Artcore has rattle in bridge

[CarolM]

Hi, I bought an Artcore AG75 about three months ago, and about 2 months ago I noticed a rattle or buzz coming from the bridge when I played the G string. Nothing seemed to be loose. Took it to the best luthier here and he got it to stop awhile by pulling up on the string back by the bridge, and said oh well ithe noise won't amplify, not much he can do about it anyway. He knew it was just a $300 guitar and maybe didn't think it worth tearing apart.

I'm trying not to let it bother me, but it seems to be getting worse, reverberating around the box with strange overtones. Is this something I should get warranty service for? Is this kind of thing common with other guitars and you just get used to it?

[spiral]

You shouldn't have to get used to it and it shouldn't rattle.

Did it come with a wooden bridge as well? The Artcore i had came with a tune-o-matic (what you have on there now) and a wooden bridge. Swapping in the wooden bridge temporarily would help you figure out of it is the bridge or something else. Rattles are notoriously hard to locate, and unfortunately could be from lots of different sources: tailpiece, pickguard, electronics, even the string not seated properly in one of the bridge slots. There are no real tricks, just common-sense detective work, and process of elimination. Was it the B string that he lifted?

[CarolM]

You shouldn't have to get used to it and it shouldn't rattle.
There are no real tricks, just common-sense detective work, and process of elimination. Was it the B string that he lifted?

No it was the G string. I still do that and it does help for awhile.

Yes I think it has a wooden bridge, which the luthier stuck down with 2 sided tape when I had him set it up. Kinda funny I didn't notice the buzz at that time, or maybe I thought it was my sloppy technique (finger buzz). It's a skinny neck with not a lot of room.

Oh, what about warranty service? It seems like such a minor problem and I'd have to ship out of town. I do have the packing boxes though. But is it just overkill??

[gwalker134]

I have an Ibanez Artcore too, and I think they're killer.
I have a ton of high-end stuff too.
You might want to try replacing stock stock bridge with a Protone
tune-o-matic. Should end rattle and improve tone.

[TH]

Try turning the adjustment screw a half turn and see if it's just the position it's in. Sometimes a tiny bit of tension will keep it tight.

[oldane]

I don't know the Artcores, but buzzing was a problem I had with Gibsons tunomatic on my Gibson 175. True, it wasn't audible through the amp, but anyway, it annoyed me very much. The adjustment screws would buzz if they were slack (which they always were a short time after tightening them). Also, the retaining wire buzzed. I replaced the Gibson tunomatic with a Gotoh ditto without the wire and with a different screw mechanism, and the buzzing was gone. In later years, I have used a wood saddle which, of course, doesn't buzz.

[citral]

Well you're lucky it happened so late, for me it's unbearable after only 10 days.

Best way to fix it is to get a Gotoh bridge (it's really drop-in replacement) from Thomann in Europe or I believe Stewmac has them in US.

GOTOH GE103B-T CHROME - Cyberstore Thomann Français

Did that on my AS73 and it's night and day, no more rattling, buzzing, better intonation.

The AG75 I'm not keeping tho, not only the bridge, but the pickguard and bridge pickup are rattling, and there are annoying high frequencies from the tailpiece.

The rest (neck, finish etc.) is really good for the price tho, too bad.

[The_Dude]

I too had a bridge/string buzzing problem with my Ibanez PM35 from day one. However, I replaced the standard tune-o-matic type bridge with the rosewood bridge that came separately with the guitar and that eliminated the buzzing. It also gave me a much better tone. I also placed a small dab of silicon under the neck pickup to prevent rattling. After setup, I'm buzz and rattle free :-)

[woyvel]

I also had a buzz in the bridge on the G string. It didn't start from Day 1, but later.

I tried the following, and something ended up working:

1) Took a pencil to the bridge roller (graphite, ya know) which helped keep me in tune better also.
2) Changed to .012 flat wound strings - best thing I ever did
3) Set the intonation again (had to after changing to heavier strings)

No more buzz on G string.

BTW I have the Ibanez version of the Bigsby on mine.

[jazzkatten]

I have buzz problems with my GB10 then I use 0.012 strings, so I change to 0.013 and the buzz is gone

[johnaf85]

Had the same problem with my af85-graphtek makes a drop-in tune-o-matic style bridge for around a c-note.. BIG improvement!

[CarolM]

OK I resurrected this thread to report that the buzz is gone.

Today I had a friend do a better job than I could of installing some Thomastik flatwounds, and NOW the buzz is gone. I really think it was the butt end of the D'Addario string rattling against the trapeze or whatever you call it. The Thomastiks have some sort of nylon wrapping around the wound strings there and I think it makes a smoother contact. ( Before this I had tried another set of D'Addario 11's like the ones that came on the guitar and I was rather depressed that the problem was still there.)

Also put some pencil lead in the nut slot to fix the binding problem I posted about recently. It works real smooth now.

Thank God, I thought I'd gotten some kind of factory second. So, all's well.

[oldane]

OK I resurrected this thread to report that the buzz is gone.

Today I had a friend do a better job than I could of installing some Thomastik flatwounds, and NOW the buzz is gone. I really think it was the butt end of the D'Addario string rattling against the trapeze or whatever you call it. The Thomastiks have some sort of nylon wrapping around the wound strings there and I think it makes a smoother contact.

Glad to hear you solved the problem. Such noises can drive one mad.

If you like a certain set of strings and they don't have that "silk" wrap, you can wrap them yourself with adhesive tape. Annoying buzzes are VERY normal with archtops - to the extent that they can be hard to avoid. When I think about it, I can't remember any archtop I have owned through 45 years which haven't buzzed at some time. On my Gibson 175 there has for 30 years been a bit of a saxophone reed wedged between the PU and the PU ring to stop buzzing. On another guitar some D'Daddario strings - but not TI and neither cheap Martin strings - buzzed in the tailpiece like on your guitar.

[Munk]

I had a very annoying metal bridge on my semi hollow with rattle comming from loose screws and springs. It was a big relief to find out that clear nail polish could fix the problem, and with no side effects.

[Andre_t]

Hi all, first time poster, long time lurker here!

I just bought an Ibanez PM35 and have the same rattle problem on the G string, although it didn't occur to me to call it a rattle until I read this thread - I was thinking of the noise as unusually loud metallic harmonics when playing on the G string, especially when played open. It has the stock D'addarios so I am going to change to TI flatwound 11s and put on the rosewood bridge and see if that helps, thanks for the advice.

I do have a related question - I can't get the G string to tune, no matter how long I spend trying: Even with a few different tuners, it is always out of tune!! Is this just me or could it be related to the rattle? This is my first archtop/hollow box. I have only played acoustic for the past 15 years! Thanks.

[rmennick]

I have the same problem with my new Ibanez AF125; I intended many things, removed the plastic band below the bridge, moved the bridge, removed and placed again the strings, re-tuned strings at air and 12-freet, moved the trapezium. I had the doubt if the buzz comes from the bridge or from the "trapezium" (that big thing that holds the strings at the right end), but the noise is "metallic" and experiments showed that it comes from the Gibraltar bridge. Well, after reading the WEB one post suggested to tight the bridge screws; I did it and "voila", the buzz has gone, hope that forever ! Obviously, this need to be done carefully , smoothy, and just a little bit, in order to not loosing the string tuning. Hope this info helps.

[Scinram]

And i thought it was just MY Artcore ... but no! .. same string .. same issue.

Before coming here i had however isolated as to what is causing the 'metallic buzz' .. It happens to be the screw that adjusts the inotation slide-saddle in the adjustable metal bridge. The screw in some way must be just too skinny for the threaded hole in the bridge and/or the actuall sliding saddle. Either way it is always loose and so free to vibrate in harmony with the vibrating stings ... its worse of course when playing the G string itself.

I have experimented with moving the inotation saddle to both ends of the range hoping to find a place when the screw becomes 'tight' enough so it doesn't rattle ... in desperation I wound the screw all the way in so that the sliding saddle for the G string is hard up against the limit of the adjusment slot that is closest to the tail ... and there is where the screw binds and stops rattling..

Of course I had imagined that the string would now not hold its tune when fretted ... but MUCH to my surprise the inotation happened to be spot on at the fifth fret compared to the open string.

So ... i was happy to leave it there in that position!

However, I like the ideas somebody suggested of using 'clear nail polish' .... i will keep that in mind should i have to re-postion the sliding saddle away from hard up against the limit of travel in future.

[tedium]

Change the the bridge, not only should you take care of the buzz ( I think it is the slot) but it will sound better.

[MikeConner]

Rattles in the TOM bridge are very common. I included some comments in the AF95 review I posted some time ago. Adjust the saddle positions to get the best intonation possible with your preferred strings, then put a small drop of clear nail polish on the "inside" surface of the bridge where each screw first enters - on my bridge each screw had a small retaining clip. The nail polish "sets" the screw and retaining clip but you can still adjust later should string gages or types change.

It can also help if you lightly file the slot in the saddles to match the diameter of the strings. I use nut files, but inexpensive needle files, or even an old string can work in a pinch. The goal is to have a slot depth one-half the thickness of the string (for the wound strings).

[Scinram]

Change the the bridge, not only should you take care of the buzz ( I think it is the slot) but it will sound better.

OKay! ... so took on the challenge, as i sitll had the spare wooden bridge in the box it arrived in. Must admit this was the first time i had changed the strings on this guitar .... WoW .. what a hazzle the 'trapeze' is!! ... I can't believe just how 'unfriendly' it can be when trying to keep the string anchors in their slots until you get tension on!! ...

Anyway .. that aside ... WoW again!! .. What a difference the simple wooden bridge makes. I have never heard the guitar sound so crisp and clean! ... of course the new strings would have contibuted ... but after getting it tuned and playing my current piece, I realise that there must have been more than just the G string rattle coming out of that metal TOM bridge.

Thanks for the tip ted!!

[bluesoverdrive]

Hey There! My first post/reply here..

I know it's an old post but, It's great, it can help many others.

I got an Ibanez AGR70, there is a lot of rattle that comes from the bridge or the tailpiece. I ordered a new bridge with roller saddles from GuitarFetish, it is in the mail right now. When it arrives I will try the new bridge.
Here is a video a did of the rattle:

[docbop]

Hey There! My first post/reply here..

I know it's an old post but, It's great, it can help many others.

I got an Ibanez AGR70, there is a lot of rattle that comes from the bridge or the tailpiece. I ordered a new bridge with roller saddles from GuitarFetish, it is in the mail right now. When it arrives I will try the new bridge.
Here is a video a did of the rattle:

Be carefull roller bridge can really suck the tone out of a guitar. Hang on to your old bridge you may want to put it back on later.

With archtops you have all sorts of things attached to a basically an acoustic guitar, so you learn to get good at tracking down and fixing rattles and etc. Keep a small screwdriver around, maybe so felt and started tweaking to get rid of unwanted sounds.

[wildschwein]

I had a tail piece on a cheap hollow body guitar that rattled like a mo fo. I had to wrap it with electrical tape in several places to stop the noise. Ended up putting a Bigbsy on that guitar.

[GNAPPI]

Old post info alert!!!

The AF series from what I know no longer come with two bridges, no abalone inlay in the bridge base, no wooden TP or wood knobs :-)

Super looking gits though if you get the older ones!

[pretax]

Hi Folks
Had a rattle on my Saxon Lyre (yeah, I know ).

Stay with me folks, this works....

It has a buffulo bone bridge and the buzz was coming from this. I cured it using corn plaster foam (foot corns yeah) to create a doughnut around the affected string as it touches the bridge. This removed the buzz as well as some lingering overtones/sustain I was as trying to remove.
1/ Make sure you use the 'foam' corn plasters.
2/ Remove sticky surface (so just the foam bit).
3/ Trim the foam so much smaller 1.5cm squared and cut a small hole in the middle of the foam section using scissors (just a nick is needed, no need to trim into a hole)
4/ Insert the doughnut under the string so that the string sits in the bridge groove (via the hole) but surrounded with the foam (some touching the string on both sides of the bridge).

Hope it works for you.
Mark (UK)