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Buzz on Acoustic after dropping down a half step

Alicia Willis

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  • Nov 11, 2019
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    So, I dropped my guitar down a half step and began playing, all was well for a about a minute and then I got this buzz. In the video this was the first time I heard the buzz and kept going and when I plucked the high and low e string I knew it was out of tune. Which I know is common when changing tunings, so I retuned it, and played again and the same thing. It was fine for a minute and then the buzz and immediately after the buzz it’s like a flip is switched and I can tell it’s out of tune immediately .
    So, is this normal ? Do I just need to let it adjust to the tuning change or is this something else ?

     
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    Alicia Willis

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  • Nov 11, 2019
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    Ed
    Ouf yeah okay that was a wild buzz. Do you know exactly if its a fret buzz? Or actually where the buzz is? And yeah, its weird but changing tunings can affect these sort of things. but thats a bit extreme In my guess..
    i noticed it the most when I played the B string at the first fret and it just kept on vibrating hahaha.
     

    Rad Synner

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    Ed

    i noticed it the most when I played the B string at the first fret and it just kept on vibrating hahaha.
    Very strange. Does it do that only for the B string? Or do the other string have a buzz as well? And lets say you let your guitar readjust to the new tuning, does it still do that? I mean, my best guess on the spot would be that the neck not djust to it very well but I am not sure...
     
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    Ed Seith

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  • Nov 11, 2019
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    Bow of the neck is set by the pull of the truss rod one way and the pull of the strings the other. If a guitar is setup really well with low action, dropping the whole guitar a half step would very likely change the bow enough to cause buzz, because it significantly alters one side of the tension equation.
     
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    Daniel Verde

    Local Dive Bar Favorite
    Nov 11, 2019
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    If you tune down a half step, there is less tension on the strings. Therefore they do not pull the neck away(away from you when holding the guitar) as much as they normally do. There is something inside the guitar neck called a truss rod. It opposes the tension created by the strings, in other words the truss rod pulls the neck towards your body(when holding the guitar). If you loosened the strings and are now getting fret buzz you need to tighten the truss rod with an alan key. Probably just a quarter turn will do it.
     

    Riff36

    Local Dive Bar Favorite
  • Jan 2, 2022
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    Ed

    i noticed it the most when I played the B string at the first fret and it just kept on vibrating hahaha.

    i might say ur intonation might be bow or corvex .That’s why theres a buzz either just b string or fret on 12 and above. But u state its on 1st fret…, so i believe its ur nut slot too deep for the b string which den causes the b string to touch the fret. If u don’t dare to relief the bow urself i suggest u take it to ur local guitar tech. Or maybe ur nut slot or bridge slot are too deep for ur string gauge. Usually i used .10-.42 gauge or at times .11-.54 D,Addario Bronze once. Hope that help.
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    Synner Endless Summer Collection