Fret buzz .. SURPRISE!

[Erockrazor]

Okay just bought a new Jumbo Parkwood acoustic guitar a few months back. Really nice sound , I like it a lot I really do!

I snapped my high e maybe after a month of playing it , so I figured I might as well put a whole new set of strings on cause the others werent as crisp etc. So I took all the strings off of my guitar and restrung the whole thing. Now I'm getting fret buzz from my low E string and my A string.

Where did I go wrong that I screwed up something? What did I throw off? Did i take the strings off too quickly? If I take it to my local shop you think a set up would fix it?

I frequently tune my strings to various different tunings rather than standard (facgce , dadgad , dgdgdd, so pretty fluctuating)but is this enough to alter my neck enough to give me fret buzz?

 

[Anfontan]

Okay just bought a new Jumbo Parkwood acoustic guitar a few months back. Really nice sound , I like it a lot I really do!

I snapped my high e maybe after a month of playing it , so I figured I might as well put a whole new set of strings on cause the others werent as crisp etc. So I took all the strings off of my guitar and restrung the whole thing. Now I'm getting fret buzz from my low E string and my A string.

Where did I go wrong that I screwed up something? What did I throw off? Did i take the strings off too quickly? If I take it to my local shop you think a set up would fix it?

I frequently tune my strings to various different tunings rather than standard (facgce , dadgad , dgdgdd, so pretty fluctuating)but is this enough to alter my neck enough to give me fret buzz?

I'll bet you went lighter on the string gauge, therefore the neck tension was less and now the buzz occurs. I would take it to a repair tech and he'll adjust the neck to straighten it out!

 

[Erockrazor]

I'll bet you went lighter on the string gauge, therefore the neck tension was less and now the buzz occurs. I would take it to a repair tech and he'll adjust the neck to straighten it out!

Funny thing is that I put a heavier gauge string on! Haha , I went from Light D'addario EXP's to Medium D'addario EXP's. Your diagnosis wasnt a bad one though , very reasonable. I'm afraid that you might be right about taking it for repair as my only real option. Thanks Anfontan.

I just want to avoid making a mistake again. Maybe I take my strings off incorrectly?

1. Broke E string
2. Unwound all of my strings little by little.
3. Was able to unwind them off the headstock.
4. Pulled out the pins from the bottom.
5. Put on my new strings...

missing anything? anything to watch out for? Thanks alot guys.

 

[Jouni]

...I always change them one by one, makes cleaning difficult though. ..but keeps tension.
More of an issue in a floating bridge, though, I'd guess.

But at least even in acoustics, it'd keep the tension of neck closer to the same the entire process...not that it'd be like arming a crossbow..

 

[Light]

A couple of possibilities come to mind. First of all, changing the gauge of your strings will cause things to change, so that is probably it. As for changing the strings, at a guess you may well have wound them around the post incorectly. I see an awful lot of guitars where this is an issue. If there isn't enough break angle through the nut, you can get buzzing from that. You can also get some strange sounds if you go more than one layer around the post, and for Gods sake please don't put the strings through the post more than once. Oh, and if you tie knots in your strings, I may well kill you if I ever have to restring your guitar. I don't need any more bouts of tetanus, thank you very much.

If you want to do it right, just do what FRANK FORD SAYS TO DO, and you will be fine.

There is no reason to change only one string at a time. It makes absolutely NO DIFFERENCE at all (unless your talking about an arch top, where it can help you to keep the bridge in the right place). If you find it easier to do that way, then that is fine, but you can not damage your guitar either way, so just do what you are most comfortable with.


Light

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

 

[danny.guitar]

If you want to do it right, just do what FRANK FORD SAYS TO DO, and you will be fine.

http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Mus.../Stringing/StStringingViews/tanglestrings.jpg

This one is quite a study in confusion. Its owner complained about difficulty in tuning, which is no surprise, considering that five are wound backwards, and four of them go to the wrong posts. Yes, it really did come into the shop strung like this.

 

[turtlishous]

First of all, changing the gauge of your strings will cause things to change, so that is probably it.

absolutly the prob!

You can also get some strange sounds if you go more than one layer around the post, and for Gods sake please don't put the strings through the post more than once

your nut might be more of a problem than this...if your nut was gauged for light than you would need to get a new nut or (depending on the nut) have it adjusted to fit heavier strings

sorry for the typing

 

[RandyW]

If your actually getting fret buzz and you went from a light guage to medium then your problem could be that you need to raise you bridge or saddle in this case. A large diameter string vibrates more than a small diameter string.

Just for a quick test I would put a thin cardboard shim under the saddle and see if you problem disappears. If this corrects the problem you might want tighten the truss rod just a hair to get your action back closer to where it was.

Another thing to check is your nut if the mediums are thicker than the nut slots your going to find it difficult to play chords on the first couple of frets. You might want to open these slots up and if you haven't done this before I would just take it to a luthier and have the guitar setup. It would be a good time to have a bone saddle and nut installed while your at it.

BTW: How do you like your Parkwood I was checking out their website, it looks like a pretty nice guitar. I would like to try out one their open pore finishes.

 

[Erockrazor]

And to think that I thought moving up to a heavier gauge would be benificiary. Turns out my goal to get better tone and sustain worked to my disadvantage. I really didnt have a problem playing with the Light gauge strings either , I'm slapping myself for changing the strings now.

Now the question arises , do I take these medium strings off and try to put the light ones back on and see if I still have the problem? Keep playing my medium strings with fret buzz because I deserve nothing better ? Or take it to someone who actually knows what theyre doing and tell them to fix it?

You guys have been a good help ... Nice links.thanks alot!

 

[RandyW]

That is basically a no brainer, if you like the sound of mediums keep them on and have your guitar setup for them. If your guitar is a jumbo I would assume it should sound fuller more bass and more volume. You just have to set it up for them.

However, a lot of guitars are not made for mediums. Ligthly braced Martins and Taylors sound better with lighter guage string. In fact they should not be strung up with heavy gauge strings.

I guess it just boils down to finger strength and physical characteristics of the guitar. Some folks don't have the finger strength to play mediums and higher for extended periods of time. I use the biggest mediums I can find on my Yahmaha DW5 Drednought and lights to med lights on everthing else. The DW5 sounds like thrash with anything else.

 

[Light]

your nut might be more of a problem than this...if your nut was gauged for light than you would need to get a new nut or (depending on the nut) have it adjusted to fit heavier strings

sorry for the typing

It is unlikely that the nut is causing the buzzing. We're talking about a factory made instrument here, and any factory will adjust a nut to acept mediums. More to the point, nut slots are not supposed to fit to a very tight tolerence. You always need to give 5-8 thousanths of clearance to keep the string from sticking, and to allow the player to change gauges if they need to. What is more likely is that there is too much bow in the neck from the increased string tension. At a guess, the buzzing is worst on the 5-9 frets. In essence, the excessive bow is causeing the strings to see a bit of a "hump" (not actually a hump, but in effect...).

However, a lot of guitars are not made for mediums. Ligthly braced Martins and Taylors sound better with lighter guage string. In fact they should not be strung up with heavy gauge strings.

Not at all true. Martin has never made a guitar which was not made to handle mediums, nor has Taylor. There are some small shop builders who build their guitar that lightly (to the detriment of their guitars tone, if you ask me - there is such a thing as a guitar which is built too light to sound good), but no factory would EVER do something so dumb. They don't want to have to spend the money on warranty work.


Light

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

 

[Light]

Now the question arises , do I take these medium strings off and try to put the light ones back on and see if I still have the problem? Keep playing my medium strings with fret buzz because I deserve nothing better ? Or take it to someone who actually knows what theyre doing and tell them to fix it?

Take it to a good shop and have them set it up. Then, try it with the mediums for a while. You may like them, or you may not. They will not nessicarily give you "better" tone, nor will they automatically give you more sustain. Some guitars sound better with lights, particularly if they have smaller tops. That is PROBABLY not an issue with a jumbo, but you never know. Some tops don't have enough flex in them for mediums, so you end up pushing them too hard and they can't keep up. They get a bit "pinched" sounding. String them up with lights, and they sound great. So, the right thing to do is try your guitar with both, and see which sounds best.

Remember, there is a three way interaction between the guitar, the strings and the player. Until you have experimented with the variables (guitar and strings) you will never know what is right for YOU. Most of all, no one else is a part of that equation, so no one else can give you any more than advice. Decide for yourself what works for YOU.


Light

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

 

[travelin travis]

If you want to do it right, just do what FRANK FORD SAYS TO DO, and you will be fine.

That's the way I was taught to string a guitar. I found this picture from that page amusing:

 

[travelin travis]

http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Mus.../Stringing/StStringingViews/tanglestrings.jpg

whoops, you already caught that.

 

[Milnoque]

even if you are using an alternative tuning is the guitar tuned to standard pitch? Lower string tension can lead to buzzing.

Does the buzzing happen when open strings are played? Is it the same or worse on the first fret? If the buzzing is not present on the open strings the nut is not your problem.

How low is your action? Where is the buzzing on the neck?

I agree with Light about removing the strings all at once but in this case it can cause a problem. On a new guitar, after all the shipping and storage (not necessarily under ideal conditions) There can be stored tension in the truss rod that can be released when the string tension is removed.

Moving up to medium gauge cannot have hurt you.

Lightly hold your low "E" string down at the first and last frets. There should be a very slight gap (relief) above the frets in the middle of the neck. If it is not there, your neck needs adjusting.

 

[RandyW]

It is unlikely that the nut is causing the buzzing. We're talking about a factory made instrument here, and any factory will adjust a nut to acept mediums. More to the point, nut slots are not supposed to fit to a very tight tolerence. You always need to give 5-8 thousanths of clearance to keep the string from sticking, and to allow the player to change gauges if they need to. What is more likely is that there is too much bow in the neck from the increased string tension. At a guess, the buzzing is worst on the 5-9 frets. In essence, the excessive bow is causeing the strings to see a bit of a "hump" (not actually a hump, but in effect...).






Not at all true. Martin has never made a guitar which was not made to handle mediums, nor has Taylor. There are some small shop builders who build their guitar that lightly (to the detriment of their guitars tone, if you ask me - there is such a thing as a guitar which is built too light to sound good), but no factory would EVER do something so dumb. They don't want to have to spend the money on warranty work.


Light

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

Both my Martin 00016GTR and Taylor 412CE sound best with light gauge strings. The recommended gauge is the one that come on them.

http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/model.aspx?model=412-CE

Actually the 412 has a little better bracing than the 16 but still sounds
best with lighter gauge strings.

same thing for the Martin but of course a Martin brand string.
Put a medium gauge string on it and it sounds worse. Both guitars
are designed for light gauge strings. I also have another Baby Martin
same case the recommended gauge is light. When a manufacture
recommends a particular guage there is usually a good reason for it.

 

[muttley600]

Lightly hold your low "E" string down at the first and last frets. There should be a very slight gap (relief) above the frets in the middle of the neck. If it is not there, your neck needs adjusting.

Better to measure relief on an acoustic neck from around the secound or third fret to ten or eleven. Even on new builds there can be some funny stuff going on above the body join especially on factory made guitars.

Like light said I would bet that buzzing is kicking in after the seventh fret if it is to do with heavier strings.

The lightest I would build for is 12 -53 which is what most consider light. I prefer to build for 13's as you do get to pull more sound out with a heavier gauge. Lowden, Taylor as well as loads of others all support 12/53 gauge on many guitars . Anything smaller and lighter I would build for silk and steel and brace accordingly.

There are some small shop builders who build their guitar that lightly (to the detriment of their guitars tone, if you ask me - there is such a thing as a guitar which is built too light to sound good), but no factory would EVER do something so dumb. They don't want to have to spend the money on warranty work.

Very true about some building too light and many of the big names over build there guitars because they don't want to see them back again.

In answer to the original post. Before you rush off to get a setup done give the guitar a month or so to settle down before you make a final judgement especially if your in a changing climate like we are here. My phone rings off the hook this time of year with people wanting setups done as a result of weather changes. I'm not saying it will cure your buzzing but you need to let it settle in its new home.Unless of course it is buzzing real bad in which case it most likely isn't the string gauge.

 

[dgatwood]

I agree with Light about removing the strings all at once but in this case it can cause a problem. On a new guitar, after all the shipping and storage (not necessarily under ideal conditions) There can be stored tension in the truss rod that can be released when the string tension is removed.

Just don't change them all at once on any curved front instrument like a cello or violin. If you do, you're liable to lose the sound post if you loosen all the strings at once. IIRC, some hollow body guitars have a similar design with a sound post, so if yours is built that way, be certain to change one string at a time....

 

[muttley600]

some hollow body guitars have a similar design with a sound post, so if yours is built that way, be certain to change one string at a time....

??? You definitely don't want a soundpost in an archtopguitar!!! What Archtops are you thinking of dgatwood?? The only ones I can think of are paul reeds' and they are gimmick as far as I'm concerned IMHO

 

[Erockrazor]

The buzz only occurs with fairly heavy strumming. I'm now hoping that maybe letting the neck settle will slowly elimate the buzzing. Everyones information has been of value. I wish I knew half as much about guitars as you guys do Thanks for all the help you guys have offered. If any length of time doesnt help , I'll get it set up if the fret buzz ensues. Thanks alot!