Odd C string problem

Waterguy

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Like the title says, I have an odd C string problem on my Kala Ka ST. If I play it open there is no buzz. If I play it from the fifth fret onward there is no buzz. If I play it lightly on frets 1 through 4 there is no buzz, but if I play it hard on those frets there is a noticable buzz.

Does anyone have an idea of what might be causing this?
 
Generally, buzzing comes from fretwork. But seeing as how it only buzzes when you press hard, you could probably (but I wouldn't suggest it) fix it by filing whichever fret is buzzing down a little bit. But this is coming from my guitar experience. I've only built 1 uke before.
 
I actualy didn't mean pushing down hard. I meant plucking the string hard, and by hard I don't mean extremely hard either. I mean harder then a light pluck.
 
well then it depends. Are you plucking upwards(in according to the body of the uke) or are you plucking slightly towards you(yourself/body/whatever). If you're plucking upwards, it could just be that the vibrations are going straight up and down, hitting the frets. I'd have to actually see the uke in order to see what's going on.
 
i do think its the action is too low.
so when you pluck the strings "hard" it gives u a buzzing sound.

Yeah i do think the string is close to the fret. maybe taking the strings outs and adjusting the nut and saddle could fix the problem.. not sure but give it a go.
 
I'm definitely not plucking upwards BluesDrive, the string would be vibrating side to side as uposed to up and down.

You might have something grappler. I just stuck a credit card in between the frets and the strings and it gets tight at the first fret. It might just be the C because of that little bit of extra thickness.

I understand how to take the action lower with sandpaper and needle files but how would one go about raising it a tiny amount without getting a new nut and saddle?

I'm editing this because I just tried plucking the string upwards and the buzz is noticably less
 
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I'm definitely not plucking upwards BluesDrive, the string would be vibrating side to side as uposed to up and down.

You might have something grappler. I just stuck a credit card in between the frets and the strings and it gets tight at the first fret. It might just be the C because of that little bit of extra thickness.

I understand how to take the action lower with sandpaper and needle files but how would one go about raising it a tiny amount without getting a new nut and saddle?

I'm editing this because I just tried plucking the string upwards and the buzz is noticably less

I was getting heaps of buzzing sound after when i changed my strings. But only on the E string.

What i did to fix it was, i removed the E string completly, then with another spare string, i had to cut a tiny bit off so it fits into the hole of my nut. ill show you a picture when i get home from work, but its fixed the buzzing sound! looks pretty dodgey but it worked.

Yeah as i said ill fix you guys up with a pic to help you see what it looks like
 
Is your C wound?

Funny you should ask, cause it used to be. I bought from MGM and it shipped with Aquilla's with a wound C. It sounded fine at first but the wound C started to buzz. When it did I asked my Uke instructer about it. He slid his fingers under the wound C and said it was a bad string. When I did the same, I could feel something at every spot where a fret was, so I bought a new set of Aquilla's but this time with no wound C.

The new set has been on about a month. The C has been buzzing pretty much since day one but I figured I'd give the new strings time to get settled in. The Uke is now at a point where tuning is almost unescesary so I'm assuming that they are settled in and something else is going on.

This is my only decent Uke. I have a Mahalo but going from a solid wood top back to a Mahalo is kinda like going from broadband internet back to phone line internet. I like this instrument and I have been playing it every single day with very few exeptions since it arived, but this is really starting to bug me. I am sure that there is something dopey that will solve this and that is why I brought this problem to UU. I am hoping that there is someone here who has experienced something similar who can help me.

My experience in life tells me that there is something relatively easy that will solve this so....fingurs crossed.... and thanks in advance.
 
I have the same buzz on my bushman, a really gross sounding buzz on the first and second fret of my C string, I can pacify it abit by raising the action for that string by putting down some rubber between the string and bridge. The buzz is very annoying, I personally think it's because the neck lacks the concavity that guitars have. My neck actually bows back against the tension of the string.
 
My E string buzzes when its open and i pluck it.

But when it buzzes, that's when I know my E string is tuned :confused:

Yeah anyway...It's okay though, I love it. haha
 
get a flat toothpick and break about 3/8 inch of Loosen the strinmgs and remove the saddle. Put the toothpick flat under the g string side slot and replace the saddle and see if the buzzing goes away...
 
It turns out that my problem may be odder then I thought but entirely my doing. I went to my lesson tonight, the first in a couple of weeks, and asked my instructor Peter W Zaccagnino http://www.fleamarketmusic.com/directory/player.asp?ID=98 (for anyone looking for Uke lessons in Fairfield county CT) about the buzz.

He watched me play the notes and heard the buzz. Then he took the instrument from me and tried to duplicate it and could not no matter how hard he tried. Then he handed it back to me and watched very closley as I very carefuly fretted each note and made the buzz happen each and every time. He then said "thats weird" cause he had no idea how it was happening.

Now seeing as he has been playing for over 45 years and I have been playing for just over 4 months I have to conclude that the screw up is something I'm doing so thanks for all the replies but I think for the moment it's back to the drawing board.

For the moment I think I'll try struming and picking a little less forcefully.
 
I had to do the same thing when I restrung my Flea and a Kala Soprano that I have with Aquilla's, both of them started having a buzz that wasn't there before. Can't play those strings as "hard" as I could the Koa' Golds I had on them.

When I restrung my Kala Tenor Spruce/Maple with J71 DAddario's it started buzzing cuz I was'nt fretting hard enough.


During my first lesson a few months ago my Instructor told us "It's not a guitar so you don't need to play/strum so hard"
 
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