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Bad "metallic" buzz on one note on fretless - It was a bad string. Why?

fourstringdrums

fourstringdrums

Decidedly Indecisive
Supporting Member
Oct 20, 2002
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Massachusetts
#1
So I'll try to explain this without being any more confusing than the subject already sounds :-)

I slapped a new set of TI's on to the Sterling Fretless I got yesterday and I noticed I was getting a bad sort of metallic twang on the 6th fret on the E. I wanted to see if it was the string before I looked into if I had a bad spot on the fingerboard (there is a slight amount of grooving from roundwounds). So, I put on an old Labella Low Tension Flatwound E and a Sunbeam (I think) E to see if it was the string. The problem basically went away.

So out of curiosity, I took the TI E string off of my Caprice and put it on the fretless instead, and boom. No more issues. So I took the TI E that was on the fretless that was giving me issues and put it on the Caprice to replace the one I took off, and I don't have any problems with it there.

So what my question is, I'm curious as to what might be wrong with the string that I swapped from the fretless to the fretted and why it was buzzing on the fretless in one spot? Obviously it's not a fingerboard level issue since the other TI that I replaced it with doesn't have an issue.

Just curious. The string doesn't look bent or otherwise damaged and I always made sure it wasn't twisted.
 
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#2
I'm having that same problem on one of my fretless! The low E strings is the culprit. I can't seem to get it out even after bridge adjustments. I'm looking at using different strings in hope that its the string or the set and not the neck.
 
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#3
Nightman said:
I'm having that same problem on one of my fretless! The low E strings is the culprit. I can't seem to get it out even after bridge adjustments. I'm looking at using different strings in hope that its the string or the set and not the neck.
Click to expand...

I'm actually still having the problem though not as bad, and in a few spots. Oddly enough the buzz is the pitch of the harmonic at that spot. Though the weird thing is, it only does it if I'm NOT in right on and I'm slightly sharp of the note. It's not bothering me though. It doesn't come through the amp, it's only when unplugged.
 
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#4
Oh, well I don't really consider that a problem. It's when it does come through the amp that bothers me, which mine does. I ordered some coated strings in hope that that brings some relief. I can't adjust the neck.
 
#6
lz4005 said:
I had the exact same thing happen with a fretless once. It was an almost invisible bend in the string. It was just enough to buzz against the board but didn't line up exactly with the fret.
Click to expand...

Well it's still doing it with a brand new set of strings, so I don't know. It's not bothering me enough right now to do anything about it. I may have the board looked at. It might need to be leveled a bit.
 

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