This has happened on both my mandos. All the other strings sound perfect. Any suggestions?
G Buzz since changing my mandolin strings
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Any chance the new strings are a lighter gauge?
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I went from D’Addario Flatwound Stainless Steel Medium (11,15,26,36) to a D’Addario Nickel Bronze Medium (11.5,16,26,40) I don’t have a grasp on what the differences are.
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Hhmmmm, that G string is quite a bit heavier. I would have expected it if it were a lighter gauge.
Do you still get the buzz if you fret the G string, or is it only when it’s played open?
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Most noticeably open, less so by the 5th fret, altho I hear it.
I was wondering if the strings need to stretch more, maybe tune them higher, then down again to pitch? I’m grasping at straws, I really have no idea…
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Stretching the strings is always a good idea. I usually manually stretch them until doing so results in no noticeable difference in tuning.
I’m not sure that will resolve the issue, though. It could be that the new string is too big for the slot on the bridge, but that’s just a guess. Do you have an adjustable bridge? If so, could it have been accidentally lowered when you replaced the strings? Maybe try raising the action a tad to see if that helps.
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Strings fit in the slot without any problem. Bridge is not adjustable. Looks like adjusting the action requires a special tool. Guess I’ll call my instrument guy to see if it can be a quick fix. Thanks for throwing out some good suggestions.
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There’s a possibility that the buzz is normal for a bronze wound string. It’s similar to how new guitar strings sound, but it’s slightly more harsh on mandolin
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Flatwound strings are naturally a little heavier than round wound strings of the same gauge (because flatwound strings do not have space inherent in the windings). So it is possible that the flatwound strings have a higher tension than the roundwound strings. Since the buzzing is from the open string up to about the 5th fret, my guess is that you need to loosen the truss rod very slightly. If you are comfortable with this adjustment, loosen the truss rod an 1/8th of a turn and check out the results. If that works, you can then tighten the rod a 16th of a turn to see if it still does not buzz. If it doesn’t buzz, you are probably goo to go. If it does buzz, try loosening it back a 1/16th of a turn. Such minor adjustments should not cause any problems HOWEVER, never turn a truss rod that is difficult to turn or seems STUCK. I’ve seen too many broken truss rods from such mistakes.
One final consideration, it is getting cold and the air outside is getting quite dry. It is normal for your action to change during such weather changes. Make sure you are keeping your mando properly humidified.
Take care,
Mike
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Good thoughts Doc. I suspect it could be the cold, dry air. One other note on truss rod adjustments… they sometimes take a little time to settle in. If you get the buzz gone by loosening, you may be able to flatten it back out a bit more a day later.
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Hmmm. Now that you mention it, I attended a festival a couple days after changing the strings. I didn’t notice it until I came home. Arid Arizona even if it was only in the 80s during the day can still wreak havoc. I’m not comfortable to mess with my truss rod, so will take it to my fix-it guy. Thanks for the input!
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