Hi Andy,
I think the recording was an excellent idea. I think it helps to explain the
issue a lot better. To me, it sounds like there is an issue with the
intonation. This basically is the relationship between the strings and the
physical body of the guitar in terms of its tuning. There is quite a lot of
complexity to it so, I've pasted below an article that explains it in a lot
more detail than I can smiles. It also tells you how you can adjust it but,
I'd fully recommend that you get a technician to do it unless you are very
familiar with setting up a guitar. From some dark and distant past somewhere,
I seem to recall you have a Tailor and you certainly do not want to damage that!
What is intonation? With musical instruments, intonation refers to pitch
accuracy—the extent to which the notes formed are in tune, versus being flat or
sharp. When a player tunes a guitar using an electronic guitar tuner, they do
so by plucking the open (unfretted) strings. However, when a string is fretted,
the tension on the string increases, which bends the pitch of the note slightly
upward. The effect is subtle, but this change can impact the intonation, in
some cases causing “sour” notes and dissonant chords if the guitar’s intonation
is not set properly. Often intonation issues are associated with playing higher
up the fretboard (closer to the guitar body). Something else to keep in mind is
that the closer a string is to the frets, the less it needs to stretch since it
doesn’t have as far to go. This means that low action tends to produce more
accurate intonation. Intonation issues can be subtle or dramatic depending on a
guitar’s setup. For guitarists who record or play music live, intonation
problems can ruin a recording session or a live performance. How is acoustic
guitar intonation adjusted? While adjusting the acoustic guitar intonation is
conceptually the same as an electric guitar, due to certain differences in
construction (e.g., different types of saddles) the processes vary in some
respects. Most acoustic players take their guitars to a qualified guitar
technician when they need their intonation adjusted. Typically, proper acoustic
guitar intonation begins with a full setup, along with a fresh set of strings.
With Taylor guitars, provided there is no fret wear, the setup often solves
serious acoustic guitar intonation problems. However, many high-level players
still appreciate a luthier’s specific attention to intonation, because it will
address each player’s style and technique on that particular instrument. The
technician will check the guitar’s action (the distance between the strings and
the fretboard), as well as the instrument’s neck relief. This refers to the
slight bowing intentionally created in the neck to set the action. It can be
controlled by tightening or loosening the truss rod, which is located in the
neck. Essentially, the technician is trying to get everything right before
actually adjusting the acoustic guitar’s intonation. This removes the extra
variables and makes it easier to dial in the intonation. From there, they’ll
usually address the nut and saddle, where the strings stretch over a piece of
bone, plastic or other synthetic material. Most saddles are placed at a slight
angle to the bridge, which adds length to the lower strings to adjust for
differences in string thickness. Likewise, many saddles are made with
compensation points for some or all of the strings, which helps fine-tune those
points even more. When addressing a player’s particular style and technique, a
skilled guitar technician can cut more accurate notches into the saddle,
effectively adjusting the intonation of each string by changing the string’s
distance from the nut. The technician will check the pitch of each string at
the 12th fret to ensure that it’s in tune with the pitch of the open string.
Checking the nut, where the strings rest at the peghead before winding around
the tuning machines, is critical. String slots that are cut flat,
high-centered, or left too high, along with improper placement of the nut, will
prevent a guitar from achieving good intonation. At Taylor, we have the added
benefit of our proprietary neck design, which ensures that every guitar is
built with proper action and accurate nut and saddle location. The guitar neck
design also makes it easy to adjust the neck angle and allows for setup-related
intonation fixes without changing the position of the nut or the saddle. In the
end, intonation on a tempered scale instrument can never be perfect. And keep
in mind that another factor that can affect acoustic guitar intonation is a
person’s playing technique. For example, players with a heavy fretting hand or
a beginner might press down harder than necessary on the strings, resulting in
notes going sharp. In other words, in a certain player’s hands, even a properly
set-up guitar can sound like it’s out of tune. Since there are so many
variables, we recommend that players change their strings before consulting a
service technician to adjust their intonation, since guitar strings naturally
lose some elasticity with time and wear. Otherwise, a technician can find the
sweet spot on your guitar that provides the best possible intonation all the
way up and down the neck.
-----Original Message-----
From: vibe-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <vibe-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Andy C
Sent: 25 October 2020 23:15
To: vibe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [vibe] Recording of fret buzz
Dave – I can’t feel any damage to the fret, it doesn’t feel worn, and the fret
wire doesn’t feel differently to any of the others.
Chris, thanks for suggesting that I record the sound, I hope you can hear it
well enough from the attachment.
Andy Collins