Aggressive flat picking on a short scale leading to fret buzz?

[Elijah Forester]

New player here mostly playing single note slow blues pentatonic licks (less interested in strumming chords)

I like the size and feel of smaller body, short scale guitars but when I dig in and flat pick a single note hard, I get fret buzz on the following:

Taylor GS Mini 23.5 scale
Taylor GT 24.125 scale
Martin 000 Jr 24.0 scale

When I move up to a Taylor GC or Martin OOO or Yamaha FS800 or Breedlove Concertina, all of which have 24.75 - 25.0 scale, the fret buzz goes away

So…. I assume the fret buzz is due to over driving those short scale guitars when I dig in to flat pick single notes, and I probably need something with a longer scale and thus string tension to avoid the fret buzz?

Thanks for any insight

[Wade Hampton]

Or you might want to try a slightly heavier string gauge. That combined with a slightly lighter touch will probably take care of 95% of the problem.


whm

[sayheyjeff]

I am not a particularly heavy handed picker, but I do play with a flat pick most of the time and don’t have any buzz when playing my PJ. It has a scale length of 24.0. That guitar won’t hold medium gauge or medium tension strings. Could it be the set up?

Jeff

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by Elijah Forester

New player here mostly playing single note slow blues pentatonic licks (less interested in strumming chords)

I like the size and feel of smaller body, short scale guitars but when I dig in and flat pick a single note hard, I get fret buzz on the following:

Taylor GS Mini 23.5 scale
Taylor GT 24.125 scale
Martin 000 Jr 24.0 scale

When I move up to a Taylor GC or Martin OOO or Yamaha FS800 or Breedlove Concertina, all of which have 24.75 - 25.0 scale, the fret buzz goes away

So…. I assume the fret buzz is due to over driving those short scale guitars when I dig in to flat pick single notes, and I probably need something with a longer scale and thus string tension to avoid the fret buzz?

Thanks for any insight

Yeah, a shorter scale can deffinately do that. I've heard flatpickers claim that the Gibson short scale is no good for flatpicking, and seen some good flatpickers produce some pretty sloppy, buzzy results. I flat pick on guitars with that scale all the time and it sounds nice and clean, sounds like you are also producing satasfactory results on such guitars, so I think probably if you get used to it and refine your touch a little most guitars can sound good flat picked.

[birdsong]

I agree with Jeff that it’s most likely your setup. I have a 24” setup such that I can strum and flatpick it without buzzing.

[MHC]

you might try adjusting the truss rod to add a bit of relief to the neck. If the relief is too flat, you'll get buzz with heavy picking,

[Silly Moustache]

Hi, I'd like to suggest another way.
a 24" scale is VERY short, and you most likely be using light or even extra light strings.

Te reason most bluegrass flatpickers and singer-songwriters use larger guitars with medium gauge strings is for the volume and projection of the higher tension.

The strings on a small guitar with a shorter than short scale is going to have relatively little string tension -and must therefore be played within the instrument's capabilities.

I used to have a luthier built copy of the old Gibson L01 flat top which had a very short scale. There was no way I could treat that guitar like a dreadnought.

Experience will teach you to adapt your playing style to match the guitar.



I now have a Waterloo WL12 which has a 24 &7/8" sale , great for light blues etc., but It isn't a rhythm instrument.

[Coler]

I strum and pick my 000-28 very hard, no buzz. That's a 24.9 inch scale.

It's carrying Martin Lifespan PB 12s and action is about 2.6 mm at the 12th fret, minimal relief. I frequently tune to DADGAD and again no buzz when strummed hard.

I think the major factor is set-up (and obviously string gauge within the context of set up). But you may struggle to get a 24 inch scale set up with a comfortable action for how you want to play.

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by Elijah Forester

New player here mostly playing single note slow blues pentatonic licks (less interested in strumming chords)

I like the size and feel of smaller body, short scale guitars but when I dig in and flat pick a single note hard, I get fret buzz on the following:

Taylor GS Mini 23.5 scale
Taylor GT 24.125 scale
Martin 000 Jr 24.0 scale

When I move up to a Taylor GC or Martin OOO or Yamaha FS800 or Breedlove Concertina, all of which have 24.75 - 25.0 scale, the fret buzz goes away

So…. I assume the fret buzz is due to over driving those short scale guitars when I dig in to flat pick single notes, and I probably need something with a longer scale and thus string tension to avoid the fret buzz?

Thanks for any insight

Things to try:

Tune up a semitone on your short scale guitars. I you are just playing at home you don't need to stick with strict standard tuning.

Put on a heavier string gauge.

Check your setup.

Try different picks; some will buzz more than others because they engender different vibration patterns in the strings.

[FrankHudson]

No, a short scale doesn't inevitably cause string buzz. A guitar system, including action height, scale length, strings, tuning, wood choices, bracing, body size, etc etc interact with a player playing style. Really digging in and hitting the strings hard isn't always what the guitar maker had in mind for that guitar.

Think of mandolin for example. They make your guitars seem really "long scale." Players chop all day on those and cut through in bands.

If you're otherwise happy with your guitar (sounds like it's guitars in the OP's case) then you can do things to modify the "all things being equal" factor. A little higher action, heavier string tension, changing how much you dig in (easier said than done, but it's not always the way to make things louder).

Ideally, if you're committed to a hard hitting style the whole guitar (not just scale length) would be selected for your playing needs.

[rllink]

I flat pick my GS Mini and if there is any buzz it is assuredly me, not the guitar. I know this because when it happens I start paying more attention to what I'm doing and it magically goes away. Same thing happens with my dreadnaught.

[sinistral]

Have you changed the strings on the GS Mini? From the factory, it comes with mediums (13s), and if you put lights on it that could cause fret buzz. I have two GS Minis and neither of them have fret buzz when I pick or strum heavily. I haven’t made any adjustments to the set-up of mine since they were fine out of the box.