He has had it back to the retailer and they made a truss rod adjustment and a basic retail level set up but the problem persists. In the video he has it laying down picking the string while turning the tuner from flat to sharp. There is a clear and definite buzz / rattling that comes and goes. Now, this guitar has a zero fret and he has mentioned that if he gently mutes the string over the zero fret the buzz goes away. What do you reckon that there could be an issue with the nuts g string slot here Like it might need a just a few passes with slotting file to set it a bit lower to have consistent contact with that zero fret?
Any of your wisdom is greatly appreciated.
A few other pics below. If you need more let me know. I'll see if he wants to sign up to the forum and participate as well.
WhiskeyJack wrote: ↑Tue Apr 30, 2024 12:22 pm
I'll see if he wants to sign up to the forum and participate as well.
If he does, can I suggest a user name which is either <realname>letterletterletter or alternatively a completely random assortment of letters, just for the sport of seeing whether we keen eyed administrators would let him in....
Gold hardware on an electric. Hmmm.... I'd want to have it in a sealed case on the wall.
I have it on some acoustics and it looks expensive, until it fades away and doesn't... as it always does. Can't imagine it in the more sweaty environment of an electric.
sounds more like a rattle than a buzz to me and it seems to get louder as the string passes thru a certain frequency so it sounds in that vid to me that it's a piece of hardware rattling OR my Stinnett's truss rod actually rattles so that's a possibility.
Could it be the zero fret ? Maybe .... that's not really what it sounds like to me but it wouldn't harm anything to file that slot a bit deeper ... may or may not fix it but it's not gonna hurt anything.
WhiskeyJack wrote: ↑Tue Apr 30, 2024 12:22 pm
I'll see if he wants to sign up to the forum and participate as well.
If he does, can I suggest a user name which is either <realname>letterletterletter or alternatively a completely random assortment of letters, just for the sport of seeing whether we keen eyed administrators would let him in....
Lt. Bob wrote: ↑Wed May 01, 2024 12:56 am
sounds more like a rattle than a buzz to me
100% agree it is more of a rattle than a buzz.
Lt. Bob wrote: ↑Wed May 01, 2024 12:56 am
it seems to get louder as the string passes thru a certain frequency so it sounds in that vid to me that it's a piece of hardware rattling OR my Stinnett's truss rod actually rattles so that's a possibility.
Could it be the zero fret ? Maybe .... that's not really what it sounds like to me but it wouldn't harm anything to file that slot a bit deeper ... may or may not fix it but it's not gonna hurt anything.
This is what i am thinking. I knew when he told me about it that it had a pretty ornate tailpiece on it and that maybe ther is possibly a screw loose or a rouge piece of loose metal somewhere but you'd think a persons ear would pick that up on all strings. Like nay vibration would make that shit rattle.
My money is on the zero fret. I'm not going to say anything to my brother until Muttley weighs in with his two cents. But i think that is likely the culprit and slotting that g slot out on the nut is worth a shot.
Armistice wrote: ↑Tue Apr 30, 2024 7:36 pm
Gold hardware on an electric. Hmmm.... I'd want to have it in a sealed case on the wall.
I have it on some acoustics and it looks expensive, until it fades away and doesn't... as it always does. Can't imagine it in the more sweaty environment of an electric.
I'm usually not a huge fan of gold hardware. I have some on a sunburst Ibanez here and it looks about as you described, but i think it looks quite sharp on this guitar he got. I think it is the Flat black finish that compliments it nicely.
The thing with a zero fret is you don't need a nut...yet there one is anyway. It's redundant and if the slots aren't deep enough the string will bang against the zero fret.
Greg_L wrote: ↑Wed May 01, 2024 1:11 am
The thing with a zero fret is you don't need a nut...yet there one is anyway. It's redundant and if the slots aren't deep enough the string will bang against the zero fret.
Zero fret means the "nut" is a string guide more or less...well that was my understanding and am happy to be disabused.
I have one guitar with gold plated hardware. I didn't want it that way but it was the only unit available.
It sounds like a sympathetic resonant buzz but they can be hard to trace. First thing is to check every little bolt and screw is snug including the truss rod. Get him to play the note that buzzes and go round every screw bolt and nut and hold them down. Next is to check the internal wiring, I have had a few where things get snagged up in there and buzzes can sound like they come from any where. Then check the nut slot. As has been said a nut behind a zero fret is just there to separate and guide the string. Don't go mad just open it out a bit. Also don't overlook the string. Wound G' can be a problem more so than plain G'.
My guess would be one of the strings behind the nut vibrating in sympathy at that frequency and not necessarily the G'. check them all by damping them.
A truss rod shouldn't buzz or rattle when it is under tension, that's kind of the point. If they do they rarely sound like that, they have more of a knocking sound. The energy in a string is unlikely to set off a big chunk of steel into resonance in an audible way unless there is something seriously wrong with the install. Just check it is snug and there is no debris in the access.
Buzzing like that can be a pain to track down so do the groundwork first before you start removing any nut material.
Check the strings behind the saddles too. As I said a buzz like that can sound like it is coming from one place but originate from somewhere else entirely.
If it was me I would take it back to the store a decent tech would track it down and if he can't then well....
Last edited by muttley on Wed May 01, 2024 6:15 am, edited 2 times in total.
Greg_L wrote: ↑Wed May 01, 2024 1:11 am
The thing with a zero fret is you don't need a nut...yet there one is anyway. It's redundant and if the slots aren't deep enough the string will bang against the zero fret.
On that one the nut is acting as a string separator and guide to the tuner posts.
Lt. Bob wrote: ↑Wed May 01, 2024 12:56 am
sounds more like a rattle than a buzz to me and it seems to get louder as the string passes thru a certain frequency so it sounds in that vid to me that it's a piece of hardware rattling OR my Stinnett's truss rod actually rattles so that's a possibility.
Could it be the zero fret ? Maybe .... that's not really what it sounds like to me but it wouldn't harm anything to file that slot a bit deeper ... may or may not fix it but it's not gonna hurt anything.
Yep, sounds like a sympathetic resonance to me as well. I would still suspect the string over nut thing or one of the strings behind the nut which is being excited at it's resonant frequency. I have also had that at the saddle as well.
On that one the nut is acting as a string separator and guide to the tuner posts.
True, in theory. Mosrites do the same thing - Zero fret with a guide to the tuners. The guide being a small piece of slotted metal that doesn't interfere. But whenever I see a zero fret guitar...particularly the Japanese guitars... with "guide" that also looks suspiciously like a common nut, the grooves are almost always too tight and/or too tall and the zero fret can barely do it's job. Not saying that's the case here, but it's very possible and easy to check.
rayc wrote: ↑Wed May 01, 2024 2:33 am
Zero fret means the "nut" is a string guide more or less...well that was my understanding and am happy to be disabused.
I have one guitar with gold plated hardware. I didn't want it that way but it was the only unit available.
You are correct. The zero fret is the end of the scale and the "nut" is supposed to be no more than a simple string guide. When the string guide "nut" is to tall or the slots too tight the zero fret can't do it's job properly.
Thanks mutt. I have forwarded him the thread to peruse.
muttley wrote: ↑Wed May 01, 2024 6:06 am
Check the strings behind the saddles too. As I said a buzz like that can sound like it is coming from one place but originate from somewhere else entirely.
Is there anything in that tailpiece that could be a likely culprit?! I have zero experience with hollow bodies or tailpiece like that. I feel like rherecould be some kind of binding metal or screw slapping around in that thing too?!
WhiskeyJack wrote: ↑Wed May 01, 2024 1:47 pm
Thanks mutt. I have forwarded him the thread to peruse.
muttley wrote: ↑Wed May 01, 2024 6:06 am
Check the strings behind the saddles too. As I said a buzz like that can sound like it is coming from one place but originate from somewhere else entirely.
Is there anything in that tailpiece that could be a likely culprit?! I have zero experience with hollow bodies or tailpiece like that. I feel like rherecould be some kind of binding metal or screw slapping around in that thing too?!
We shall see where all this goes I guess.
Not unique to that design no. The thing about a resonant buzz is that it actively wants to vibrate at a fundamental frequency. When a note approaches that frequency it will excite whatever it is that buzzing. Thats why when you tune up to that pitch it seems to get worse. Hollow body and semi hollow will allow any such buzzes to propagate around the guitar a lot more easily than a solid body.I mentioned as many things as I could pin down but ultimately it's a matter of going through them all one bu one until you hit on what is causing it. Start by checking everything is locked down and then look at the nut, then the saddles.
What muttley says about semi-acoustics is true. I get way more resonating of undamped strings on my Duesenberg than my other guitars. You really have to work to keep them under control when recording.
WhiskeyJack wrote: ↑Wed May 01, 2024 1:47 pm
Thanks mutt. I have forwarded him the thread to peruse.
Is there anything in that tailpiece that could be a likely culprit?! I have zero experience with hollow bodies or tailpiece like that. I feel like rherecould be some kind of binding metal or screw slapping around in that thing too?!
We shall see where all this goes I guess.
Not unique to that design no. The thing about a resonant buzz is that it actively wants to vibrate at a fundamental frequency. When a note approaches that frequency it will excite whatever it is that buzzing. Thats why when you tune up to that pitch it seems to get worse. Hollow body and semi hollow will allow any such buzzes to propagate around the guitar a lot more easily than a solid body.I mentioned as many things as I could pin down but ultimately it's a matter of going through them all one bu one until you hit on what is causing it. Start by checking everything is locked down and then look at the nut, then the saddles.
also tune that string to where the buzz is loudest .... it'll be easier to find if you can hear it well
