string buzz

  • Thread starter Thread starter JacquelynRoland
  • Start date Start date
J

JacquelynRoland

New member
Hi, I have a 12-string Seagull, and we just switched from medium strings that hardly ever buzzed, to Elizer lightweights. Right away there was a bad string buzz problem, but the luthier readjusted the truss rod, and reset the bridge, and it sounds much better now. However, there is still a little bit of buzz on the lower strings sometimes. A friend gave pointers on pressing closer to the frets, which also helped some. I do strumming more than picking, and was wondering what else anyone could suggest? Could I replace only the buzzing lightweight strings with mediumweights, or is it wrong to mix medium and light strings on the same guitar? I'll admit the Elixers do seem to sound much nicer. Thanks!

Jacquelyn
 
JacquelynRoland said:
Hi, I have a 12-string Seagull, and we just switched from medium strings that hardly ever buzzed, to Elizer lightweights. Right away there was a bad string buzz problem, but the luthier readjusted the truss rod, and reset the bridge, and it sounds much better now. However, there is still a little bit of buzz on the lower strings sometimes. A friend gave pointers on pressing closer to the frets, which also helped some. I do strumming more than picking, and was wondering what else anyone could suggest? Could I replace only the buzzing lightweight strings with mediumweights, or is it wrong to mix medium and light strings on the same guitar? I'll admit the Elixers do seem to sound much nicer. Thanks!

Jacquelyn
Click to expand...

You need to have the frets dressed. They are not even. When fretwire comes off the roll, cut and installed, the wire is of slightly different heights. In the old days, manufacturers would always dress the frets. Today, nobody does it anymore. It costs too much in labor. Your guitar tech should know this. You can raise the action a very little at a time and it might fix it. The true fix is to dress the frets, polish them and set the truss rod and action in that order.
 
I need fret work done too. But I had another question about fret buzz. I have a guitar track recorded that aside from a few nasty fret buzzes is exactly what I want. Dozens of takes to get it, but this is the track i want to keep if I can get rid of the damn fret buzz .

does anyone know (I will experiment, but thought I would ask first) what frequency range fret buzzes happen in? Is this something I can just notch out? Or do I really have to replay the whole dang track again? Problem is, I don't remember all the little nuances I threw in to replay them
 
Taking that out after it is tracked is very difficult. I don't know the frequencies so I would re-track, it if it were me, even though that really sucks.

Anyway, IMHO I think it will have to be retracked.
 
new comment

Here is something I have since found out.
Please go to;
http://www.guitartips.addr.com/tip115.html

At the bottom, it says;
"Like having a certain amount of string buzz, it's just part of being an acoustic guitarist."

I would still appreciate hearing from anyone with any comments about my original question, and apparently, so would this other person.
Thank you!

Jacquelyn
 
yeah, that is what I thought. If I am lucky I can just try to pull off some good punch-in recordings and keep most of what I did, but sadly I didn't notice the buzzes until after I had done a lot of compression and maximizing (but when I relistened to the unadulterated track, there the buzz was...so it wasn't an artifact of compression/EQ), and of course this was one of those rare times I didn't keep notes of what EQ and Comp settings I played with, so to punch in and keep it sounding the same won't work either,


dang.

fuck

shit

oh well, play it again, and again and again until I get it just right.

One day I will finally post something again in teh MP3 clinic, but I am waiting for my SP B3 mic to redo all my vox, probably will make the acoustic sound better too, but then I will discover all teh sonic shit in my recording room because a better mic will get all teh junk off the walls.

dang shit fuck

fuck shit dang

shit dang fuck
 
just noticed your reply

Hello! I only just noticed your reply to dress the frets! Sorry I did not see that right away! I will ask our luthier about this. Thank you!

Jacquelyn
 
Hi,
Besides having the frets dressed and/or a set-up, there is one other possible cause that I can think of at the moment.
If there is a major change in the size of the strings (For Ex. A .056 low E being replaced with a .042) perhaps the slots in the nut are too "deep" for the new strings.
If this is the case, a new nut may be needed.
Good luck.

Take care,
Tony
 
slots

eyeslikefire,
It is just one or two of the wound strings that buzz a little now and then. I had just switched from Martin mediums, to a set of Elixer 'st. lights'.

Tony,
I'm sorry but I am not that familiar with the terminology. When you say the slots in the nut are too deep, what do you mean by that, please? Thank you.

Jacquelyn
 
Re: slots

JacquelynRoland said:
Tony,
I'm sorry but I am not that familiar with the terminology. When you say the slots in the nut are too deep, what do you mean by that, please? Thank you.

Jacquelyn
Click to expand...

Hi Jacquelyn,
The nut is the piece at the end of your fingerboard before the 1st fret.
The slots are the 6, or 12 in your case, little grooves that guides the string towards the machine head.
Larger strings require a deeper groove (slot) than a thinner string.
If the slot is too deep, the thinner string will sit lower in the groove, causing it to be too close to the fingerboard, thus buzzing (fretting out).
The same is true in reverse if you go from light strings, to much larger strings.
The larger strings may get caught in the slots, because they are too wide for the existing slots.
I hope this helps.

Take care,
Tony
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top