Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I've got a RIC 330.. I bought it in March and have been playing it pretty regular with great sound and no problems. I had to go out of town for business and when I returned last week, started playing the RIC again and found I have a string buzz.. mostly on the 1st string / 1st fret area but I've also noticed it on the other strings. I have Rickenbacker strings on it and have made no adjustments.. My question.. is it possible that this is just the strings becoming 'old' and stretching or is it possible for my bridge or something to come out of adjustment? I'd appreciate any help or ideas. Thanks.

Douglas: You may wish to post this to the "Ask A Luthier" topic so it will get the attention of Mark Arnquist. I do not feel that it is the strings, although, if you have had the same set on since March 2001 and play it regularly I would go for a new set anytime soon. I suspect that your instrument has undergone changes as a result of the humidity and heat that we have had worldwide lately. Things will likely revert back to normal as we move into the fall. Mark will have more to say, but while you wait to hear from him, I hope this helps.

Hello Douglas: This might or might not be relevant to your problem; I was getting a guitar buzz and I couldn't figure out what was causing it. I eventually got around to pulling the strings out of the saddle grooves and then reseating them and lo and behold the buzzing disappeared. Good luck.

String buzz requires checking the 'setup' on a guitar.

first tune to pitch ,

then check the truss rod(s)

then the nut depth

then the bridge radius

then the bridge height

then the saddle slots

then the tailpiece .

Don't change the order or start over .

To get walked through this ...I posted how to check out your guitars set up in the 'Ask a Rick Luthier ' section ...that way EVERYONE can do this .
It will save you time and money.

See you in the 'Ask ' area

Thanks for the advice.. I think I am a victim of the humidity because some days the buzz is worse than others.. also I need to change the strings..
Mark, thank you for the setup advice I will definitely check..

If the guitar was setup once and was fine ,most likely the trussropds need to be loosened ....but don't just loosen them at random .

There is plenty of info on this subject in the Luthier column.