Buzzing E string

[Les Fret]

I use Spirocore weichs with medium action.
My E string is buzzing when I play pizz with a medium/normal to hard attack.
My other strings don't have that buzz when I play with the same attack.
The buzz is also there when playing the open E.
I have tried to put some paper under the string at the nut to raise the string. Just to check if the nut was too low. But that was not the case.

Think I might try a Spiricore mittel E. Maybe the higher string tension will result in less buzzing. I like my action the way it is. What can it be or what can I do?

[Rebop]

Could be a million things.

How old are the strings?
Are the strings and FB clean? No Gunk?
What kind of bass? Old? New?
Is the bridge fit properly to the top?
Is it a buzz or a rattle?
Is the sound post buzzing?
Is it a loose tuning machine?

Pinpointing the location of the sound can also help a lot in determining what's causing it.

[Les Fret]

The bass always had it even with new strings.
So it is not the string. The bridge is set up properly. It is no sound post buzzing and no loose tuning machine.

It is the string vibrating against the fingerboard.
Can it be the scope of the neck or too less string tension?

[tstone]

If you repeatedly pluck the E string with the same force each time and move your left hand gradually up the fingerboard, does it buzz mostly in the lower positions and get better as you move higher, or the other way around, or does it buzz equally in all positions?

[Les Fret]

it buzzes the most in the lower positions, say from E to A or so. It gets better if you move higher.

[fdeck]

Could you get a buddy to hold various parts of the bass while you play? Also, does this still happen when the end pin is removed?

[tstone]

>> it buzzes the most in the lower positions, say from E to A or so. It gets better if you move higher.

That's the classic symptom of not enough camber in the fingerboard. Heavier string might help, probably worth a try.

[Les Fret]

Originally Posted by fdeck

Could you get a buddy to hold various parts of the bass while you play? Also, does this still happen when the end pin is removed?

No, I can ensure you it that it is not something that is rattling on the bass somewhere. It is the string vibrating against the fingerboard for sure.

@tstone: what exactly do you mean by camber of the fingerboard, and what can I do besides putting on a heavier string? Can you elaborate a bit?

[tstone]

>> what exactly do you mean by camber of the fingerboard, and what can I do besides putting on a heavier string? Can you elaborate a bit?

The fingerboard, once the strings are tuned to full tension, is not supposed to be straight, it is supposed to have some curvature in the long direction. Use two hands to simultaneously press the E-string down against the fingerboard at the nut end and the end nearest the bridge. Now look at the string in the area of the neck heel. There should be about 1/8" (3 mm) of space between the bottom of the string and the fingerboard, they should not be touching. That curvature of the fingerboard is called camber, also known as scoop, relief, or hollow.

Most players want the strings to be as low to the fingerboard as possible without buzzing. The envelope of the vibrating string is an elongated spindle shape, or like a long skinny football -- pointed at the ends, fatter in the middle. If the fingerboard is to hug as close to the shape of the vibrating string as possible, it also needs to be curved, to follow that shape.

The camber comes partly from being planed into the fingerboard by the original luthier or setup person, and partly from the neck bowing under string tension. A heavier string sometimes mitigates or eliminates buzzing because (a) its envelope of vibration is not as fat in the middle, and (b) it induces more curvature in the neck.

Anyway, I suggest you do the experiment of holding the string down at both ends and looking at the clearance to the fingerboard at the midpoint between your fingers. If it looks about right, then my suggestions are off the mark, and you need to look for another cause of the buzzing. But if the fingerboard does look too flat, the only things I can suggest are either raise the string height at the bridge, try higher tension string(s) or have the fingerboard dressed.

[Les Fret]

Thanks for clarifying!
I checked it and there is about 2 or 3mm clearance in the middle of the E string.

I think I will try a Spiro mittel E and see if it is better.

[PaulCannon]

Originally Posted by Les Fret

Thanks for clarifying!
I checked it and there is about 2 or 3mm clearance in the middle of the E string.

I think I will try a Spiro mittel E and see if it is better.

It's probably not the brand of string you are using. I suspect either the scoop of the fingerboard is not deep enough or has a lumpy or uneven plane. There may be a bump on the board around second or third position.

The E may also be a wolf tone, although that cause is unlikely if the buzz persists through several tones. You can try installing a wolf eliminator to see if it helps.

[Les Fret]

It is not a wolf tone for sure. It is a real buzz when attacking harder.
It might have to do with the scoop of the fingerboard as suggested.
I will try the mittel E first and if that doesn't work I will go to my luthier.

[PaulCannon]

Originally Posted by Les Fret

It is not a wolf tone for sure. It is a real buzz when attacking harder.

What I mean is not that you are mistaking a wolf tone for a buzzing sound, but that a wolf can cause a buzz. When you pluck an open string which happens to be a wolf tone, you can visually see the string vibrate in a particularly irrational movement. This irregular spinning can cause the string to hit the fingerboard. A normal string will vibrate in a perfect elliptical horizontal to the plane of the fingerboard.

That said, in your case I think a lumpy fingerboard is more likely the problem. When was the last time you had your fingerboard dressed?

[Les Fret]

ok, I misunderstood. Thanks for clarifying. But the buzz is not only on the open E also on other lower notes on the E stings (up to around B)

[Les Fret]

Yesterday I have replaced my Spiro weich E with a mittel one and it is better now. The buzzing is not completely gone but only apparent when I pick really hard.

Also the mittel E string has slightly more volume. So the volume of the strings is more in balance. So I am happy with it for now.

[gaelmckeon]

Just read all this. Tstone is right on. There's no question in my mind that the problem lies in the fingerboard. Has it been dressed? I know it has scoop, and the new string works better. Sometimes the scoop is deep enough near the nut, but too flat further up the board, or the other way around. Also, a slight dip or bump could be the culprit, but would be undetectable to the eye. Also, in my experience, once in a while and for reasons unknown, a bass just clatters no matter what you do to it. It's rare though. I think you should have someone look at it who really knows what theyre up to. A bad Luthier can butcher a fingerr board in minutes.
It's also possible that the string was faulty or became faulty, but it sounds like your board needs to be shaped differently than it is. It's so easy for a board to be done wrong, and look right. It's so hard to get one right, sometimes.
Also, if you pluck the E string outwards (right of the board, intead of down towards the top plate) it will usually make the most clattery E sound just fine. It's just not as easy, but can be useful for recording or exposed notes.
Hope this helps.

[Les Fret]

my fingerboard was dressed about two years ago when I bought this bass.
But I always had this problem. I think I will have another luthier check the bass. I had a bad experience (money wise) with my former luthier so I don't want to go there anymore. The trust is gone.