Fret Buzz on one of five strings - SOLVED

[Count Bassy]

I have a five string medium scale Warwick Rockbass Corvette, and have a problem with fret rattle, but only on the E string.

I am not trying for a particularly low action, but am trying to get it a bit lower than it is.

The thing is that I can quite easily get the action where I want it to be, without fret buzz on 4 out of 5 strings, which includes the B string. I might have expected problems on the B string, especially being medium scale, but it is the E string which is the problem. To eliminate the buzz I have to have the action noticeably higher than the other strings. This particularly bad when playing the open string and the first 7 or so frets, but as far as I can tell by putting my ear close to the strings the actual buzz/rattle is coming from somewhere between the 12th & 19th frets. I've always done my own set ups and never had a problem before, but on this one I've fiddled with the truss rod, the bridge height, and even adjusted the string spacing so that the E string is as far towards the top of the fret board as possible. The frets themselves all look OK as well.

The strings are the original Warwick Red label strings and I'm wondering if the E string has lower tension than the rest and hence moves around more than the others?

Anyone have any ideas on what the problem might be?, or, if I should be trying some different strings, any recommendations for a medium scale 5 string set? (Round wounds or possibly half rounds).

 

Thanks for any thoughts.

 

Edited April 18, 2018 by Count Bassy

[Dan Dare]

You will have to experiment a little to find whether the issue is caused by neck relief, fret height, action, etc. You could have a high fret or two (I have just addressed this issue on one of my basses). To find out if that's the case, you need to remove the strings, set the neck straight - take out any curvature with the truss rod - and check them with a straight edge. It is true that a low string tends to flap a bit more than others and the fact that we often play a bit harder on thicker strings adds to the issue.

Edited March 25, 2018 by Dan Dare

[Dad3353]

Are you certain that it's fret rattle (on the outside...), and not the truss rod vibrating in its cavity (on the inside...)..? Just a thought.

Edited March 25, 2018 by Dad3353

[MrDaveTheBass]

Hi Clive!

If there's a problem when playng the open string, is the nut-slot for the E-string too deep?

 

[Count Bassy]

First of all thanks for thinking about this for me, and your suggestions.

 

18 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

Are you certain that it's fret rattle (on the outside...), and not the truss rod vibrating in its cavity (on the inside...)..? Just a thought.

Good thought Dad, it certainly sounds like string on fret noise, whereas I would have thought that truss rod rattle would have been a bit less 'bright', but its certainly worth checking this out.

 

18 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

You will have to experiment a little to find whether the issue is caused by neck relief, fret height, action, etc. You could have a high fret or two (I have just addressed this issue on one of my basses). To find out if that's the case, you need to remove the strings, set the neck straight - take out any curvature with the truss rod - and check them with a straight edge. It is true that a low string tends to flap a bit more than others and the fact that we often play a bit harder on thicker strings adds to the issue.

I've done quite a bit of experimenting, and in the past I've always managed to resolve any issues. I would have thought that a high fret would affect more than one string, (hence my thought that the E might work out at lower tension than even the B) but again well worth checking out.

 

7 hours ago, MrDaveTheBass said:

Hi Clive!

If there's a problem when playng the open string, is the nut-slot for the E-string too deep?

 

Unfortunately it 's not only happening on the open string.

 

As I say thanks for your thoughts - any more welcome. I'll let you know how I get on.

 

CB

 

 

 

[Count Bassy]

A slight update - I've ordered some different strings to try (see the stings for a medium scale fiver thread, and also noticed that the Fret Rattle, if that's what is, is not instant but develops about a second after I've actually plucked the string. In my mind it seems like the energy in the harmonics is transferring to the fundamental as the note settles?

[stingrayPete1977]

My 2010 stingray 5 has a couple of spots which would need a slight fret dressing for anyone after a really low action, a high fret can certainly only affect an individual string. 

[bazzbass]

wait for the new strings to see if it was an issue with the E string itself

[Count Bassy]

Hooray! New strings have completely solved the problem.

The Warwick Black labels arrived so I fitted those. Not only can I get the E-string action down with the others, I have been able to lower the action on all the strings by quite bit as well.

Not sure if it is just a one off rogue E-string, or if this is a systematic problem with the 'Red labels'.

Tension in the black labels seems slightly higher than in the Reds. They seem slightly brighter than the Reds, which may well be because they're new, but fundamentally sound much the same.

Physically the Black label B and E strings have a significantly finer outer winding than the Reds.

The only thing I'm not yet convinced by is that the Blacks have a taper wound B string. It seems to sound a bit 'hollow' compared to the original (non tapered) Reds. BUt whether that is the taper or something else I really don't know.

 

Newtones are on the way and I'll report on those when they're fitted.

 

Thanks for all your suggestions on this.

 

[Lozz196]

This is interesting, I`ve always cut my strings to 10cm to allow for two windings around the tuning peg, however a couple of weekends ago put a set of Warwick Red Labels on my Mex Precision and a rattle/buzzing was coming from the E string, although only when played open. I took a look over on Talkbass as there seemed to be more threads on similar issues and the common theme was especially on Fenders cut to allow 3 windings on the E & A string if there wasn`t a string retainer to guide the string as far down as possible. So I put a new string on, cut to 15cm/3 windings and rozam-kobar, sorted. Must say however, I`ve had many other types of strings on that Mex Precision but have only experienced this on the Warwicks. But now I know, not an issue, I have a string retainer on all other strings so will just remember, 10cm for A/D/G, 15cm for E.

[bazzbass]

On ‎4‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 14:28, bazzbass said:

wait for the new strings to see if it was an issue with the E string itself

wait, what? my suggestion actually worked?

 

I mean, oh yeah, I knew it would

[josie]

The same thing just happened to me - fret buzz just on the G string of a 5 - I've changed the strings and it's fine now.

I've re-strung it E - C (using  a set of strings kindly donated by Spondonbassed, so I don't know exactly what they are) and I did wonder whether the change from G to C might have something to do with it (different tension perhaps??), but it sounds from the above as if it was just an old tired string.

[Count Bassy]

5 hours ago, bazzbass said:

wait, what? my suggestion actually worked?

 

I mean, oh yeah, I knew it would

 

I appereciated the suggestion, but had  new/different set on the way by then. Not sure if it was  a faulty string, just worn out, or just something that these strings do.