Resonator buzz

John Reali · Post by **John Reali** » 25 Mar 2003 6:38 pm

I have an 8 string resonator that I have had for about a year. It will not stop buzzing on certain strings at certain frets, no matter what I do. I have tried heavier strings, lighter stings, higher tunings, lower tunings, different bars, different string brands, but nothing seems to eliminate the buzz. I have had this insrtument to my local set up guy, and he helped, but could not solve the problem. If anyone could shed some insight, I would be grateful. Thanks,

John

Howard Parker · Post by **Howard Parker** » 26 Mar 2003 6:02 am

John..

I usually suspect setup, or, look at the tailpiece, insert and nut areas.

Let me know if I can help.

We live within an hour of each other.

HowardP

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Howard Parker
poobah@resoguit.com
www.resoguit.com
ListOwner RESOGUIT-L

Roy Thomson · Post by **Roy Thomson** » 26 Mar 2003 6:51 am

John,
Paul Beard has a video that demonstrates how to set your Dobro up. He takes it apart and
puts it back together showing the various techniques in order to minimize the "buzz"
problem.
It is well worth having.

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<A HREF="http://www.clictab.com/royt/tabmenu.htm ... abmenu.htm
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Ron Shepard · Post by **Ron Shepard** » 26 Mar 2003 1:15 pm

John, just about 10 minutes ago I fixed a buzz that I had in my Regal. All it was, was
a loose screw in the center of the cone. Mine has a hole through the flat bar in the center of the cone with a very small screw
at the bottom. It loosened up alot so I tightened it and the problem is gone.

John Reali · Post by **John Reali** » 27 Mar 2003 8:00 am

Thanks to all for the advice, it is much appreciated.

John

Lincoln Goertzen · Post by **Lincoln Goertzen** » 27 Mar 2003 8:42 pm

John, I don't know too much about setups and adjustments, but when I had a buzz in my dobro, someone asked me to check and see if the spider were sitting perfectly on the cone. Other things: check to see if the whole cone/spider unit has turned slightly. the saddle should be closer to the nut on the treble side.
Also, try finding a pattern of which strings buzz at which points. Then check to see if those strings are sitting perfectly straight in the saddle.
Lincoln

Ally · Post by **Ally** » 30 Mar 2003 7:52 am

I have an old Regal that had a persistant buzz... turned out to be a cover plate screw. Most of the were pretty loose from a few decades of being unscrewed, and the plywod was pretty much stripped. and barely able to hold them. I used a stanley knife to cut a toothpick into tiny sections and glued these into the holes, sanded them flush, and then reattached the coverplate. No single set-up change has had such a dramatic effect on the sound of this guitar!

Chris Padgett · Post by **Chris Padgett** » 5 Mar 2009 9:57 am

So did you ever get it fixed? Curious minds want to know...

Steve Branscom · Post by **Steve Branscom** » 5 Mar 2009 10:54 am

Gregg McKenna, a resophonic luthier and contributor to the forum, has a trouble shooting guide on his web site that should cover many of these things. http://www.mckennaguitars.com/setup_repairs.htm

Post by **Brad Bechtel** » 5 Mar 2009 1:01 pm

You guys realize you're discussing a problem from six years ago, right?

Either he's figured it out by now or else he's moved on.

Steve Branscom · Post by **Steve Branscom** » 5 Mar 2009 4:43 pm

Brad,
Thanks for the heads up. I didn't know that until you pointed it out. It was worth a laugh and a smile. Boy, do I feel just a little bit stupid but at least I'm laughing about it.