acoustic ringing noise

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oz_fenda

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g'day, just wondering if anyone's experience this problem/knows what it could be...
I play a cole clark acoustic, (FL1AC), and for a while now its been making this ringing noise when you play in certain keys (moreso on open chords), kind of like a distorted harmonic, sound that rings out at a constant pitch which is very obvious and not too pleasing on the ear... Seems to be coming right out of the soundhole, any ideas?
This has annoyed me for too long now so thanks in advance for any suggestions on what it could be, this one's got me stumped....

oh and btw it happens when unplugged, so nothing to do with pickups... unless they could be loose and somehow causing the noise :S
cheers, matt
 
Is it a high-pitched note? Check the strings above the nut, and behind the bridge if you have a trapeze-type tailpiece, to see if you're getting sympathetic vibration. Sounds transfer all over the guitar, and they're not always coming from the place they appear to be.
 
Cheers for the replies guys, i'm still trying to work out whats causing it. And shuddering to think what its gonna cost me to fix it. Just spent a few minutes trying to work out exactly where it was coming from with no luck, seems to be coming straight out of the soundhole like an ugly high pitched harmonic overtone, triggered mainly by the top E and B strings when played hard. Consequently my ears are ringing from my attempts to hear where it was coming from haha. Perhaps a loose brace which vibrates at that frequency maybe....
 
Have you tried a fresh set of strings since you noticed this overtone? That would be the first place I'd look. It might be a good idea to try a different brand as well.
 
First guess the nut or string behind the nut, a loose tuner screw or part. A truss rod that isn't tensioned can also cause what you describe. Second guess the neck relief because it happens when you play it hard. What "keys" do you mean? certain chord shapes?

If it's a frequency dependant buzz or overtone that happens at the same note on different strings it is normally down to something away from the nut or saddle. Could be sympathetic ringing behind the nut, or less likely a loose brace, thay normally rattle or buzz rather than ring. Again could be a non tensioned truss rod.

Check the nut, then the string behind the nut. Work out if it is happening on certain frets or strings or on all at a certain note then report back. Check your neck relief while your at it but that is unlikely but possible. Like Milnoque said change the strings first.

Just for the record very little sound actually comes out of the sound hole. The air there is constantly being sucked back in after it is pushed out by the movement of the top. It's the soundboard that moves the air and the cavity that adds the tone. Any buzz or overtone can sound like it is coming from somewhere other than the actual source so prod and squeeze the headstock and strings behind the nut first then move around the rest of the guitar while holding the note. Often you can pin down those pesky noises that way.
 
I recently recorded a simple GCD tune with my crappy Martin DX1 and although I didn't notice it as I played, on the recording is a mammoth harmonic ringing tone that can only be described as about as annoying as jamming screw drivers into your ears all the way to the handle. And here I was thinking that harmonics were sweet desirable sounds. I think all this started happening after I dropped the guitar to the floor and 40% of the back split away from the side seam. I repaired it myself with glue, and it shows. To set the glue, I wedged the split part of the guitar under my couch for a while. So...any damage to your guitar lately? Drop it in a fit of rage after it refused to tune properly for the 600th time?
 
I've occasionally had to rearrange the internal hardware (such as moving wiring around) on my acoustics when getting a particular buzz on particular notes - sounds not disimilar...

Slack your strings off, stick your hand inside and check that everything's attached firmly, then try again... should be something relatively simple like that...
 
Hi everyone, thanks so much for the replies and suggestions, I'll do some investigating. Took it to my local shop who who had too many guitars booked in to leave it with them but the guy had a quick look at it and filed a little of the nut slots and did something with the bridge and it sounded fixed in the shop, but just got it home and nope the noise still there...
I've changed the strings a few times since the noise has been there so its not the strings, and the guitars in great nic no damage or anything...
Its most noticeable with those strings played open however it stills makes the noise in every fret position... Sounds almost like there's an old fashioned metronome in the room and the bell is resonating with every note.
 
Apparently you are not alone.

http://www.guitarseminars.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/016069.html

You probably want to contact Cole Clark and see what they have to say.

It would be interesting to look around inside with an inspection mirror. I'm not assuming this is a brace but... Apparently they have a "revolutionary" bracing system. Perhaps a brace is loose in the middle rather than at its end. You may not be able to find this by feel.
 
I found a picture of the guitars bracing. My focus would be on the darker brace and the pickup.
 

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oz_fenda said:
Hi everyone, thanks so much for the replies and suggestions, I'll do some investigating. Took it to my local shop who who had too many guitars booked in to leave it with them but the guy had a quick look at it and filed a little of the nut slots and did something with the bridge and it sounded fixed in the shop, but just got it home and nope the noise still there...
I've changed the strings a few times since the noise has been there so its not the strings, and the guitars in great nic no damage or anything...
Its most noticeable with those strings played open however it stills makes the noise in every fret position... Sounds almost like there's an old fashioned metronome in the room and the bell is resonating with every note.
Click to expand...

Have you tried padding the strings between the nut and the tuners?
 
Milnoque said:
Apparently they have a "revolutionary" bracing system.
Click to expand...

Hey. so it's a product feature then... :rolleyes:

Think of it as a drone and start incorporating it into your tunes if you can't get rid of it, I reckon... or put yer geetar higher up the list of ones you're going to smash at a gig at some stage in the future...
 
I use a dbx 263 de-esser to deal with this sort of thing...just get one and bounce that track through it...works on string noise too.
 
I learnt something about my guitar's harmonic ringing problem...if I just pluck the high e string (or the b) it plays the note but as soon as you strike it, a huge dose of harmonic starts to build up. Once the original strike has decayed, the harmonic remains for a little longer. Very bad. Shouldn't be like that. (Martin DX1)

I dropped my guitar and about 40% of the under/ back of the guitar snapped away from the side panel. I glued it myself in a horror DIY job. That's what has caused the problem I bet. It'd cost me an arm and a leg to have it repaired. Since it's less that 6 months old I suppose I will try to sell it for half price or 40% cost.

Anyway, that's my story
 
Monkey Allen said:
I learnt something about my guitar's harmonic ringing problem...if I just pluck the high e string (or the b) it plays the note but as soon as you strike it, a huge dose of harmonic starts to build up. Once the original strike has decayed, the harmonic remains for a little longer. Very bad. Shouldn't be like that. (Martin DX1)

I dropped my guitar and about 40% of the under/ back of the guitar snapped away from the side panel. I glued it myself in a horror DIY job. That's what has caused the problem I bet. It'd cost me an arm and a leg to have it repaired. Since it's less that 6 months old I suppose I will try to sell it for half price or 40% cost.

Anyway, that's my story
Click to expand...

Maybe you've done this, but I asked a while back and didn't see an answer from you. Did you deaden/pad the strings in the headstock between the nut and the tuners?
 
No, I didn't do anything to that area (but I think you asked oz_fenda, not me)...what do you mean? Like wrap the strings in a cloth in that area or something to deaden/ pad them?

I don't know if anything's gonna work on my guitar. Like I said....I snapped a lot of the back panel of the guitar off the side...I glued it myself back into place...but it's such a dodgy job. I think I basically ruined it.
 
Monkey Allen said:
No, I didn't do anything to that area (but I think you asked oz_fenda, not me)...what do you mean? Like wrap the strings in a cloth in that area or something to deaden/ pad them?
Click to expand...
Yeah, like that, or you could just reach up there and grab the stings when you are hearing that ringing and see if it stops. I was recording a guy playing a 12 string, and the mic was picking up this weird ringing sound that would persist even when he killed the strings with the heel of his hand. It was coming from the strings between the nut and the pegs, although the sound appeared to be emanating from the sound hole. I cut a strip of foam and slid it under his strings above the nut - problem solved.

Check the simple stuff first.
 
Yeah it's worth a try, but really, my guitar is FUBAR because I smashed it.
 
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