I own a Goldtone SM Weissenborn. I’ve had issues with string buzz on the top 3 strings. It has been to two guitar techs and they are stumped. I am using the recommended string gauges by Goldtone (gauged .014, .018, .026w, .034w, .044w, .056w) John Pearce tuned to open D. String buzz is more noticeable when a note is “fretted”. I was told the strings are seated well in the bridge and nut... so no issue there. Anyone else ever experience this issue?
10 Comments |
 | jerryleonard999 says:
1/26/2018 12:29:07 PM
How much mileage do you have on the strings?
I found that my third string buzzes after so many hours of playing on my Gretsch dobro (not enough hours on my Gold Tone Weiss yet)... it's repeatable.... tried to trace the buzz to many things by opening up the dobro and tweaking things... and then finally took it to the Guitar Center and the tech found it right away.
Replaced the string and it was fixed. He thought it was a defective string, but it happens with wear every time I change so far.
Anyone else see that?
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 | screendoorslam says:
1/27/2018 5:57:56 AM
Ive changed the strings several times... same buzz. I put a little heavier gauge on the guitar and that seemed to help, but of course that is not recommended by Goldtone.
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 | CaseyHunter says:
1/29/2018 7:27:59 PM
I would consider buying a new bridge saddle blank and building a new bridge saddle. You can do it yourself easily and inexpensively. It just takes some patience while you sand it down and cut the string slots.
I would also consider getting a new nut blank and replacing the current one, as I have found it helps with the tone on the imports.
They can both be replaced for under $20 and a couple hours of work.
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| screendoorslam says:
1/30/2018 9:25:55 AM
Thanks for the advice Hunter... tech said he adjusted the string height to level everything out, but the buzz persists. I agree with you 100%... guess I will look around for a nut and bridge blank.
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| CaseyHunter says:
1/30/2018 1:19:45 PM
You just reminded me that I had posted a similar question related to leveling of strings on the weissenborn, almost a year ago, and never had responded with my resolution. Getting old and forgetting things, but the good news is I had almost the exact same problem. I replaced the nut and bridge and it resolved the issue completely.
resohangout.com/topic/46503
As I took the factory bridge saddle out, I found it was not uniform and had not been cut cleanly. It also appeared the factory had try to level it by putting a wood shim under the saddle.
I cleaned up the glue at the bottom of the saddle slot and leveled it out, and then cut/sanded a new saddle. I primarily used sandpaper to shape and size it. I did the same with a new nut, although I did end up leaving the new nut a bit taller than the factory height. This helped with the playability and I think helped the tone a bit.
In regards to the bridge saddle, make sure the height isn't much taller than the factory saddle. If you go too high it will crack the bridge as it turns the saddle into a lever and puts a lot of pressure on front of the saddle slot.
I was able to play with a couple different types of nuts and saddles (bone and Tusq graphite). The different materials colored the sound slightly, but were both a huge improvement over the stock material.
The sanding of the nut and saddle took the longest, but it was a relatively quick process, even with me going very slow and deliberate.
Good luck
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| screendoorslam says:
1/31/2018 8:06:22 AM
I appreciate that info...
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| screendoorslam says:
4/3/2018 6:59:16 PM
UPDATE... I took it to a new luthier who had contacts with Gold Tone. He called and they stayed on the phone to walk him through a troubleshoot. Apparently their is a screw hidden by an inlay on top of the bridge. He tightened it, replaced the nut with a piece of fossilized bone, leveled the strings (which were still out of wack) and the problem was solved. Plays better and has more sustain than when I received the instrument.
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| screendoorslam says:
4/3/2018 6:59:32 PM
UPDATE... I took it to a new luthier who had contacts with Gold Tone. He called and they stayed on the phone to walk him through a troubleshoot. Apparently their is a screw hidden by an inlay on top of the bridge. He tightened it, replaced the nut with a piece of fossilized bone, leveled the strings (which were still out of wack) and the problem was solved. Plays better and has more sustain than when I received the instrument.
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| jerryleonard999 says:
4/4/2018 2:06:07 AM
how do you remove that inlay to get to the screw? i have the same one on mine.
thanks.
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| screendoorslam says:
4/4/2018 4:20:21 AM
I have no idea... I didn’t ask. But... I was thinking the same thing.
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