Buzz

Karl King · Tadpole Joined: 27 Jan 2007 Posts: 22

My new Epi LP Custom started buzzing tonight while I was playing it. The bottom string is the worst, it even sounds almost dead at the lower frets. The higher up I go on the fret board the better it sounds. But all the strings are doing it. My house has bad lighting and it's hard to see anything to really check it out, and I don't really not know what to look for anyway, any suggestions?

I bought this from Musicians Friends a little over a month ago. Will I need to send it back to them or right to Epi if it needs repairs? I'll call the tomorrow anyway, just thought maybe one of you have been down this road before?

I put new strings on it when I got it, I think they're Gibisons #10's but I can't remember for sure. It's been playing great from day one, until tonight. Sad

JohnSS · Tadpole Joined: 22 Dec 2006 Posts: 17

It sounds like it needs a setup. If the neck has proper relief, then strings probably need to be raised at the bridge. I would doubt that the guitar requires a refret, but if it does, then you should get it exchanged from MF.

Karl King · Tadpole Joined: 27 Jan 2007 Posts: 22

SAguitar · Posted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 7:49 pm Post subject:

Karl, I was going to suggest exactly what you did, so nice going. What's happening is your guitar has changed due to climate and humidity changes. The truss rod is a balance between the wood neck and the pull of the strings. If anything in that equation changes, then you have to adjust the truss rod a little bit.

Actually, wood heat is the most dangerous lifestyle for a guitar. I know, because I have lived for many years with a wood stove and guitars, so I'm very familiar with that situation. The dramatic humidity and temperature changes are very hard on the poor things. Please keep your baby in the case when not playing it!

Recently, we have gone over to a pellet burning stove, connected to a thermostat. It starts and stops itself, so it keeps the temperature fairly even, at least a lot better than we ever had before.

Play on,
Stan

Karl King · Tadpole Joined: 27 Jan 2007 Posts: 22

Thanks Stan!

Yep, wood heat is great for saving on fuel cost. We get our wood for free so I'm sure I'll be burning wood for a while. But you're right about the havoc it plays on anything made of wood. It's the one thing that keeps me from buying a new Gibson acoustic, I'm so afraid I'll wake up one morning and find it all cracked up. But the urge is getting to the point that I may take the chance and get one anyway. Smile

Thanks again, I appreciate all the info!

SAguitar · Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 12:28 pm Post subject:

Yeah, we used to have several sources for free wood, so that was the only way to go. But those all eventually went away, and we had to do something different. We ended up going with the pellet stove, and it's pretty good, but nothing like heatin' up a house with a wood stove. Cool

daveh · Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 2:09 pm Post subject:

Keep a pot of water on top of the wood stove to help replace some of the moisture the stove does away with. Electric heat is almost as bad.

SAguitar · Posted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 2:43 pm Post subject:

Oh, yeah! I forgot about that ol' trick! I used to keep an old cast iron teapot on mine all the time, and that helped a lot. Cool

Karl King · Tadpole Joined: 27 Jan 2007 Posts: 22

SAguitar · Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2007 6:28 am Post subject:

Very Cool, Karl! Cool