View Full Version : Tail piece buzzing
M D SMITH
Apr-06-2012, 5:46am
Hey guys. I recently got back into mandolin playing and just bought myself a Kentucky KM-161. I know its not the best mandolin out there, but I got it from a local bluegrass shoppe that does a full set up on all of their instruments. They actually had a few of this same model, and the one I picked seemmed to have a deeper, warmer sound than the others. I'm really loving it so far. The one thing I noticed is that when I play the D string closest to the G strings with any ammount of force, the tailpiece cover buzzes a little bit. I know I could take it back to the shoppe and they would fix it without question, but if its something really simple, I'd rather not bother. There is a little strip of leather under the strings in the tailpiece, but this doesn't help with the cover buzzing. I know its the cover because when I remove it and play, the buzzing is gone. What is the best remedy for this? I was thinking that those little rubber things that go between the strings on the Michael Kelly mandolins might do the trick, but I'm not sure. I had also thought about cutting a little piece odf felt the size of the tailk piece and placing it on top of the strings then putting the cover on. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
I don't think that is an uncommon problem. and though I have no experience with a Kentucky I have experienced what you speak of on other instruments. Normally if you can't find the cause a small piece of felt between the strings and the tailpiece cover will dampen most vibrations... In any case I doubt that it is a serious problem and if you want to fix it, you certainly can simply by locating it and dampening it. If you know it can be cured by bending some part of the tailpiece,,, that is also possible.
TheMandoShop
Apr-06-2012, 9:11am
The one thing I noticed is that when I play the D string closest to the G strings with any ammount of force, the tailpiece cover buzzes a little bit.
If the tailpiece cover is at all loose you can tighten it up but putting the outer edges of the cover in a vice to bend it slightly in till it slides on snugly.
Folkmusician.com
Apr-06-2012, 10:10am
If it is the strings against the tip of the cover plate (you can test by dampening each string while playing it), you can take the coverplate off and push the tip down on something to bend it upwards. This works well if the string is just hovering at the coverplate and setting off the buzz.
M D SMITH
Apr-06-2012, 10:47am
Thanks for the replies. I did notice that the strings were touching the edge of the tailpiece cover. Maybe I'll try bending the cover up a little. Thanks again.
Folkmusician.com
Apr-06-2012, 12:11pm
If the strings have good contact with the coverplate, often it is ok. In this case, lace something through the strings (leather, a rubber band, etc..). It is the biggest problem when they are in slight contact allowing them to rattle. :)
M D SMITH
Apr-07-2012, 7:00am
If the strings have good contact with the coverplate, often it is ok. In this case, lace something through the strings (leather, a rubber band, etc..). It is the biggest problem when they are in slight contact allowing them to rattle. :)
Thanks again. Weaving a piece of leather seemed to do the trick. So is that what the little rubber circles that are between the strings of MK mandolins are for? I also saw something called the nymph I think. It might be made by Weber. I'd just like to put something a little less homemade looking on it if I can. Thanks
Vernon Hughes
Apr-07-2012, 8:22am
I just glue a small strip of felt to the underside of the cover,near the top..seems to always work
TheMandoShop
Apr-07-2012, 11:24am
Thanks again. Weaving a piece of leather seemed to do the trick. So is that what the little rubber circles that are between the strings of MK mandolins are for? I also saw something called the nymph I think. It might be made by Weber. I'd just like to put something a little less homemade looking on it if I can. Thanks
The rubber grommets that Michael Kelly uses and the Weber nymph both do the same thing as weaving a piece of leather.
Willie Poole
Apr-07-2012, 2:04pm
I always cut a thin piece of foam and place it uner the tailpiece cover, works for me everytime....Willie
Ivan Kelsall
Apr-08-2012, 3:36am
The rubber grommets,leather thongs/strips & the Weber 'Woodnymph' are all used to damp out the 'overtones' produced by the portion of the strings behind the bridge.Using something like those will reduce the string vibrations in that area, & as a side effect,reduce the vibration of the tailpiece where it touches those strings. However,i think that you should tackle the main problem & get the t/piece cover to fit correctly.That way your Mandolin is 100 % without any add-ons.After that,you can choose whether or not to use grommets etc. Regarding Weber's 'Woodnymph' damper,they work well & look ok,but i found that my wrist kept moving the one on my Weber Mandolin around too much. I removed it & replaced it with rubber grommets. A 'Woodnymph' will set you back $19.0 US,a pack of grommets, maybe a 1/10 of the price,& you can arrange 'em into your own little patterns as well,:grin:
Ivan;)
pops1
Apr-08-2012, 10:42am
I would bend the tail piece, not the cover. if you bend just at the very end of travel it will come off easily, but the last 1/8" will snug up and keep from vibrating.
Dick Hutchings
Apr-08-2012, 11:00am
I let someone try my mando once and he took it upon himself to bend the cover for me.:disbelief: I couldn't believe some wood do such a thing. I was speechless. Anyway, the tailpieces I use are the cheap stamped ones and over time, the plating wore off where it was bent. I don't advise bending plated items.
Tom Haywood
Apr-09-2012, 10:25am
I slide a strip of felt between the strings and the front end of the tailpiece cover. I saw some old timers do this years ago. Doesn't look too bad.
I let someone try my mando once and he took it upon himself to bend the cover for me.:disbelief: I couldn't believe some wood do such a thing. I was speechless. Anyway, the tailpieces I use are the cheap stamped ones and over time, the plating wore off where it was bent. I don't advise bending plated items.
I have bent lots of covers, i use a pair of needle nose pliers with no teeth and it doesn't mar the finish. You only need a very slight bend and doesn't harm the chrome unless you bend too much or over and over.
pops1
Apr-18-2012, 12:43pm
I have bent lots of covers, i use a pair of needle nose pliers with no teeth and it doesn't mar the finish. You only need a very slight bend and doesn't harm the chrome unless you bend too much or over and over.
Correction, I usually do not bend the cover, but bend the tailpiece. it is usually not plated and the cover sliding will wear the finish if it is anyway. The cover i usually leave alone. Sorry, i did not mean to say the cover.
Geordie
Apr-18-2012, 2:19pm
Hmmm...
I have a buzzy G string (no dirty jokes, please) and can't for the life of me figure out why. Perhaps I'll go check out the tail piece. Thanx for starting this thread, MDSMITH!
Willie Poole
Apr-18-2012, 4:36pm
Geordie, If the G string only buzzes when it is fretted it might be that it is riding close to edge of the frets and is sliding off of the edge a tad, I had that problem on one mandolin and I had to move the bridge slightly towards the treble F hole so that it would touch completely on the fret....Hope that helps...
Willie
TheMandoShop
Apr-18-2012, 5:20pm
Hmmm...
I have a buzzy G string (no dirty jokes, please) and can't for the life of me figure out why. Perhaps I'll go check out the tail piece. Thanx for starting this thread, MDSMITH!
Does it buzz only on open strings, on a particular fret or any note on the G string?
Geordie
Apr-19-2012, 10:06am
Does it buzz only on open strings, on a particular fret or any note on the G string?They don't buzz on the open strings, but buzz on every fret/note. They're not touching any other fret, they're not going over the edge as Willie suggested, the G strings still buzz if I mute the space between the bridge and the tailpiece, and I can't seem to track down exactly what's vibrating. It's frustrating, but I don't want to take it to a pro as he (or she) would probably charge me more than the mando is worth, as it's a cheap pacrim thing (perhaps that's the problem! I need a better mando!) Could it be the bridge somehow? When I put my finger over/mute where the strings meet the bridge it hardly buzzes at all...
TheMandoShop
Apr-19-2012, 10:19am
When I put my finger over/mute where the strings meet the bridge it hardly buzzes at all...
Just to narrow things down, loosen the G string, stick a piece of paper under the G string in the string slot on the bridge and tune the string up to pitch. Let us know if the buzz is still there.
Geordie
Apr-19-2012, 10:36am
Just to narrow things down, loosen the G string, stick a piece of paper under the G string in the string slot on the bridge and tune the string up to pitch. Let us know if the buzz is still there.Yeah, it's still there, but is much better.
TheMandoShop
Apr-19-2012, 10:56am
Yeah, it's still there, but is much better.
The paper is not a clean test but does give you some indication of what is going on. It's possible that is can be more than one thing but one of the problems appears as thought the channel in the bridge is not properly slotted. From your description it could be sloping down as it reaches the front edge of the bridge, enough so that when the string is not pressed down it plays clean but when pressed down at any fret it begins to come in contact with the sloped down area and buzz. A slot file would properly channel the bridge so the string leaves the front edge cleanly and lays securely in the slot for the entire length of the slot. There are home remedies if a proper slot file is not available but the best option would be to have someone with the proper tools and experience correct the problem.
Geordie
Apr-19-2012, 1:20pm
Thanx for the advice, Kyle. I appreciate it. It's definitely the bridge. I'll look in to the channel and see if that's the problem.