Every mandolin i play buzzes

[mcH]

Trying to figure out why the instruments I play have a buzz on the G string. I've noticed [and this is so opposite of playing a guitar] that I can get rid of the g string buzz if I put my finger on top of the fret [on the g string].

So sat down tonight to figure out what / where the buzz is: I put the mando flat in my lap, pressed the strings down with my left thumb , pushing straight now, and picked each note -- one by one-- all the way up and down, and wow-- no buzz. So I'm thinking that my guitar technique on the mando must be the cause.

I'm a self taught mando player [I play violin / fiddle, and guitar, so mandolin was just a natural addition in college].

Do most people play on the frets or is it just me?

[bradeinhorn]

you likely need more precision on fretting a mandolin than a guitar. probably due to the string tension.

[John Flynn]

It could be that the instrument is not set up for the way you play. Some people can play really low actions and not make them buzz. Other people play in such a way that they need a little more clearance. First, experiment with a lighter grip on the pick. Let the pick pivot up and down as you pick down and up. And try to play a little lighter in general. Also make sure you are always fretting cleanly, right behind the fret. If that doesn't work, see a good mando luthier. You proabably need the nut, neck and bridge adjusted for a higher action. Heavier strings can help with buzzing also.

[Jim Broyles]

It's just you. You might not have any buzz, but you probably don't have a nice, clear, ringing string either. What you seem to have is either too straight (flat) of a fretboard or nut slots which are cut too deep. Check to see that your neck is slightly concave (bowed down in the middle.) If you fret it at the first fret and the fret where the mandolin joins the body, there should be a little space under the 7th fret - .010" or less. If there isn't you are likely to get a buzz.

[Kevin Briggs]

Also, make sure your pick is hitting cleanly. You want it to hit flat.

[Jim Broyles]

For the nut slots, fret the G strings at the third fret and check string height at the first fret. If the string is touching the first fret while you are holding it down at the third fret, the slot is too deep. You want it just off the fret - barely a paper thickness away, but not touching.

[Mando Medic]

You already described your technique of hitting on the fret. Try playing in the middle of the fingerboard, between the frets; on the markers, between the frets. should help! Kenc

[mcH]

You already described your technique of hitting on the fret. Try playing in the middle of the fingerboard, between the frets; on the markers, between the frets. should help! Kenc
Thanks for all the suggestions, things Im going to check later today.

Actually, KenC, I don't normally play on the frets. I play between them. All the other 3 strings [D A E] don't buzz when I fret like that... only the G string does. The ony way to get rid of any buzz on the g string is to play on top of the frets -- for that string only. Weird.

[Jeffers]

Could be that the action is too high for you?

i.e. the buzz is coming from not fretting cleanly enough, or with enough pressure.

Maybe a lower action or lighter strings would help. What you describe sounds like the same thing that happened to me when I got a new guitar and mando on separate occasions with higher actions - took me a while to get used to more positive pressure when fretting to sound the note cleanly.

Having a luthier check it out will probably get to the bottom of things.

[Rick Cadger]

if the buzz is on fretted notes then the nut being cut too low is unlikely to be the prob.

probably is a technique thing if it happens on all mandos you play. that said, a nut cut too high might contribute. if that's the case, you might find the buzz worse when you play at the headstock end of the neck.

do you find it is worse when playing, say, a G chop, or single melody notes?

[mcH]

It's much worse on chords closer to the nut end of the neck. I don't notice it so much on single notes. I'm planning to take my collection to a friend who makes mandos, fiddles, guitars, etc. and get the proper diagnosis

[MikeEdgerton]

Here's a pretty basic suggestion, try a lighter string gauge.

[danb]

Sounds like pick angle. Check this out:

Technique as applies to buzzing (http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier/Technique/Setup/BuzzDiagnosis/Technique/technique.html)

That's from Frank Ford's wonderful frets.com (http://www.frets.com) !

[Patrick Killeen]

This is a long shot, but you don't acidently rest your pick against the G string after picking do you? I get some buzzing against the pick on my Risa Mandosolid if I pick a string that's already vibrating.

Patrick

[Jonathan Peck]

Are your fingers laying flat across the other strings when you fret a note on the G string, or are they upright from the knuckle joint giving clearance to the adjacent strings? Fretting on the G string can be difficult if you have bad hand position on the neck.

Think straight wrist, loose thumb behind the neck (not riding on top of it) and correct hand/wrist position/angle so that your fingers feel long enough to reach and press down cleanly on the G string without having to exert too much pressure.