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Buzz Feiton Tuning System
OK, I give...what is it? I found a quite uninformative marketing page linked to the McPherson site. I guess we can't live without the Buzz Feiton system, that's why we all have it.
Or not...:confused: |
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It is relatively inexpensive and quick to install it on an electric, and expensive and time consuming and somewhat invasive (as filling saddle slots and cutting new ones) on an acoustic. But, if techniques and devices are really better, I don't mind adding them to my arsenal. I've lived without the Feiton for 45+ years on my guitars - at least officially. As it turns out, many of the things patented with the system have been in use by luthiers and techs for many decades. I took some time, and borrowed and played some guitars with it, to see what it is all about. I gave them a pretty thorough workout, and it's ok. Yup, just ok. While a few of my upper neck inversions were a hair closer to in-tune, in the long run, I didn't find it necessary to have my guitars redone. You know, I've been bending note clusters into tune in the upper regions of the neck for so long, I don't even think about it as I do it...so it's not going on any of my guitars. And mmmaak, it involves adjusting both saddle and nut. The preceding is an unsolicited and non-paid personal opinion and expressed solely by the donor. |
I have had the Buzz system retro-fitted onto my Tak. Interestingly enough, the Tanglewood I just bought has BETTER intonation then my Tak and no Buzz system on it. Mind you, we discovered that Tak put some frets in wrong places according to the scale length formula. So basically my Tak is as good as it's going to get. It is MUCH better than it was.
I am VERY disappointed in the Buzz Feiten system because I feel like I was lied to. It won't make your guitar play perfectly in tune. No guitar plays perfectly in tune. (Well, there are a few photos of CRAZY, frets-all-over-the-place necks floating around, that MAY play perfectly in tune...if you can learn to play the guitar that way!) I believed the hype. "My guitar now plays in tune everywhere," some star said. No it doesn't. That's impossible. Especially since the buzz formula is based on offsets. Intonation at the 12th fret is purposefully sharp by so many cents here and so many there and flat here, etc., so that the guitar plays in tune BETTER. It's actually more out of tune everywhere, just to VERY small degrees so that everything sounds okay rather than it sounding awesome here and there and horrific everywhere else. Once you tune your guitar PERFECTLY according to the Buzz tuning method, C and Am will sound great. Standard A still sounds a hair funny and a standard G chord (with B string open) will still sound funny. I chased the mirage of the perfectly in tune guitar and got a mouth full of san.! After I accepted the fact that guitar is an imperfect instrument, I realized that my Tak was better...just not perfect. I would not have spent all the money I did, if I knew ahead of time what the results would be. NOTE* Many people don't hear these little differences in pitch. I hear them and they can drive me BATTY!! If your guitar sounds good to you...leave it alone and enjoy it!!! Quote:
A capo does not nullify the effect of the Buzz system. Since the intonation is set based on the nut AND the saddle, the new saddle settings effect the entire neck. I would never have the Buzz system installed on another acoustic guitar. It is expensive and invasive (it is WAY easier on electric instruments!!). I would buy a guitar with the system on it, but I would also buy guitars without it. My Tanglewood SHOCKED me. I couln't believe that this made in China guitar had better intonation and resonance than any other guitar I tried into the $2500 range. ...that's all I have to say about that.:D |
Not surprised...
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Interesting. Don't you love marketing? :mad: Agreed...some of those basic open chords often sound just a hair funny. That **** b string! ;) Tuners seem to minimize it. Tuning the b string to the 7th fret harmonic on the low E is often the beginning of a journey to a dark place. :eek: Thanks for the info. Sorry ol' Buzz was such a disappointment for you. jim |
It makes alot of differnce even using a capo its stays in tune every time i go to retune my McP its already in tune. I love it.
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However....if the compensation is achieved as a result of adjusting both ends (the nut and the saddle), wouldn't it be out-of-whack if the nut was "removed" from the equation by using a capo? After all, the original compensated saddle was designed to work with an uncompensated nut. The nut and saddle work together in the Buzz Feiten system, so when one "half" of that equation is missing.... Am I missing something here? |
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I think you understand it. However, luthiers have been advancing the nut slightly for years to compensate for the out-of-tune-ness (or to contribute to better in-tune-ness) of the first few frets. It doesn't seem to affect capo playing, and I can't tell you why. I used a capo on some of the Feitens I've played and it didn't radically throw anything out of whack. This would seem to indicate that it's not that radical a conversion or adjustment on the nut end of things. |
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At one point (prior to buzz) I actualy put a zero fret on my Tak. It wasn't permanent mind you. I simply got some fret wire, filed off the bottom part that goes int the fret slot, and put it right against the nut. Then I filed down the nut so that the zero fret was the contact. I figured, if buzz moves the nut forward...this may work. Well it did work to a degree. I got better intonation. Again, I wish I had tried a custom compensated nut first. Here's a link to a site that goes into depth about nut compensation (This link gets pretty technical http://www.mimf.com/nutcomp/). Eventually, I will buy nut files and just do this myself. I would make a nut from scratch, then compensate it. That way, if I wreck the new nut I still have the old one. Paul Baloche (worship leader) has the nuts on all of his guitars compensated...even his Mcpherson (I emailed him about it). |
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That's just nuts. They guy is just compensating for something. But, seriously, folks... It is very interesting that our beloved fretted friends can be so imperfect, and that they are such a wonderful melding of art, craft and tech. |
guys...go to earvana.com...I've got these on two of mine...electric and acoustic...this thing corrects all of your low fret intonation problems, without adding any problems to the upper frets.
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B String woes
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Hey I'm really wrestling with my Taylor 410e Ltd to get that B String in tune....I use a Korg foot tuner pedal gigging and of course tune by ear too - I'm a band teacher and I feel pretty confident in my tuning from all my saxophone training.....plus I have a few other guitars and this isn't an issue.... my dad had a Garrison and we sent it back because it was so out of whack tuning wise.....seemed like a similar saddle to my Taylor. I find I have to tune the B string a bit flat to get an A Chord to sound in tune....otherwise the B string (2nd fret producing a C#) is really sharp. I know for a major chord, the 3rd is actually supposed to be a little flat (darn equal tempered instruments) to sound perfect, but this C# is really sharp and sounds so icky. Might I have a unique situation or is this the status quo on taylors? |
Well....these things are never perfect as we all know...
But I really like the Sweetened tunings in my Peterson Strobe tuner....they just sound right-er....to use a technical term...;) Damian |
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Richard |
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