Buzz commig fromt the bridge

[pmike]

Although I've been setting up floyds for 15 years, I'm quite new to setup of fixed bridges. The problem is I'm having a buzz-sound coming from the bridge of my Les Paul, mostly from the D G en B string, fretted and not-fretted.

I have lowered the bridge as it came with very high action and I lowered the tailpiece as well up the point the high and low E just don't touch the back ridge of the bridge to obtain a bridge-tail angle as big as possible.

What are possible sources of bridge buzz ? Never had that problem on floyds.

 

[zeppelin101]

It happened on my epi. It could be a loose saddle. I ended up replacing my bridge.

 

[pmike]

I initially thought it would be some kind of play between the saddle and the screw wire or something, but I wouldn't think that would happen on an instrument of that price/class.

 

[Hogman49]

It happened on my R9. Like a ringing type buzz on my G string down by the bridge. Turned out to be a loose saddle. I re-adjusted it when doing a setup on the guitar, made sure the screw put enough pressure to keep it from moving, and it's gone. The saddle was actually rattling. Didn't come through the amp, but it was annoying as hell. I've had this happen on other guitars, and it went away when I changed the strings, luckily. Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[MesaBoogie]

Could be a badly fitted slot or the retainer wire (there is one for each saddle) that rattles.

If it is the saddle that's loose, how can you fix it? (it happens on my guitar as well :-/).

Grtz,

Mesa.

 

[starjag]

It happened on my epi. It could be a loose saddle. I ended up replacing my bridge.

Yes, sometimes this is the only alternative. Regardless of the price of the guitar, some bridges are just not up to spec.

 

[pmike]

Yes, sometimes this is the only alternative. Regardless of the price of the guitar, some bridges are just not up to spec.

phew... I wouldn't expect that in this price range really. This is the most expensive instrument I've aver bought and never got this kind of stock-parts problems on any of my other les expensive guitars.

Every saddle screw has a C-shape retainer on the tailpiece side of the saddle cavity and seem to be fixed right. I guess I'm gonna try to dismount and remount the string to see if that does anything.

Wouldn't be changing the screws and saddles enough if the above doesn't help ? grap tech stuff or something like that?

 

[Lemonhead]

Turned out to be a loose saddle. I re-adjusted it when doing a setup on the guitar, made sure the screw put enough pressure to keep it from moving, and it's gone. The saddle was actually rattling. Didn't come through the amp, but it was annoying as hell.

Sometimes just moving the screw back and forth a bit will snug things up, and sometimes the adjusting screw and the threads in the saddle are not a perfect match due to machining/plating. Also, try a dab of clear nail polish on the screws/saddles after intonation is set. It will keep things in place.

 

[Satch0922]

Easy fix. Get one of these and be done with it. They are awesome.

Faber ABR-'59 Bridge

http://cvgshop.com/Faber-Parts-ABR-....html?osCsid=1fa9fefce26b40ed3eaf94d150e9d7ae

 

[imsilly]

If you have setup the bridge with the corrent break angle and the saddles aren't vibrating it is the nut.

People always ignore the nut, get a file to it and fix the break angle from the nut to the tuners.

Simple.

 

[pmike]

The nut can cause fret buzz at the bridge ???

Thanks for the links Satch0922. Do you have the brass ones ?

 

[vladmaximus]

Easy fix. Get one of these and be done with it. They are awesome.

Faber ABR-'59 Bridge

Faber ABR-59 (For Nashville/4MM posts) CV Guitars, LLC

Wow..Beautiful...ROCK ON!!!

 

[guitarfish]

OP, did you ever get this figured out?

 

[Satch0922]

The nut can cause fret buzz at the bridge ???

Thanks for the links Satch0922. Do you have the brass ones ?

Yes brass

 

[Neodustin]

Faber is overrated and way over-priced.

I'm not saying this to start a flame-war (hell, some people love their parts). But in my experience the Faber '59 bridge rattled and buzzed more than a rusty Folgers can full of black nickels. Faber's bridge needs to go back to the drawing board in my opinion.

 

[Satch0922]

Faber is overrated and way over-priced.

I'm not saying this to start a flame-war (hell, some people love their parts). But in my experience the Faber '59 bridge rattled and buzzed more than a rusty Folgers can full of black nickels. Faber's bridge needs to go back to the drawing board in my opinion.

$54 for a bridge is "over-priced"? Well, ok.

BTW, the Faber bridge I mentioned above is on my 95 LP Standard. It does not rattle whatsoever. Built very well and fits a nashville guitar perfectly.

As far as the Faber ABR for for historics/ABR equipped guitars, I couldn't comment.

 

[imsilly]

The nut can cause fret buzz at the bridge ???

Well because the string is the piece of the guitar that usually vibrates the most, the faulty nut can lead to "sitar" like vibrations that can very well be transferred to the bridge along it. Some guitars are just "Dead" sounding and won't pick up on subtle defects in setup. On the other hand some guitars seem to exaggerate every little vibration occuring it and transfer it around.

My general opinion is that the design of most guitars allows for the transferal of all kinds of vibrations to other parts of the guitar. I literally had a loose screw in the trussrod cover of a guitar and it could be heard when playing through an amp. It sounding like the action had been set too low and a string was catching a fret and I spent ages trying to figure out where the noise was coming from. Eventually I just completely re-setup the guitar and as I adjusted the trussrod I inadvertantly tightened the screw in it's cover and the noise disappeared. It was an incredibly resonant guitar, but who would have thought a vibrating piece so far away from any pickup or string would make an audible noise? They simply resonate through out the guitar appearing at random almost.

My Les Paul had a heavily buzzing, over fuzzy, harmonic, microphonic, sitary sounding e string. Had to get the break angle right at both the nut and bridge to get rid of it. Even the notoriously buzzy sounding bridge design on my old Fender Jaguar disappeared when the thing had properly fitting nut. They even have a after market mode for creating greater break angles for the things.

Sometimes a certain component like the bridge might just suck, but most often the setup of the guitar is probably at fault.

 

[BCRGreg]

Make sure that the slot filed into the top of the saddle is cut at an angle back towards the tailpiece, not flat. ALSO, make sure that the slot is wide enough for the string. Factory slots are usually too thin, and cause the string to pinch on the windings, leading to problems.

 

[pmike]

Thanks for all the input! good lessons in fixed bridge situation

I'm gonna restring the guitarn have a check at the saddles cuts.

A thing I hate about this stock nut is that when you tighten a string... you get a "twang " sound and your suddenly too sharp, like the nut cuts are too tight or something.

I say a nice custom file trick on one of Dan Erlewine'd setup video's where a piece of the same string is gleud to a stand used as a file, for wired string that is.

 

[pmike]

Reviving this thread unfortunately... Dheesh, 5 years later. Still having the same trouble. :/ which is why I don't play this cool guitar. So what I did:
- had a luthier install a new nut, decently filed.
- guitar had a complete frett dress.
- original bridge saddles were fixed with a drop of clearcoat.
- still bridge buzz.
- changed the bridge to a Tonespro.
- still buzz, clearly around the bridge zone. When I play 12th fret G, it is ridiculous, it is not fret buzz.

I'm about to pull my hair out with this guitar.... :/ only thing I didn't try is wrap the strings around the tailpiece the other way round...

Any other ideas? Thx!