Back Buzz

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Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

Back Buzz

Is this time of the year prone to backbuzz? Iam having around 60 to 70% relative humidity and a backbuzz on the 6th string at many frets.

Help?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 14 2013 9:53:14

rombsix

Posts: 7815
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

RE: Back Buzz (in reply to Sr. Martins)

That only makes the guitar more flamenco.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 14 2013 10:09:45

Ramon Amira

Posts: 1025
Joined: Oct. 14 2009
From: New York City

RE: Back Buzz (in reply to Sr. Martins)

If you have back problems, use a heating pad.

Ramon

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 14 2013 13:46:47

Leñador

Posts: 5237
Joined: Jun. 8 2012
From: Los Angeles

RE: Back Buzz (in reply to Sr. Martins)

Like fret buzz?? Humidity does swell wood so your fingerboard can swell a little, it can even push frets up.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 14 2013 13:51:37

Ricardo

Posts: 14828
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: Back Buzz (in reply to Sr. Martins)

Put a shim under the bass side of the nut. Often just paper or business card slivers is plenty to kill that buzz.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 14 2013 15:35:39

n85ae

Posts: 877
Joined: Sep. 7 2006

RE: Back Buzz (in reply to Sr. Martins)

That's a good idea.

quote:

Put a shim under the bass side of the nut. Often just paper or business card slivers is plenty to kill that buzz.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 14 2013 15:59:11

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: Back Buzz (in reply to Sr. Martins)

I have it shimmed right now and the back buzz only goes away if I remove the shim.. but then I get open string buzz.

Iam on the middle of the road now using the shim... just a bit of open string buzz and a bit of back buzz.

By the way, the only buzz happening on my back sounds more like machine gun picados and golpes.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 14 2013 16:02:57

Ricardo

Posts: 14828
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: Back Buzz (in reply to Sr. Martins)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Rui Martins

I have it shimmed right now and the back buzz only goes away if I remove the shim.. but then I get open string buzz.

Iam on the middle of the road now using the shim... just a bit of open string buzz and a bit of back buzz.

By the way, the only buzz happening on my back sounds more like machine gun picados and golpes.

To be clear...you shimming the NUT not the BONE saddle correct? Maybe i don't know the sound of "back buzz"

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 14 2013 16:15:44

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: Back Buzz (in reply to Sr. Martins)

Yes, the nut.

By back buzz I mean a "zing", a sympathetic vibration between the nut and the fretted note.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 14 2013 16:54:54

Ricardo

Posts: 14828
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: Back Buzz (in reply to Sr. Martins)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Rui Martins

Yes, the nut.

By back buzz I mean a "zing", a sympathetic vibration between the nut and the fretted note.

Yeah it's what I thought, so shim up the nut higher, I promise it goes away. Action is only affected at fret 1.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 14 2013 18:52:43

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: Back Buzz (in reply to Sr. Martins)

Well.. I had to sand the shim a bit on the bass side because I found that the higher it is the more "zing" I get. To make it even higher to avoid contact with frets (zing), that would be a bit to high...

Maybe its the string or the humidity... the fingerboard is already 'sticking out of the frets'. It has been raining everyday and the humidity as been always around 70% and sometimes more.

I'll see if it goes away with the weather/string changes. My only concern is if it was something structural that wouldnt go away but I cant see anything besides the swoolen wood.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 14 2013 19:26:50

Guest

[Deleted] (in reply to Sr. Martins)

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 14 2013 20:25:44

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: Back Buzz (in reply to Sr. Martins)

Pencil lead helps with nuts that grab the strings and make tuning difficult.

I'll just let it sit as it is and see what happens. The guitar is new and this harp-like-'zing' as only appeared a few days ago.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 14 2013 21:41:54

Leñador

Posts: 5237
Joined: Jun. 8 2012
From: Los Angeles

RE: Back Buzz (in reply to Sr. Martins)

quote:

harp-like-'zing'

Sounds like a bonus harmonic!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 14 2013 22:08:43

n85ae

Posts: 877
Joined: Sep. 7 2006

RE: Back Buzz (in reply to Sr. Martins)

I've had a couple guitars over the years with some weird buzzes, and here's
how I solved them.

You can make a little electric circuit with a battery, a flash light bulb and a couple
wires, hook a wire to the string in question (only works on bass strings) , and touch
the other wire to the frets one by one until you get the light flickering at the
moment of the buzz/ring.

Having some alligator clips, and a second person to help will help. You might be
able to do the same thing with an multimeter using the ohms setting, maybe on
the k-ohms, or megohms range setting would work best to catch that it's
contacting.

This assumes you know some basic electricity, and assuming it's a fret buzz.

I had a guitar with a buzz, and it was actually a loose strip of wood (don't know
the name of the piece) inside the lower bout where it sits on your leg. Reglued it
and it fixed the problem. So look or feel inside for loose wood. That can be a hard
one to find if you're hung up on it being fretboard/string related and don't look inside.

Regards,
Jeff

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 15 2013 2:24:34

estebanana

Posts: 9358
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: Back Buzz (in reply to Sr. Martins)

Could also be a loose fret end.

Go down the whole finger board with your thumb nail or a small block of wood and press down on the top of each fret at the edge of the fingeboard. You may find one that wobbles up and down.

If you do, put drop of crazy glue next to it and let it soak in next to the fret. Quickly wipe the excess glue with a paper towel and then push the fret in with the block of wood and hold it for a full minute.

A loose fret end can bounce up and down, but the guitar can look perfect until you press it in and feel it give.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 15 2013 4:27:09

hamia

Posts: 403
Joined: Jun. 25 2004

RE: Back Buzz (in reply to n85ae)

quote:

ORIGINAL: n85ae

So look or feel inside for loose wood. That can be a hard
one to find if you're hung up on it being fretboard/string related and don't look inside.

Regards,
Jeff

So are you saying that we should think inside the box?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 15 2013 4:34:43

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: Back Buzz (in reply to Sr. Martins)

Some nice suggestions there. Never thought about that eletrical solution. I might try that with the multimeter and a capo acting as a second person. It is surely a case of back buzz and its just on the 6th string. Yesterday it had almost no zing so it must be the climate.

I'll keep checking on this. Thanks.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 15 2013 8:03:08

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: Back Buzz (in reply to Sr. Martins)

Seems like the buzz got scared of you guys. Completely gone today

There's one last thing I would like to know in order to be even happier with my guitar.

What should I use to polish ebony in order to get that smooth almost glassy look? Steel wool?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 15 2013 12:48:05

tele

Posts: 1464
Joined: Aug. 17 2012

RE: Back Buzz (in reply to Leñador)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lenador

Like fret buzz?? Humidity does swell wood so your fingerboard can swell a little, it can even push frets up.

I have noticed half millimeter action decrease at 12th fret due to humidity on my flamenco and steelstring guitars and it sucks

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Mar. 15 2013 12:53:10