dhanners623 Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 While I love the Sonic NanoFlex that came in my IB'64 Texan, it seems to have developed an issue and I'm wondering if anyone else here who has the guitar has encountered this. A week or so ago, I noticed a small, almost imperceptible buzz when I plucked my third and fourth strings. It was the type of thing that if you weren't listening for it, you probably wouldn't notice it. But the buzz grew. It still isn't big, but it started happening on the other strings, too. I thought that at the least maybe I needed a neck adjustment (it is changing seasons here in Minnesota, after all) and at worst, it might be a cracked or loose brace. So I took it in to my favorite repair shop today and had it looked over. Action was perfect. After a bunch of tapping on the top and back and a look inside, he ruled out a cracked brace. So he started fiddling around with the NanoFlex's soundhole control and, sure enough, when he pressed his fingers against it and plucked the strings, no buzz. The control unit itself is firmly affixed to the guitar, so it appears to be something inside the control unit itself. I'm not whiz at these things, but it would seem that the only moving parts are the three wheels (volume, treble, bass) and the little thingie that holds the batteries in there. And the phase button. I want to stress that the buzz is not overwhelming and, like I say, it is hardly noticeable. But it is there. Anyone else notice this issue? If it gets worse, I can just take the thing out replace the control unit, perhaps. I really like the thing, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 If he only touched the case of the controller and the buzzing quit, it is unlikely there is something loose inside. My guess is as the wood and plastic age, they shrink or change shape very minutely, a natural process. Instead of the two parts being firmly against each other, they have moved apart enough that the plastic is barely touching the wood at some point. As they both vibrate in sympathy to the strings, they occasionally come into contact, thereby buzzing. See if you can narrow down exactly where on the case the buzz is occurring, say on a particular corner. Then, wedge some paper between the wood and plastic in that area. You may just need a paper shim to dampen the buzz. Is this a defect? I dunno. Wood and plastic will shrink and move over time. This is a natural process and can't be helped, therefore may not meet the criteria of defective materials or workmanship. More expensive guitars may have designed a resilient gasket to go between the two parts. Double check that the controller attachment is fully engaged. I don't know if it is a snap in, or if screws clamp it in place. Check it and snug it up if necessary. Is this the unit?: http://backstage.musiciansfriend.com/productDetail/productDetail.jsp?entProductId=300196 If so, here is another possibility: The battery drawer has two catches, one on either side of the battery. It is possible one or both of these catches is the culprit. If it vibrates like a clarinet reed, it could buzz when it vibrates against the case. A bit of sponge rubber between the the "drawer pull" and catch could be enough to dampen it. Just enough to give a nudge more spring to push it snug against the case when closed, but not so much to make it difficult to open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted April 26, 2011 Author Share Posted April 26, 2011 Yeah, that's the unit. It is attached to the inside portion of the soundhole with some sort of double-sided foam. The unit itself is very tightly attached; we tried wiggling it and it doesn't move, which makes me think that anything that is buzzing is coming from inside the unit. I'll double-check the battery gizmo, though. I've not changed the batteries since I got the guitar last year. They are allegedly good for 250 hours or something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el capitan Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 Boy,am I GLAD I got a refurb IB,with no nonsense under the soundhole! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted April 26, 2011 Author Share Posted April 26, 2011 Well, I wouldn't necessarily consider the Sonic NanoFlex pickup "nonsense." It is a very good pickup, and well-matched to the IB'64 Texan. At least mine is. It just seems to have developed a small issue. Between the quality (or lack thereof) of my camera's microphone and the quality of your speakers, here's my latest posting to my YouTube channel with the guitar. You can listen and see if you can hear the buzz. Probably not. http://www.youtube.com/user/dhanners23#p/a/u/0/j4H21F4aYjo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyroadman Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Hi - I enjoy your guitar playing and songs - good stuff. Regarding the "buzzing", perhaps the root cause can be traced to the aging modifications you've had done on the guitar, the Tone-Rite sessions and the refinishing project. As noted above, the plastic pieces will age as well, including the inside of the NanoFlex unit. Regards, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted April 27, 2011 Author Share Posted April 27, 2011 Thanks for the kind words on the music. I wondered about the aging work myself, worried that maybe Leo leaned too hard on the top and cracked a brace while he was doing all that sanding. But the repair guy did a very thorough tapping of the soundboard, as well as an interior inspection with lights and mirrors. There were no cracked or loose braces. All the other interior glue joints (neck block, tail block, bridge plate) were solid, too. If a guitar can be made to buzz by the ToneRite, then the guitar had to have been glued together with the adhesive they use for Post-It notes. The ToneRite doesn't shake the guitar enough to loosen a joint. ToneRite's website has a user forum, and I've never read anyone complaining about the unit shaking a glue joint loose. The unit just isn't that powerful. The IB'64 Texan is solidly and cleanly built (one might even argue overbuilt in an area or two) and the bottom line is when you press against the Sonic NanoFlex control box, the buzzing -- which I have to reiterate is fairly light and hard to notice -- seems to stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 I got to thinking about this one while playing a PR5e. A buzz sorta thing depending on how an old coil cord is plugged in. Twist that endpin jack the right way (or wrong way) and you get some buzz sort of sound. My impression of this type of pickup is that it's probably more sensitive to non-string buzzing than the old piezo under saddle types were. If that's true, and the Epi ads praising that it's more sensitive to the whole guitar vibrations, and when you press on the pre-amp control box it quits, something is not necessarily "loose," but is causing a buzz amplified by the unit. In fact, I wonder if the wood simply has shrunk or expanded enough somewhere on/around the control unit that just a tiny bit of buzz is created - and then that's amplified through the pickup. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frenchie1281734003 Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 Thanks for the kind words on the music. I wondered about the aging work myself, worried that maybe Leo leaned too hard on the top and cracked a brace while he was doing all that sanding. But the repair guy did a very thorough tapping of the soundboard, as well as an interior inspection with lights and mirrors. There were no cracked or loose braces. All the other interior glue joints (neck block, tail block, bridge plate) were solid, too. If a guitar can be made to buzz by the ToneRite, then the guitar had to have been glued together with the adhesive they use for Post-It notes. The ToneRite doesn't shake the guitar enough to loosen a joint. ToneRite's website has a user forum, and I've never read anyone complaining about the unit shaking a glue joint loose. The unit just isn't that powerful. The IB'64 Texan is solidly and cleanly built (one might even argue overbuilt in an area or two) and the bottom line is when you press against the Sonic NanoFlex control box, the buzzing -- which I have to reiterate is fairly light and hard to notice -- seems to stop. I can`t help you with the pickup David, but just wanted to say I really like your material and the way you play. You also get a very nice zingy tone out of that Texan. Keep up the good work. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red 333 Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 I can`t help you with the pickup David, but just wanted to say I really like your material and the way you play. You also get a very nice zingy tone out of that Texan. Keep up the good work. Steve. + 1. Didn't hear any buzz, but I heard a good tune well-played! Red 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted May 14, 2011 Author Share Posted May 14, 2011 + 1. Didn't hear any buzz, but I heard a good tune well-played! Red 333 Thanks for the kind words. As far as the buzz goes, it seems to have disappeared. I haven't noticed it when I've been playing lately. Maybe when we wiggled the dials it fixed it. But it seems to have gone away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaysEpiphone Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 I didn't hear any noticeable buzz either but, that recording is much less than quality so my trained ear can't tell (got any EQ?). I did lose my Texan's Shadow Nanoflexx pick up (2 month's old), I haven't made it back to the store I got it from to find out why it quit working. $450.00 US Is a good price for the quality of instrument I got so until then I'll keep micing it with an SM57. And nice work with the song's too, you ever try any Harry Kirby McClintock? Your singing style is a good fit for "Big Rock Candy Mountain" for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted June 9, 2011 Author Share Posted June 9, 2011 I've found that when I play unplugged, the slight buzzing noise goes away if I roll the volume roller all the way to one side or the other. Makes me think there's just something loose in the roller knob mechanism itself. When I plug in, you can't hear the buzz. And thanks for the kind words on the song. I'll have to check out Harry Kirby McClintock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaysEpiphone Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYGCpGzFWh0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYGCpGzFWh0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poopcicle Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Hello all, new user here but thought I would add my experience with the same guitar and similar situation, I started getting a buzzing that would come and go, I could hear it acoustically and plugged in. While plugged in it was not overwhelming but there and noticeable. I took my guitar under warranty to local luthier, they shrink tubed the free hanging wiring inside and affixed it to stop from swinging. this stopped the majority of buzzing for the most part while plugged in. Just before The buzzing drove me to the brink of crazy I noticed I was able to stop it by grasping the electronics in the soundhole!I finally ended up shimming a .73 mm pick in the slot that the battery "tray" slides into.... the tray was very loose and was causing the buzzing. Now I have very little understanding of the pick ups and guitars in general so I apologize for my long winded and technically ignorant post but maybe this will help someone else or will lead to new understanding for me through the replies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted June 16, 2011 Author Share Posted June 16, 2011 Hello all, new user here but thought I would add my experience with the same guitar and similar situation, I started getting a buzzing that would come and go, I could here it acoustically and plugged in. While plugged in it was not overwhelming but there and noticeable. I took my guitar under warranty to local luthier, they shrink tubed the free hanging wiring inside and affixed it to stop from swinging. this stopped the majority of buzzing for the most part while plugged in. Just before The buzzing drove me to the brink of crazy I noticed I was able to stop it by grasping the electronics in the soundhole!I finally ended up shimming a .73 mm pick in the slot that the battery "tray" slides into.... the tray was very loose and was causing the buzzing. Now I have very little understanding of the pick ups and guitars in general so I apologize for my long winded and technically ignorant post but maybe this will help someone else or will lead to new understanding for me through the replies! Thanks. I wouldn't be surprised if mine isn't having the same issue, although the buzzing seems to have gone away for the most part. Maybe the guitar was just reacting to the change of the seasons and that allowed the control unit to vibrate in a way it hadn't before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ship of fools Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 You know David sometimes its just ( who knows why ) the weather, the dryness, the wettness or whatever causes these things and then a few days later its back to normal as if nothing was ever wrong in the first place. I leken it to like whne you hear something from your car that you never heard before you book an appointment and take it in and for the life of you you can't get it to reproduce what you heard several days ago or like when something hurts and you go to the doctor and that morning it stops hurting. Nice playing and here is to hoping whatever it was stays away for good.ship Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milod Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 My observation is that compared to the earlier piezos, the new "Shadow" stuff is a lot more sensitive to about anything, some versions apparently much more so. That means probable better sound; also certainly a bit more care in how the instrument is used and in little stuff like loose fittings and draped wiring of various sorts. I have an Epi that even fails to work without horrid rattling with an old and apparently ill-fitting cord to the amp. Switch amp cords and no problem. m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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