Tailpiece buzz?

[P.Waite]

I just changed strings on my bass and have noticed a wierd buzz in the area of B-flat to B-natural on all strings. If I apply some pressure to the tailpiece the buzzing stops. Any ideas on what to try to get rid of it for good?

[Bob Branstetter]

Originally Posted by P.Waite

I just changed strings on my bass and have noticed a wierd buzz in the area of B-flat to B-natural on all strings. If I apply some pressure to the tailpiece the buzzing stops. Any ideas on what to try to get rid of it for good?

Finding the "real" source of a buzz or rattle can be a real challenge. Unfortunately, a buzz or rattle can many times be stopped (temporarily) by pressing on a part of the bass that is not even near the actual source. Here is a thread that was started by Martin Sheridan, one of the luthiers here. He along with other luthiers and regular members listed over 30 possible causes. There are probably many others that didn't get mentioned. I would start by carefully examining the area around the tailpiece wire and the endpin first. Happy hunting!

[P.Waite]

Thanks, Bob-- I've gone through the list there and haven't been able to solve anything myself (not that I'm probably the most qualified individual for this stuff) . I guess if the buzz persists I'll just head down to the old violin shop.

[P.Waite]

For the record-- the buzz DID turn out to be from the tailpiece. I ended up taking the bass in to the shop, and we figured out that the tailpiece wire was pulling out of the clamp thing that holds it together. It's kinda crazy to see how much something like that affects your overall sound-- I hadn't really noticed a difference, but when I pulled out old Plywood Polly the backup bass, it was like twice as loud as my main bass. It was probably about time for me to have my setup re-done-- soundpost, bridge,etc., but dang, apparently your tailpiece wire plays as big a part as anything.