Buzz from the G string

[Treyzer]

Aloha,

Have a quick question for all the luthiers and maybe those guys that really understand our instrument from a Mr. fix-it standpoint. It was time to change strings and I went with my regular Spiros. A mittel E and weich A & D. I've been using a mittel G but this time I tried an Olive G. Although I like the pop at the front of the note and how warm the Olive sounds, for some reason it is creating an annoying buzz or maybe a very obnoxious overtone is a better description. This overtone/buzz is very apparent when the open G note is being played pizz on the G string. Come to find out when I hold the fingerboard very close to the bridge the buzzing stops. This fingerboard is relatively thick. It is a very good aged German fingerboard and it does not appear to be separating from the neck anywhere. Could the G slot in the nut be too small? Any ideas, answers or solutions?

[bigolbassguy]

Try sticking a piece of clay, or a good-sized chunk of fun-tack to the underside of the fingerboard and see if that works.

[Chris Fitzgerald]

When you say that when you "hold the fingerboard very close to the bridge the buzzing stops", do you mean that you are pressing down on the fingerboard at the end where it projects over the body? If so, that may mean a string clearance issue. I'll be curious to hear from the other Olive users whether they tend to require more height/clearance because of the increased mass of the string. Or, it could be that the nut slot is too small, as you say.

One thing that I do that may help is to place a small black "scrunchie" (one of those things that women use to hold their ponytails together) around the neck at the scroll so that it covers the very beginning of the string at the nut. I do this to tame an overbearing open D much of the time, but whenever I put on a new set of strings I'll pull it further out along the string to mute the annoying banjo overtones that new strings always seem to have, making the new strings more bearable until they break in.

In any case, I hope you find your answer soon.

[Uncletoad]

If it wasn't like that before you changed strings then there probably isn't a structural problem. More likely the setup needs modified.

To keep using the Oliv you probably should adjust the nut slot for the big diameter string either way. Try raising your string height and see if it goes away first.

If neither of those things work then several things could be at issue. You might have a bad string. Hard to know unless you try another one. Also, the tension on your bass went down with that Oliv string so you may have to change something else too. Try another string (like the A to a Mittel) to get the neck's camber back.

Put the old Mittel G on and see how it sounds. If the racket is still there then you've got a luthier trip in your future.

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Also, check in on the luthier replies in This thread.

[Treyzer]

Thanks guys for your tips and insight. What I do know is that with the mittel G on, the annoying overtone/buzz stops. It is most probably the nut slot is to small. The Olive G string sits higher than the mittel G without me doing anything and there is plenty of clearance. I guess my next question is how do you widen a slot in the nut and if you do, does the slot then become too big for a smaller diameter string. One last thing, the joke in our house growing up was never let Trey near any power tools. One of my younger brothers could fix/build anything and became a computer design engineer for Boeing. Me, I became a musician. ha ha; Point being if it takes any true master wood working/luthier skills, I'm in deep Kim Shee!

[davpal]

The buzzing may be a problem with the wrapped gut and humidity change. I had a Eudoxa that developed the same problem last winter (low humidity) and swapped it out. I put the same string back on in the spring and the buzz was gone. Now that the weather is changing and the humidity dropping the buzz came back. I swapped it out with a used Olive G and it's okay again..... I guess I'll have to go to a plain gut G if it starts buzzing again...

[Jake deVilliers]

Originally Posted by Treyzer

Thanks guys for your tips and insight. What I do know is that with the mittel G on, the annoying overtone/buzz stops. It is most probably the nut slot is to small. The Olive G string sits higher than the mittel G without me doing anything and there is plenty of clearance. I guess my next question is how do you widen a slot in the nut and if you do, does the slot then become too big for a smaller diameter string. One last thing, the joke in our house growing up was never let Trey near any power tools. One of my younger brothers could fix/build anything and became a computer design engineer for Boeing. Me, I became a musician. ha ha; Point being if it takes any true master wood working/luthier skills, I'm in deep Kim Shee!

Oh boy... Don't try this without learning what the tool feels like by using it on a piece of scrap wood! Please! Don't be afraid to ask questions - my phone number's on the web page, eh?

You'll need a good round needle file (not the piece of imported crap they'd like to sell you at Home Depot, they aren't round!) and you'll use the section of the file that matches the girth of your new string to grind the nut slot from the board towards the tuners until the string looks relaxed in the slot.

Slow, controlled strokes are best (your wife must have mentioned this to you!) and that's that. Your Weich G should be fine in the wider slot if that's where you end up.

[Michael Glynn]

Hey Jake,

I'm sending you a dry cleaning bill for the coffee that suddenly flew out from my nose and landed on my clothes.

Regards,
Michael

[Treyzer]

Originally Posted by Jake deVilliers

Slow, controlled strokes are best (your wife must have mentioned this to you!) and that's that. Your Weich G should be fine in the wider slot if that's where you end up.

Thanks Jake, of course this is one bit of workmanship that I've always prided myself in and we won't even get into the quality of tools. I don't need to remind you of all my days as a touring musician prior to being married. ha ha Moving on, thanks for the help. Now that I know widening the slot won't stop me from putting a mittel G back on if I so desire. I'm off to buy one of those files and do a little practice before I touch the bass.

Mahalo Plenty

T

[Eric Hochberg]

Go slow with this, Trey. A stroke or two at a time, then check the string. A bass player friend of mine, not a luthier, "helped" me with my slots at the nut and went too far where I had to put a piece of paper in there to stop the buzzing...

[Jake deVilliers]

Originally Posted by Michael Glynn

Hey Jake,

I'm sending you a dry cleaning bill for the coffee that suddenly flew out from my nose and landed on my clothes.

Regards,
Michael

Send them up and I'll chuck them in the washing machine.

[Treyzer]

Just a quick note. I got that file Jake suggested and really took my time with the nut slot. Then I re-wrapped the Olive G string. I've got to say that this string sounds beautiful and for me, works really well with the Spiro weichs on the D and A and the mittel E. The G is so round and warm up in thumb position. No twang! It has a solid pop on the front of the note and a really strong fundamental. Now I see what all the fuss was about! Thanks guys for the help.

[Paul Warburton]

Originally Posted by Michael Glynn

Hey Jake,
I'm sending you a dry cleaning bill for the coffee that suddenly flew out from my nose and landed on my clothes.

That's better than what flew outta Jake when his wife was mentioning to him about the slow strokes.