Need Setup Help - Buzz/Rattle

[Hutch979]

I bought a Cort action 4 bass recently, and took it to a luthier who made all the necessary adjustments to it. Now it is very comfortable, but i have 1 problem. The strings rattle at the saddles. Its not the saddle springs. The saddle screws rest firmly on the plate. And the strings rest firmly on the saddles. Once again the luthier is a professional who makes guitars and did an amazing setup. I would take it to him again, but hes in a diffrent city and i cant go right now. I am 100% sure its the bridge, since it does this on every fret and not the nut. Even the very last fret buzzes. The strings are also brand new. What do you think?

 

[Hutch979]

bump?

 

[Nev375]

if its the saddles, you should be able to stop the buzzing by putting your finger on the loose part.

The only thing I can think of that would cause a buzz on every fret including the last one, but not open is insufficient finger pressure to fret the note. But that would not sound like its coming from the bridge.

 

[Smilodon]

Check that the bit of string between the ball end and the bridge saddle doesn't touch the intonation screw or the spring.

 

[Hutch979]

I can stop the buzz by puting my finger over the witness point of the saddle, on thop of the string, it mutes it a bit but doesnt have buzz, could it be the saddle slots?

 

[carpcutter]

To add to your collection of possible bridge rattle causes, I got my GF a used Daisy Rock short scale a while back, and the way the strings route through the bridge actually causes just enough upward pressure on the saddles to cause this type of rattle. So the saddle slots could be the culprit (not saying it is, just something to check.)

 

[mrbell321]

If you touch each bridge saddle individually, is there one in particular that touching makes the rattle stop?
Are the intonation screws tight against the bridge. I picked up bass at a pawn the other day and one of the two intonation screws on one of the saddles was backed out quite a bit and wasn't touching the bridge plate. Because of the torque of the string and the rail that the other screw sat in, the saddle was sitting relatively straight, but it was clearly not set up properly.

Normally, a good luthier would not make this kind of mistake, but it happens to the best.

I also saw a bass there that, I HOPE had a broken truss rod. It looked more suited to firing arrows than to play a bass line.

 

[Ewo]

I can stop the buzz by puting my finger over the witness point of the saddle, on thop of the string, it mutes it a bit but doesnt have buzz, could it be the saddle slots?

Are the saddle slots sooooooooo wide (relative to the respective string gauge) that the strings will actually move side-to-side when they vibrate?

Or conversely, are the saddle slots soooooooooooo narrow (again, relative to the respective string gauge) that the strings are just sitting on top of the slots?

Maybe you could post a close-up pic or two of the strings on the bridge... Like one from the side (to show string/slot relationship), and another looking straight down on bridge (to show the adjustment screws).

 

[Hutch979]

Can't show any pics right now, sorry. I think they may be narrow i dont have anything to compare, but i will take it to a luthier again soon. I was just looking for a quick fix if anything. Seems like anything suggested by you guys is best left to a professional. Thanks for all the replies and ill be sure to tell you what was wrong once its fixed, for other people with the same problem in the future.

Cheers!