Buzzing strings

[Colour]

My guitar's D and G strings keep buzzing. It's an Ibanez Artcore AS73 (a semi-hollowbody). Here's what happened.

I was playing around with the guitar a few days ago. At one point I accidently lost control of handling it while grabbing for something and I smacked the top of the body against an amp. I checked it out and it looks fine, as if nothing happened (thank god).

However, afterwards I noticed that when the D and G strings are struck (with either finger or pick), they make this nasty buzzing sound. To clarify, I hear this buzzing when playing unplugged.

The other day I brought it to a luthier, who wasn't sure what could be causing the buzzing. He suggested the strings; so I left the guitar with him and got new strings. The truss rod and whatnot was also set up.

This was to no avail as the buzzing is still present.

I doubt that anyone will be able to help me (I realize also my vagueness when I say "buzzing"), but maybe someone has a suggestion or has had a similar experience. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

 

[crazydoc]

Do you hear the buzzing only when the strings are played open, or when you fret them too?

If only when open, does it happen also when you play a note around D or G on the E or A string?

If it happens only on the the D or G strings whether they are open or fretted, how far up the fingerboard does the buzzing occur - all the way up or just to a certain point?

Knowing these answers may help localize the problem to the nut, the saddle, the fingerboard, or something knocked loose inside the body. It's not the strings, assuming the luthier really put new ones on.

 

[Dani Pace]

This may sound weird but it is something worth checking. When you smacked the guitar into the amp the point of contact may have been dirrectly on the bridge saddles. If this happened the pressure could have mashed the strings into the saddle slots and either widened them or flattened them. Slots which don't fit the strings can and will cause an annoying buzz. This is something really hard to spot, even for an experienced repair person and not something a luthier would be likely to look for. If this is what happened, don't panic. Saddles are easily replaced and not too expensive, a whole set should be less than $30, for a few dollars more you can replace them with graphite ones, an upgrade which in my opinion is well worth the extra $10 or so. If you decide to change the saddles you will need a fresh set up too. I hope this helps and you get it fixed soon, an Artcore is too nice of a guitar to let a buzz annoy you. I clipped a doornob once and had a buzz on one string afterwards. I just lived with it for almost a year then put on a new set of saddles and the buzz went away and never came back.

 

[Colour]

Thanks for the replies.

Do you hear the buzzing only when the strings are played open, or when you fret them too?
...
If it happens only on the the D or G strings whether they are open or fretted, how far up the fingerboard does the buzzing occur - all the way up or just to a certain point?

Actually, I just tried it out and the buzzing only occurs when the strings are played open. I fretted all the way up the fingerboard on both strings and I don't hear the buzzing.

If only when open, does it happen also when you play a note around D or G on the E or A string?

Nope. It's exclusive to D and G which I've now realized is also exclusive to when played open.

This may sound weird but it is something worth checking. When you smacked the guitar into the amp the point of contact may have been dirrectly on the bridge saddles. If this happened the pressure could have mashed the strings into the saddle slots and either widened them or flattened them. ...

Well, this is an interesting thought. I don't know if the saddle will still apply if the strings buzz when played open and not when fretted (which I concluded above). To (maybe) help you out, I included a small picture of where I hit the guitar.

Thanks again for the replies. I think we're getting somewhere with this.

 

[crazydoc]

Nope. It's exclusive to D and G which I've now realized is also exclusive to when played open.

Well, I can't relate this to bumping the guitar, but it sounds like the problem might be at the nut or the first fret. Try lifting the string out of the nut groove (you may have to detune it down to get some slack to do this) and then lay a small piece of paper or thin cardboard over the groove and lay the string over it back in the groove. Tune it back up, and tear the paper away from it, leaving a small piece under the string in the groove. See if this helps the problem. If so, either the groove is too wide, letting the string vibrate in it, or too deep, letting the string hit against the first fret.

 

[Colour]

Well, I can't relate this to bumping the guitar, but it sounds like the problem might be at the nut or the first fret. Try lifting the string out of the nut groove (you may have to detune it down to get some slack to do this) and then lay a small piece of paper or thin cardboard over the groove and lay the string over it back in the groove. Tune it back up, and tear the paper away from it, leaving a small piece under the string in the groove. See if this helps the problem. If so, either the groove is too wide, letting the string vibrate in it, or too deep, letting the string hit against the first fret.

I tried your suggestion on both strings using paper. There is still a buzzing.

The strings definitely aren't hitting the first fret.

Thanks for the suggestions.

This is frustrating me, especially because this guitar is so new (two months old). And the confusing part is that this problem appeared out of nowehere--I wasn't messing with the setup or anything.

I'm going to visit the luthier again, this week.

 

[travelin travis]

i had an annoying buzz in an acoustic guitar once. it took me forever to figure out what it was. it ended up being a small sliver of wood inside the body that for some reason had come loose.

hope you figure out your buzz.

 

[Light]

There are all kinds of reasons for buzzes (go look at Frank Ford's list on Frets.com). If the problem is only when the strings are played open, then the problem is 99% sure to be in the nut. Paper and cardboard in the nut slot can sometime get you out of a pinch, but they will not last. Take it to a repair person who has a clue (not the last guy you went to, or he would have seen this) and have them check the nut. If it is too deep, it will need to be shimed and refiled, which in my shop is about a $35-$50 job.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[Colour]

i had an annoying buzz in an acoustic guitar once. it took me forever to figure out what it was. it ended up being a small sliver of wood inside the body that for some reason had come loose.

hope you figure out your buzz.

I'm beginning to think something similar happened to me here.

I hope I figure it out too!

There are all kinds of reasons for buzzes (go look at Frank Ford's list on Frets.com). If the problem is only when the strings are played open, then the problem is 99% sure to be in the nut. Paper and cardboard in the nut slot can sometime get you out of a pinch, but they will not last. Take it to a repair person who has a clue (not the last guy you went to, or he would have seen this) and have them check the nut. If it is too deep, it will need to be shimed and refiled, which in my shop is about a $35-$50 job.

Well, I went back to the guy today and he said that he did take a look at the nut and smoothed it out in case of an interference there. He says that the bridge looks fine. He checked to make sure nothing is lose and that it isn't the electronics or wires aren't causing the buzz.

I checked out that list on Frets.com. I'll have to look it over carefully.

I'll probably end up going elsewhere for a second opinion.

Thanks.

 

[Light]

Well, I went back to the guy today and he said that he did take a look at the nut and smoothed it out in case of an interference there. He says that the bridge looks fine. He checked to make sure nothing is lose and that it isn't the electronics or wires aren't causing the buzz.

I checked out that list on Frets.com. I'll have to look it over carefully.

I'll probably end up going elsewhere for a second opinion.

Thanks.

The problem would have nothing to do with the nut being smooth or not. In fact, anything he might do to "smooth" the nut slots would only make it worse! The problem would be that the nut slots are too damn low, and the string is buzzing against the first fret. The only other possibility would be a nut slot without enough back angle for a clean contact point, but again, it is not in need of "smoothing," but of adjusting.

Do this, hold the strings in question down just in front (the side away from the nut, exactly where you DON'T want to push down when playing) of the second fret. This makes the string into a straight edge between the second fret and the nut. Look at the distance between the first fret the string. It should just be a couple of thousandths of an inch, very close, but NOT touching. If it is touching, that is your problem. Then find some one competent to fix it. (I don’t mean to be harping, but this is pretty much the first thing repair people in MY shop learn, right after they learn to clean the bathroom and change strings).


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[Kore]

I would strongly suggest locating the EXACT point of the buzzing. Use your ear an inch off of the strings and figure out what the buzzing is against, or at least the approximate area where it is happening. This will eliminate 80% of the possibilities, and make others' help here more useful.