buzzing

Posted by Ian Carpenter on July 6, 2010 at 11:15am
So, I just strung up my 2nd cbg, three string fretless, and I used a bolt for the nut.  There is a buzz at the first and second frets that just drives me crazy, and thoughts on how to fix? Other than that it's a great little guitar, sounds great plugged in, good intonation beyond the 2nd fret.  At first I thought it was the action, so I filed a groove a little deeper for the strings to fit in, and I can diminish the buzz that way, but it just wont go away.  My first build I used an ebony bridge and that worked great, so I don't know if its the bolt or what.  Any help would be much appreciated.  Thanx.

ETA: Thanks to everyone who provided your valuable input, I've made several adjustments and it's sounding much better!

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Replies

  • Ian Carpenter July 7, 2010 at 10:56pm
    Thanks for weighing in, I appreciate all the help!

    Matt Towe said:
    Try a bigger bolt for the nut.


    Matt
  • Ian Carpenter July 7, 2010 at 10:56pm
    Thanks for the advice about the bridge, it helped a lot!

    MichaelS said:
    I had this happen recently to my fretless 3 string, I had lowered the bridge a bit to much and it buzzed up near 1 and 2 fret markers, the string angle is to shallow and the string just lays on the neck, like a bowed neck. Fretless can only go so low before buzzing, try shimming up the bridge just a little and see if this helps. Sam may be right though so check the straightness of the neck first. The action can be lower with frets at the bridge because the frets hold the string away from the neck, oh and yes I finger notes on my fretless 3 string guitar also.
  • Ian Carpenter July 7, 2010 at 10:55pm
    Thanks for your advice, you were right: the neck is bowed a little. Something to watch out for next time.

    Wichita Sam said:
    you almost certainly have a neck that bows away at the 2nd fret.... nothing to do but plane the neck all the way to the box...l had this happen to me once and it taught me the value of double checking the trueness of the neck/fretboard before installing it. sorry for the bad news...

    the best,

    Wichita Sam
  • Ian Carpenter July 7, 2010 at 10:54pm
    Thanks a lot, I appreciate it! Taking out the bolt did help a lot.

    Lee Fields said:
    the threads on bolts can cause buzz, especially bigger ones, even large diameter rod will cause some extra noise

    Wes Yates said:
    Fretless. Then are you fingering the notes or using a slide?

    -WY

    Ian Carpenter said:
    I apologise, I should have been more specific. It's a fretless, but I cut the fret slots. It doesn't happen when the string is played open, just when I try to use the first two notes after the nut. Thanks for your help.
  • Ian Carpenter July 7, 2010 at 10:51pm
    Thanks, I appreciate the help!

    Wes Yates said:
    Fretless. Then are you fingering the notes or using a slide?

    -WY

    Ian Carpenter said:
    I apologise, I should have been more specific. It's a fretless, but I cut the fret slots. It doesn't happen when the string is played open, just when I try to use the first two notes after the nut. Thanks for your help.
  • Ian Carpenter July 7, 2010 at 10:39pm
    Thanks everyone for the great advice. All of it helped immensely. I replaced the bolt for the nut with a nice hardwood bridge, and changed the bridge out for just a slightly higher wood one I had left over from my first cbg. There's still a weird sound to the note on the top string where the second fret would be, but it sounds pretty good nonetheless.
  • Outhouse Instruments July 7, 2010 at 6:11am
    Try a bigger bolt for the nut.


    Matt
  • MichaelS Country Boy Guitars July 6, 2010 at 7:39pm
    I had this happen recently to my fretless 3 string, I had lowered the bridge a bit to much and it buzzed up near 1 and 2 fret markers, the string angle is to shallow and the string just lays on the neck, like a bowed neck. Fretless can only go so low before buzzing, try shimming up the bridge just a little and see if this helps. Sam may be right though so check the straightness of the neck first. The action can be lower with frets at the bridge because the frets hold the string away from the neck, oh and yes I finger notes on my fretless 3 string guitar also.
  • Wichita Sam July 6, 2010 at 3:12pm
    you almost certainly have a neck that bows away at the 2nd fret.... nothing to do but plane the neck all the way to the box...l had this happen to me once and it taught me the value of double checking the trueness of the neck/fretboard before installing it. sorry for the bad news...

    the best,

    Wichita Sam
  • Pilgrim July 6, 2010 at 1:08pm
    the threads on bolts can cause buzz, especially bigger ones, even large diameter rod will cause some extra noise

    Wes Yates said:
    Fretless. Then are you fingering the notes or using a slide?

    -WY

    Ian Carpenter said:
    I apologise, I should have been more specific. It's a fretless, but I cut the fret slots. It doesn't happen when the string is played open, just when I try to use the first two notes after the nut. Thanks for your help.
This reply was deleted.