Does this look normal?

[Fabian Rainville]

My 3rd string sounds slightly quieter and choked and buzzes slightly. Would the nut roller be the problem? I see some possible wear or damage. Do these rotate? This is a GFI expo

[Steven Black]

Hello Fabian, it looks normal, but if you are getting string buzz you might want to get Bob Diekmeyer to send a new finger for your guitar a good technician can put it on for you, or send the guitar to Bob at GFI, it would be under warranty.

[Ian Rae]

That indeed looks more like the changer than the nut.
I would change the string, and while doing so check the roller for wear and the changer finger for blemish.
It could turn out to be just the string reaching retirement.

[Fred Treece]

The top of that finger looks pretty nicked up to me.

I concur with Dr. Ian. Remove the 3rd string, give the nut roller a spin, check it as well as the top of the finger for nicks, burrs, scratches, etc., and put on a new string. If it still buzzes, then those imperfections need to be remedied.

[Bobby D. Jones]

If your guitar is a newer GFI Expo, Be careful with the Changer fingers. The newer GFI EXPO's have Stainless Steel Changer fingers. Just wipe them with a clean cloth, Check them close.

How long have the strings been on the guitar??

I have 2 GFI Ultras with Stainless Steel Fingers. I Use the knee levers a lot on 4th string. It is the first string that makes the strange sounds for me. Shortly the 3rd string will start making the same strange sounds.
ITS STRING CHANGING TIME.

When I am gigging regular, I change strings about every 30 days or less.
Good Luck on this problem, Happy Steelin.

[Ron Pruter]

As far as volume: the third string being so thin, will always put out less energy. Picking harder to compensate will only make your buzz worse. Some use a .012 on there which might help. The extra taughtness would probably help with less buzz and more output. Some pull adjustment will be required.

[Ron Pruter]

As far as volume: the third string being so thin, will always put out less energy. Picking harder to compensate will only make your buzz worse. Some use a .012 on there which might help. The extra taughtness would probably help with less buzz and more output. Some pull adjustment will be required.

[J D Sauser]

Zooming in, these changer fingers look beat up bad.
I would find it difficult to believe that you would not have buzzes with them in that condition.

Yes, a o.o11 gauge string has little cross section and mass to excite a picup’s magnetic field… it’s thin and will always sound thin. No way around it, except trying a o.o115 or even a o.o12, sizes differences which amplify the cross section and thus mass much more than the small diameter increase would suggest.

Yet, over-strung strings don’t sound nice either, and on most guitars won’t stay on very long being constantly pumped from G# to A.

First pit stop seems to me to send her to GFI and have all changer fingers upgraded to new ones.

… JD

[Eric Philippsen]

Here’s a cheap fix that usually…but not always….works. Take a tiny piece of paper, fold it once, and place it under the string between it and the changer finger. Tune it back up and you’re playing again without being buzzed.

Some balk at such an easy solution. Then they go and spend lots of time and money replacing fingers, driving back and forth to a tech’s place and doing without a steel. You decide.

[Rich Peterson]

As far as volume: the third string being so thin, will always put out less energy

A very good reason to put on heavier strings and tune to D9.

[Samuel Phillippe]

I've tried the paper trick based on a suggestion from one of the other forumites. It worked until I had the opportunity to do a polisihing job on the finger.

Sam