Maintenance Question D-18

[aaronwinter]

Hello all,

I'm sure this question has been asked frequently but here goes. This issue came on suddenly and I'm trying to get to the bottom of it. Guitar in question is a 2017 D18. I got some hella fret buzz happening on the d and g stings when I'm strumming vigorously or doing runs. It's never happened before on this guitar. It seems to be buzzing at the frets and it almost sounds like a sitar. Nothing has changed except the weather here in MN. It goes straight from winter to summer in the blink of an eye. I've kept it humidified all winter long and with no problems. Hygrometer says 42% in the room it stays in and that's with the AC on. Would you chock it up to the rapid change in humidity and climate we see in Minnesota? Outdoors right now it's 80% humidity.

Thanks,

Aaron

[Vinnie Boombatz]

I'd check the nut slots and neck relief.

You live in Minnesota, and my guess is it can get REALLY dry there in the winters and more humid in the summers. Just like that door that always sticks when it's humid out, then closes without any effort when it's drier outside, your guitars can act the same way. Humidity changes over several months can mess with your guitar. 42% is approaching the low end of where you want the humidity to be, and AC can also rob a room of moisture, and even the humidity in the room can vary a bit and that hygrometer may be spot on, may be inaccurate, or the humidity may vary in the room, so move the hygrometer around to different spots in the room to see, and obviously don't keep the guitar right next to the AC or any heat source. With all that said, acoustic guitars aren't Faberge eggs, and are pretty resilient and your guitar may just need a simple truss rod tweak.

I'm lucky enough to live in a place where the relative humidity is almost always around 50% give or take, which is kind of ideal for acoustic guitars, but still keep my guitars in the case with a Boveda humidipack at the headstock and sound hole. When I lived in Colorado my guitars seemed to go out of whack way more than anywhere else I've lived due to the extremely dry winters. The lack of humidity is so bad there you really have to moisturize right after a shower or your skin will get ridiculously dry.

[DenverSteve]

Time for a good set up. Humidity and other factors change.

[Mr. Jelly]

The first guess off the top of my head is that the truss rod needs adjusted. I've had guitars that needed the truss rod adjusted every spring and fall because of humidity levels etc. All they needed was a little turn and all was good again.

[bluesfreek]

How old are the strings? Does it happen with a brand new set of strings?

[Dreadfulnaught]

If it is buzzing two strings, could be a fret has lifted. This happened to my D-28 after a trip to the Bahamas. Extreme change in temp and humidity can do it. Get someone to check with a fret rocker (metal triangular thingy that spans three frets). If it rocks, they can tap the offending fret back down and you’re good to go.

[cmd612]

Originally Posted by aaronwinter

I've kept it humidified all winter long and with no problems. Hygrometer says 42% in the room it stays in and that's with the AC on. Would you chock it up to the rapid change in humidity and climate we see in Minnesota?

What humidity level did you keep the guitar at over the winter? I'm not sure how the current 42% humidity would cause buzzing unless you kept the RH higher over the winter, and now it's drying out.

[3notes]

I've had the same issue only with the G string. I've managed it very well with the trussrod and it's really a non-issue.

I have no doubt you can manage this. Call your dealer. Check out "trusssrod adjustment" on YouTube.

Yes, maybe your guitar needs a set-up but I would start with the trussrod. Minor adjustment. Refer to the manual or call your dealer to be sure of which way to turn the rod. In my case it would be counter-clockwise.

[bufflehead]

Originally Posted by 3notes

Yes, maybe your guitar needs a set-up but I would start with the trussrod. Minor adjustment. Refer to the manual or call your dealer to be sure of which way to turn the rod. In my case it would be counter-clockwise.

I agree with 3notes. Try a small trussrod adjustment first. You may not need more than a quarter turn. If that doesn't work, take the guitar to a luthier.

[aaronwinter]

I just tweaked the truss rod slightly. Gonna let it settle for a while and check again later. The first thing I've noticed so far is the action at the 12th fret is at 7/64ths not. That's a little on the high side for me personally. I'll check in later. I should also mention that I use medium strings.

[RustyAxe]

I'm thinking a high fret (for whatever reason) . Easy to diagnose, and a cinch to fix. Yes, action can change with the seasons, but the relief of the neck is usually pretty darned stable. IMO, truss rod adjustments for seasonal changes are often the wrong answer to the wrong problem.

[3notes]

Originally Posted by RustyAxe

I'm thinking a high fret (for whatever reason) . Easy to diagnose, and a cinch to fix. Yes, action can change with the seasons, but the relief of the neck is usually pretty darned stable. IMO, truss rod adjustments for seasonal changes are often the wrong answer to the wrong problem.

Can you give us some details.?? Easy/Cinch... Explain please.

And why is a simple trussrod adjustment the wrong adjustment.

Fill us in. I haven't learned anything today, yet.

We can learn from you....

[RustyAxe]

Originally Posted by 3notes

Can you give us some details.?? Easy/Cinch... Explain please.

And why is a simple trussrod adjustment the wrong adjustment.

Fill us in. I haven't learned anything today, yet.

We can learn from you....

.................

[Vinnie Boombatz]

People suggesting high frets, etc., let's not put the carriage before the horse here. Start simple, and start with the basics as far as neck relief. That's one of the most frequent things to go out of whack, especially in a climate where there are pretty big temp and humidity changes. Most likely the OP's issue could have easily been resolved by now.

A proper truss rod wrench and some feeler gauges (if you're experienced you don't necessarily need the feeler gauges) will give you a good idea of where you're at. Based on what those results yield, I'd then start looking at other potential issues, but start with the easiest things first.

After you check the relief and get it where it needs to be, THEN check the action. If the relief is now correct and the action is high you need to sand the saddle to lower the action. After that you check the nut slots. That's a basic setup. If you're still having buzzing you should check for high frets, a hump in the neck, etc. Those are fairly uncommon with a fairly new Martin, but not impossible. My guess is a simple, basic setup will most likely get youre guitar back to where you liked it before.

[aaronwinter]

The problem is resolved. I gave it a little extra humidity for a few days then a little more neck relief. I even put a set of lights on it now and fun to play again. Thanks guys.

Aaron