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Double Bass Help Buzzing Sound?

D

deefingers

Oct 7, 2003
7
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#1
Hi,

I have this small buzzing sound coming out of the back of my flatback bass. If I put my hand on the back, the sound disappears. Has anybody experienced this before? What do you think the problem could be? Also, how much do you think it would cost to fix? Thanks...
 
#3
In my experience flatbacks are infamous for this. Those braces Bob mentions are always coming un-glued, especially where they connect to the linings. If it's a tight kind of buzz...usually at the ends....the looser the buzz, usually towards the middle of the braces. As Bob says get the bass to a luthier. They can sometimes fix this with out removing the back or top. The buzzes sometimes disappear during high humidity because the bass swells up and tightens everything up.
We've all seen the results of the craziness these buzzes can cause in players....Screws driven into braces from the outside and other un-mentionable ideas that buzzes cause in the brains of bass players...Get to your luthier!
 
#4
My flatback used to buzz now and then. A couple of times it was a loose back brace, which I fixed by applying glue in through the f-hole. It got kinda messy in there, but the buzzing disappeared.

However, most of the times it turned out to be the backplate seam that had come apart somewhere. So check the seam thoroughly, it may be that simple. That's a small job for a luthier to fix.
 
#5
Originally posted by Bbrain Ssetter:

"It's not unusual for a bass to exibit a rattle that is in an entirely different spot on the instrument than where you can put you hand to stop it. Strange - but true!"

True, happened to me a while ago. My gig bass developed a strange buzz while playing open A and stopped A notes in various positions and strings. Didn´t buzz with other notes, and it almost made me crazy. Then I noticed that pushing the top just a little over the bass bar stopped the buzz, and suspected the bass bar was loose. Well that was what really MADE me crazy....

So, finally after two days of whining and crying I took the bass to my luthier. He checked the seams and noticed an open seam between the top and the C bout on the OPPOSITE side, about 3 inches long.

A little hot glue, two clamps, and gone was the buzz, forever!

R2
 
#6
Just a little side note. John Clayton was performing at the 2001 ISB. As he starts to play, there is a noticeable buzz coming from his instrument. He stops playing, taps around on his instrument for a few seconds, and discovers a loose seam between the top and the ribs. John pulls a dollar bill out of his pocket, folds it a couple of times, and stuffs it in the gap between the top and ribs. Problem temporarily solved, John goes on to play magnificently.

Nothing like years of experience!
 

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