Weird vibration coming from tailpiece on B flat note.

[Johnny60]

Hi folks,

my Eastman 505 has just developed a really weird vibrating noise when I play hard on the the first fret of the A string. Basically, when I really whack that note, OR play a chord with that note in it, there's a buzz. It's not fret buzz because if I get someone to touch the tailpiece OR the A string behind the bridge the vibration stops.

If I play quietly it never happens, but when I start hitting the strings a little harder it starts up. This has only manifested itself over the past day or so.

Any ideas?

thanks

John

PS I've only had the 505 for about 6 weeks or so, and I bought it new.

[Mandobart]

If it stops when you touch the afterlength of the string, this can easily be fixed with rubber grommets or a leather lace.

[Willie Poole]

It sounds to me like you have an improperly cut slot in the bridge saddle.....I fought that same thing on one mandolin and finally filed the slots just a tad and it corrected it...Make sure both strings are touching the bridge at the very front of the slot...I have never seen where the gromments make any difference but thats just me, a lot of others have had good results using them....

Good luck with it....Willie

[Jim]

I would take off the tailpiece cover and see if the buzz goes away, if it does then a little felt or leather under the cover should fix it. Leather lace through the strings between bridge & TP or the grommets should do it, sometimes just repositioning the TP cover will fix it.

[outdoors4me]

One other possibility is that your tailpiece could be cracked. This happened on my Flatiron after several years of playing.

Beck

[Johnny60]

Thanks for the replies. A strip of leather threaded through the strings between the bridge and the tailpiece has sorted the problem. When I'm next in the vacinity, I'll take it back to the shop where I bought it for their luthier to give it the once over.