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Author
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Topic: String noise
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Leila Tuttle
Member From: Wheat Ridge, Colorado, USA
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posted 16 October 2005 07:43 PM
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I have an S-10. Could any of you tell me if you ever get string noise in different forms (sounds)? I don't have any trouble except with about the lower 4 strings, and it seems to be if I'm playing too lightly. When I press the bar down hard and pick 6-8-10 straight on (no angle) and agressively it sounds good. Otherwise I get a various assortment of string noises. Is that normal for the lower strings to sound more stringy, or to have to play them a little differently from the way you play the higher strings? Thanks. |
Jim Bob Sedgwick
Member From: Clinton, Missouri USA
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posted 16 October 2005 08:09 PM
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Leila, it's because the bottom four strings are wound that you are having the problem with string hiss. I recently purchased a BJS bar and was totally amazed at the difference in the sound of the wound strings.
BTW, if you put a little more pressure on the bar, it helps get rid of some of the scratchy sound. The BJS practically eliminates the problem. Hope this helps  |
Dave Mudgett
Member From: Central Pennsylvania, USA
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posted 16 October 2005 08:14 PM
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I'd guess that most players use wound strings on the bottom 4 of an S-10, with the top 6 plain. That's probably the main issue. Those windings create extra friction against the bar - I can hear it audibly even with the steel unplugged.According to past posts by Bobbe Seymour, this is worst when like metals contact each other. For example, a stainless steel bar on stainless steel strings. The theory is that like metals have an affinity for each other. I'm not a metallurgist, but it makes sense. So if you have a stainless bar, it may make sense to use nickel-plated wound strings. I like a BJS bar on stainless steel wound strings. You may want to try some different combinations and listen for what sounds best. I agree that different bar pressures sound different when gliding over wound strings. I get a sound either way, but unless enough bar pressure is used, it's high-pitched and annoying to me. I sometimes back off the volume pedal slightly if I'm making a long sweeping slide. But especially when playing blues, that sliding noise can sound good with appropriate bar pressure - to my tastes. |
Mike Perlowin
Member From: Los Angeles CA
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posted 16 October 2005 10:26 PM
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This brings up an interesting thing that happened to me recoently. I'm in the process of working on another CD, and there is a tune that has a repeating phrase that I play on the low B string of my U-12. Every time I played it, I got all this surface noise, and there seemed to be nothing I couold do about it. Finally I tried using different bars, and found that the Red Rajah bar eliminated the noise. I played the rest of the piece with my Zirconia bar, but whenever I played that phrase, I switched bars. |
Charlie McDonald
Member From: Lubbock, Texas, USA
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posted 17 October 2005 03:28 AM
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I enjoyed playing with a friend's Black Phoenix; same slickness as the Rajah. Cool bars, affording less friction. |
ed packard
Member From: Show Low AZ
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posted 17 October 2005 07:32 AM
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Leila...Picking aggressively causes the signal (picked string vibrations) to be louder re the noise (scratching sounds). Some metals are softer than others...wound strings with softer metals (same winding pitch) will make less scratching noise. If you are a person that plays with the bar flat across the strings, and want to minimize the scratching sound, block with your thumb in front of the bar when not picking those wound strings. Plastic, powder coated bars will give less string noise...but you may lose some brightness. On the other end, the high strings when played up in Hughey Land, seem to gain a bit of "sustain" from the friction of the bar against strings, but only when the bar is moved against the string. The smoothness of the Zirc bars may have been too much for those that liked that effect = how smooth is too smooth? |
Leila Tuttle
Member From: Wheat Ridge, Colorado, USA
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posted 17 October 2005 08:38 AM
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All these replies have been so helpful. The best part...misery loves company...so I'm glad to see others suffer with this too. (Just kidding ) All of you are offering different things to think about. Just as I think all that can be said has been... somebody new jumps in with another good thought. But considering all the things said so far, I've got a lot of info to work with. Oh...I've also noticed I get a lot of gritchy string noise from my picks hitting the lower strings...unless I hit them straight on, so I'm working on being more precise on those strings and not hitting them sideways. And...I'm now turning up my Amp volume and picking the strings a little softer. That's better. It sure seems to work for my teacher. Thanks to all of you! |
John Daugherty
Member From: Rolla, Missouri, USA
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posted 17 October 2005 09:42 AM
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The volume pedal comes into play when you want to minimize pick noise. Try plucking the string with the volume pedal backed off, then rapidly increase the volume. This requires practice. Of course,you should first minimize the pick noise with good right hand technique.
If it makes you feel any better, we all have trouble with those gremlins showing up when least expected.------------------
www.phelpscountychoppers.com/steelguitar
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Jeff Lampert
Member From: queens, new york city
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posted 17 October 2005 09:57 AM
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quote:
I'm now turning up my Amp volume and picking the strings a little softer.
I wouldn't do that. It isn't a good idea to adjust your volume pedal technique or amp settings to make up for noisy picking. Work on picking the strings so that they don't make picking noise. It's eminently doable. ------------------
Jeff's Jazz
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Stu Schulman
Member From: anchorage,alaska
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posted 17 October 2005 11:12 AM
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Leila:Have you tried to cut back a small amount of treble? |
Curt Langston
Member From: ***In the shadows of Tulsa at Bixby, USA***
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posted 17 October 2005 12:12 PM
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Leila, have you tried a heavier bar? Try a 1" bar to see if that helps. You will not have to press down as hard. |
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