A guitar string is rattling, what should I do? What to do if the string rattles or rings? What to do if the strings are ringing

Today we’ll look at a situation where a string is rattling and tell you what needs to be done in such cases.

Recently I have received about ten emails and comments with the question “What to do if the string rattles.” I thought that if the topic is relevant, why not write a short post about it. Here I am writing.

So, first, let's figure out why the unpleasant rattling sound occurs. There are two options here. The first is that for some reason the string catches the fretboard. The second is that it is not the string that is rattling at all, but a crooked or not fully inserted peg. Why is this happening?

1) Look at the strings.

a) In most cases, this happens when the standard strings are left on the guitar (they are always, to put it mildly, not of the best quality). Everything is simple here - install a new set.

b) Either the new strings have not yet been tightened properly. It’s even easier here - you need to wait 1-2 days, tune the guitar and see the result.

2) Pegs. We check the reliability and correctness of the pegs. Everything is elementary.

3) Thresholds. This happens when the top and/or bottom saddles are damaged (chips, various types of defects, string cutting into the saddle, plastic chipping). Often the problem can be eliminated on your own (remove the flash with a scalpel, place a match under the string - the Russian mind is inventive). Otherwise, we run to the store for new thresholds. They cost about 40 rubles apiece. We remove the strings, throw the old broken-down garbage to hell (for those who didn’t know, the sills are not fixed and can be easily removed, but are held on to the instrument only thanks to the strings pressing them). We install new plastic masks and put the strings back on. If the problem is not resolved, see paragraph (1) subparagraph (b).

4) Grif. Perhaps the problem is in the neck, or more precisely, with the deflection of the anchor, which determines the distance from the string to the neck. If it is less than normal, the strings hit the fingerboard. If it is greater, the vibration amplitude increases, and the string strikes again. Detailed instructions for this case are in this article.

If you are unable to fix the problem, try purchasing a new pack of strings and two nuts. As a last resort - a new guitar.

Duration: 5:23

Why do the strings rattle when playing the guitar?

There are four main reasons why this happens. Let's look at these reasons.

A flaw in the instrument itself.

If the guitar's bridge and bridge are not set correctly, then the strings will touch the metal frets when played, which in turn will cause a rattling sound. When buying a guitar, you need to pay attention to the distance between the strings and the neck around the 12th fret. It should not be more than 4 mm.

Incorrect sound production with the right hand.

Most often it occurs in beginning guitarists who produce sound perpendicular to the soundboard and neck. This leads to the fact that during vibration the string again touches the frets and produces an annoying sound. Sound production should be done in such a way that the string vibrates parallel to the body of the guitar.

Touching the vibrating strings with your fingers.

This most often happens when guitarists raise their finger too early after playing the sound. At the same time, the nail touches the sounding string and a rattling sound appears. To avoid this, you need to play with your thumb with support, that is, pull the sixth string and linger on the fifth, pull the fifth and linger on the fourth. When playing the fourth finger, you need to hold it slightly diagonally.

The string is clamped far from the fret.

You need to clamp the strings as close as possible to the nut of the fret you are playing. There is no need to press the string very close either. If you are playing on the third fret, then you need to play as close to the third nut as possible.

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Perhaps every guitarist has encountered a problem strings rattling and “left” sound at . This is when, mixed with normal sound, they begin to produce a nasty - extraneous sound, simply put, the strings are rattling, ring or there is additional annoying noise.
Much more often, rattling occurs with one string, and not necessarily on all frets, but on some specific ones.
Beginning guitarists in such cases either do not notice this, or if they notice, they begin to greedily search the Internet for the necessary answers. Actually, that’s why I decided to post this article here. It's not a complicated matter.

Step - 1. Find out where the extraneous sound is coming from:

From personal experience and from the experience of my fellow guitarists, I can immediately tell you what you should pay attention to.

1. On the first frets of the neck.
This is when they are clamped on the first frets the strings are rattling, and closer to the body of the guitar they already sound normal. The reason is low or uneven frets (1,2). From here you can understand that the reason is quite serious, and if the guitar is recently purchased, then the factory defect is obvious. And if it’s old, then most likely, notches have already appeared on the first and second frets from numerous pressing of the strings, thereby the frets have actually been erased - they have lowered and the strings, when pressed and extracting sound, touch neighboring frets.

2. On the last frets of the neck.
Here we get the opposite situation. At the first frets, the strings sound clean, but as they approach the body, a noticeable rattling appears. The reason is a small gap between the 12th fret and the strings. That is, the problem is .

3. On the strings themselves.
If you haven’t found any of the reasons described above, then most likely the open (not clamped) strings or one string are rattling (ringing). And this is the problem of choosing a suitable set of strings, usually by diameter.

4. On .
Not an uncommon reason. This is when it is not the strings themselves that rattle, but the pegs. Therefore, this problem is a consequence of a violation of their proper operation. You can find out exactly which peg is making noise this way. We strum the guitar with the other hand, and with the left hand we touch the pegs in turn. The one at which the rattling stops is the hero of the occasion. =)

5. On the body of the guitar.
In this case, the material from which the body is made rattles. It's easy to find out. We knock lightly on the body. If there is a rattling sound, then it’s the same. The reason is an old guitar, and most likely it fell more than once, after which a wooden strip or something else partially came off inside the drum.

Step -2. We eliminate the reasons:

1. If, and you have discovered the above-described reason under number 1, then we can safely hand it back with the words “Put it back where you got it from!” .
And if it’s old, then we silently change the first 2 frets, maybe 3. It’s better, of course, to give this to a guitar master, but you can do without him. I did this myself a couple of times on 2 of my guitars when I often played on the street. The frets were worn down for me in half a year like hello.
If you decide to do it yourself, then go buy a set of guitar frets that match the width. They are longer in the package than on the neck. We take out the old fret by prying its edge with a sharp object. We cut the new fret to the required size and put it in place of the old one. If you have selected (bought) suitable frets, they will fit without any problems. The edges of the new fret must be rounded off with a file and sanded in advance so that the string does not catch when playing. After you put it in place, you can firmly press it with a wooden block to secure it completely, but under no circumstances knock on it.

2. The reason number 2 is much simpler and easier to correct. To do this, you just need to loosen the anchor bolt. We take a hexagon or a screwdriver (depending on which bolt) and twist it - making half a turn counterclockwise. We wait 15 minutes and measure the gap between the 12th fret and the strings (should be 4 mm). This is the easiest and fastest way to adjust your guitar's truss rod.

3. To prevent open strings from ringing (usually the lower ones ring, while the upper ones rattle). You need to choose a suitable set of strings. I can only say that the larger their diameter, the less they give such a defect. I have 9. And if you hit the strings a little harder, they begin to “make noise”. I once set it to 10 and the problem went away, but it’s more difficult to pluck chords on such strings. So you have to choose either/or.
It happens that you change a set of strings to the same diameter, just from a different manufacturer, after which the problem disappears. Here you need to shop around and ask in advance at the music store.

4. The problem of rattling pegs is much easier to solve. If the pegs rattle, it means the bolts for attaching the worm gear or the nut (y ") have come loose. Take a screwdriver and a small wrench (you can also use pliers). Tighten it. That's all.

5. In this case, we either give the guitar to the master or remove the strings and visually look for the torn rail, etc. through the sound hole of the guitar, while tapping lightly on its body. By sound you can quickly find the problem area. We find it -> glue it -> wait as long as the glue requires -> check it again -> if everything is ok, then it’s in place.

Many guitarists sooner or later encounter a problem when the strings on the guitar begin to make completely extraneous nasty sounds, in other words, the strings begin to rattle, ring, crack, etc. Moreover, this happens most often with a specific string, and, moreover, on certain frets. Beginners immediately panic, rush to take the guitar to the master, blow up the Internet with requests a la “Hell, people, the guitar is broken,” many even think about replacing the guitar, etc. Therefore, in order to avoid such embarrassment, I propose to find out the main reasons for the violation of the sound of strings and ways to eliminate them.

Where does the sound come from?

In order to solve this problem, you first need to understand where exactly the source of the sound distortion is. Most often, the following elements of the guitar structure fall into the TOP of this search:

First frets of the neck. The strings rattle exclusively on the first frets; closer to the guitar drum, the problem is not felt.
The last frets of the neck. Here the situation looks exactly the opposite compared to the problem above. The first frets of the guitar sound clear, but as you approach the drum, a defective sound begins.
Pegs. Very often, guitarists blame the strings for everything, when in fact the problem is the malfunction of the tuners.

Let's solve the problem!

If the strings are catching on the first frets, the problem is most likely an adjustment to the truss rod (the metal rod inside the neck of the guitar). In order to correct this point, you first need to loosen the strings, then find the anchor nut on the guitar (most often it is located at the end of the neck inside the sound hole of the guitar or next to the pegs on the headstock), take a Euro hex key and turn the key to loosen anchor about a quarter turn. After this, you need to wait 10-15 minutes until the bar takes the configured shape and check if the problem is resolved. Carry out this operation until the desired result.
Another reason for string rattling at the first frets is that the nut is too low. As a temporary solution to the defect, you can put something under the strings, but ideally
it is better to replace it with a higher one.
If the strings are hitting the last frets, the cause is most likely either the nut or the string rest located on the guitar's drum. Here the solution is similar to the previous one: you can place a hard object under the strings, but it is best to replace the problematic device.
Well, if the problem lies in the pegs, then you need to check whether they are loose on the headstock. If yes, then tighten it with a screwdriver or wrench. If the pegs are already worn out, it is better to replace them with new ones.

Worth noting...

There are many reasons why guitar strings rattle. I have highlighted only the main ones, those that I encountered most often both in the process of learning to play the guitar and in the complaints of other guitarists. In fact, strings can rattle for completely different reasons, not limited to the above three points. The main thing is to always adhere to the algorithm described above: first we find out where the problem is coming from, then we try to solve it.