high E string sitar sound

jjgms · #1 06-10-2010, 05:58 AM

long time lurker, first time poster. I decided to have the action on my Tacoma Parlor raised, so I took it to my local luthier who put a higher new bone saddle on it . It sounded fine, but for me, the action still not high enough. I guess I play "aggressive" fingerstyle. So I decided to remove the nut and shim it with a piece of credit card superglued to the bottom of the original nut, and replaced it. Now the action is just where I like it, but I'm getting a weird sitar sound echo on esp. the high e string and a little bit on the b string. The rest of the strings are great. I can play hard without buzz, but that e string is terrible. Any help on fixing this would be appreciated. BTW, I'd like to try to fix this myself, since the local guy takes toooo long to get around to fixing things. Thanks

Bob1131 · #2 06-10-2010, 06:53 AM

Does the buzz (sitar sound) occur on all notes played on the high E string, or only when played open?

If it occurs on all notes and you have already eliminated fret noise as a source, then there are two possibilities that come to my mind: 1) the break contour over the saddle is too shallow on the fret board side, or 2) the string ball is not seated securely against the peg. If the sound occurs only when the string is played open, then the source is likely at the nut slot. Due to raised action, the string may not be laying flat in the slot, thus buzzing at the fret board side of the slot.

One other possibility is that your strings are chiming between the nut and tuner posts. This can occur especially when stringing with a heavier gauge than what the nut is slotted for. A piece of felt woven through the strings will mute it, or widen the nut slots to eliminate the pinching of the string.

If none of the above are the source, then you will have to do some systematic testing and analysis to determine the buzz location.

jjgms · #3 06-10-2010, 08:14 AM

Thanks Bob1131 for the very prompt reply. The noise only occurs when played open, so probably due to the nut.
I have no idea about break contor at the bridge (?) but I'll research it.
Also, I used the same nut and strings, so, I guess, the string to nut contact should be the same. Meaning, that it didnt sound like this before I raised the nut.
I'd like to keep the action this high, but I dont know if I should buy a new precut Tusq nut and try again, or try something else with my present setup.

Bob1131 · #4 06-10-2010, 07:52 PM

What I mean by saddle contour, is the shape of the top. If it is rounded slightly, the string will rest on the apex of the round and can buzz slightly against the lower part of the curve when the string is plucked hard...it's weird, but I have had it happen.

Since the noise is occurring only on an open string, the odds are that the buzz is from the nut. Carefully clean out the groove with a folded piece of very fine sand paper (400 grit) to knock down any high spots or nicks and restring with new strings. Be careful not to sand the groove deeper...just a couple of strokes to clean out gunk and debris. That should resolve the issue unless something else is going on, at which point I would recommend taking it to a qualified tech that has the right skills and tools.

Good luck!

jjgms · #5 06-12-2010, 04:33 AM

I looked again at the nut and the e and b strings are completely embedded 1/2 into the nut. I guess that this is the problem(?). Other sites that I've found indicate that the strings should sit halfway ontop[I] of the nut. Anyway, I've ordered a new precut Tusq nut (I'd rather have bone but I cant cut the grooves) and we'll see how that goes. Thanks for the help. I'll let you know if this helps.