Why does my guitar strings rattle

If you want to avoid or delay a trip to the repair shop, you might try inserting a piece of foam under the strings behind the nut. I do this to all my guitars to stop sympathetic string vibrations, but it just might work for your buzzing issue. Hi, I have an unusual issue based on the comments here. The tinny noise appears to come from the sound hole area. I have had it setup by a well respected expert and have also taken it back to the dealer.

He spent a couple of hours on it but to no avail. Very strangely it does the same on my old acoustic. I am able to reproduce it by sliding my finger back towards the first fret. Any ideas would be appreciated. Hi Loyd. That last one is an important one. It turns out to be the normal sympathetic string noise that all us guitarists have to learn to tame—using the dark art of muting unplayed strings with the left-and-right-hands WHILE playing.

I use Elixir light gauge strings. After a new set of strings, the guitar sounds great. But soon, my 3rd string wound starts buzzing played open. That the coating appears cracked? Perhaps I need to get a non-wound 3rd string?

Hi Barney. One thing you might try is very slightly loosening your truss rod. One possibility is that, as the strings stretch and settle-in, the neck is flattening ever-so-slightly as the strings relieve some tension, which may be lowering that G string… slowly… until it eventually starts buzzing.

Whenever you make a truss rod adjustment, give the guitar a good hours before passing judgement. Leave it be for a day or two, and see if the buzz eventually disappears. Nut slots do gradually wear down… becoming deeper or wider or both than they should be over time. Eventually, they have to be repaired or the nut replaced completely. Not a big deal. Again, having this repaired or replaced is routine stuff for a repair shop.

Bridge saddles are consumables and will eventually need to be repaired or replaced after many years of use. I have done the setup: action, and relief as per the book. However any note from the 12th result in a buzz at the 22nd fret. Hi Walid. Guitar setups take a little time and practice to master. Hi Garry. If you have your guitar setup, and your frets are all perfectly level and in good shape, you can hopefully get the setup where you like it with minimal or no string buzz.

Hi Bobby. Very good article. It happens on all the low and mid frets but not the higher ones. The buzz occurs briefly, and only when I pick with moderate force. My action is super high about 4.

Any ideas? Hi Chris. However, what I mention in this article about picking force how hard you pick is still a factor… no matter how high your action is.

Suffice to say, I think you need to take this to a pro for an inspection and setup. You could have a number of frets that are just a tiny bit high, and the cumulative effect can cause buzzing. Thanks for the reply! Knowing that buzz on the initial attack is normal helps me a lot. In fact I just lowered my action down to 3mm at the 12th and the issue is about the same no sustained buzz with normal playing.

I think a part of my problem was wrong expectations! Bobby, first time on your site. Nicely done! Article on string buzz. I have a fender acoustic, steel strings.

In the past I had used a medium weight string. Went to ultra-lights and noticed a twangy- buzz from the high E and B. I will try to put a soft wedge in the slots and see if my assumption is correct. Have you run a crossed this issue? Thanks, BWC. After a few years, the bone or plastic of the nut just gradually wears away.

The slots can become deeper, wider, etc. A lot of times this manifests as a light, sitar-like ringing, but it can be more severe and pronounced than that. How quickly this wear-and-tear happens depends on how much the guitar is played, with full-time musicians going through a lot more nuts and other parts than us bedroom players.

The sad fact is, nuts just wear out over time, as do bridge saddles, frets, etc… and these consumables are the bread-and-butter work of repair men and women. In fact, it seems to happen MORE on those locking nuts. Going from a heavier gauge to a lighter gauge will often result in fret buzz. Heck, sometimes even just changing brands but keeping the gauges the same will require a new setup—or at least a few tweaks. So, I would recommend simply getting the guitar setup for this new gauge of strings before you consider replacing the nut.

Here is one I have not seen or heard anyone talk about. It buzzes when picked with the thumb. It seems to have something to do with the string oscillation caused by the thumb versus the pick.

Hello, i kinda have the same problem with pablo but my string buzz only happens on the G string from the 2nd fret untill the 20th fret. It does not buzz when its string is played open. My A string buzz everywhere. I set up truss road, action, pickups according to factory specifications. And only de 5th string buzz. I put as high as I could the action and lower as much as I could the pickups and still buzz.

Also change for a new string. The other string sound excelente. Hi Pablo. As I usually say in these situations, it would be impossible for me to diagnose the cause of your buzz without actually being able to inspect your guitar in-person. However, if only one string is buzzing, I have a question that might help me narrow down a few possibilities for you. Which fret, or frets, do you hear buzz on?

Also, do you hear the buzz with the string played open unfretted? Do you hear it ONLY when the string is played open? I hear the buzz with the string played open unfretted AND when the string is pressed all over. And it is a weird strong buzz, and definitely not fret buzz. What kind of guitar is this? Acoustic or electric. Can you tell me which string it is? Get back to me on those questions and hopefully I can help. Guitars can buzz and rattle for many reasons.

Obviously, fret buzz is the most common reason, but loose hardware, loose bracing inside acoustic guitars , loose binding, and even a loose truss rod can all cause rattles and buzzes. Bridges like those found on Telecasters and Strats can experience buzzing with open strings if the height adjustment screw s are loose. Easily fixed with a dab of silicon sealant applied to the thread, immediately reinstalled and allowed to cure.

I just cleaned my string with this hand held string cleaner and after it started buzzing. Hi Erika. Can you give me a few more details about the string cleaner you used brand? Hi there, Just bought a new Taylor ce Koa deluxe Dreadnought. I am in a grace period and am ready to return it do to a buzz, which seems to be at the saddle.

Dreadnoughts have a big sound and I understand some string buzz. I have played professionally for over 30 yrs. However, this buzz is only open strings.

Really just the a,d and g strings. Not fret buzz. Like one of the beads on the string end was up against the guitar. Perhaps a loose nut on the pick up? The guitar did come from Missouri to California. Perhaps a truss rod adjustment? Thanks in advance.. Taking it to a guitar shop can save a lot of time and head-scratching, because a technician can see if the buzzing is caused by low action, uneven frets, a bent neck or some other issue. Reducing buzzing is easy, you just have to pay attention to your technique and make sure your guitar is set up properly.

Keep these tips in mind to enjoy a clean and buzz-free sound. Hear fret buzz in action with this video. Use a pair of pliers or the correct sized wrench to tighten them. Move down to the truss-rod cover. Remove the cover and, using an Allen key—or whatever the correct adjusting tool is for your truss rod—check to see if the rod is loose, which could be causing the rattling noise.

Tighten it clockwise until it catches and becomes secure. Whenever you replace the truss-rod cover on your guitar—if it has one, of course—always make sure that it is screwed down securely. The truss-rod cover screws may be made of soft metal, so take care not to damage them. Look at the top nut. If your guitar has a conventional bone, graphite or plastic nut, check that the slots are the correct size for the strings. The truss rod can be loosened or tightened and doing so will add relief or reduce relief respectively.

The nut is one of the most important parts of your guitar and it may come as a surprise to hear that such a small part plays an incredibly vital role in shaping the playability, action and tone of your instrument.

Over its lifetime, the nut is subject to a lot of wear and experiences a huge amount of downward pressure from your strings. If the action at the nut is too low, this will inevitably cause string buzz which will be especially noticeable around the first few frets. Saddles that are found on many electric instruments have the ability to be moved forwards and backwards to help adjust their intonation.

Saddle height can also be adjusted which is a big advantage in helping to combat fret buzz. When saddles are set too low, a vibrating string can catch the frets higher up the neck. Therefore, raising saddle height gives the string plenty of room to freely vibrate without being hampered in any way. Of course, regardless of this, the height of the saddle can still be adjusted and this is usually done through the use of a shim placed underneath to help prop the saddle up a little bit higher.

Graphtech manufactures a huge variety of saddles in different shapes and sizes to suit all guitars. They come up a little larger than you initially need meaning you can lightly sand them down to the exact length, width and height needed.

When you strike a guitar string with gusto and exert force upon it, the string will travel with a wider arc of motion than if you were to play it very lightly where the amount of travel will not be as wide.

String buzz sucks the fat one! None of the issues above are anything to worry about and can be resolved fairly easily, often only requiring minor adjustments here and there. A reputable guitar technician worth their salt should be able to identify the culprit and have your guitar up and running buzz free in no time.

If you are concerned about your guitar buzzing or if it has any other issues whatsoever, please feel free to get in touch with us by sending us an e-mail, calling us or alternatively popping a message in the comment section below. As always, thanks so much for your continued support.

There is a buzz on the 3rd fret on the B string only…. Any suggestions.