Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

Low D string buzz

@Michael_Mark It might have fallen flat on these folks here.
:neutral_face:

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Well if you want to start with music puns, I have a good Liszt.

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@Mike_R I think we may have struck a “chord” :grimacing::joy:

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First thing I would check is the nut action. I know what to look for on guitar, but I’d get some guidance elsewhere for banjo.

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This is one of those threads I know I’ll have to reference one day. Thanks for bringing your issue to the forum.

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This was my first thought as well. Twangers come with medium gauge strings on them. Putting on a set of lights really opens up the sound, but there’s the potential for buzz.

If it were me, I’d try to back off the truss rod tension just a tad to see if that helps. Remove the truss rod cover, then looking down the banjo neck from the head stock, give the truss rod nut 1/8th to 1/4 turn to the left to loosen it. If there’s any tension on the truss rod at all, this will put some relief back in the neck and allow it to slightly bow, which would theoretically move the buzzing fret(s) away from the open string.

If that doesn’t work, the next step is to raise the action a bit.

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Thanks @Mark_Rocka

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