My Saga & Conundrum...

[WeddingGuy]

I need some advice. I play a lot of duet gigs with my cello-playing wife. We do lots of (you guessed it) weddings as well as receptions & cocktail parties & such. We do a wide variety of styles. We play some straight-up classical as well as old jazz standards & various pop tunes that strike my fancy. I'm classically trained--as a bassist, not a guitarist. My guitar "chops" are self-taught.

I've been doing these gigs for a couple of years on a ES-equipped Taylor (steel string) that gets the job done. I've been hankering for that warmer, mellower nylon sound, however, and started looking for a high-ish end classical or crossover to play.

I bought a Cervantes crossover 1 in the Spring on the high recommendations of those on this forum. Great little guitar, but I was hearing a buzzing sound in the bridge area. After sending it back to the shop a couple of times and still hearing the buzz, I got a refund.

Then, I bought a Cernvantes from Dream Guitars. This one was used--a "millenium". It was beautiful, but a bit spendy and never "grabbed" me. So, after eating a bunch of $$ in shipping, I got a refund on that as well.

Back in the Summer, I visited a local shop run by an accomplished classical guitarist. I stayed for a couple of hours. He pulled out all of his classicals, from some lowball ($200-range)Takamines and Cordobas up to some very nice $1800-$2200 Ramirez models. The most expensive Ramirez sounded the best to my ears. However, the next-best sounding (to me) was a $450 Cordoba C7 (or was it G7?). Considering the sound & the cost, I decided to get it.

A week later, I started hearing a buzz in the bridge!!! I played it for a while, hoping it would go away. Took it to the shop, but the humidity had changed dramatically and it wasn't making the sound. My wife, the highly-trained 'cellist, doesn't hear the buzz. I took it back to the shop when it was really acting up again. The classical-guitar-playing owner can't hear any buzz. I take it to a local, very-reputable luthier. He can't hear the buzz. I spend $70 with him doing some little piddly things, hoping to get the buzz to go away. No dice. It's still buzzing.

Apparently, I'm the only one that can hear it!

So, what's going on? Has anybody had an experience like this? Am I too "heavy-handed" for a classical? I think that I play with a very light touch--and I play with a nail-flesh combination--but my technique is decidedly "non classical guitarist". Rather, it's more "fingerstylist".

I'm afraid that, if I spend the $$ to get a nice pickup put in this ax, that it'll amplify the buzz that I hear and I'll end up in an asylum hearing a constant buzz that nobody else can hear....

What do y'all think?

[marioed]

Buzzing is an odd phenomenon, it can sound like source of the buzz is in one place like the bridge when it is actually somewhere else. Since you've had it checked out by a good luthier I'd say you could probably eliminate the neck relief or frets as the source. It's possible the action is too low for your technique. You might try shimming the saddle to see if that eliminates the buzz. Another thing you could consider is whether the string spacing is too tight for your left hand. I find it much easier to play cleanly when the nut is 52 mm or wider. Best of luck with your search.
Regards,
Ed

[Brent Hutto]

Are you saying your wife can't hear it buzz at the same moment that you are hearing the buzz?

An intermittent buzz that you can't reproduce is infuriating. But if you hear it at the same time she does not, it's probably something other than a buzz in the first place.

[bluesman3]

I had a problem with a buzz I could not find for a short while. It was intermittent. Took me about 20 minutes to finally track it down to the cuff button on my shirt. It would just barely touch the guitar top and buzz just like a bridge buzz. I now play with the right sleeve rolled up. May be your buzz is something on your clothes.

[silverfox103]

I don't think the problem is the guitar(s).

Tom C.

[WeddingGuy]

Thanks for the replies.

I think that the nut is 50 mm. No, it isn't a lack-of-finger-pressure sort of buzz. It's very fine. Sounds like the tail end of the string is buzzing softly against the bridge or something--but that isn't it. Or maybe a loose or cracked brace, but my luthier said no.

I've played with all manner of clothing & such--I don't think it's the duds.

If my wife sits 5-10 feet directly in front of me, she cannot hear the buzz and at the same time I can. On occasion, she's humored me and placed her head right about where mine is while I'm playing. I think she can hear a little something--but maybe she's just humoring me:-)

I'm willing to concede that I may have some ear problem--I might be making a new discovery about my hearing. Hey, I'm going to turn 43 soon. But, if so, why wouldn't this manifest itself in any other area of my life? Why wouldn't I hear something when I play steel strings?

If I hear the men in white coats knocking on my door--I'll know that either a) someone here has ratted on me; or b) I'm making up the knocking sound, too!

[guto]

Well, it may be some of the harmonics in the classical's sound spectrum that you identify as a buzz, but in fact it isn't.
I really dont know what else could be, as all 3 guitars had the same "problem" and no one else could hear it.

All notes have that buzz or just some specific ones? Or specific strings, maybe?

[royd]

I had an intermittent buzz problem with a nylon string once and my repair guy did hear it too... but we never figured out what it was - he looked at everything - and it seemed away...

I wonder if it might have been the end of the strings, touching the top behind the bridge vibrating against the top when certain notes were played or under certain circumstances? The other piece is that the guitar was so sensitive and so alive that maybe that was just a part of the deal...

good luck

[Tommy]

1) Is it a particular string? Nylon? Or wound?
2) Does it buzz when played fretted? When played open? Both? Some frets or all?
3) Have you checked the nut? Lubricate the slots in the nut with graphite. (rub a pencil in the slots, Ask the Luthier/seller to widen out the nut slots.
4) Cut the excess strings at the bridge so they don't touch the guitar top.
5) Raise the action with a shim.
6) If it all fails, think about dumping the guitar.
7) Take a look at the nut on an M. Rodriguez guitar.

tommaso/