Post by Bandura on Jan 16, 2006 1:07:44 GMT -5
BUZZES, BURRS, FLUTTERS AND RATTLES
These can be the most exasperating part of repairing a bandura. Buzzes often
sound as if they are coming from one place and actually are from another
part of the bandura altogether, or sometimes even from an object in the
room. Always check this last possibility first by taking the bandura
somewhere else and trying it.
A BUZZ IS USUALLY A LOOSE SCREW
Tighten up all the screws on the bandura. Check all of them and make sure
they are as tight as you can get them. This will include the screw on the
mechanism cover and the bridge, as well as the screws holding the wrest
plate on the bottoms side of the instrument. Once in a while these screws
will become loose since metal and wood will never remain tight forever. If a
screw will not tighten and keeps turning in the wood, take it out and put in
two or three pieces of heavy maple toothpicks and some carpenter's glue into
the hole. Now put the screw back in and give it a couple of hours to dry;
then tighten it up.
If the buzz is still with you, go over the bandura carefully and tighten up
all the brass nuts around the tuning bolt of the main row. Often these nuts
come loose and spin around and buzz.
Try placing a finger on each of the mechanism hooks as you play for the
buzz. If you touch one and find that the buzz stops you may need to bend one
of the legs slightly so that the hook enters the pegbox more firmly. Don't
bend the leg of the hook too much as the mechanism may become too tight to
work correctly.
BUZZES SOMETIMES IN THE WOOD
If none of these stops the buzz, it may be in the wood somewhere, especially
if it comes and goes on humid or dry days. Try checking the edge strip which
may have come loose from the soundboard. This would have to be fixed by
working a little glue, preferably a celluloid based glue like "Tarzan's
grip" into the gap and binding it to the bandura body with a long piece of
rubber tied around the instrument.
Check the rose. In Chernihiv banduras with a Shevchenko rose it other
happens that the white celluloid or plastic edging has come loose here and
is vibrating. This can be fixed by finding the area where the carving is
vibrating and where the edging has come away and placing a drop of celluloid
glue or crazy instant glue at that point.
There are other places where separation of the wood may cause a buzz, such
as in the soundboard struts. These usually have to be repaired by a
qualified tradesman.
BUZZES IN THE ACTION
Buzzes can also occur due to wear in the action. This may also lead later to
clicks when engaging the mechanism. Re-riveting is required, and this is an
operation which only a qualified and capable technician should attempt. If
two action links have become bent and touch each other, they will cause a
buzz.. Sometimes a small piece or strip of felt or adhesive tape can be
worked between them. This can be overdone and is generally not recommended.
Sometimes this can be stopped by removing the mechanism cover and cutting a
piece of foam rubber to fit into the hollowed part of the cover. The cover
is then screwed back on. This should get rid of any buzzes and may get rid
of some clicks. It will also tighten up the mechanism, however it will
wear-in so that the mechanisms can function normally in a few weeks.
BUZZES IN THE STRINGS
String buzzes are probably the most common of all distracting sounds.
Usually they can be eradicated by removing the string and replacing it.
Generally string buzzes are caused by the winding of the string coming
loose. Fixing this is not always successful. It can be eradicated by
tightening the winding by pushing the winding down with a pair of pliers.
Flattening the winding often helps so that it cannot creep up again,. In
some cases it may be beneficial to glue the end to glue the winding to the
core with some crazy glue.
A dead string sound or a buzz can also be caused by the string sitting on
the nut incorrectly. In the case of bass strings it may be necessary to file
the groove in which the string lies so that the groove is angled up in such
a way that the highest point of the groove is the part which the string last
touches.
In the main row strings the nut may be tarnished or corroded. It will need
to be cleaned or filed making sure that there is a groove in the centre.
Covering the adjustment bolt with some petroleum jelly will also help stop
corrosion in the future.
The strings of the secondary row may need to have the adjustment bolt
twisted one way or the other so that the string is centred and gives a
pleasing sound.
Some bandurists remove the winding of the string in the area of the
adjustment nut. This has a tendency of making the string sound longer and
fuller and give a more even sound. Some players remove the winding to just
pass the hook in order to get a more live sound from the string when the
action is activated.
Occasionally there are problems at the bridge. If the winding has parted
near the bridge the string needs to be replaced. In some banduras,
particularly the early Lviv banduras, the holes in the bridge were placed in
such a way that the string did not rest on the bridge wire and often buzzed
against it. In cases such as these the string hole can be burnt out using a
fine tipped soldering iron, or filed out in such a manner as to let the
string rest on the bridge wire.
If there is some buzzing or some sort of unpleasantness in the sound coming
from the bridge it could be that the bridge wire in the are where the string
rests on it is not firmly resting against the bridge. This could be cause by
the fact that the rut for the bridge wire is too deep in that one spot. This
can be cured by placing a fine piece of paper under the bridge wire in that
spot, or by cutting a small piece of brass wire just for that particular
string, placing it on the old piece and running the string over it.
One other problem which rarely comes up is the case where the bridge has
warped in such a way that parts of it do not rest snugly on the soundboard.
This requires either a replacement of the bridge or a refitting of the
underside of the bridge top the soundboard, both of which are time consuming
repairs.
CONCLUSION
In general, a buzz is caused when two pieces of metal are in contact
loosely. The remedy is either to separate them by some soft material or to
tighten them so they cannot buzz. Wood buzzes are not as loud and are harder
to find and repair, but also fortunately they are rare.
With all this in mind just keep looking and trying. A repairman can only do
the same things. Do remember that on new banduras there will be many little
buzzes or burrs which go away after it has been played a little and broken
in. These are mostly caused by the lacquer on the mechanism parts which must
wear down and be smoothed out by the string or movement.
These can be the most exasperating part of repairing a bandura. Buzzes often
sound as if they are coming from one place and actually are from another
part of the bandura altogether, or sometimes even from an object in the
room. Always check this last possibility first by taking the bandura
somewhere else and trying it.
A BUZZ IS USUALLY A LOOSE SCREW
Tighten up all the screws on the bandura. Check all of them and make sure
they are as tight as you can get them. This will include the screw on the
mechanism cover and the bridge, as well as the screws holding the wrest
plate on the bottoms side of the instrument. Once in a while these screws
will become loose since metal and wood will never remain tight forever. If a
screw will not tighten and keeps turning in the wood, take it out and put in
two or three pieces of heavy maple toothpicks and some carpenter's glue into
the hole. Now put the screw back in and give it a couple of hours to dry;
then tighten it up.
If the buzz is still with you, go over the bandura carefully and tighten up
all the brass nuts around the tuning bolt of the main row. Often these nuts
come loose and spin around and buzz.
Try placing a finger on each of the mechanism hooks as you play for the
buzz. If you touch one and find that the buzz stops you may need to bend one
of the legs slightly so that the hook enters the pegbox more firmly. Don't
bend the leg of the hook too much as the mechanism may become too tight to
work correctly.
BUZZES SOMETIMES IN THE WOOD
If none of these stops the buzz, it may be in the wood somewhere, especially
if it comes and goes on humid or dry days. Try checking the edge strip which
may have come loose from the soundboard. This would have to be fixed by
working a little glue, preferably a celluloid based glue like "Tarzan's
grip" into the gap and binding it to the bandura body with a long piece of
rubber tied around the instrument.
Check the rose. In Chernihiv banduras with a Shevchenko rose it other
happens that the white celluloid or plastic edging has come loose here and
is vibrating. This can be fixed by finding the area where the carving is
vibrating and where the edging has come away and placing a drop of celluloid
glue or crazy instant glue at that point.
There are other places where separation of the wood may cause a buzz, such
as in the soundboard struts. These usually have to be repaired by a
qualified tradesman.
BUZZES IN THE ACTION
Buzzes can also occur due to wear in the action. This may also lead later to
clicks when engaging the mechanism. Re-riveting is required, and this is an
operation which only a qualified and capable technician should attempt. If
two action links have become bent and touch each other, they will cause a
buzz.. Sometimes a small piece or strip of felt or adhesive tape can be
worked between them. This can be overdone and is generally not recommended.
Sometimes this can be stopped by removing the mechanism cover and cutting a
piece of foam rubber to fit into the hollowed part of the cover. The cover
is then screwed back on. This should get rid of any buzzes and may get rid
of some clicks. It will also tighten up the mechanism, however it will
wear-in so that the mechanisms can function normally in a few weeks.
BUZZES IN THE STRINGS
String buzzes are probably the most common of all distracting sounds.
Usually they can be eradicated by removing the string and replacing it.
Generally string buzzes are caused by the winding of the string coming
loose. Fixing this is not always successful. It can be eradicated by
tightening the winding by pushing the winding down with a pair of pliers.
Flattening the winding often helps so that it cannot creep up again,. In
some cases it may be beneficial to glue the end to glue the winding to the
core with some crazy glue.
A dead string sound or a buzz can also be caused by the string sitting on
the nut incorrectly. In the case of bass strings it may be necessary to file
the groove in which the string lies so that the groove is angled up in such
a way that the highest point of the groove is the part which the string last
touches.
In the main row strings the nut may be tarnished or corroded. It will need
to be cleaned or filed making sure that there is a groove in the centre.
Covering the adjustment bolt with some petroleum jelly will also help stop
corrosion in the future.
The strings of the secondary row may need to have the adjustment bolt
twisted one way or the other so that the string is centred and gives a
pleasing sound.
Some bandurists remove the winding of the string in the area of the
adjustment nut. This has a tendency of making the string sound longer and
fuller and give a more even sound. Some players remove the winding to just
pass the hook in order to get a more live sound from the string when the
action is activated.
Occasionally there are problems at the bridge. If the winding has parted
near the bridge the string needs to be replaced. In some banduras,
particularly the early Lviv banduras, the holes in the bridge were placed in
such a way that the string did not rest on the bridge wire and often buzzed
against it. In cases such as these the string hole can be burnt out using a
fine tipped soldering iron, or filed out in such a manner as to let the
string rest on the bridge wire.
If there is some buzzing or some sort of unpleasantness in the sound coming
from the bridge it could be that the bridge wire in the are where the string
rests on it is not firmly resting against the bridge. This could be cause by
the fact that the rut for the bridge wire is too deep in that one spot. This
can be cured by placing a fine piece of paper under the bridge wire in that
spot, or by cutting a small piece of brass wire just for that particular
string, placing it on the old piece and running the string over it.
One other problem which rarely comes up is the case where the bridge has
warped in such a way that parts of it do not rest snugly on the soundboard.
This requires either a replacement of the bridge or a refitting of the
underside of the bridge top the soundboard, both of which are time consuming
repairs.
CONCLUSION
In general, a buzz is caused when two pieces of metal are in contact
loosely. The remedy is either to separate them by some soft material or to
tighten them so they cannot buzz. Wood buzzes are not as loud and are harder
to find and repair, but also fortunately they are rare.
With all this in mind just keep looking and trying. A repairman can only do
the same things. Do remember that on new banduras there will be many little
buzzes or burrs which go away after it has been played a little and broken
in. These are mostly caused by the lacquer on the mechanism parts which must
wear down and be smoothed out by the string or movement.