If you've ever played an electric guitar unplugged and thought, "Why does this guitar buzz so much?"

Don't worry—a little fret buzz isn't necessarily a problem.

In fact, when checking an electric guitar for fret buzz, one of the best tests is to plug it into an amplifier.

Here's why.

Why Does an Electric Guitar Buzz When Unplugged?

When you play an electric guitar without an amplifier, you're hearing the physical sound of the strings vibrating against the frets.

This can make even a perfectly playable guitar sound surprisingly noisy, particularly if the action is set low.

The important thing is that this acoustic rattle isn't necessarily being picked up by the guitar's pickups.

Electric guitar pickups detect the movement of the strings through their magnetic field. They aren't microphones listening to every little piece of mechanical noise coming from the fretboard.

So, a string can make a small "bzzz" against a fret acoustically without that noise appearing through your amplifier.

Low Action Usually Means Some Fret Noise

Most guitarists want their action — the height of the strings above the frets — reasonably low. Lower action can make a guitar feel faster, easier and more comfortable to play.

The trade-off is that there is less room for the string to vibrate, which means a small amount of acoustic fret noise can be normal.

If you tried to eliminate every tiny rattle while the guitar was unplugged, you might have to raise the action so much that the guitar became unnecessarily difficult to play.

The real question is: Can you hear the buzz through the amplifier?

Good Buzz vs Bad Buzz

There's a simple way to tell the difference.

Harmless fret buzz: You hear a little rattle when playing unplugged, but through the amp the note sounds clear, rings properly and has normal sustain. In this case, there's usually nothing to worry about.

Problematic fret buzz: You can clearly hear the buzzing through the amplifier, or the note loses sustain, sounds choked or dies when you play or bend it.

This can indicate an issue with the guitar's setup, such as action that's too low, insufficient neck relief or an uneven or high fret.

How to Test for Fret Buzz

Tune your guitar properly, plug it into your amplifier and play each string across the fretboard.

Listen for notes that:

• Buzz noticeably through the speaker
• Sound unusually weak or choked
• Lose sustain quickly
• Stop ringing when you bend the string

If the guitar sounds clean through the amp, don't let a little unplugged fret noise worry you.

The Bottom Line

An electric guitar isn't necessarily supposed to sound completely silent when played unplugged. A small amount of acoustic fret noise can be perfectly normal, especially with low action.

When it comes to fret buzz, trust what you hear through the amp.

If the notes ring clearly and sound good amplified, your guitar may be working exactly as it should.

If you're still experiencing excessive buzz, it may be time to check the guitar's setup, including the neck relief and action. For a step-by-step look at the correct order for making these adjustments, check out our guide: How to Set Up a Guitar: The Correct Order to Do Things.

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