Buzz?

Am I hearing things? I won't say which string or note but can you hear the buzz that I do? (Please forgive my playing)

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Hey Deach,
1. A buzz is difficult to diagnose. It can be a number of things. It is usually the string vibrating in contact with a fret for whatever reason. Recently, I had a buzz on a Pono and I simply changed the strings and it went away. I would start with this attempt first.

2. If the fretboard is warped, it can cause a fret to lift and make contact with a vibrating string. If you run AC and HEAT in your house, the relative humidity changes rapidly which can really damage a uke. Make sure you store your valued uke in its case in a cabinet that is cool at the very least if you constantly run AC and HEAT during the year.

3. Sometimes raising the "action" or distance from string to fret can help. This will also add volume to the sound. You would need to place a spacer between the bridge and saddle to lift it a tiny bit. I know some people have used old credit card pieces as shims. Anything somewhat solid would work.

4. Also, are the washers tight on the tuners? Sometimes they are loose and vibrate. Another source of vibration could be something in the pick-up if you have one..

5. If the nut slots are too low, it causes the strings to be too low on the fretboard. Again, the "action" would become too low and the strings could vibrate on the frets. I have wadded up tiny clumps of paper....loosened the particular string and then shimmed it into the nut slot to lift the string. Tighten the string and see it if fixes it. If so, figure out a clever way to create a less visible shim and replace the paper wad.

6. One last thing..if you accidentally strum too hard with the finger in the direction of going into the soundhole and create a vertical vibration instead of a horizontal vibration, it can result in a buzz. Make sure you strum ACROSS the strings in a horizontal fashion.

Hope that helps,
-Ukestar
 
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I really think it's a fret issue. I laid a push pin on its side and played the note and it cleared up the buzz.

314733370.jpg


Thanks for the responses!
 
I really think it's a fret issue. I laid a push pin on its side and played the note and it cleared up the buzz.

314733370.jpg


Thanks for the responses!

If so, a luthier should be able to fix it for a small fee. Maybe, if it is new, the ukulele company can reimburse you for the repairs..
 
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