• From: Bethlehem-South Africa
  • Registered: 2012-04-30
  • Posts: 4

Topic: Tinny, buzzy sound on top strings.

I wonder if anyone can give me some advice on this.I have an old but beloved Ibanez PF10 acoustic that has given me many years of joy.I look after it and it lives in a good gig-bag.After concentrating a lot on my classical guitar, I have taken to old faithful for some acoustic blues stuff I'm getting into.The problem is my top e and b strings have developed this horrible tinny buzzy sound that it never had before.I've gone over everything and haven't found anything loose anywhere.If I increase the dip of the neck it gets better, but the overall sound is dull and its hell to finger.A capo over the first fret seems to help, but this is only temporary as I'm getting into Bluegrass-style jazzy chord/melody playing I'd like my baby in tip-top sound.Anything I can do without robbing a bank?
Any advice would be appreciated.Incidentally, I'm very into playing Tom Waits stuff on guitar.

  • From: Almancil, Algarve, Portugal
  • Registered: 2006-09-02
  • Posts: 6,204

Re: Tinny, buzzy sound on top strings.

First and most importantly, the truss rod adjustment on the neck is to ensure that the fretboard is straight and true ONLY. It is not for trying to make it easier to play or eliminating buzzes. So the first thing to do is to look along the fret board, if there is any bow or hollow  then adjust it to be straight. (I am gussing that you may have already done this).

If the buzzing disappears with the capo on the 1st fret it indicates that the first fret is a little too high and needs crowning but this is not really a job to take on if you have no experience, a luthier will quickly tell you if it is needed and  give you an estimate on the cost.

Roger

"Do, or do not; there is no try"

Roger Guppy's Website

  • From: The Land Of Song
  • Registered: 2007-12-10
  • Posts: 5,695

Re: Tinny, buzzy sound on top strings.

hi OOp, welcome to chordie. unfortunately as you've stated, the guitar has been left in a gig bag for sometime, was it near a heat source? if so, it appears that the arm has warped slightly and you may need to take it to a good guitar doctor to sort out. i dare say this wont be cheap and it may not cure the problem.
on the other hand it may just need a little filing done to reduce the height of the fretts, best to leave that to the guitar doctor too.

sorry i cant think of an easy fix.

phill

Ask not what Chordie can do for you, but what you can do for Chordie.

Phill Williams's Website

  • Zurf
  • Zurf
  • Blunt but well meaning moderator
  • Offline
  • From: Virginia, USA
  • Registered: 2007-06-27
  • Posts: 7,522

Re: Tinny, buzzy sound on top strings.

Before spending too much on a guitar doctor, it's winter or just barely not winter.  There's lots of dry air.  Get an in-guitar humidifier for $20 or less and make sure that it's properly humidified.  My Yamaha gets mean and ugly when she's improperly humidified.  You ought to have a humidifier anyway, so you have nothing to lose.

That said, Roger and Phill are way better fixer uppers than I am, and each has forgotten far more on the topic than I've ever known. 

- Zurf

Granted B chord amnesty by King of the Mutants (Long live the king).
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude
  • Tyson7
  • Senior Member
  • Offline
  • From: Wisconsin
  • Registered: 2011-04-25
  • Posts: 493

Re: Tinny, buzzy sound on top strings.

I agree with Zurf , the first place I would look is at humidifiying your guitar. It's a cheap fix if it works. This time of year guitars do dry out and I've found this seems to be the case with me.
Just a starting point. Lets us know what turns up.

Joe

Tyson7's Website

  • zguitar
  • Don't call me Sir
  • Offline
  • From: Mentone, Ca
  • Registered: 2009-01-10
  • Posts: 1,367

Re: Tinny, buzzy sound on top strings.

New strings couldn't hurt either.

Keep Rockin!!!!!!!!!!!
  • jgreen
  • jgreen
  • Senior Member
  • Offline
  • From: Northern BC (Canada)
  • Registered: 2007-03-05
  • Posts: 197

Re: Tinny, buzzy sound on top strings.

Good call on the humidifier, zg, me thinks.  My classical developed a nasty fret buss over the winter.  Just a couple days with a humidifier and all seems to be well again.  I wonder if a little of that oil that was kicked around before might be a more stable fix through the seasons(?)

Good luck with it OOpie, let us know how it goes!
Jim

  • From: Bethlehem-South Africa
  • Registered: 2012-04-30
  • Posts: 4

Re: Tinny, buzzy sound on top strings.

Hey Guys!
Taking all this great advice and my current lack of jinglies into account,I decided to first get humidifiers for both my guitars, then oil the fretboard and change strings.Not having Lemon Oil, I opted for what I could find in the kitchen cupboard;some very nice Portuguese Extra-Virgin Olive Oil.As a rule, taken from my classical guitar habits, I swap the strings one-for-one to keep the pull over the fretboard even.This time, as I wanted to oil. I took them all off. Guess what I discover; the fretboard nut is loose and floating!So I carefully chipped off old dried glue residue with a blunt kitchen knife and clamped and re-stuck the nut with wood-glue.Problem solved!Incidently, the town I have moved to recently, Bethlehem, is in the eastern Drakensberg(Dragon Mountain) in South Africa and has roughly the same altitude and climate as Boulder, Colorado.It is now late autumn(fall) and we have the dubious pleasure at this time of being the coldest town in South Africa. The extra humidity has done a treat to the sound of both my guitars, and my fretboards now look good enough to eat, maybe with a nice garlicky green salad...........
Cheers!
Pieter.

  • beamer
  • beamer
  • THE METALIZER. Naughty Rocker Boy.
  • Offline
  • From: WASHINGTON ST
  • Registered: 2006-07-29
  • Posts: 2,811

Re: Tinny, buzzy sound on top strings.

Good to hear!  Im glad you got it sorted out!
BTW if you eat y our fretboard, , although you will have plenty of fiber, you wont be able to play them any more! lol

“Find your own sound.  Dont be a second rateYngwie Malmsteen be a first rate you”

– George Lynch 2013 (Dokken, Lynchmob, KXM, Tooth & Nail etc....)
  • From: Almancil, Algarve, Portugal
  • Registered: 2006-09-02
  • Posts: 6,204

Re: Tinny, buzzy sound on top strings.

You cannot beat a nice Portuguese Extra Virgin. Just what the doctor ordered lol

Roger

"Do, or do not; there is no try"

Roger Guppy's Website

  • NELA
  • Honoured Member
  • Offline
  • From: West Monroe, La. 71292
  • Registered: 2007-11-28
  • Posts: 1,303

Re: Tinny, buzzy sound on top strings.

one other thing to check out. If you regularly play a lot of open chords in the same position - cowboy chords - you may have "grooves" worn into those frets. The fix is a simple re-crowning of the frets but should be done by someone who has experience preforming this item of work. This is worth getting checked out.

Nela

NELA's Website