Franklin Has the ringing zingys!

[Fred Treece]

This is such a common problem, I’m surprised it doesn’t have a more technical sounding name instead of a slangy ringy zingy. I’ve seen it called an “overtone” ring too, but that’s not accurate.

It’s similar to the sound of a metal fingerpick held against a vibrating string, lightly enough to create a faint buzzing. It also does seem to create an octave overtone, but not always.

Regardless of whatchamacallit, it’s the sound of metal not making full contact with metal. Once you rule out nut roller contact with an adjacent nut roller, there are only a couple or three points where metal-to-metal contact happens along the length of a string. String to nut roller, string to top of finger, string ball end to whatever it connects to. If you have a keyless, you don’t even have the ball end thing.

When I had this issue, it was suggested to me to try scotch tape between the string and top of the finger. It worked until the string cut through the tape after a few pulls, but it did isolate the location of the problem being at the top of the finger where grooves had been etched into the aluminum by skinny plain strings. Never a problem with wound strings, even though grooves had also been worn into their fingers.

Thus began a process of sanding the tops of the fingers once or twice a year, until I got so tired of that I bought a Williams 700 guitar with that ingenious bridge design. Problem solved.

I also agree that it could possibly be caused by corrosion and other crud on old strings, or new ones made with inferior metals.

[Jon Irsik]

Bob, I got my new-to-me Franklin home and set it up yesterday. My 4th string has this issue and it's pretty annoying. I have some new strings I'll be putting on tonight, but I was curious if you ever determined what the cause was with your zingy thingy?

[Dennis Detweiler]

I have it sometimes too. I dress up the pulling finger before a new set of strings and that seems to help.

[Bob Snelgrove]

What do you mean by dress up?

[Bob Snelgrove]

I'm trying not to obsess over it and playing with the band that is always too loud I don't notice it. Only at home and focusing on it the OCD kicks in

I think the Goodrich super stain matchbox &a helped tone it down too.

bob

[Brett Lanier]

I was just battling some awful zing on the 5th string of a guitar the other day. I really didn’t want to pull the changer apart and polish the fingers… (done that a couple times recently on other guitars), so I just spent a few minutes hand polishing the tops of the fingers with a microfiber cloth. Cleaned it right up. Problem solved (for now).

Usually, skootching the string over on the finger will solve the problem, but in this instance it didn’t help at all. I did like Ricky suggested on the nut too, but it ended up being a little hand polishing with the cloth that fixed it.

[Dennis Detweiler]

Bob, to dress up the pulling fingers. I cut strips of wet/dry 400 grit sand paper about the width of the finger and long enough to wrap over the top of the finger and hang onto with my fingers. Then work it back and forth to get rid of the slight groove caused by the string. Then I polish it with 1500 grit wet/dry.

[Chris Templeton]

What Fred Treece said, test it unplugged to hone in on the problem

[Lee Baucum]

Read Ricky’s comments on this old discussion.

viewtopic.php?t=301051

I have followed his recommendations ever since reading them.

~Lee

[Chris Templeton]

Strings then.