Acoustic Guitar Buzzing (I hear in my sleep)

[Dana Griffin]

My guitar is an old Yammie FG 160-1 and I love this guitar. It sounds great, it plays great, I have no complaints about it whatsoever. But recently for the past few months I have been getting a buzzing sound from the bridge area. I quickly referred to the buzz diagnosis page but no luck. So I decided to post it on here in hopes of finding an answer to this unique problem. I had also brought it to a local luthier but it boggled his mind although he didn't seem too knowledgeable to begin with. 

The situation:

The buzzing occurs when I play an A weather it be open or fretted on the low E. It also occurs when I play the open G string. Even if I put a capo on I still get the buzz so Im thinking its not a nut problem. Heres the catch that I hope will find me a resolution: If I remove the high e string the buzzing completely stops. Again it is not when I am play the High E string but if I remove it the buzz disappears. 

What I did try thus far:

Immediately I changed the strings = Didn't solve it

Figured it was a tension problem , So I changed the saddle and raised the action= didn't solve it

I tightened the machine heads to the headstock= didn't solve it

I have rapped on the body but nothing is loose on the body like I say its only when the High e is installed that I get a buzz. 

Checked for loose or misplaced string ball and changed the strings again= didn't solve

Rapped on the neck also for a loose truss = didn't solve

If anyone has any suggestions or advice to give I would greatly appreciate it 

If you need me to take pictures and post them I can do that also

Thank You and Happy Playing to You All!

[Paul Breen]

Check under the hood for any loose braces. They may look tight but have a failed glue joint. Poke around with something thin like a small artists pallet knife and see if it will go under anything. Also check for springy or loose fret ends.

[Dana Griffin]

I already checked for loose braces by rapping on the body and taking a look inside. Also if it were a loose brace it would buzz even with the high e taken out which it doesn't.  . 

[Dana Griffin]

Another thing I forgot to mention is that I tune down a full step and if I tune it up to standard the buzzing stops. That's why at first I thought it was a tension problem and raised the action but that didn't help either. 

[Paul Breen]

What ever your problem is, it seems to like a certain pitch range. Rapping on the body will not simulate that. And like I said a brace may not appear to be loose just by looking at it but still have a failed glue joint.

[Dana Griffin]

would the brace not raddle regardless of weather the high e is installed or not? I find it strange that when the high e is removed the buzzing stops.

[Pierre-Antoine Roiron]

Yep, to check it, reach your arm through the sound-hole, and try to move each brace.

[Dana Griffin]

would the brace not raddle regardless of weather the high e is installed or not? I find it strange that when the high e is removed the buzzing stops.

[Paul Breen]

Dana, these are just suggestions of other places to look. It is a process of elimination, each suspect should be carefully investigated so your sure you can scratch it off of your list.

[Pierre-Antoine Roiron]

Paul's right. Finding a buzz is sometime spending a lot of time scratching silly things from a list.

[Dana Griffin]

well I took it to a guitar tech that really knew what he was doing in fact he got recommended through a violin luthier that I know. He was STUMPED he couldn't figure it out. He filed the nut slots, felt around for loose braces, rapped along the body and neck, adjusted the truss rod, replaced the bridge pins and made sure the string balls were snug up against the bridge plate, made sure all the hardware on the headstock was secure. He was completely mind boggled and frustrated. He recommended I take it to a guy that has equipment to record and analyze the sound waves/buzz it is making. I deemed that a little to much for a 100 dollar guitar.

[Eclipse Wizard]

Maybe the "E" bridge pin has become worn and vibrates in the hole. Or, the bridge plate has become damaged and become loose around the treble side. Maybe the ball end windings of the high e rattle against the wall or leading edge of its corresponding bridge hole.

[thefishinmusician]

Luthier demons....Find an exorcist...