Buzzing on D notes?

MinorBlues

Sorry if we're only supposed to talk about sel-macs here, but this is about my archtop and nobody seems to know how to fix this. I get a buzz on the B string 3rd fret, G string 7th fret, and D string 12th fret. All D notes. The buzz seems to be coming from the tailpiece (check out the picture) It sound like a very high pitched squeel, and it is worst on the G string. I was thinking of maybe putting some tape around the string where it lays in the tailpiece, maybe to stop it from buzzing against the inside of the tailpiece. Any suggestions? Remember, it's only the D notes that seem to cause this sound. Thanks.

Ken Bloom

Sympathetic vibrations happen because something on the instrument is able to vibrate at the specific frequency, in your case the D above middle C. An easy thing to try here that is easily reversible and not visible is to put some metal tape on the underside of the arms of the tailpiece. This stuff is used by furnace people to join furnace vent pipe together. It has a paper back that you peel off and is easy to cut with sissors.
By putting a few pieces on the underside of the arms you will increase the mass of the tailpiece hopefully enough to solve the problem.
Another area to look at is the hinge. Try putting a little oil in there. I would recommend BreakFree which won't go away like WD 40 does. You can get a small bottle of it in any gun shop.
The other possibility is that one of the strings is vibrating between the bridge and the tailpiece. Since it is on that D note, check out the low E and A strings. Pluck the string between the bridge and the tailpiece and see what note you get. If you find one of them is giving you that D, you have found the culprit and all you need to do is damp that. Easy to do by simply threading some felt through the strings. I hope some of this helps. It can really be aggravating tracking things like this down sometimes. Been there. Hate it. Bon Chance.

MinorBlues

Nice, i'll try these things in the next few days and let you know how it turns out.