Bad String Sunday

Today I had a REAL problem- or so I thought. Restrung a sweet Gibson Songwriter (with strings the owner brought- made of copper), and after cleaning everything up, the D string had a very strange buzz. Checking for everything I thought could be the culprit - loose wires, loose bracing, bad saddle crowning, loose hardware, etc, I started to question my sanity. There was nothing loose! The saddle I'd made for this guy last year was still just fine, too- it wasn't that "sitar" sound you get from a janky saddle. Once my back started to hurt from hunching over and stressing, I took a break and sat down.
Some people sit down and figure out exactly what the problem is, because they're relaxed. I just sat down and went blank. I still had no idea what to try, so on a whim I went through my drawer of strings and just picked out a D string of a different brand (it was D'addario- I always have them on hand). I walked back over to the guitar and replaced only the D string, thinking it wouldn't do anything- I was just looking for anything to try.
Wow. The problem was a bad string. Straight out of the package. I've never had that problem before, but apparently a bad string happens once in a while!


In other news, here's the latest pickup design I've cranked out. It'll be going in the next Parlectric I build. It's made of real bone, wound hot, and wrapped in gold hemp. I love the raw look of it, but I'd love to hear your opinion on the looks of this little guy as well! And please visit my company website www.stahmanguitarco.com!