Bee in My Guitar ?

Just a simple question...maybe a dumb one. I just signed up and before starting the fundamental course had my 15 y/o acoustic set-up/new strings too. I noticed the 4-6 strings have a little buzz to them when played open. It's not a clear note, like strings 1-3 have. It's kind of irritating...sounds like a bee is in my guitar. Is this normal, for just having the strings changed? What do you think is causing this? They are 10 g. coated steel.
Thanks.

Not normal, assuming you are in standard tuning. Especially not on open strings. Odd that you mentioned it was set up though. Was it buzzing before you had it set up? Also, who did the set up?

Could be a bow in the neck or raised frets. Or maybe the action is just set too low. Harder to deal with on an acoustic because that means the bridge or nut is too low.

Didn't buzz when I took it in. Set-up was at the local guitar store. Done by their tech (so they say ?). With your advise, I can now take it back to the store, and have them repair the problem.

What do you mean by the "action" set too low?

Originally Posted by: RTokarsDidn't buzz when I took it in. Set-up was at the local guitar store. Done by their tech (so they say ?). With your advise, I can now take it back to the store, and have them repair the problem.[/QUOTE]

Ya, I would DEFINITELY take it back if it started buzzing AFTER they "fixed" it. Should do it soon too, so they can't say you waited too long and throw some store policy excuse at you. You shouldn't have to pay for this second repair since it was their fault (presumably).

[QUOTE=RTokars]What do you mean by the "action" set too low?

"Action" is the height of the strings off the fretboard. If the strings are too high, it's hard to play since you have to push further down and use more force. If it is too low, your strings will be hitting the frets when they vibrate and you'll hear that buzz. For an extreme example think of the lowest action being the strings literally laying flat on the frets (unplayable since the strings can't vibrate). High action would be the strings raised up an inch above the fretboard (can imagine how ridiculous that would be to play).

What type of guitar do you have? Might make it easier to figure out where the problem might be if we could see it online.

I'm concerned they might say "hey, you have new strings...there's nothing wrong with it...sounds ok to me".
It's a Hohner acoustic, about 15-18 y/o. Do guitars have a life time and then should no longer be played?
How do I download a picture or video file so you can hear the bee?

Someone told me the grooves in the nut may be worn down. Does that make sense? Does that happen? How would you heighten the action? Get a new nut or bridge ?

Originally Posted by: RTokarsI'm concerned they might say "hey, you have new strings...there's nothing wrong with it...sounds ok to me".
It's a Hohner acoustic, about 15-18 y/o. Do guitars have a life time and then should no longer be played?
How do I download a picture or video file so you can hear the bee?[/QUOTE]

Just because the strings are new, doesn't mean they should buzz. New strings should sound clean.

Guitars do not have a lifespan. Otherwise there would be no such thing as "vintage" guitars. The only time they become unplayable is if they were a cheap guitar to begin with or through damage over time. You can have a guitar for a lifetime and it could play great if you just do even the basic maintenance things.

Do you know the model of the guitar? Might be printed on the headstock or inside the guitar. Don't necessarily think you have to go through the trouble of uploading a video. Pictures would be helpful, but I just wanted the model number so I can just google it and see pictures there. If you do have some pics of your own, you would have to upload them to a different site (like imageshack) and give us the link here.

[QUOTE=RTokars]Someone told me the grooves in the nut may be worn down. Does that make sense? Does that happen? How would you heighten the action? Get a new nut or bridge ?

They could be. That would make the strings sit lower and closer to the frets (lower action). But that is just 1 possibility. Could be that the bridge is worn down, or they filed it down too much. Depending on how your guitar is built, there are different ways to lower/raise the action.

To lower action on an acoustic, a lot of times they will file down the nut and/or bridge. Just shave it down so that the strings sit lower. If they did too much of this, then you will get buzz. They should pay for a new nut/bridge if you need it if they filed it down too much.

To raise action on an acoustic is a whole other story. On an electric, you can just adjust the screws to lower/raise. Since an acoustic doesn't have screws and only uses the bridge/nut, then you can't raise it without just buying new ones.


Try to identify where the buzzing is coming from. Pluck the string and try to see where it might be vibrating against a fret. Is it closer to the nut, or to the bridge?

Took the guitar in to the shop. The owner said it sounded ok and that buzz he described as "the crispness" of new strings. Not being totally satisfied, I went to a different shop, bought coated extra-lite strings and put them on myself (watched a U-tube instruction video). No more bee sounds. Maybe the uncoated strings have a "crispy" sound compared to coated strings.