Riviera p93 slight rattle.

[messican]

Hey all, very new to the site and guitars. Just received my Riviera p93 and it looks awesome, but am having a couple problems. When tuning the guitar, via tuner on amp, it never sounds right.... any tips? Also i notice a slight buzz/rattle when strumming certain strings. Nothing obvious seems loosed on the guitar. Any help is appreciated, Thank you!

[RaSTuS]

There was a tuning tip passed on here a while back which I've always found works like a charm. Select the neck pickup, turn the volume up full, turn the tone right down, pick the string over the 12th fret, it gives a great signal to the tuner and helps to stop those wavering (bouncing up and down) results. And of course always tune up to the pitch, never tune down to it.

 

The most likely culprit for the rattle would be the retaining wire that goes across the saddle screws on the bridge, the easiest way to fix it is to get a small flat bladed screwdriver and use it to bend the wire down between each screw head, so that it has a constant tension on it rather that being loose over some of the screws. Just be careful, a cloth under the bridge would help protect the top of the guitar in case you happened to slip.

 

Hope this helps.

[Whitmore Willy]

Messican,

 

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the guitar!

RaSTuS has given some very good tips.

 

A couple of other thoughts.

You say you are new to guitars and the guitar is new.

 

Always a good idea to put some new strings on a new guitar. A fresh set can make a difference.

As to tuning. Being a new guitar, the nut slots are often not notched to the proper height. String height in general can be too high. (bridge might need adjustment)

 

If the nut slots are not deep enough it can cause tuning problems. Even if the open strings are in tune, they can sound sharp when you press on the frets. This especially occurs at the first few frets. It is caused by over stretching the strings when pressing.

 

As you are new to guitars, it may even be your technique. Always a good idea to have a good tech check it out for basic setup.

If you can watch while he does it then you can learn the basics. Setup and basic adjustments are a part of any guitar. They can require slight adjustments from season to season.

Always a good idea to learn to do it yourself. Watching a tech do it the first time can help.

 

Much good info in Animalfarm's DIY at the top of the Epi Lounge.

 

Willy

[messican]

Thanks for the help and the great links! I dug a little deeper and tuned it from a sound board on the internet and it sounded right. I will check out the rattle suggestions but i think i will take it to a shop and have them go over it. Thanks again!