AlixD05 Posted May 11, 2007 Report Share Posted May 11, 2007 Now most of my violins have buzzing problems due to the climate change. I've tried to change strings, change accessories, move bridges.... Unfortunately more I do, more buzzing sound comes out. One of my lovely antique French violin keeps buzzing seriously these few weeks. Its not due to the climate change, its coz of I moved the bridge a bit. Now the sound is completely lose the original beauty. I've asked my local luthier to fix the problem, but he said it maybe the fingerboard's problem, bass bar problem, pegs problem, strings problem, etc. But for me its no point to do all those big "operation" coz the violin is good until I move the bridge towards bassbar a bit. Its impossible for me to go to Paris and ask the luthier to re setup everything for me (I'm sure he knows the secret of where to put the bridge on the best place of that violin, otherwise it can't be that big change after I just tiny move the bridge). What should I do now? Sigh Alix Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MANFIO Posted May 11, 2007 Report Share Posted May 11, 2007 There are too many possibilities... sometimes it drives us crazy to discover... Give a look if the chinrest is not touching the tailpiece, if the chinrest is not loose, if the fine tuner screws are not loose, if the E string tube is not loose, if the ends of the strings on the pegbox are not buzing, if there is no dirt in the end of wings of the f holes, if there are no loose ornaments in the pegs (colars or balls), if the fingerboard is not unglued near the neck root, etc. Pluck the strings and start holding firmly different parts of the instrument to ty to discover the place that is buzzing. If all that fails, go to Paris, we all will envy you for that!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
C.B.Fiddler Posted May 11, 2007 Report Share Posted May 11, 2007 If you're using the same bow - don't forget to check the screw. I had this problem yrs ago and it drove me nuts for months until I finally realized it was the bow. (I even played my junior recital with a piece of tape wrapped around the screw due to finding the issue the day before the performance!) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AlixD05 Posted May 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2007 Hi Manfio, Thx for your advice. THe buzzing is mainly from G string. I've tried to change the strings, remove chinrest, remove finer tuner, change tailpiece, move bridge, remove A and E strings, clean the dust on bass bar. But the sound still haven't improved. But when I tiny move the bridge, the buzzing is diminish a bit but still obvious. I really dunno what's going on. And if initially I know moving the bridge will destroy the sound greatly of that violin, I will never touch the bridge. crying now..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AlixD05 Posted May 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2007 Hi C.B. I've tried different bows already, still haven't solve the problem. And its not only the buzzing, its also the original beauty of A and E strings totally disappeared. sobbing now Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GMM22 Posted May 11, 2007 Report Share Posted May 11, 2007 Try putting a fragment of paper or thin cardboard under the string where it passes over the nut as a shim. If the problem disappears, the string slots may have worn too deep or the string is rattling in a slot that is too wide. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
henrypeacham Posted May 11, 2007 Report Share Posted May 11, 2007 Hi Alix, IMHO you have a loose seam or two somewhere. Happens to fine violins, and also to those not-so-fine. If you know how to gently tap around the edges with your 1st finger knuckle, it will reveal the locations. If you are unfamiliar with the routine, take it to any competent luthier and they will locate them for you. Should be around $20 to glue it all up (takes a day to dry properly) and you're on your way. The most obvious way is to play some strong double-stop thirds. You should really hear it then, as the sound becomes really ugly! Happened with two of my regular violins this year, which seems to have had more extreme fluctuations in humidty than years gone by, hence the problem. The effect on tone is huge, but because I've been through it before, I knew what it was and took them in. Problem solved. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Fellow Posted May 11, 2007 Report Share Posted May 11, 2007 Check the nut of your fine tuner on E string. I am talking about the nut that hold the tuner down to the tailpiece,not the screw of the adjuster. Use a pryer (sp ?) to tighten it very lightly, not by hand. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
C.B.Fiddler Posted May 11, 2007 Report Share Posted May 11, 2007 If your bridge has an ebony or ivory insert for the e-string, you may want to see if it is loose. That could address the loss of high end sound as well. I hate to point out something painfully obvious - but that little plastic gizmo that many e-strings come with like to buzz too. I have been guilty of forgetting to remove it in preference to the ivory insert. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MeyerFittings Posted May 11, 2007 Report Share Posted May 11, 2007 Tom Croen wrote an article a while back about how the lineup of the strings as they pass over the next peg in the pegbox can cause a plethora of buzzing problems. You might check to see if one string is buzzing as it passes over the next pegs winding. It would have to do with the orientation of the peg holes. Climate change would not seem to effect this but it's yet another varible. Have you checked the end button fit? I used to make a living looking for buzzes in guitars and they really could be anywhere. They often did originate at the ends of the strings however. Perhaps someone can reference Tom's article I think it was referred to in an old thread. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GMM22 Posted May 13, 2007 Report Share Posted May 13, 2007 It would be nice to hear a follow up, otherwise there's not much fun in conjecturing about a solution. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Craig Tucker Posted May 14, 2007 Report Share Posted May 14, 2007 My last impossible to find G string (& D string, but less so) buzz wound up being a loose label. It looked fine, but when I put the tweezrers on it, a corner was loose and buzzing on the low frequencies. I reglued it and everything now works fine. It's worth looking at. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Allan Speers Posted May 14, 2007 Report Share Posted May 14, 2007 Buzzing can also,sometimes, simply be a bad string. From your description, that is not the case here, but it should be included in this thread since folks will likely copy all this info for future reference. I've had two bad G-strings in the last six months alone. CT, I don't think I would ever have suspected a label (!) That's a good one to have in the database. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MANFIO Posted May 14, 2007 Report Share Posted May 14, 2007 Loose purfling can cause buzzing too, as well as a loose soundpost. If I were you I would travel to Paris... "April in Paris... Chesnuts in blossom..." Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jack Rushing Posted May 14, 2007 Report Share Posted May 14, 2007 The buzz on one of my G Strings was caused by a crack on the underside of the tailpiece. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AlixD05 Posted May 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2007 Thx for all your advice. I have checked and removed and changed everything, still have no improvement. My local luthier already told me the violin is fine so its impossible to have cracks on the violin. The label is also fine. As I said, the change due to the bridge has been tiny moved. I still think its the problem of the bridge position. But guess what, I will meet the luthier soon so hopefully he can explain what's going on with that buzzing G strings. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wolfjk Posted May 14, 2007 Report Share Posted May 14, 2007 Hi Alix, quote: Now most of my violins have buzzing problems due to the climate change. I've tried to change strings, change accessories, move bridges.... Unfortunately more I do, more buzzing sound comes out.quote: I experimented with moving the bridge about, and moving the strings on top of the bridge to different positions. The relationship of the bass bar and the foot of the bridge is very important for the balance of the strings. When you move the bridge left or right the downward pressure changes and the balance of the strings change. Also when you move the bridge, the strings might pull towards one side or the other, depending which way you moved the bridge. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Omobono Posted May 14, 2007 Report Share Posted May 14, 2007 As Allan has suggested, "folks will likely copy all this info for future reference" So here's the summary: chinrest touching the tailpiece fine tuner screws loose E string tube loose ends of the strings on the pegbox are not buzing dirt in the end of wings of the f holes loose ornaments in the pegs (colars or balls) fingerboard is not unglued near the neck root loose bow screw string slots worn too deep or too wide loose seam somewhere loose fine tuner screw on E string loose ebony or ivory insert for the e-string string winding in peg box end button fit loose label bad string Loose purfling loose soundpost cracked tailpiece position of bridge in relation to bassbar that's 20! He's mine: Maybe the bassbar itself or one of the linings inside come unstuck? loose screw on the shoulder rest? some foreign object trapped inside the cavity (a pin, a grain of rice from your last wedding gig?) Wow, more moving parts than a wrist watch! Which begs the question.... Something in your own apparrel - jewelry, watch? a loose tooth? (whoops! sorry.... ) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
C.B.Fiddler Posted May 14, 2007 Report Share Posted May 14, 2007 To suggest a possibility from a recent thread I never thought about: What about excess glue bits rattling in a hollowed fingerboard cavity? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Brad Dorsey Posted May 14, 2007 Report Share Posted May 14, 2007 Or a loose tailpiece cross fret. The list goes on and on. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AlixD05 Posted May 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2007 quote: Originally posted by: Wolfjk Hi Alix, quote: Now most of my violins have buzzing problems due to the climate change. I've tried to change strings, change accessories, move bridges.... Unfortunately more I do, more buzzing sound comes out. quote: I experimented with moving the bridge about, and moving the strings on top of the bridge to different positions. The relationship of the bass bar and the foot of the bridge is very important for the balance of the strings. When you move the bridge left or right the downward pressure changes and the balance of the strings change. Also when you move the bridge, the strings might pull towards one side or the other, depending which way you moved the bridge. yes, that's what I'm thinking. My luthier did told me the bass bar is not in a correct position. But I've tried to move the bridge many times, I still can't get the original sound. The only thing I can do is diminish the buzzing but can't eliminate it. But I will keep testing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wolfjk Posted May 14, 2007 Report Share Posted May 14, 2007 Hi Alex, quote: yes, that's what I'm thinking. My luthier did told me the bass bar is not in a correct position. But I've tried to move the bridge many times, I still can't get the original sound. The only thing I can do is diminish the buzzing but can't eliminate it. But I will keep testing.quote: I found that moving the bridge or the strings on top of the bridge is more a question of balance between strings. Another problem could be that in a drier and warmer climate the bridge contracts and the grooves get larger and looser. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dan Keller Posted May 14, 2007 Report Share Posted May 14, 2007 Have you checked the string height of the G string at the end of the finger board. Should be 5 1/2 mm. - Dan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.