Buzzing on low notes - strings?

[Bardolph]

I'm checking out a Christopher bass right now. It had helicore orchestral stings on it before and I put a set of belcantos on. In both cases the E string buzzes a little on the bottom four notes when I play pizz. I'm talking a meaty jazz pizz, so it's not all that surprising, but I've played on other basses with lower action and was able to really dig in on the E without the rattle. The action isn't really that low on this bass, and the fingerboard was just planed before I checked it out. Is this just the nature of orchestral strings? Would something like spirocores be less likely to have this problem?

[Francois Blais]

What about the height of the nut groove?
If the string is flush to the FB there, it may cause rattles.
Usually, one or two business cards is the recommended height.

[Bardolph]

There's decent clearance at the nut. Even if there wasn't the F F# and G wouldn't be affected by it, but they rattle too.

[myused_romance]

This used to happen to me alot, my instructor told me to put a little masking tape on the tuning keys, and it doesn't rattle anymore.

[JoeyNaeger]

I've actually found that having too tall a nut can actually make buzzing worse. The reason being that when the nut is high, you can't stop the string as well maybe. When you look at basses with C-extensions, they have no clearance at the "nut" yet if they are set up well, will not buzz at all.

[shadygrove]

In my experience a nut that is too high, more than a couple business cards above the fingerboard, can also cause strings to buzz.

myused_romance, would you explain a little more about this...

put a little masking tape on the tuning keys, and it doesn't rattle anymore.

I can see how that might help if it is the tuning key buzzing and not the string, but can't get a picture in my head of where the tape might go

[Marcus Johnson]

Originally Posted by shadygrove

myused_romance, would you explain a little more about this...

I can see how that might help if it is the tuning key buzzing and not the string, but can't get a picture in my head of where the tape might go

I think she might be talking about a different problem than what the OP is experiencing. Mechanical vs. setup problem.

[jayarroz]

Even if the fingerboard is dressed it could be the problem still. I would get it checked by a luthier, I doubt its a string issue. The bridge could be giving you issues also, especially with the weather changing recently your bass might of swelled up a little with summer coming.

[myused_romance]

Originally Posted by shadygrove

In my experience a nut that is too high, more than a couple business cards above the fingerboard, can also cause strings to buzz.

myused_romance, would you explain a little more about this...

I can see how that might help if it is the tuning key buzzing and not the string, but can't get a picture in my head of where the tape might go

Ohhh,
I was thinking it was just your tuning keys, not the strings.
Nevermind that post then, lol.