Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.
This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva, Tom Blackshear and Sean O'Brien who went ahead of us.
We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.
Posts: 1771
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA
Chasing A Buzz
I've been getting a guitar ready for sale. Playing it a little. There has been a slight but annoying buzz when I pull off any fret on the 5th string to the open string. I adjusted the nut several times. Made a new nut. The buzz remained. I couldn't get rid of it. I toyed with the idea that it would be okay if someone played with a capo all the time or didn't pull off as hard as I do. Finally I checked the frets--which I had already leveled and re-crowned. Indeed, a straight edge (the body of my small combination square) placed over the first three frets rocked; the second fret was high, somehow. I fixed it. The buzz is gone. Oh well, not as bad as Ramirez III who chased a buzz around for a day and finally found that it was due to a loose nail on his workbench. This is what happens when you get old.
In my early days, I was told by professional flamenco guitarists (or at least one) that "you want some buzz." I think they meant that guitarists wanted the action so low that some buzz was acceptable, which could be controlled by the right hand. Or they felt it was part of the desired flamenco sound, I'm not sure. However, that was the kind of buzz obtained by plucking a string, not from pulling off.
my favorite buzz is the sympathetic ring of the 6th string somewhere on the low frets. Paco had some on one of his albums, I will think of it. On the carmen linares album Gerardo capos at 4 for her bulerias and he got the buzz behind the capo I assume, as the photo shows two rubber bands on the neck around fret 2. In a way, I wish they had left it because I think a buzzy bright guitar has character.
Images are resized automatically to a maximum width of 800px
my favorite buzz is the sympathetic ring of the 6th string somewhere on the low frets. Paco had some on one of his albums, I will think of it. On the carmen linares album Gerardo capos at 4 for her bulerias and he got the buzz behind the capo I assume, as the photo shows two rubber bands on the neck around fret 2. In a way, I wish they had left it because I think a buzzy bright guitar has character.
Those types of buzzing are intolerable to me. The only kind of buzz I can handle is one that I can generate intentionally, otherwise, no quiero.
Printable Version
The only kind of buzz I can handle is one that I can generate intentionally, otherwise, no quiero. 
New Messages
No New Messages
Hot Topic w/ New Messages
Hot Topic w/o New Messages
Locked w/ New Messages
Locked w/o New Messages
Post New Thread