The Guitar Thread

So far I’m really enjoying the new fender parlor acoustic but I’ve noticed a good amount of buzz that sounds like it’s coming from the bridge. Light playing is okay, a bit heavy handed and it’s very apparent.

What could cause this? Action?

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Sounds like the action might be too low / not well adjusted. Where exactly is the buzz occuring when you play?

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Hi, when the buzz comes from the bridge, first thing I´d try
is loosening the strings, pull out the pins and put them back.
make sure the ends of the strings sit correct in the pins.
If action is too low, the buzz occurs rather on the highest frets,
not the bridge.
Other reason could be that something in the inside
(electronics, wires,…) vibrates or hit the top.

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Bridge pins is a good shout.

Also check wires inside and any clips that hold them in place.

Edit: just re read what @hereiamhere75 has said and realise I’ve just said the same lol. What he said^^

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Here’s my first attempt at using OT and AR to make guitar music:

The whole thing is done in an OT Mk1 with assistance from an AR. The guitar sounds come from a '99 Les Paul Special (w/ P90s instead of the original P100s) a.k.a “The Rock Pig”, going into Earth Quaker Hizumitas Fuzz Sustainer and then the clean channel of my Boogie Mk3.

The amped signal then goes into a Captor which ends up in Logic Pro running the Two Notes cab emulation. I then saved the audio into my OT Mk1 for slicing, dicing, arranging and mixing (no computers after this point).

The bass is a ’78 Precision going into the Boogie, then Logic and a different Two Notes cab emulation before saving to OT. All the feedbacking ebow guitars are processed similarly, but put into my AR instead of the OT so I can trigger and process them using AR’s analog filters, (digital) delay and reverb.

Anyway, this is the first time I’ve made guitar-based music using an OT and AR exclusively - it’s a fun workflow!

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Sounds great man, and I used to have one of those 90s Les Paul Specials. That’s one I shouldn’t have let go.

(Circa 2011)

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Also as you’re doing that, pull the saddle out (gently) and check that the bottom of the saddle and the slot are clean and perfectly flat, any burrs or casting marks should be very gently sanded out, but be super careful keep the bottom dead flat or you’ll make it much worse. If the saddle is plastic, consider having a tech install a bone one.

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Cheers @DimensionsTomorrow. The other great thing about the Special (sorry to bring it up) is that the thinner (and lighter) body makes it easier to play up the fretboard than a Standard. Still has great sustain though. And those P90s wail. Here’s a pic posted earlier of my modded Special - a bit more beat up than yours!

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I love this pedal!

I’m not sure how many Bigsby users are here, but I’m personally a big fan. My one big dislike is restringing them, so some time ago I bought the Vibramate String Spoiler and this last weekend I finally got around to installing it for the first time. I can’t say I love it, aesthetically, but functionally it seems to work very well and it hasn’t detracted anything from the instrument itself.

VIBRAMATE® - Innovative Music Products - Made in USA

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I’ve seen a few folks with Simplifiers, might be tempted to get the new version, thoughts? I like a clean tone with character.

I love bigsbys. Unfortunately I don’t have any at the moment. I’ve had quite a few over the years and have been itching for one pretty seriously lately. The first one I had was on a univox coily which had a pass through bar instead of the pins which was a nice introduction but since I’d already been dealing with floyds even the pin types seemed like a godsend by comparison.
I do wish bigsbys had more range (not necessarily divebombing, just more), otherwise no complaints. I’ve modded a few to try to make that work but there’s always been some sacrifice to achieve it. I need access to a proper machine shop.
I’ve been slowly rebuilding a destroyed (headstock smashed off while the neck was on fire) dot studio that I plan to stick a bigsby on.
What guitar is that in your pics? I love the look?

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Amazing for a “first attempt”. This sounds really good.

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I had a quick chance to play a couple of Yamaha instruments at a trade show today. I was impressed by the revstar. They’re really nicely balanced and look & feel great. I played it through the thr10ii and now I really want one (egged on by my wife who can’t quite work out why there’s a head and 2x12 cab in my tiny office)

I also tested the current model of their silent guitar and I have to be honest I was a bit puzzled - they are not cheap and it felt like a premium instrument, but the tone sounded like an acoustic piezo pickup and was quite lifeless. The reverb wasn’t great either

I had the original Revstar, the 620 I believe . I really liked it so not sure why I let it go. When they announced the new models I probably would’ve picked one up but they weren’t available anywhere for like a year and I moved on. May still get another some day . They are great guitars.

If the suggestions above don’t work, you might need to use the micro-tilt adjustment screw to pitch the neck a little. Just reading about it, that thing has quite a bit of electric DNA so it’s quite possible neck angle might cause a little bit of buzzing.

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I’ve never tried one. Probably popular here in Japan as a lot of people live in spaces where they can’t make any noise, either because of the neighbors or because of other members of the family in a small living space. Finding a place where I could have instruments was high on my list of priorities.

That silent guitar is obviously much quieter than an acoustic, but how did the volume compare to electric strings? Just curious. I guess they are catering to classical guitarists or acoustic players though.

It’s a Koll DuoGlide. Saul lives in Portland, where I used to live, and I was fortunate to get to play and own a number of his instruments. This one is a really special. I also love the primitive Harmony-style f-hole cutouts. Sexy.

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I was in quite a loud environment so couldn’t tell you about the string noise definitively, but I’d say it was less than an electric because there’s not really any wood to resonate (and I couldn’t feel any resonance in the body, such as it has, at all).

I completely understand the appeal though, particularly for acoustic players who want to practice quietly

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Generally the rule of progression when troubleshooting buzzing strings would be:

  1. make sure you‘ve got the right string gauge on the guitar (the gauge it was set up for). If you don‘t know which guage your guitar was set up for, experiment a bit (one gauge up/down) and see if that improves the situation.

  2. Make a (gentle!) truss-rod adjustment, increasing or decreasing relief depending on the buzzing you get and where (and/or the direction of bend of the neck).

  3. Fix saddle height (where applicable), or make sure the bridge/pins are placed correctly and in working order

  4. Check the nut and make sure that the chosen string gauges fit into their respective slots. If need be, fill slots with graphite (eg with a pencil) or file any slots that need filing.

  5. File any uneven frets that may need filing.

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