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String change buzz


blindboygrunt

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Do Martin SP strings have a lower tension than daddarrios or gibson strings ?

 

Changed strings the other day and now I’m buzzing . Mostly middle two strings above the second fret to around the 5th or 6th fret ...

 

Humidity at home is around 60% , but higher humidity would make buzzing less likely rather than more likely ?

 

Am careful fitting strings and really don’t think it’s a ball end seat problem

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Martin SPs are marginally heavier from A-G than D’ads and Gibsons, so I’m sure it isn’t a lower tension issue...are they Shop bought strings? I bought a bunch of D’Addario 85/15s a few years ago online which were fakes-sounded terrible, buzzed all over the place and had horrible intonation issues. Could your SPs be a shonky set?

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String tension is determined by the diameter of the core of the wrapped strings, not the diameter stated on the package. It could be that the SP's have a slightly smaller core wire (with large diameter wrap wire, showing the same OD on the packaging as Gibson) which would decrease overall string tension.

 

Maybe.....maybe not....

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Thanks chaps

 

String gauge same as last ones. I’m a 12’s guy

 

Weren’t shop bought jinder , eBay , but it was from an eBay shop ... string slingers they were called , always check for a high feedback and number of sales from eBay. But can’t rule that one out. I’ve bought fake strings before though. Probably same as yours , they were 85/15’s also

 

And buc. I’ll try tuning up to pitch and see what happens

I’m a half a step down. But always was before ya know

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D'Addario PB Lights are:

 

12 16 24 32 43 53

 

Martin SP PB Lights are:

 

12 16 25 32 42 54

 

So you can see the Martin's will have MORE tension which should increase neck bow rather than relax it.

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Did you take off all of the strings all at once and then restring? I raised awhile ago that taking off all of the strings all at once and then restringing raises the possibility of the removal of all string tension on the neck all at once increaseinh the possibility of the neck bow slightly shifting. For this possible reason, I restring one string at a time to keep as much tension on the neck as possible when restringing to reduce the possibility of any neck movement during restringing. At the time I said it, a number of posters jumped all over the suggestion, but I had already learned from experience that neck movement is more likely to occur if all the neck tension is removed by removing all of the old strings all at once before restringing. If you removed all of the old strings before restringing, I suspect this is what occurred. On a positive note, however,either slightly adjusting the truss rod for the neck bow or adjusting/shimming or replacing the saddle easily does a set up that corrects any uncalled for neck movement to stop the buzz from a slight neck shift. And, on a further positive note, I think you will enjoy the Martin SPs. They sound great and last a long while.

 

Just my two cents.

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

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Put a capo on the first fret, press down on the low E at the 12th fret and check the neck relief between the bottom of the string and the top of the fifth fret. There should be a tiny gap there. If you have no gap, then give the trust rod a quarter turn counter-clockwise to give it some more relief.

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The Martins tug a little harder than the D'Addarios. Martin SP PB lights have a total tension of 164.8 pounds. D'Addario PB lights have tension of 160.54 pounds.

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The Martins tug a little harder than the D'Addarios. Martin SP PB lights have a total tension of 164.8 pounds. D'Addario PB lights have tension of 160.54 pounds.

 

Which SHOULD bow the neck into MORE relief you'd think and cause less buzz. So perhaps the buzz is somewhere else.

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My understanding is that once neck tension is lost and then re-established, the neck bow can be either go in an innie or an outie direction depending on how the neck bow starts once tension is added to the neck. That is what makes truss rod adjustments a bit of an art rather than a science. In the case of the guitar under discussion, it might make sense to again loosen all of the tension on the neck strings (and truss rod) then start over with tightening the truss rod a bit until a slight inward bow is the-established. ( If an outward bow starts, I would suggest a start over.) Then put the strings back on to standard tuning to further advance the inward bow with tension...and, then, if needed, very slightly loosen the truss rod tension to comp for the strings now being full tension, again.

 

Just my two cents without seeing the instrument.

 

QM aka Jazzman Jeff

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