" fix or a truss rod fix?

Thanks!

For the buzzing. Could be the action. Decent low action is 3/32" at the 12th fret (for your high E) and about 4.5/32" for the low E.
Though I would also check the bridge. On my G5129 I reinforced the little wire tension spring with a bit of plastic to stop the adjusting screws from rattling.
And (though probably not your problem) I also found a new rattle on my Rose. It was in the pickup switch! In the middle position, the leaves would vibrate sympathetically with certain notes. When I put it in another position, because the tension of the leaves was different, the buzzing stopped!

Hmm, your second problem seems like the same problem I've been having, except I get it in the lower frets as well, mostly during bar chords, it shows up after a couple of strums.

Anyone got a solution?

Ok, what movie is that from?....:cool:


That would be from Help! -1965, specifically, when the Beatles are in the studio recording "You're Gonna Lose That Girl".

Seriously - my 5120 has two minor issues:

One - after intonating the bridge, the B string is not in line with the bridge. It's coming over the Bigsby at an angle. It plays fine, but I'm wondering if this will be a problem.

Second - this was an issue out of the box, and now with new strings (Skinny Top/Heavy Bottom) it remains: starting around the 10th fret and going upwards, the notes will play in tune, but there is also slight rattle as the string hits the upper frets. Is this a "raise the bridge" fix or a truss rod fix?

Thanks!

First problem sounds like your Bigsby may not be trued with the bottom of the guitar, this may require shimming-- pics of the problem would help.

The second issue sounds like you need to check your relief and tweak the truss rod.

..but there is also slight rattle as the string hits the upper frets...

Actually, we should pinpont the problem. Does the 'rattle' sound like it's the strings hitting the upper frets? If so, then it's either that your action is too low or a truss rod issue or a combination of the two. Try raising the action first.
If it is a rattle that is coming from "who knows where", if it sounds like something is "loose", then you have to check for something loose, like a screw or a bolt or the harness inside the guitar. In most cases though, if you have an adjustomatic bridge, it's going to somewhere there and especially those adjusting screws.

Update:

First problem: an easy fix by simply loosening the string and moving it back into its proper position with string aligned over the pickup screws.

Second problem: seems to have been my action. I adjusted the action several times, raising it slightly each time, retuning and fretting all the strings individually from the 10th fret and upward. Seems to be fine. I'll wait until tomorrow to see how the guitar has settled. Hopefully I won't have to go the near the truss yet.

Thanks for all the input!

My strings were buzzing this weekend until I read somewhere in here to lube the nut with graphite from a pencil. I just loosened the strings that were buzzing (one at a time) and rolled the pencil in the slot for the strings to get some of the graphite in there. I am not sure why or how, but it completely got rid of the buzz.

Raising the action didn't work for me, it reduced the amount of rattle slightly, but didn't eliminate it when tested thoroughly. I kept raising the action until I started getting a weird growling undertone from the strings.

I've reset the action back down to where the rattle was reduced (compared to the starting point) but low enough to where it was still comfortable to play.

To make matters worse, I now hear a little buzz on the high "e" string fretted and unfretted. Sigh...

...but after all that, I plugged into my Vox AC4tv and it sounded great. The rattle is only audible acoustically and when plugged into my Zoom H4N field recorder.

Raising the action didn't work for me, it reduced the amount of rattle slightly, but didn't eliminate it when tested thoroughly. I kept raising the action until I started getting a weird growling undertone from the strings.

I've reset the action back down to where the rattle was reduced (compared to the starting point) but low enough to where it was still comfortable to play.

To make matters worse, I now hear a little buzz on the high "e" string fretted and unfretted. Sigh...

...but after all that, I plugged into my Vox AC4tv and it sounded great. The rattle is only audible acoustically and when plugged into my Zoom H4N field recorder.
a bit of buzz acoustically isn't a big deal. I have guitars that do that but I live with it because the action is super low.

A buzzing open E usually indicates a nut problem (or possibly bridge slot) either being too large for the guage of string or too small

be aware you can drive yourself crazy with this stuff. If it does really bother you then get the guitar to a decent luthier who will do a neck set up, nut setup and (if required) a fret dress.

Aside from buying the guitar a good set up is the best money you will spend

Raising the action didn't work for me...
Like I said, check your hardware, especially the bridge and especially if you have something like a G5120 with an adjustomatic style bridge. Some people have suggested using nail polish to 'glue' the pieces in place. But take out the bridge and see if the screws and saddles are really loose.

I'm using a tru-arc, so there are no moving parts. I think I'm just gonna live with the rattle until the next time I change strings.

It only bugs me because I used to play acoustic songs on my unplugged 5120 and now I can't without rattle. Well, I guess this just means I'll be playing through my amp more often.