The effect of resonant shunting on the vibration behaviour of a duralumin cantilever beam is experimentally investigated with reference to the reduction of response amplitude and additive damping and the change in resonance frequency. The overall reduction in tip amplitude is around 4% for a peizoceramic layer with electromechanical coupling coefficient (k31) equal to 0.30. However, higher values (k31 = 0.36, typically applied in beams and rods) of electromechanical coupling coefficient result in significantly higher levels of reduction of vibration amplitude with a change in natural frequency from short circuit to open circuit value. A 20-30% reduction in response amplitude and 8-10% change in natural frequency (open circuit to short circuit) is possible when the planar electromechanical coupling coefficient (kp, typically applied in discs and plates) is 0.6-0.65.