Bridge buzz on a Squier p bass

Ethan Battistel

Ethan Battistel

Mar 4, 2020
29
11
2,551
#1
I bought my Squier p bass about a year ago, and I’ve had nothing but problems with it. First, the solder on the output jack came off, then the strings somehow managed to be lower to the fretboard than I had adjusted them to, then again the solder came off, this time on the volume knob. I’ve been able to solve all these problems with minimal effort, but now I’m getting buzzing coming from the bridge. The bass originally had roundownds on it, and I had some fret buzz, but I solved that. I recen I had an issue with this a few weeks ago, but I just solved it by adjusting the bridge saddles, but this time, I’ve adjusted the saddles again, loosened and re-tightened the strings, and just today I took the whole bridge off, wiped it clean to make sure there’s no dirt or particles on it, and took it apart and re-assembled it just to make sure. I really don’t know what to do at this point because I’m just getting sick and tired of having to fix my bass over and over again. Hopefully some of you might have a solution.
 
#4
You need the spring to keep tension on the saddle. I am guessing at this point the saddle is towards the end of the screw and there is no tension on the spring. Try a longer spring on the offending screw. Also double check your intonation maybe your saddle needs to move back.
 
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#5
godofthunder59 said:
You need the spring to keep tension on the saddle. I am guessing at this point the saddle is towards the end of the screw and there is no tension on the spring. Try a longer spring on the offending screw. Also double check your intonation maybe your saddle needs to move back.
Click to expand...
I just spent about an hour and a half trying to fix it, and I think I fixed the problem. My intonation was crazy off, so I fixed that, which reduced the buzz significantly, but there’s still some slight buzzing which is fine for now, but eventually I’ll have to get new longer springs. Thanks for the advice though!
 
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#9
One other thought...make sure your volume and/or tone pot shaft is not rattling in the pot housing, or the knob on the shaft itself.

I have a touch of this on my Squier Affinity P’s tone pot shaft but it’s not noticeable through the amp...only on certain notes, unplugged, when I dig in.

I have a lap steel that began doing this on both the volume and tone pots since I switched it to B11 tuning from Dobro G...some kind of resonance thing going on and it’s annoying as hell.
 
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#10
I been meet saddle buzz on china Squier CV bass. The brass saddle touch each others when the saddle screws not set in parralle which make the saddle has some degree angle . Problem solve once saddle screws set parralle .

Hopehelp
 
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#11
Yahboy said:
I been meet saddle buzz on china Squier CV bass. The brass saddle touch each others when the saddle screws not set in parralle which make the saddle has some degree angle . Problem solve once saddle screws set parralle .

Hopehelp
Click to expand...

Yes, you want your saddles to be parallel with the base plate.

Re: "drifting" saddle height. Remove the height adjustment screws and apply a thin coat of blue Loctite. Re-insert the screws and rotate them back 'n forth a full 360 deg until the the assembly begins to squeak. This will gum-up the works preventing slipping but also allowing for future adjustment without having to re-apply the Loctite.

Riis
 
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#12
I had a P-bass with what sounded like a bridge buzz every time I hit the E string. The buzz would stop if I pressed on the bridge. After much messing about with the bridge and saddle parts, turned out to a string with a broken core. The strings were fairly new, but the E string had an internal defect. I'm surprised the string didn't come apart entirely, but it played normally (except for the buzz). Once I replaced the string, all was good.
 
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#15
Ethan Battistel said:
I bought my Squier p bass about a year ago, and I’ve had nothing but problems with it. First, the solder on the output jack came off, then the strings somehow managed to be lower to the fretboard than I had adjusted them to, then again the solder came off, this time on the volume knob. I’ve been able to solve all these problems with minimal effort, but now I’m getting buzzing coming from the bridge. The bass originally had roundownds on it, and I had some fret buzz, but I solved that. I recen I had an issue with this a few weeks ago, but I just solved it by adjusting the bridge saddles, but this time, I’ve adjusted the saddles again, loosened and re-tightened the strings, and just today I took the whole bridge off, wiped it clean to make sure there’s no dirt or particles on it, and took it apart and re-assembled it just to make sure. I really don’t know what to do at this point because I’m just getting sick and tired of having to fix my bass over and over again. Hopefully some of you might have a solution.
Click to expand...

I love inexpensive basses with problems … because then I can repair, rework, and rebuild them … and when I am done with that I can Frankenstein them, and modify them … and if I make a mistake … no problem it was an inexpensive bass
 
#17
mexicanyella said:
One other thought...make sure your volume and/or tone pot shaft is not rattling in the pot housing, or the knob on the shaft itself.

I have a touch of this on my Squier Affinity P’s tone pot shaft but it’s not noticeable through the amp...only on certain notes, unplugged, when I dig in.

I have a lap steel that began doing this on both the volume and tone pots since I switched it to B11 tuning from Dobro G...some kind of resonance thing going on and it’s annoying as hell.
Click to expand...
I do have a bit of knob movement but it’s not noticeable. It’s most likely because since it’s a PJ bass, it has an extra volume knob, so the tone knob is where the pout jack should be. It doesn’t make any noise, so I’m not too worried about it. Still have the slight buzz coming from the saddles but eventually I’ll stretch the springs out and hopefully eliminate the problem
 
#18
Ethan Battistel said:
I bought my Squier p bass about a year ago, and I’ve had nothing but problems with it. First, the solder on the output jack came off, then the strings somehow managed to be lower to the fretboard than I had adjusted them to, then again the solder came off, this time on the volume knob. I’ve been able to solve all these problems with minimal effort, but now I’m getting buzzing coming from the bridge. The bass originally had roundownds on it, and I had some fret buzz, but I solved that. I recen I had an issue with this a few weeks ago, but I just solved it by adjusting the bridge saddles, but this time, I’ve adjusted the saddles again, loosened and re-tightened the strings, and just today I took the whole bridge off, wiped it clean to make sure there’s no dirt or particles on it, and took it apart and re-assembled it just to make sure. I really don’t know what to do at this point because I’m just getting sick and tired of having to fix my bass over and over again. Hopefully some of you might have a solution.
Click to expand...
I think it’s a common issue that most of us either don’t notice, don’t care or don’t play aggressively enough for it to become an issue. All three of my fenders (actually one is a Squier VM70’s Jazz) have/had the stamped plate bridge. I started noticing that buzz with my Fender Precision last year and I realized it’s because I evolved into playing that bass more aggressively than my others just because I like the sound I get with the combination of Geezer pups and DR strings. I also considered that my flexible string choice (DR Pure Blues 45-105) might have influenced the buzz but, I don’t know for sure. At any rate, I ended up installing a BABICZ Bridge and I like the results. No more buzz or drifting saddle screws.
 
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