Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by darryl kernaghan on October 31, 2016 at 10:41pm

Eric, i can only suggest checking the bridge and nut are seated well, and not moving at all, from your photo, it appears that long brown strip is your bridge, and if so that looks like a good place to start, a bridge with that large a footprint as it appears to have lends itself to varying pressures over it's length and might be causing some vibration in areas outside the strings loading zone. If that bridge is not glued down, i'd try a piece of hardwood or steel just a bit wider than the strings width and see if that stops the vibration, just do it as a temporary measure to see if it helps. The picture doesn't show the contact area very well, but that is the most obvious starting place to my eye

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Permalink Reply by Eric Shepherd on October 31, 2016 at 11:14pm

That pic was just one of many attempts.. yes in that shot that long strip is the bridge but I have tried long bridges, short bridges and metal bridges but it makes no difference.. The nut is really well recessed into the neck and solid..  

I've tried fitting a small block of wood directly under the bridge between the neck and the box lid and that has no effect either..

I'm a bit worried about gluing the bridge to the box lid just in case it doesn't cure the problem and then I have to try and somehow get it off and possibly damaging the lid in the process..

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Permalink Reply by Fomhorach on October 31, 2016 at 11:46pm

Make sure the tuners are tight at the back. There is a metal object on the head, can this be removed? If it's decorative try the guitar without it. 

When I get a vibration issue I get a big golfball size blob of blue tack (I don't know if it's called this in the USA) and start sticking it to various bits on the guitar. Both inside and out. The most difficult one to find was a small washer on the underside of my volume pot that I has mistakenly put on before a height adjusting bolt. I have also found a wire from my electrics vibrating against the soundboard. 

Could you box lid be vibrating against the Box? Is there anything loose like the edge of a paper decoration?

Try the blue tack trick on all the parts on the outside. It's heavy weight stops the vibration and you get closer to its source.

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Permalink Reply by JL on October 31, 2016 at 11:46pm

Real Head-Scratcher...only there when you play a chord but not individual notes? Is that when you bar a chord or playing all open strings? or both?

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Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on November 1, 2016 at 10:53am

Strum the string and press on the box lid, bridge, nut and other objects to see if the vibration noise stops.

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Permalink Reply by darryl kernaghan on November 1, 2016 at 12:57pm

Surprised you still haven't found it Eric, like others have said you need to eliminate any potential moving/loose parts, maybe tape anything suspect down tight while you go through it, don't forget to check your pick up, and wiring etc, an extra long wire might be looping and making contact when you close the box, also check your string tee/guide, it might be better to have the strings firmly touching it rather than "just" missing it. It's just an elimination process now i think, 1 thing at a time

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Permalink Reply by Eric Shepherd on November 1, 2016 at 10:58pm

Many thanks for the input guys, it's very much appreciated..

I've rechecked the wiring in the box and none of it is vibrating against the lid..

When I did the build I glued and screwed a small length of wood along the inside of the box so that when I close the lid I can secure the lid to the body of the box  by 3 small screws so that is pretty solid..  

I've rechecked all the tuners and they are all well screwed in and tight..

One thing I have tried just now that has made a sizable improvement is that I put in a metal bridge (an Allen key)  that had no grooves filed in it for the strings to sit in.. Up until now every thing I have used as a bridge I just naturally grooved as I thought that was the norm..

The nut is also and Allen key that I had put grooves in so I turned that around so that again the strings did not sit in them and that improved it again.. The fault is still there but it has been somewhat diminished.. I think with perseverance I'll get there.. I think it was Henry Ford who said that if you get it right the first time then you've done something wrong..

Just one more thing though.. I've tuned it to the open G tuning G-D-G but when I strum it with nothing barred my little digital meter says it's a D chord..

I

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Permalink Reply by Fomhorach on November 2, 2016 at 8:45am

Tuners are just like guidance teachers, don't treat them like priests.

Add a couple of free ones to your phone apps (if you have one) and make a best guess based on all of them and your ears.

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Permalink Reply by JL on November 3, 2016 at 2:55am

Ah, String Lash!  Slot bottoms have to curve or else you get buzz from the string slapping the bottom of the slot.

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Permalink Reply by Kigar on November 3, 2016 at 6:50am

I had something similar with a uke, it was something inside the box. It was a resonance issue though, only certain chords. It had screws holding the neck, I think the block holding the neck caused it because snugging the screws fixed it. If you can get a helper to strum while you gently push and squeeze everything (guitar, not the helper!), that can help find it as well.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Shepherd on November 3, 2016 at 10:10am

Cheers JL, buzz is exactly the word for it.. Having done a lot of playing about with it the problem seems to definitely coming from the bridge.. Bearing in mind those pics of yours I'll start experimenting with some shapes..

I have to be honest I don't know the first thing about guitars, hell I can't even play one so I'm really flying blind..

I just this year turned 60 and after a lifetime of building and restoring bikes I've had enough and am looking for a new direction in life.. I love music, especially the blues and I figure you're never too old to try something new so here I am besides I still get to tool about in the shed..

One thing I did try last night was changing the tuning from open G to open A and man what a difference.. Yeah that buzz is still there but it's almost imperceptible.. Whether it's the size and shape of the box or the type of strings I'm using I have no idea but it went from sounding pretty average but good to sounding absolutely crash damn hot, even if I do say so myself.. Now all I have to do is teach myself how to play the damn thing.. :)

I'm more or less using this build as a test bed to find out as many pitfalls as possible and then be able to correct and improve with the next one..

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Permalink Reply by JL on November 7, 2016 at 2:41am

Tuning up to open A made it buzz less, hmm, a clue, more string tension made it less....

Fret buzz could be lessened by more tension making the relief increase, bridge or nut not seated flatly could buzz less under more pressure, tuners loose in the holes could buzz less when tighter....others????

BYW I'm 50 and just started riding a motorcycle this year.

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