Ferret Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 So this summer I picked up an Epiphone Casino (Inspired by Lennon edition - Natural) I ordered it over the internet from a store in Germany called "musicstore" (http://tinyurl.com/4yjdrpq) to my home in Sweden. A few days after I switched out the stock strings with a new pair of .10 gauge strings, this buzz started coming from the bridge area of the guitar. I assumed it was coming from one of the loose screws, so I tightened the them all so they wouldn't shake when a string was played, and it worked great for a couple of weeks. (I made sure the strings were all intonated) However, I've recently switched out the old roundwound strings on the guitar for a set of .10 gauge flatwounds (for the more jazzy sound) and the ringing has now started again. The ring mostly comes when the bass strings are played and bended, and always seems to come from the lower sections of the guitar (Bridge, Bridge pickup, etc) Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not-Too-Late Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 So this summer I picked up an Epiphone Casino (Inspired by Lennon edition - Natural) I ordered it over the internet from a store in Germany called "musicstore" (http://tinyurl.com/4yjdrpq) to my home in Sweden. A few days after I switched out the stock strings with a new pair of .10 gauge strings, this buzz started coming from the bridge area of the guitar. I assumed it was coming from one of the loose screws, so I tightened the them all so they wouldn't shake when a string was played, and it worked great for a couple of weeks. (I made sure the strings were all intonated) However, I've recently switched out the old roundwound strings on the guitar for a set of .10 gauge flatwounds (for the more jazzy sound) and the ringing has now started again. The ring mostly comes when the bass strings are played and bended, and always seems to come from the lower sections of the guitar (Bridge, Bridge pickup, etc) Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated :) Welcome to the "Motley Crew". Just kidding about the Motley Crew (one of my brother's favorite bands). Anyway, I'm no expert when it comes to the technical aspect of a guitar, but my suggestion, for what it's worth, is to take to a trusted shop and have a full set-up done. I do know that when you change out strings with a difference in size you might end up with what you are discribing. Like I mentioned, take it in for a set-up. HNGD to you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluelake07 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/39301-epiphone-casino-bridge-replacement/#entry546651 and http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/65546-epiphone-casino-vibration-problem/page__p__905547__hl__buzzing__fromsearch__1#entry905547 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blues66 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Hi Ferret! Magnus here, also from Sweden, also my first post and I was having the same problem, what are the odds??? I ordered a '61 Anniversary Casino from Thomann that I finally had delivered this monday, three days ago. A total beauty of a guitar but more about that later. Before this latest purchase it was actually a few years ago since I played anything but my strat, I had forgot all about that marraccas that goes by the name of ABR-1 over at the Gibson factory. In short, it's your bridge that rattles! Mine rattled like crazy straight out of the box, an hour, a string-change and a set-up later, still rattling! There are many manufacturers of rattle-free replacements for the ABR-1, I ordered the Gotoh GE104B from gitarrdelar.se, a direct replacement of the non-rattling variety, job done! It was Sek 311.- (~50 usd) including shipping, annoying to have to upgrade a brand new guitar with this but..... Just do it or have it done for you, you will be happy you did, I am! Hope this helps! Magnus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferret Posted September 1, 2011 Author Share Posted September 1, 2011 Cheers Bluelake and Not-too-Late, och tack så mycket Magnus ;) I looked up a luthier in my area to properly set up the guitar, and I'll make sure to point out the possibility of a loose pick-up cover as well as order myself one of 'em Gotoh bridges for installation. If nothing works, I guess you'll see me back here, but hopefully it won't come to that. ...and congrats on your new baby mr.Not-Too-Late :). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxman Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 You say it is a rattle, but then you go on to say it is a ringing. The rattle can probably be taken care of if you replace the stock bridge. Many of us here have done that. If you are hearing rattling it can also be the pickup selector switch being loose. I had a weird rattling and I saw that it was that little switch tip that was shaking back and forth a bit. If it is a definite ringing after the strings are struck, don't worry, that's actually normal. All guitars with strings below the bridge will ring. If a guitar has a tailpiece the strings between the tailpiece and the bridge will vibrate and give off overtones. You can check if that is what you are hearing by stuffing a guitar cloth under those strings down there. Strike a chord, if no ring then you have solved where your ringing is coming from. Remember though, that ringing is normal on these guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar dog Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Take a look at your selector switch too. Mine had a rattle in the middle position, I was able to tighten it up and solve the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RSDx Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 My LP bridge "rattled" not long after I got it ... was the retaining wire going across the intonation screws .... pushed/bent it slightly down with a small screwdriver here and there between the screws, forcing it into constant contact with every screw, and has been fine for a few years, now....fwiw (Dang, that was a long arsed sentence...heh...time to go mow the yards.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Tbone Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Hi Everyone, I recently bought a used Casino Elitist and overall I'm happy with the purchase. It had a Bigsby B7 installed by the original owner's luthier which I removed after about two days. It didn't really seem to add enough compared to what it took away. Every time I used it even a little I'd have to tune up immediately. But I digress, once I started playing around with it at home, I began to notice a strong vibration when playing open chords with any amount of energy. I was also experiencing a similar issue to the bridge type of buzz that was described in this post, but I new to look for the bridge wire rattle from previous guitars. There wasn't anything lose there at all. I was stumped for a few days but today I found the issue. It seems that the bridge pickup had become separated from the cover on one side. See picture attached for details. I broke out the solder iron and sorted it out in a few minutes. While I was at it I tightened all the nuts on the switch and pots. Everything's nice and quiet now except for a few fret buzzes that will have to get sorted out by a professional. just though I'd share to help my brothers and sisters in the world who seek an instrument that vibrates only where it supposed too! Hope it helps someone solve what can be an annoying problem! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hilm3 Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 The space for the wire to sit in is created by a loose fit between the head of the saddle adjustment screw and the bridge body. If you back out the screw and then turn back the other way, there is a gap of a few mils. Once you have the intonation set, if working the screw back and forth leaves a gap for the wire to rattle in, push the head of the screw toward the wire and the bridge to close that gap, without turning the screw, so that there is solid contact between the head of the screw, the wire, and the saddle.<br style="color: rgb(28, 40, 55); font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; background-color: rgb(250, 251, 252); "><br style="color: rgb(28, 40, 55); font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; background-color: rgb(250, 251, 252); ">Working the screw in and out while looking carefully through an eye loop will give you a better understanding of what is going on. Once you figure out how to get rid of this gap by pushing the head of the screw into the wire, rattle problems will disappear. The backlash gap is necessary for the proper functioning of the tension wire. If the gap was engineered out, chances are that the wire will bind in the screw head slot and make moving the saddle very difficult, and or grab the wire and kink it so it becomes unusable.<br style="color: rgb(28, 40, 55); font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; background-color: rgb(250, 251, 252); "><br style="color: rgb(28, 40, 55); font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; background-color: rgb(250, 251, 252); ">This problem is not exclusive to the wire method bridges. It also occurs with the bridges using the c- or e- rings. It is just more likely to produce a noticeable buzz with a wire bridge. I've noticed this buzzing with the c-rings on t-o-m's also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongMan Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated :) I had a rattling issue with my Elitist Casino as well. The solution was pretty simple. Lets have a look at the bridge: You see that Casino bridge has 2(!) thumb wheels mounted on the studs. One on each side to bear the actual bridge, and one towards the top. The lower one most likely should prevent the bridge from tilting. Now on my Casino the thumb wheels on the top were slightly loose, you couldn't even spot that. But you could hear it, the rattling and buzzing was loud and annoying. I tried fasten all screws, pots and the pickup switch, even had a look at the tailpiece. But all was perfectly in place, and the guitar still made buzzing and rattling noises. Took me 3 days until I realized the 2 thumb wheel mount of the bridge. At the end fastening the lower thumb wheels slightly towards the top immediately stopped the noise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnie Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 My LP bridge "rattled" not long after I got it ... was the retaining wire going across the intonation screws .... pushed/bent it slightly down with a small screwdriver here and there between the screws, forcing it into constant contact with every screw, and has been fine for a few years, now....fwiw (Dang, that was a long arsed sentence...heh...time to go mow the yards.) I did exactly the same thing as you on my noisy Cas and still fine to this day too.. Johnnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diverden Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 Most likely the retaining wire on the front of the bridge. Simply push down on it with the tip of a screwdriver. Solved my problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheapShoes Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 A drop of clear fingernail polish is very handy for any loose metal to metal rattle. Also good for securing a strap lock or input jack nut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old mark Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 First lay your Casino on a hard, flat surface...Then take a hatchet... (Adjust the wheel that stabilizes the bridge at the body of the guitar. Then check for any loose screws or parts. That will fix at least 90% of all rattles and assorted odd noises. I have replaced the bridge on my Epi Dots with a Gotoh and it is a far better bridge, very quiet and solid and offers more adjustment for intonation...I play my Casino Elitist with Ernie Ball 9's.) If none of the above works, locate the hatchet...Or buy a Gretsch...Then you will think your Epi bridge is problem free. mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disaster Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 Try to put a "kink" in the retaining wire at the bridge. This should alleviate some of the rattling/buzz you're getting. Next try plumber's teflon tape or thread lock on the height adjuster threads of the bridge. This will also help. Put more on the intonation screws (note that you'll have to re-intonate the guitar so be careful before you go down this path). This will help a little more. Lastly put more on the tail piece height adjustment screws. This will also help some. I used all the above to eliminate the rattle from the bridge on my SG. I'm using .010 gauge round wounds strings (Slinkys) & I haven't found the saddles to contribute to any buzzing. My saddles are some type of cast metal with a "V" groove molded into them. If you find the saddles are contributing (or yours don't have a groove) try the GraphTec teflon saddles. These aren't metal and simply can't rattle. I've used them and they seem very good. I didn't notice any tonal change after installing them. Good Luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ti-Ti Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 I removed all parts, finally I was pretty sure about ringing of bridge srews. No ringing since :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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