“Pinging” noise at the saddle?

[Bob M]

I have a ‘76 Martin D 18 that I bought new. It’s been a great guitar. I had a neck reset about 15 years ago and it plays and sounds great. Until a couple of weeks ago. I noticed a pinging noise on certain positions on the G string. Only the G string. I thought it might be a fret issue but I have inspected the neck pretty carefully and there aren’t any divots or loose frets. Fret rocker didn’t show anything uneven. It appears that this noise is coming from the saddle. Any suggestions? Simple as a new saddle?

 

[Boreas]

Not likely that you need a new saddle. Does it go out of tune before/after it pings? And you are sure it isn't the nut? New strings?

Try simply loosening the string, removing the pin and ball, inspect the windings and re-install. Inspect the saddle for a crack or deep groove. When re-installing, bend a hook as close to the ball as you can. Insert into the hole with the ball pointing toward the neck. Fish the ball upward until you feel it contact the plate, then lightly press in the pin while pulling up slightly on the string. You want the pin to push the ball toward the front of the hole and lock on the plate.

Now tune to pitch. Inspect the path of the string and make sure the windings aren't contacting the wood in the bridge. If so, deeper grooves may need to be filled into the bridge to keep them from binding.

 

[Peegoo]

If you're hearing a ping, buzz, or sitar-like tone on certain notes, and you've ruled out a fret issue, the first thing to do is change the string and see if the problem goes away (a bad string is a common cause of this weirdness).

If a new string does not alleviate the problem, it may be several things like loose/rattling hardware (loose strap button, loose tuner, etc.), or a loose brace inside the guitar.

Noises like this on acoustic and even electric instruments can manifest themselves in places that are not even close to where the actual problem is. For instance, on an electric guitar, a loose mounting nut on a tuner can make a noise that appears to come from the bridge.

 

[schmee]

Pinging is most often a nut slot too tight.
Is it a bright ping or more of a buzz?

 

[ScottJPatrick]

Check the winding on the underside of the string where it touches the saddle, could be as simple as that.

 

[kafka]

Check the winding on the underside of the string where it touches the saddle, could be as simple as that.

Also, loosen the strings, take the saddle out, slide it around, put it back. There's just a little tension in something somewhere that needs to be released. It could just be that the humidity has moved and squeezed things around just a bit. If it all feels tight, then a single stroke on a piece of extra fine sandpaper might be enough to release a little tension held in by friction.