A string buzz remedy

[vinnie6]

My Bongo has a pretty bad buzz when I play the open A string. The buzz does not get amplified, but I sure hear it. It is wound with TI flats. I found when I pressed on the string anywhere past the nut the buzz would go away. The thought came to me to thread a ziptie through the strings and then cut it off. Not the prettiest fix, and I imagine not permanent either. But it sure worked right off the bat!

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[JustForSport]

Not bad looking temp fix, should work ok 'til the plastic relaxes, but you could turn it over then.
How's the string angle to the post? Is the string wound all the way to the bottom of the post?

 

[Joe Nerve]

I don't understand the problem, nor the solution, so I'm plugging in out of curiosity to see how this unfolds.

If the buzz isn't being picked up amplified, wouldn't that mean it's coming from something other than the strings? I had a rattle (not really a buzz) in 2 of my basses that was driving me nuts. It held everything on my bass to try to stop it, and found that it was coming from a busted tuner in both cases. While I don't think that's your problem (cuz I'm not sure how a zip tie would fix that), you might want to have a go at holding every metal piece on the bass while pulling the open string and seeing if anything stops it.

 

[Zooberwerx]

Not bad looking temp fix, should work ok 'til the plastic relaxes, but you could turn it over then.
How's the string angle to the post? Is the string wound all the way to the bottom of the post?

+1. A lateral view of the headstock (including the nut) may tell the whole story....the OP will have to remove the zip tie first.

Riis

 

[cardboardJoe]

String buzz? Just remove the offending string!
Problem solved.

 

[96tbird]

Bongo A string runs under a retainer. I would look at the slot angle itself.

 

[JustForSport]

Bongo A string runs under a retainer. I would look at the slot angle itself.

In that case, yes, verify bottom of slot is angled to lower than retainer level.

 

[Zooberwerx]

Bongo A string runs under a retainer. I would look at the slot angle itself.

Also, don't forget to re-set the witness point. They are flatwounds and somewhat more resistant to bending than their roundwound counterparts.

Riis

 

[vinnie6]

In that case, yes, verify bottom of slot is angled to lower than retainer level.

After reading these EXCELLENT responses, I took a closer look at my bass. I isolated the nut as the place where the buzz originated. If I touched the A string anywhere between the nut and the retainer, the buzz would stop.

Referencing the quote above from Just for Sport, there was already an angle. There was a gap between the bottom of the slot and the string where the string exits the nut on the headstock side.

I decided to lift the string out and carefully remove some more material, angling the bottom of the slot a little more. Of course I was careful to not distrurb the takeoff point (I think that's what it's called) where the string height is set. I drew a line inside with a pencil and made sure to not file away the line at the takeoff point. I tuned it back up and....

Drumroll....

Buzz gone!

I have read somewhere in these forums that one option for users of TI Jazz Flats is to order up strings individually from BassStringsOnline and get the extra long scale A. It supposedly has a little more tension. I suppose I could have tried that too. Filing is cheaper.

On my Bongo, when individually plucking (hard) all five strings and at the same time touching them over the headstock, the A is the only one that has any vibration. It is very, very slight, but it IS there. I checked my Fender jazz 4 string and there is NO vibration on any string on that one. I find that curious.

 

[Hillsidebass]

The A string is more than likely loose in the nut slot or the nut is cut too deep in that slot. Try push the string over to one side then pluck the string open. If the rattle stops, the slot is too wide for the string. I've seen this an several basses through the years.