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Hi guys, i have recently this strange buzz sound (the C at the fourth string) at my archtop guitar . It doesn't sound like a fret buzzing to me, and I tried changing strings, adjusting the string heights... the noise is still there....
Does anyone have a clue? Many thanks!
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01-05-2025 12:19 PM
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On my guitar I such noises would likely be from the things rubbing against each other, typically involving a pickup, pickup suspension frame or pickguard. Other possibl e sources could be vibration of strings between tailpiece and bridge or between saddle and tuner, but that sounds different. Could also be loose wiring touching the vibrating top.
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Yup, that's a sympathetic vibration excited at that particular frequency. I would suspect a pickup vibrating against the ring or the pickguard as the source. FWIW every archtop has this at one time or other. I find some vibrations more prominent in the winter when it's dry and different ones more prominent in the summer when it's humid.
On my ES-175 it's usually one of the pickups, as I have removed the pickguard (it had a very similar vibration as in the OP's video, which I could just not get to stop). I was able to reduce the pickup vibration with the Ren Wall trick- putting tiny washers under the pickup rings at the mounting screws to raise the rings off the top by a few thousandths of an inch. I also replaced the pickup springs with rubber tubing, which reduced sympathetic vibrations further.
On my carvetop with a floating pickup, it's usually the wire connecting the pots to the endpin jack, where the wire enters the F hole; moving that with my finger stops it, albeit temporarily.
Good luck, chasing these things down can be maddening!
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Something loose somewhere. There are many, many things which could be the culprit. Check every screw, nut, and bolt on the guitar. I've also seen loose shafts in pots cause buzzes. The pickguard can buzz against the top or the pickup rings. The wires inside the body can buzz against the top or the back. But my first efforts would be checking every nut, including those on the tuners, the pots, and the pickguard, because they're the easiest to check. Don't forget the tailpiece and everything attached to it.
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Get someone to "touch" things while your making it buzz. Pickups, pick guard tuners knobs etc etc.
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I find that humbucker pickups in snug-fitting rings often make a wah-wah sound from vibrating in hollow & semihollow guitars that sounds like distortion or buzz. Try pressing firmly against each side of the pickup to tilt it away from the ring, see if the noise disappears or changes. If it does, often just pressing the pickup will fix the problem for awhile. Some players wrap the pickup sides with masking tape for a more permanent fix.
Danny W.
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Had a similar noise on my ES345 caused by a loose retaining wire on the tune-o-matic bridge.
Good Luck
Tony D.
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It's a pretty fancy buzz. It sounds like a specific note. That would make me wonder about something with some length vibrating sympathetically. Wiring? Retaining wire as was just suggested?
Others have made some great suggestions. Having somebody touch or press on things while you play the buzz seems like a great idea, as does checking everything that can possibly move including every nut and screw.
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thank you guys, I checked almost everything and am 80% sure it's the wiring in the body vibrating sympathetically with the C to C# notes... I tried fixing some loose wires around the lower f hole with tapes and the buzz was almost gone... but not thoroughly.
I planned to fix this on this weekend. Could someone give me some advices on that? Thanks!
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Since the buzz has a pretty clear tonality, that would suggest that one of the wires or metal parts is acting like a vibrating string or reed (or, I don't know what I'm talking about).
So, you have to get access to the innards and see if there's something you can touch that eliminates the noise.
Since it didn't always make this noise, something has changed. What's most likely? I'd guess anything that creates mechanical stress, or even simple movement, on the components inside the guitar. That is, unless you've replaced a pickup or other hardware.
That means, output jack (does it get loose and then spin?). Pots - same thing, are they rotating -- not just the knob, but the pot itself? And switch.
Don't forget the pickguard bracket.
If it turns out to be the output jack I would suggest triple-checking (re-soldering if suspicious) the wires to it at both ends (pot output, jack input) and then doing something so it doesn't spin. If it fails on a gig, and you don't have tools, that could be bad (don't ask me how I know this).
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If it's buzzing around the treble f hole, it could be the pots. Make sure the nuts holding them in place are tight. I've also seen that sort of buzz happen when the pot shaft was loose, and vibrating in the body of the pot. With that, a rubber band around the shaft under the knob is a temporary fix, but a new pot is better. But also check the knobs, they can vibrate themselves sometimes.
If it's really the wiring that's vibrating, it's not quite as easy, but possible. In all my archtops I have adhesive wiring clips installed to hold the wires and keep them neat and in place. They come with double-sided mounting tape on the bottom, and you can just remove the outer plastic from the tape and stick them in place. I get them in small sizes, just big enough to hold the internal wires securely. The perfect size depends on the wiring, of course. You can get these from Ebay, Amazon, or your local hardware store, for very little money. Use as many as you need. Get extras, because they can be pulled loose if the wire is pulled a little too hard.
Something like this: 30Pcs Wire Clip Black Car Tie Rectangle Cable Holder Mount Clamp Self Adhesive B | eBay
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Did you check the braces? It could be a loose bracing. If you press the top with the thumb(s), you can test the stiffness. If it isn't equal stiff maybe it is a loose bracing. I had this problem already. One other reason for buzz I had, was a loose fret.
If the truss rod has no tension could also have this effect. Knocking and hearing the whole Guitar, maybe somebody helps you locating the buzz.
Sorry for my bad English
Good luck!
Stefan
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I put cotton makeup pads under the pickups around the screws
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Being the most recent thread on this subject I thought I'd add to it.
My rare (but clearly a budget instrument) Blueridge archtop that was gifted to me just before Christmas has had one of these annoying and frustrating buzzes when playing chords around the 6th to 8th frets.. I always felt it was one or both pickups but I tried blu tack around the pickups and pickup rings (as an experiment) but the buzz was still there. Next I took the pg off - still no luck.
I ended up taking the pickups out, sticking 15mm electrical tape around the rout edges and more tape on the sides of the pickup covers. When put back together the issue had gone away. I now have some green electrical tape showing through which needs to be tidied up but that can wait.
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Such buzzes are a drag. My GB10 developed one that can be heard through the amp. It’s coming from the floating neck pickup and appears to be a coil rattling against the cover. That’s going to be a challenge.
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I would first check to make sure it's not a spring that's causing the rattling. Springs are perhaps not the ideal way to hold a pickup at the desired height, and if they're loose it can become a real issue. I prefer tubing, either latex or silicone, whichever is at hand. I actually tend to use both, with the springs inside the tubing. It's not a certainty that the springs are the issue, but it's the easiest to check and to fix if that is the problem.
Originally Posted by Oscar67
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My buzzing must've been the pickup vibrating against the ring. Originally Posted by sgosnell
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The GB10 has floating pickups. No springs. Originally Posted by sgosnell
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Ah, I missed that. Is it possible that the pickup is vibrating against the top? Probably not, there should be a cushion on the bottom of the pickup. Originally Posted by Oscar67
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I've had this problem on several archtops: it's probably (as I can hear) the pickguard vibrating because it's not properly aimed/attached.
Regards.
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On the guitars I have with floating pickups, I use Blu-Tack between the pickup and the top. This solves any vibration issues, and secures the pickup in place. It can hold the pickup in place without any other attachment if desired. Removal is easy, although scraping off tiny bits left behind can sometimes be annoying. I've never seen any signs of finish damage, and I've had some on for years. Whit Smith uses about a metric ton of it on his touring guitars. I haven't seen the need for nearly that much, just a little dab will do me.
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I had mentioned this experience here, so just fwiw - -
Make sure you check the nut. My '50's L-7 had a vertical crack straight through the nut almost exactly in the center - between the 3rd & 4th strings. The two pieces weren't loose, once I discovered the crack, or at least neither seemed to be.
My luthier missed it while doing some other work, and so did I. I'll admit my eyesight isn't the greatest, but unless the light hit it perfectly, you couldn't see it. ( What do they call those on a diamond - a ' facet ' ? )
Needless to say good luck.
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After having my tech replace a pot on my Emperor Regent, there was a loud buzz. He couldn't figure out where it was coming from and I was not having it as it wasn't there before the work was done. I peered under the pickguard and there was a an extra piece of plastic insulation vibrating up and down the bare wire. Rather than take everything apart, I put a little clear 5 minute epoxy on a toothpick and applied it to the end of the insulation. Everything quieted right down. Keep it simple.
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I just fixed a bad buzz in my Broadway which turned out to be the pickup ring vibrating against the body. The screws were stripped in the wood so it wasn’t being held tight.
I fixed it with screws that were a tiny bit bigger (2.6 x 26mm pickup ring screws) but if that didn’t work I was planning to glue toothpicks in the holes and re-drill.
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