Help! Majesty: Resonance/fret buzz (?) when playing same notes on different strings

[JJBC]

Hi everyone

I have a fairly new EBMM Majesty 2020. Previously I had a small issue with it (http://forums.ernieball.com/ernie-b...jesty-2020-spring-noise-using-whammy-bar.html). After taking the guitar to the shop the issue was (almost completely) solved by grinding the nut (apparently it was not deep enough). Now when I come home and play a new issue appears. When playing 3 different notes on different strings they seem to resonate with the bridge causing a kind of buzz, I do not think that the action is the issue since it is only addressed to these notes on different strings, see video here:

I appreciate your help deeply

 

[DrKev]

If the resonance only occurs on those notes, my first thought is that something on the bass is loose and vibrating. Check all screws everywhere.

 

[JJBC]

If the resonance only occurs on those notes, my first thought is that something on the bass is loose and vibrating. Check all screws everywhere.

Hi! Something on the bass? What do you mean?

 

[DrKev]

SORRY! I was sitting with a bass guitar on my lap when I typed that reply.

Something on the GUITAR is loose and vibrating.

 

[xjbebop]

He meant bridge.... possibly an adjustment screw that's barely making contact can behave like that...

 

[JJBC]

He meant bridge.... possibly an adjustment screw that's barely making contact can behave like that...

Hi

Do you mean the screws on the back that are attached to the springs?

 

[JJBC]

SORRY! I was sitting with a bass guitar on my lap when I typed that reply.

Something on the GUITAR is loose and vibrating.

Thank you, I don't get what could be loose.. can the saddles on the bridge be loose? The screws attached to the springs on the back?

I have noticed now that the resonance is not always present. If I haven't played in some minutes/hours everything is fine, the resonance comes if I repeatedly play the notes that cause the resonance, it is like an activation for the resonance...

 

[l1nk3]

Is the buzz happening at the fret or at the bridge? I have issues with ringing at bridge with specific notes, which I assumed was just part of the guitar considering how low the action is but if it's something that's fixable I'd love to know!

For me, it doesn't really affect playability/tone because the buzz does not come through the pickups (although it may come through the piezo.. although I haven't used that in a while) so I don't pay much attention to it

 

[JJBC]

Is the buzz happening at the fret or at the bridge? I have issues with ringing at bridge with specific notes, which I assumed was just part of the guitar considering how low the action is but if it's something that's fixable I'd love to know!

For me, it doesn't really affect playability/tone because the buzz does not come through the pickups (although it may come through the piezo.. although I haven't used that in a while) so I don't pay much attention to it

The buzz is at the bridge so it's not fret buzz. I took the guitar to the shop today and what they did was tighten the tremolo arm and put like a piece of sponge under the springs. When I played the guitar in the store the problem was gone, however, it came back when playing again at home so that was not the right solution. My buzz doesn't come through the amp which is good but the buzz bothers me because I still hear it from the guitar when playing with the amp if the volume is not high (as I usually play) and many times I even play without the amp. I should check if it comes from the piezo...

 

[thejone]

Had this issue on several of my guitars from different brands. Usually, you should find the problem by hitting the h-string with your right hand(this should trigger the buzz) and lay a finger of your left hand on different parts of the guitar, e.g. different saddles and also the tuners. It might be the ring from the tuners for example or one of the saddles. Good luck! Regards, J

 

[JJBC]

Had this issue on several of my guitars from different brands. Usually, you should find the problem by hitting the h-string with your right hand(this should trigger the buzz) and lay a finger of your left hand on different parts of the guitar, e.g. different saddles and also the tuners. It might be the ring from the tuners for example or one of the saddles. Good luck! Regards, J

Hi!

Thank you so much for your answer. Could you please be a bit more specific? I'm not that good at following instructions. You mean I should hit the B-string (open string) and lay one of my fingers on the saddles (bridge or nut?) and tuners (headstock right?)

What should I feel? Vibration? I don't really get how I would understand that the problem is there.

Let's say that palm muting one of the saddles on the bridge solves the problem, there is no way of tightening that specific saddle right? The only thing I can do is adjust its height. What would be the solution for the tuner?

Thank you so much

 

[xjbebop]

If you're getting a buzz from the guitar when you play a certain note (tone - hertz), even on different strings at different locations on the neck, then that particular note/tone/hertz is creating a resonant freq. (as you said in the beginning).
That 'note' is causing something to vibrate in the instrument because it is not tight enough.
Hit that note and then start pressing on anything on the guitar that could possibly be the culprit, when the buzzing stops, you've found the source.
The worst case scenario (which I have seen...) is if it's the truss rod...
Highly unlikely though...

 

[tbonesullivan]

Since this is new, take it back to the shop that looked at it and have them diagnose it. Could be a saddle height adjustment screw that isn't making contact with the bridge plate. Could be a loose bridge cover screw. There's a lot of things that can cause sympathetic vibrations.

 

[JJBC]

Since this is new, take it back to the shop that looked at it and have them diagnose it. Could be a saddle height adjustment screw that isn't making contact with the bridge plate. Could be a loose bridge cover screw. There's a lot of things that can cause sympathetic vibrations.

Hi!

Thanks for your reply

Curious that you mention the saddle height. Before I got this issue I noticed that the high E-saddle wasn't leveled but a bit inclined. When I leveled the saddle I started having this issue but on the same day the nut was grinded a bit to correct another issue that the guitar had so I don't know if the saddle adjustment, or the grinding of the nut or maybe both factors have caused the new issue. I took the Allen key and applied pressure onto the saddles when playing one of the resonating notes but it didn't help. As I said before, if I haven't played in a while and I play this notes no resonance happens, I need to play those notes for several seconds/minutes to "activate" the resonance issue.

Do you think that the saddle is causing the resonance? I took it to the shop yesterday and the only thing they did was tighten the tremolo arm and put some rubber behind the strings, when I got home the problem was gone but as said after playing the notes for a while the resonance was activated...

 

[thejone]

Hi!
What I meant is that you just have to provoke the resonance with only one hand. This might be the open h-string but you have to find out. If you are hearing the buzz than you should touch all the possible culprit structures on the guitar. If you touch something and the buzz is gone you have found the culprit. As said before by other users there may be many possibilities to fix the problem. E.g. if it is one of the saddles the reason for buzz might be that one of the two saddles screws is barely touching the ground plate. This can cause buzz. Just a few turns of that screw might solve the problem. But lets talk about solving the problem when we found the resonating structure. Good luck! Regards, J