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Double Bass Board buzz

farmerdude

farmerdude

Jul 12, 2001
454
6
54
Rural Kansas City
www.phantomsoftheopry.com
#1
I have a plywood bass (rosewood board) that is driving me crazy.........

*Bought the bass -it had minor top sinkage on the g side - strung up with guts -everything is fine.

*2 years later the bass developed buzzes on the D & G string in the C# to octave area (g string).

*Luthier work - checked all seams, removed and reglued the fingerboard, re-shaped the board (took many tries to get scoop right). Everything is now fine.

*1 year later - same buzzes come back in the same (large) area as stated above. (maybe a little bit more top sinkage -maybe not?)

Question: I have had a couple of luthiers look at this. No one knows what is going on? Everything looks ok but it has worked its way to unplayable. Note: Both occasions happened during the winter.....I also have adjusters-buzz happens no matter the string height.

Thoughts?
 
#2
I think maybe the neck is moving with changes in humidity. The thin rosewood board does not provide adequate stiffness to resist changes; the neck is perhaps too rubbery. Or, the top sinkage could be causing the strings to move sideways in relation to the fingerboard, which would mess up the relative string heights, causing buzzing.
 
#4
If the top is going to continue to sink, the new fingerboard may not help after a while. Stopping further sinking should stabilize things. Or... put on adjusters (if you don't have them already) and compensate for the sinking. Cheaper.

Steven
 
#6
Thanks guys....

The wierd thing is that (i do have adjusters) no matter how high the strings- it still buzzes..also, if I put a credit card (or something) under the string at the stop - it still buzzes.....

Delamination: Could be...but...I have checked and rechecked by touching every square inch while playing....? To me...the buzz is deffinately coming from the board....frustrating....
 
#11
I havnt gigged with this bass since all of this posting. I have plucked it while in passing and didnt notice the buzz. That could have been more than a few weeks ago though....(cant remember) It seems to be a seasonal thing but still dont know what is going on. I have noticed the same thing (much less severe) going on with my main bass now (same time of the year).....

The stings are wound E/A- plain D/G
 

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