Hi "Mekidsmom". Well I sanded down the nut on my guitar this morning and, of course, sanded it too far!! I've now padded it out a bit and it's fine. I used my friends Takamine guitar as a guide for string height and now it is exactly the same as his. The difference is very noticeable now and it's much easier to play. I can now concentrate on my finger positions as it is so much more relaxing to play and any fretbuzz that I was experiencing is greatly diminished. It's still a bit buzzy on barre chords but that is just me, still struggling with those but all in all, I'm very happy with it now. So good luck with your sanding, I'm sure once you get it right it will make all the difference as it did mine. Nice videos on your website. Good luck, Bill.
1 2011-07-23 05:18:23
Re: FRETBUZZ when lifting fingers off strings (24 replies, posted in Acoustic)
2 2011-07-21 14:00:50
Re: FRETBUZZ when lifting fingers off strings (24 replies, posted in Acoustic)
As a postscript to my problem, I have been playing my friends Takamine guitar and noticed straight away the the nut was lower than my LAG guitar. This, I found, made it much easier to play. Consequently, I found I was able to concentrate more on my finger positions when playing chords, rather than anticipating any fretbuzz. This relaxed me more and I found the fretbuzz was not an issue. So, in summing up, I will need to adjust the nut on my guitar and make sure the action is right for my comfort. I never realised that there are so many variables to being able to play a guitar and what a difference string height can make. Thanks again for all your input and help. Bill.
3 2011-07-14 04:47:39
Re: FRETBUZZ when lifting fingers off strings (24 replies, posted in Acoustic)
Hi again. Yes Zurf, it does make it better when I put my finger right next to the fret, it doesn't eliminate it entirely though. I am tending to mute certain chords with the palm of my right hand just before I lift my fingers off, this obviously will stop the buzzing, it works but it's not always desirable. I don't own a capo so have never tried playing the guitar with one on. It could be worth giving that a try. The frets are all very smooth, the guitar isn't that old and I tend to really look after it so there are no obvious signs of wear on the frets. With all the good advice that has been given to me, the thing that is starting to make the most sense is the humidity factor. As I mentioned before, we are experiencing very cool and dry conditions in Brisbane at the moment. Brisbane is famous for it's high humidity (similar to Florida) in the summer months. This problem does seem to have occurred at the onset of our winter. I have recently restrung the guitar thinking that this might help. The strings are Elixir polyweb custom light (.011-.052). Are any guitar strings more susceptible to buzzing than others? Sorry Guitar Pix. I hope I'm not causing you any sleepless nights! I do appreciate yours and everyone else's help and advice.
Thanks to all, Bill.
4 2011-07-13 10:46:01
Re: FRETBUZZ when lifting fingers off strings (24 replies, posted in Acoustic)
Thanks for your replies. I have actually played a friends guitar, a Takamine. It seemed much easier to play than mine and the action seemed slightly lower than mine. I didn't experience the same buzz, although I only played it for a short while. It felt like my LAG felt when I first bought it, nice and easy to play. I am willing to admit though that my technique could be adding to the problem. I have only small hands and I started playing my guitar quite late in life, well very late in life (at 56!!).
Mekidsmom, it seems like you are having similar problems to me. It's quite frustrating isn't it. I just want to practice and the buzzing is a sort of side issue that stops any enjoyment. I guess I'll concentrate on my electric guitar till the more humid summer months and see if that makes a difference. Enjoy your visit to the Martin factory, sounds very interesting, don't forget to take your credit card!! Bill.
5 2011-07-13 02:24:20
Re: FRETBUZZ when lifting fingers off strings (24 replies, posted in Acoustic)
The neck has a very small relief which seems ok. All the frets seem nice and level with no obvious problems there. I might not be explaining my situation very well. The buzzing doesn't occur on any open string but occurs on the fret that I am playing only, as I lift my finger off I get a buzz only on that particular fret as I release the pressure on the string. I quite agree with zguitar that it might be a playing thing, I can accept that. It's just that when I first played the guitar it had none of these problems and was very forgiving. Now I have to be absolutely precise in my playing and play a chord/note right on the fret to minimise the buzzing. It makes it quite nerve-racking to play rather than nice and relaxing as it used to be. The strange thing is, I used to play a yamaha and that was fine at first but then developed the same problem as this one. I sold that and bought my LAG which I loved. It was as different as chalk and cheese to playing my Yamaha. Maybe the answer lies there somewhere. Thanks again.
Bill.
6 2011-07-12 11:13:05
Re: FRETBUZZ when lifting fingers off strings (24 replies, posted in Acoustic)
Hi Mekidsmom,
Does the string buzz when you play a note? The strings on my guitar are ok when I strum a chord or play a note. It's when I actually lift my finger off the frets that I get the buzz. The strings are really vibrate on the fret as I lift my finger off, even if I lift my fingers off very quickly, there is still a slight buzz as the string vibrates. Hope all this makes sense.
Bill.
7 2011-07-12 10:59:57
Re: FRETBUZZ when lifting fingers off strings (24 replies, posted in Acoustic)
The most affected string seems to be the b string but the e and g strings are quite bad. The buzzing seems to affect the open g more than any other chord. The buzzing occurs on all notes along the neck. I live in Brisbane (Australia) and we have been experiencing unusually cold and dry conditions so I would say, yes the guitar has definitely been exposed to temp and humidity changes in the last couple of months. Could this make a difference as it is normally very humid in the summer months. All the frets are quite secure. I could try loosening the truss rod but then the frets will become higher and more difficult for me to play. I don't think this will make a difference as the frets were buzzing before I had tightened the truss rod. Maybe I should wait until the summer to see if it is any better! As far as isolating the buzz is concerned, the buzzing occurs pretty much anywhere on the neck, unless a absolutely spot on with my playing and I lift my fingers off the fret very quickly.
Thanks for all your help, I really appreciate it.
Bill.
8 2011-07-11 11:07:35
Topic: FRETBUZZ when lifting fingers off strings (24 replies, posted in Acoustic)
I have had my LAG 4S100DCE acoustic guitar for about 18 months. When I first purchased it, it had a fairly low action and was quite easy to play. Recently, the action has become higher and I have been experiencing horrible fret buzz, not when I strum a chord, but when I lift my fingers off the chord to play another. Where originally the guitar was quite forgiving and nice and easy to play, now, if you don't put your fingers precisely at the end of the fret, the buzzing occurs. For instance if my fingers are in the middle of the fret. I have tightened the truss rod and also have sanded the saddle to lower the action. The playability is better but the buzzing (when lifting fingers off the strings) is awful. There is no buzzing on playing the actual chord so the action doesn't seem too low. I can't quite understand how a guitar can be a joy to play and then change so dramatically. I also don't understand why I would need to lower the saddle when it was ok to begin with. What would have happened to my guitar to make this necessary. I am very careful with the guitar and only play it at home. I consider myself quite a novice really and am still struggling with barre chords, especially on my acoustic (not quite so bad on electric). Can anybody give me advice on how to get rid of this buzzing? Has anybody else experienced the same problem and rectified it? I would really appreciate any help on this matter.
Thanks in anticipation.
Bill Green.
9 2011-04-01 02:59:01
Re: barre chords (11 replies, posted in Acoustic)
Blimey! I never expected such a great response. Thanks so much everyone for your great advice. I have found the holding the guitar in the classical position helps and also barre chords are easier the further up the neck I go (a barred F chord is virtually impossible). My action seems ok, in fact I have lowered it as much as it can go, any more and it will start to buzz. I am using lighter strings now but the sound of the guitar (VAG) is not as good as with heavier gauge strings so I may go back to the slightly heavier gauge. I will definitely try all the the positions and exercises so thanks again for taking the time to respond to my question. Much appreciated. Bill.
10 2011-03-30 09:51:53
Topic: barre chords (11 replies, posted in Acoustic)
Hello. I took up the guitar at age 55! I have been playing for nearly 4 years and am still having trouble with barre chords. My hands and fingers are quite small and it seems I don't have very flexible wrists as they can get quite achy after trying to play barre chords. It just doesn't come naturally to me at all. I even still have trouble playing a b minor chord just using the top 4 strings. My fingers do not want to get into this position. Am I too old and my joints too inflexible? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.