Many seemingly insurmountable problems you may come across with your rock guitar often have a simple and quick solution. This troubleshooting guide should cover most of the basic problems. It doesn’t offer the obvious troubleshooting standbys like “Make sure your guitar is plugged in” and “Make sure your amp is turned on,” because surely you don’t need to hear those.
| Symptom | Possible Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Buzzing | Action too low | Adjust bridge saddles Adjust truss rod Adjust action at the nut |
| High action on the upper frets | Bridge saddles set too high | Lower bridge saddles |
| High action in the middle or top of neck | Neck is warped | Adjust truss rod |
| Guitar won’t stay in tune | Strings too old | Replace strings Replace cheap tuners |
| Floating bridge up too high | Spring tension is too loose | Tighten vibrato bar springs |
| Floating bridge too close to guitar body | Spring tension too tight | Loosen vibrato springs |
| No output | Bad output jack | Remove jack, check wiring |
| Scratchy output | Bad volume or tone pots or switches | Spray pots and switches with contact cleaner |
| Amp has no output | Bad connection between guitar and amp Blown fuse Bad tube Blown speaker |
Replace guitar cable Replace fuse Replace tube Replace speaker |
| Amp whistles, rings, or sounds distorted | Bad tube Blown speaker |
Replace tube Replace speaker |
| Crackling sound, signal cuts out Low output, diminished sound, unwanted distortion |
Bad cable or patch cord Bad battery or power supply (effects) |
Replace Replace battery |