The Chetboard

Has anyone here ever experienced a 'frequency buzz". I hear the buzz on the open G string, or any other G note played with the d,g,b, or e strings. That is the only time however....all 4 of those strings sound fine played at any other note or fret position on the neck. Only the G note causes the buzzing. I cannot track it down but it is driving me crazy. At this point, I assume it is coming from inside the guitar, but I have tried moving the wires around inside with no result.
Has anyone ever experience this before, and what can I do about it.....(the buzz is not coming from string rattle on the neck...of that I am sure...remember, all the other notes do not buzz)
Thanks for any help.....maybe Norm could weigh in?

what kind of guitar is it?

using a tunomatic bridge? the little retainer wire causes problems somtimes

is it only acoustic or does it show up electric too?

I had the same problem on my 6122-59. I could not find where it was coming from. I thought it was the Tru Arc bridge so I put back the original and no luck. I found out after much searching that the set screw on the master volume was not tight enough and the metal on metal was vibrating. It was tight enough not to slip, but still vibrated. Anyways, tightening it up did it for me.

That's a good point...

Check everything that has a thread on it... tuning button screws, knob screws (including the nuts that hold the control knobs on.

Sometimes I used to track down buzzes by hoding the guitar by the neck and gently but fimrly thumping the body with the heel of my hand.

Put a capo on the first fret and play it. (a way of checking the nut by elimination)

I had it happen, and on almost the exact same note.

However, I think the cause of mine was different than yours. In my case, it is on a 50's-style Telecaster I have. 50's style Teles have the pickguard held down by fewer screws than 60's models. As a result, I found I heard an acoustic buzz when playing the guitar unamplified. I tracked it down to a portion of the pickguard between screws buzzing against the top surface of the body.

I could fix this by adding more screws, akin to a 60's model. However, the acoustic buzz does not get picked up by the pickups, and isn't present in the amplified sound. So I've left things as-is.

So that won't translate to your case. But the general idea will: something in/on the guitar is buzzing synpatheically when a G is played. It will probably be hard for you to find the source of the buzz, because you'll almost need 3 hands to play while still putting your finger on various parts of the guitar to see if you can kill the buzz.

A very distant longshot is something that would require a major repair, like a loose top brace, but fortunately that's unlikely.

tracking down a buzz like that can drive you nuts.

If you have a bigsby you might try weavihg something through the harp section between the bridge and the bigsby itself. I've seen where guys have to do this

Thanks for all the replys...here goes my responses...it is a custom made Byrdland by Jim Trigg...former manager of the Gibson Custom Shop. It is a hollow body with no bigsby. Yes as a matter of fact I have replaced the previous wood bridge with a bridge like is on my Gretsch '59/6122 CG. Yesterday (before reading these posts) I tried going back to the original bridge....no good. Yes I can hear it accoustically. Yes, I have tried to "bumb" the guitar to pick up rattles....seems solid as a rock. Yes, I have checked the pickguard....no luck. Also tried again to move the wiring around inside the guitar yesterday...to no avail. At this point, the only idea I havent tried yet is the screw tighting approach. I will try that later today....but I would still like more ideas if there are any out there. I really hate to send the guitar all the way back to Texas for fear of damage to it....If I cannot figure it out with your help, I may bring it to CAAS in July and have Joe Glazzer look at it....just hate to spend good money for such a small but pain in the neck problem....man does it bother me.

Mike, I play a 1963 Byrdland and had rattle issues when I first purchased the guitar in 1963. The first thing I checked was the truss rod adjustment nut. I slightly tightened it. My vol and tone controls are in "cans". I found that one was slighty loose. Do your vol and tone controls have serated washers? If they are loose, they will rattle. I always glue mine to the top of the control to stop this problem. My tailpiece also "sang" (resonated when certain notes were played). I placed a piece of felt between the string mounting end and the top of the guitar and corrected the problem. i would check the mounting of the pickups: are the screws tight holding the bezel to the top?: try slightly tightening/loosening the height adjusting screws. Is the toggle switch tight?

Sometimes a change of strings (going slightly heavier) will solve rattle problems. Good luck on your repair project!

Paul Storm

Thanks Paul....lot of good ideas here. will keep you posted.