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Topic: Saddle buzz - Not a steel question but help appreciated. |
Greg Koenig
From:
Nevada, USA
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Posted 16 Apr 2021 2:17 pm |
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| Bridge on 2010s hagstrom Viking is giving guitar terrible open string buzz from saddles shifting. Any advise on bridge replacement or maybe just a saddle wire. I will try to post a video as well. Thanks! |
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Greg Koenig
From:
Nevada, USA
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Lee D Kaiser
From:
California, USA
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Posted 16 Apr 2021 8:59 pm
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I have a guitar with a Tune-O-Matic bridge. On mine, there's a wire that goes under the heads of the screws that set the intonation. Sometimes that wire will vibrate, but the sound is not as bad as yours. I can't tell from your video whether your bridge has such a wire, but if it does, try putting pressure on it to see if the buzzing stops. I don't know a permanent fix, but if that's the source, you have something to work on.
_________________
If I'd stop buying old guitars to fix, I might actually learn to play.
I haven't met a guitar I didn't like. |
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Dan Koncelik
From:
New Jersey, USA
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Posted 17 Apr 2021 4:33 am
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I'm a guitar repair tech and this is what i'd do:
It looks like your saddle is all the way back and maybe the intonation screw is disengaged from the saddle? If so turn the screw clockwise to thread it slightly into the saddle. Try that on all saddles that are set all the way back (towards the tailpiece)
If that doesn't work, here's a real insider's trick: apply a drop of clear nail polish to the spot where the saddle adjustment screw meets the bridge and/or saddle. Just tacky enough to prevent vibration, while also allowing further intonation. Do NOT use lock-tite!!
Hope this helps... |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 17 Apr 2021 3:40 pm
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I agree with Dan, and to take that little further -
If you really need the 3rd string saddle all the way back, try flipping the saddle around. Then the break-off point is further back and you can advance the saddle forward some. Sometimes I have to do this to the 6th string to get it in reasonable intonation at the 12th fret. I have some guitars that absolutely require that for heavier strings, and I haven't had any problems doing that.
Note: the clear nail polish trick is often useful to quiet down rattling tune-a-matic saddles - sometimes they will tend to rattle even when they're not all the way back. Get the guitar intonated first, then apply the nail polish if it's making noise. |
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ajm
From:
Los Angeles
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Posted 18 Apr 2021 6:44 am
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I have a similar guitar with a Gibson style tune-o-matic bridge that started the same thing a while back.
My fix is much less glamorous than the nail polish thing.
I took a rubber band of appropriate thickness.
I stretched it out so it would slide between the saddles sort of like dental floss.
I then unstretched it to let it expand between the saddles and fill in the gap, then snipped off the excess.
Laugh if you will, but it worked. |
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