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I've noticed this in the past, but these days I seem to be obsessed with it and it's ruining my ability to play / record most guitars LOL - I'm talking about ringing frequencies.
For example, here:
It's the high E open string primarily, you hear it "whistle" or "ring" in a very bothersome way.
At first, I thought it was my microphone, so I changed microphones, and it still happened. Then I thought it was the room, so I recorded in a different room and it still happened. Then I thought it was the guitar, so I took my headphones off, and listened to the guitar ACOUSTICALLY in several different rooms, and always, the high E has that whistling / ringing frequency.
This happens with most of my guitars if not all of them, and it seems recording engineers try to use EQ to get it out of recordings:
What are your thoughts on this? Can this be "remedied" by doing something to the physical structure of the guitar?
Is there another trick of some kind to get rid of this? I mean via the physical structure of the acoustic guitar (not microphone placement or EQ plugins).
That “annoying ringing frequency” on the high E string of classical and flamenco guitars is a well-known phenomenon. It is almost never a defect in the string itself—rather, it comes from specific resonances in the guitar’s structure. Here are the real causes:
✅ Main Causes of the Ringing on the High E String 1. The high E string is sitting on a natural resonance of the guitar body
Every guitar body has a set of resonant frequencies determined by:
soundboard stiffness
air cavity size
bracing pattern
bridge weight
top/back coupling
The high E string vibrates at 329.6 Hz, but you also hear its partials (higher harmonics). One of these often lines up with:
the air cavity resonance (usually ~90–120 Hz),
the top plate resonance (~180–220 Hz),
a mode involving the upper bout (~320–360 Hz).
That last one—an upper-bout resonance near 330–340 Hz—is the usual culprit. When the frequency of the string matches one of these body resonances, you get a:
ringing
buzzing halo
metallic whistle
“wolf-like” decay behavior
This is very common in lightly-built classical and flamenco guitars.
2. Tie-block or bridge resonance
On nylon-string guitars, the afterlength (the short piece of string behind the bridge knot) can vibrate sympathetically. If its length corresponds to a partial of the high E, it creates a:
bright ping
chiming whistle
inharmonic ringing
This is especially noticeable if:
the knot is short or tight
the bridge is low/fast-responding (as in flamenco guitars)
A tiny piece of felt or leather in the tie-block area can eliminate this if it’s the cause.
3. Nut-slot resonance or micro-sitar buzz
If the nut slot is slightly wide, angled incorrectly, or polished too smooth, the string can:
vibrate against the front edge
generate a faint sitar-like overtone
produce strong higher harmonics
This sometimes fools the ear into thinking the ringing is coming from the guitar body.
A tiny change in action or nut filing solves it.
4. A string-length harmonic “sweet spot”
Nylon strings, especially high-tension and carbon trebles, can have very strong harmonic peaks because they:
are stiff relative to their diameter
have high Q (slow decay of partials)
When one of these partials matches the guitar body resonance, the ring becomes very pronounced.
This is why changing string brand often changes or eliminates the effect.
🎯 How to Identify the Source
You can narrow down the cause with these tests:
(1) Dampen the afterlength at the bridge
Press a fingertip or piece of soft cloth against the short tail behind the tie block and play high E.
Ring disappears → bridge/tie-block resonance
(2) Play the E note on different frets
For example:
open string (E4)
5th fret on B string (E5)
9th fret on G string (E6)
If the same character persists:
It’s a body resonance
If it only happens open:
It’s nut related
(3) Press lightly behind the nut
If the ring disappears:
It’s headstock or nut-end resonance
🔧 Can you fix it?
Often yes:
Simple fixes
Try different strings (Knobloch ACTives, Savarez, D’Addario Pro Arte—each interacts differently)
Place felt under the tie-block afterlength
Add a tiny drop of wax in the nut slot
Shift the guitar’s tuning by ½ step (test resonance point)
Adjust saddle height or string angle
Luthier fixes
Altering brace tapers
Adding or removing small mass to the top
Changing bridge saddle material
Regluing loose braces that exaggerate certain resonances
🎵 Bottom Line
That annoying ringing is a natural interaction between the high E string’s harmonics and one of the guitar’s structural resonances—most often in the upper bout or bridge area. It’s common in classical/flamenco guitars because their tops are built very light and respond strongly to treble frequencies.
(1) Dampen the afterlength at the bridge --- this failed
(2) Play the E note on different frets --- interestingly, it's loudest with the open high E, fainter with the fifth fret 2nd string, and non-existent on the ninth fret of the 3rd string and the fourteenth fret of the 4th string.
(3) Press lightly behind the nut --- this failed
----------------
Simple fixes
Try different strings (Knobloch ACTives, Savarez, D’Addario Pro Arte—each interacts differently) --- I will try this
Place felt under the tie-block afterlength --- this failed because I put my finger there to no avail
Add a tiny drop of wax in the nut slot --- a drop of wax? Where do I buy liquid wax? Or do i need to heat a candle?
Shift the guitar’s tuning by ½ step (test resonance point) --- this failed
Adjust saddle height or string angle --- not going to mess with this right now
There is one universal fix for this ever present situation, switch to tenor saxophone. That’s it.
See all guitars have this phenomena, it’s not fault, it’s a indicator that strings subdivide and the guitar is high performance enough to accentuate these subdivisions of frequencies.
In classical guitar players use right and left hand damping in passages that become over shadowed with overtones. In flamenco players either use them to the best advantage or just play through them.
The reason guitar makers work on saddle and nut intonation to make guitars play closer to equal temperament is because it somewhat calms this situation down, but a well made guitar that’s built with the resonances of the chamber with the resonances staying off major string frequencies do better. That’s why our size guitar the classical/ flamenco range of air volume works really good with the F# frequency resonance in the main body. It’s off of G and E and definitely off of A.
But it seems no matter what you do, the guitar inherently has that overtone situation built into it. Recording engineers? Really? That’s too bad for them. Just do what Kanye the nazi does and say he doesn’t need a guitar player.
I used to struggle with this as a player and maker, it will drive you crazy if you let it. It’s just part of the noise of life.
As far as Monesterio de Sal live recording is concerned, without the explosion of air bass and treble effect in that music, it would sound boring and dead either way without it. And hear how the bass masks it by playing lower notes and also playing in unison with the guitars bass notes.
I don’t find it a problem, but if it wasn’t there I’d think he’s was playing a wet non resonant dish rag.
I think you’re mounting the wrong hill to fight on.
It ain't broke so don't fix it...jeez. It is like the "tubby" g string everyone wants to "fix". That is the beauty of the guitar sound...embrace it. Notching out frequencies makes any guitar anemic. Like the idiot engineers that wanted dolby noise reduction to kill "hiss". Man, all the great guitar sound is up in that hiss zone. It is why Ive gone back to vinyl. Compression, notching frequencies, noise reduction, etc., it is the result of HYPER FOCUS on a small subset of frequencies. Sit back and enjoy them all as a collection. I can give other pitches to focus and you will start hearing them in everything and you WILL go insane. By the way the top video is rather dull anyway. Needs MORE whistle/ring, not less. Trust me it makes the whole guitar sound better.
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