Double Bass annoying buzz

[robert21]

Hey guys,

My bass has developed an annoying buzzing sound when i play pizz and is especially bad when plucking the open strings, but it goes away when i put my hand on top of the bass just behind the tail piece.

Its starting to worry me as i only bought it a couple of months ago.

Any ideas, suggestions, is it something i should be worried about?

thanks for the help

 

[MingusAmongUs]

Could be many things, but the first thing to check for is seam separation... down there by the saddle. ...or cracks, loose tailgut fitting, loose endpin, etc. Seams are easy and cheap to fix, and largely unavoidable. Either way, you probably should have your luthier look at it.

 

[reedo35]

Hey guys,

My bass has developed an annoying buzzing sound when i play pizz and is especially bad when plucking the open strings, but it goes away when i put my hand on top of the bass just behind the tail piece.
thanks for the help

Welcome to june! Since you say you just recently got the Bass, my guess is that it is starting to settle in, and the sound post is no longer snug against the top. If there are no open seams or cracks, it will take about ten minutes for a luthier to adjust and fix it.

 

[bonaventura]

it could be a hundred things. i'd check the bridge feet too. mine has a faint and rapid tik-tik-tik sound when i play the open A, and i figured out it's because the upper E side bridge foot has a tiny gap and needs fitting.

 

[Kevin Hsieh]

annoying buzz sounds make up the majority of my bass playing experience

 

[Marc Piane]

\ i'd check the bridge feet too.

I had a student who swore his bass bar was the culprit. A luthier had pointed the bride foot thing out to me. I did some tweaking. Sound gone. Try that first. Cheap and DIY. If that doesn't work get thee to a luthier.

 

[bonaventura]

I had a student who swore his bass bar was the culprit. A luthier had pointed the bride foot thing out to me. I did some tweaking. Sound gone. Try that first. Cheap and DIY. If that doesn't work get thee to a luthier.

Thanks, Fingers. so there's even a name for this, bride foot. Tiki-tiki-tiki-tik. Like she's already running away! Meaning no offense please to you brides here on TB...

I used to think it was the bass bar, too. It sounded like it was coming directly from that area. But it's not.

So what kind of tweaking did you do? move the bridge around? or did you scrape a bit of wood?

 

[Marc Piane]

Nah, just move it around. Make sure the bridge is totally upright. Tuning and putting on new strings and such make it move a bit.

If it is an adjustable bridge it is easy to move the feet. If it is level just move the feet a bit. Play to check the sound. If it is not gone wash, rinse, repeat.

My luthier told me that there are some many causes for what sounds like a bass bar. He also said that it is rarely actually the bass bar. The pickup, a quiver, the bridge itself, the ball ends of the strings rattling against the tailpiece, the tailpiece gut, etc, etc, etc. Putting a hand over the bass bar dampens the vibration of the top. That alone can stop any of that other stuff from rattling.

Sometimes you have to just bring it to a luthier because finding a sound like this can be MADDENING.

Good luck.

 

[jmbassplayer]

"My bass has developed an annoying buzzing sound when i play pizz and is especially bad when plucking the open strings, but it goes away when i put my hand on top of the bass just behind the tail piece." -robert21

i had the same problem. try cutting off a little of your endpin. this took care of the buzz that my bass made.

 

[pbd]

I'm wondering if one of your tuner cranks may be loose, those will rattle sometimes too. If its still new the place you bought it from should be willing to look at it for you for little or no cost.

good luck,
Todd