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I posted a few weeks back about my search for an archtop guitar. Well, I bought one, a used (2013 model) Epiphone Emperor Joe Pass. I like it pretty well, but it has one small problem that I'm finding very annoying.
I hear a faint noise when I play it. It's louder when I play chords but occurs with single string play as well. I don't know exactly how to describe it. It's not a buzz or a rattle, but more of a faint vibration noise. I can't tell where it's coming from, except that it seems to be coming from inside the guitar. Nothing is loose on the outside of the guitar. It's not coming from the headstock or the tailpiece or the pick guard or the pickups that I can tell. The noise is not fret buzz (I raised the bridge slightly so I almost never get any fret buzz). I'm happy with the action.
I've read a bunch of posts and looked at a bunch of websites on archtop buzz, but nothing seems to have solved the problem. I've tried rapping lightly on the front and back of the guitar, but this does not cause the noise. I've stuck my hand in both f-holes and moved a few cords around inside the guitar, but this hasn't had any effect. Fortunately, I haven't gotten my hand stuck yet.
Do I just have to live with this? Mostly I've been solving the problem by turning up the amp. I can still hear the noise, but it's harder to hear. It occurs whether I'm playing amplified or acoustically. I keep telling myself to ignore it, but it's driving me crazy and it makes me not want to play the guitar as much. Other than that, I'm happy with the guitar.Last edited by East to Wes; 04-06-2015 at 04:54 PM.
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04-06-2015 04:46 PM
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Have someone help you and touch different parts of the guitar while you play. Check the knobs as well. Also check all screws. This kind of thing is really maddening but with a bit of perseverance you will find the culprit. First place I would check is the pickups and pickup rings. I know you said that you did that but in my experience it is very hard to find by yourself so it's worth another try with 2 people.
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Ive got the same issue with my Eastman. I dont notice it through the amp though. I think it may have to do with the tailpiece. I notice when playing around the D to B strings around the fret.
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I've tightened a few screws, though they were already pretty tight.
Originally Posted by AlainJazz
I will try to have someone else listen.
Thanks for the encouragement.Last edited by East to Wes; 04-06-2015 at 05:26 PM.
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I've tried putting a sock underneath and around the tailpiece, and it muffled the sound but really had no effect on the noise. Originally Posted by eh6794
From reading other posts, I've concluded this is a fairly common occurrence for hollow body archtops.
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Aaahh..the joys of archtop ownership !
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Lots of things can buzz/rattle/fzzzzz on an archtop. Could be bridge if a TOM type. Also loose or missing spring or spacer in the pickup. Sometime the pickup buzzing against the pickup ring. does the pickguard run on the pickup. I've found sometimes instead of tightening these things loosening them a hair helps.
It's part of the pain of playing a archtop I would say keep you screwdriver and a rag (to dampen things) around and try different things, eventually to do find them.
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It has a wooden bridge, not a TOM, so that's not the problem. Interesting thought regarding loosening things a hair. Originally Posted by docbop
I know diddly squat about pickups, but the pickups and the "rings" (rectangular in shape in this case, if I understand the term correctly) are very snug.
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Things to check:
Move a string one at a time out of the cuts in the bridge AND the nut and play.
put a shoestring wrapped / threaded thru the strings between the TP and bridge
Take off the pickguard
remove the knobs and check the pot nuts
tighten the strap buttons and grover top nuts
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My Gibson 175 had an annoying buzz for years. Eventually I worked out it was where the pickguard rests on the edge of the bridge pickup mounting. It is not fixed there, so it can vibrate against the pickup mounting.
I sandwiched a tiny piece of 'blutak' between the pickguard and the pickup mounting, and the buzz disappeared for ever.
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My epi joe pass has rattled from, at one time or another:
pickup springs,
loose knobs,
loose pot washer,
Loose jack,
pickguard rattling against pickup guard,
Pickguard screws
Wiring rattling against wood
Simpathetic string vibration behind nut or bridge.
Sometimes it's more than one thing. Best advice is given above, have someone else play while you poke, grab and feel your way around. Also try turning it upside down (1st string on top) and playing, see if it makes the same or other noises. This sort of crap is tipical of an electric archtop. It can be there for a while, or come and go with the changing humidity, string gauge, playing technique, etc...
K
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For that point what I found helps is a small piece of thick flannel cloth or felt. Just slide it under the pickguard. Originally Posted by grahambop
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no you dont have to live with it...
persevere !
Its sooo great when you nail it
mine was the tailpiece on an af120
you will find it
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My buzz was the pickguard, removed pickguard, removed buzz!
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I wish it was the pickguard, but it really doesn't seem to be.
As best as I can tell, it sounds like it's coming from inside the guitar behind the neck pickup. Maybe if I took the neck pickup off, I could see where it was coming from. But that's beyond my comfort zone. I guess I have to take it to someone.
I wish I could ignore it. But it's like trying to sleep if there's a dripping sound somewhere in the house.
Sigh.
Thanks, all.
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Pickup adjustment springs are often the culprit and some people wonders why there was thick paper or cardboard pieces squeezed in the space between the pickup and the ring when they buy a used JP...
Noisy spring can be silence using some heat shrink around.
Some people replace springs with clear tubing like what is used in medical
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For what it's worth I had an Epi Broadway and it had the rattle.
On mine it was the pickup. Wound up stuffing a piece of folded up light cardboard in beside it and it stopped.
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I just found my rattle. The pickup!
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Could you explain this further? Where are the pickup adjustment springs? Originally Posted by vinlander
I've tried holding onto every piece (metal, plastic, or wood) on the outside of the guitar to dampen the sound, and none of it has any effect on the noise. That's why I think it's coming from inside somewhere. It could be a small spring; that would match the noise, I think.
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Originally Posted by East to Wes
At around 2:20 is the interesting partLast edited by vinlander; 04-06-2015 at 10:39 PM.
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That is exactly what I did with my 175, vinlander. Plus black electrical tape around the pickup where it meets the mounting ring, for a more snug fit. Problem solved. You can get the small tubing at any Ace hardware store.
Last edited by Isfahan; 04-07-2015 at 12:56 AM.
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Take the guitar for a good luthier.
Archtop guitars are are the most to produce unwanted noises,no matter whether it is a cheap or expensive guitar.
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On my Epi, it is without question ringing after the bridge. I will have to get some string mutes or something.
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I bought my 2006 Epi JP in 2007 and it had those elusive rattles. I ended up removing the pickguard which I didn't need anyway and replacing the tailpiece with a plain gold Allparts trapeze item. I never liked the filigree anyway. When I replaced the standard Epi "Classic 57" pickups, I used tubing instead of springs. No rattles or mystery noises anymore. I think that the tailpiece was the biggest offender.
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Well, I was messing around with it and I made it worse. I started unscrewing one of the neck pickup screws, the one in the middle (the one with a spring, I think). It didn't come out as easily as I thought, so I put it back in. Now the buzz is very pronounced, especially when I play the D string open or the same note on another string.
I put the guitar away and took out my trusty old guitar. I guess I'm going to have to take it somewhere.
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