Weird buzzing noise, but not from the frets

I have this buzzing noise on my new Lanikai - it's not the string hitting any frets, and sounds as if it's coming from the tuning peg. It's more like a rattle as soon as the string is plucked.

Got a sample on AudioBoo here.

I start at the sound hole in the sound sample and move up the fretboard and finish at the headstock.

What Lanikai is it? I had the same problem when I bought one, you'd probably come across it in my thread history!? Mine would rattle and buzz, but as you say, not from the frets, but it seemed to come and go... e.g. it would do it continuously until I got it back to the shop and then it would stop. Really annoyed me as in my eyes it wasn't a cheap uke.

Can't really give you much advice mind, I had another fault on mine, in that there was a jack plug and a control panel but absolutely no electronics inbetween... Took alot of hastle but I ended up getting it upgraded to the Kala equivalent. Which was a shame really as I liked the Lanikai more...

Anyway, sorry for not being any help, but I just wanted to point out that I think its quite a common problem. Hope you get it sorted though, if you can find the answers anywhere then it's here in the underground!...

Hmm, that's not a good sign then!

It's the one in my sig, Lanikai SM:CE. I'm off to a luthier on Friday to have a pickup fitted into the Mainland so will get him to have a look at it.

Geared tuners? Try tightening the nuts on the tuners, if they're loose they can rattle and buzz.

byjimini said:

I have this buzzing noise on my new Lanikai - it's not the string hitting any frets, and sounds as if it's coming from the tuning peg.

Click to expand...

Hello Byjimini

I tried your sound file but I couldn't tell the cause. Does the pitch of the buzz change, or is it more or less the same frequency? As you move your mic, it gets louder and I agree that it's from the headstock area........ So I can offer some possibilities:

(1) Loose nuts or bushing/gromets on your tuning peg. You can try to tape them down (use masking tape) and see if the buzz goes away. If it's a nut, just tighten. It a bushing, push it in.

(2) Loose nut? YOu can ask someone to hold the nut down as you pluck. (1) and (2) are easy to find and fix

(3) The string between the nut and the tuning peg is vibrating sympathetically. Again, you can ask someone to hold that part of the string as you pluck. Or, you can wrap a tape around the headstock (hold the strings). Or, you can slip a rubber/foam pad between the strings and the headstock near the nut.

(4) Does the buzz occur when you fret a particular string at a particular fret? I have had a strange buzz on my guitar: The 6th string buzzed when fretted at 3rd while I play a B note on 1st string (7th fret). The B note sympathetically vibrated the 6th string between the nut and the 3rd fret (the "unused" side of a string). Weird but I could stop it if I put a capo on to mute that part of the string. It was a combination of frequency and my neck (possibly too flat). Not much I could do about it.

(5) Does your ukulele have a truss rod inside the neck? It can be loose (or broken). A major repair.

Well, these are my initial guesses. It would be much easier to actually see the ukulele - you can take it to a very competent and patient luthier.

Sorry, can't be of much help

Happy Pickin
Chief

I've tightened the screws up in the geared tuners, the one in the E string keeps turning and turning without tightening up, so I'm guessing it's something to do with that tuner - take the screw out and it carries on. Playing the 1st to 4th frtes on that string and there's no buzz, comes back on the 5th and 6th tho.

It's no big problem; no-one can really hear it when you're playing, it's just a bit of a nit-pick. If I sign a million-Pound recording contract in the next year then maybe I'll spend something on having it repaired.

Is this a new uke or the problem just started???

are the nut slots cut at the angle of the headstock, if not you can get a buzz

Ok, took it to my local luthier today, it's definitely the geared tuning peg. Emailed the seller who's contacted Lanikai, looks like I'll be getting a spare sent to me.