[prephippie]

I have a fairly new (bought new around this past Christmas) Martin DSM acoustic. It makes a buzz/vibrating sound on the e, B, and sometimes G strings on the first couple of frets - when I make and F or F# chord for example. It's not the kind of buzz that happens when you don't push down hard enough...it's different sounding. No matter how hard I press, there's a noise. I can't tell if the string is hitting a fret and I don't really know what to look for.

If I'm playing softly, everything sounds fine and I can hear all the notes, but when I play louder the noise starts. The noise also becomes more prominent when I use thicker strings. I haven't had my guitar set up or anything, it's straight from the factory.

Any advice/thoughts/diagnosis from you folks before I just take it in to be looked at?

[milobender]

Turn the guitar so that you are looking at the edge of the fretboard on the EBG side... press the e string down at the 1st fret and at the highest fret. Now look at the 9th fret. Is there a gap between the string and the 9th fret? If so how big is it? You can also try pushing the e string down at the 3rd fret. Is there a gap between the 1st fret and the string? Also, is the string sitting down inside the nut? That is there should be half the string above the nut and half below.

Brian

[prephippie]

I can't see any gap on the 9th fret, however, when I push down on the 3rd fret there is a tiny gap at the 1st fret.

The strings are all sitting down in the nut.

[dpmphoto]

Do your guitar and yourself a favor and take it to a luthier or tech and get it set up correctly. Usually a guitar some not all will need an adjustment in the late fall - early winter and spring depending on your climate.If you cant afford it go to frets.com that will be a big help.Peace

[milobender]

If you can't see a gap at the 9th fret, it means your truss rod is adjusted to tight (I'm assuming it has one), or causing the neck to bow up towards the strings, or I suppose you could have something more serious. At any rate, if you don't know how to adjust the neck yourself dpmphoto is right, take it to a tech and see if it can be adjusted or what the problem really is.

[prephippie]

OK. Thanks for the help.