zavulon Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Hi guys, Playing around with my new axe (a chambered 2006 LP Classic), i found that some notes are not as bright as others or they do not sustain even. In my case, that will be g# on 3rd string 1st fret. I find that note to decay quicker, its weaker, not as bright as i think it should. Moving to A note (2nd fret same 3rd string), the note sustain a lot better, so that kind of tells me there is nothing wrong with the saddle and the string.. While trying to get some info about that i found out about dead spots, which are not THAT rare but they do are a very scary thing as there is no way to get rid of them. Im testing this with the guitar unplugged, so pickups have nothing to do with this. So.. here is my questions. Is there a way to identify if this is a fret / saddle / nut / even a bad string issue or is this something wrong about the neck? How long a note without any bending or vibration should sustain? Talking about the 3rd string as 4,5,and 6 may sustain more because they are very different. Did you guys ever notice a lack of sustain for some notes on your LPs? Am i being very picky? Am i deaf? Thanks a lot. Sorry if this is a stupid post, but im not used to LPs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grayzgrey Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 I would advise to start with a professional set up. Have your luthier zero out the neck, check for high frets, then set it up with a nice set of strings... and check the saddle slots and the nut. Hope this helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billymagnum Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 its not being picky and you are definitely not deaf. on the contrary you obviously have a good ear! ive had issues like that on my cheap ibanez talman acoustic. i simply zeroed in on the trouble notes/frets and with a little bit of sanding/checking/sanding/checking on the next fret in front, it worked out well. your problem may be just that simple and then again it may not. are you hearing a buzz or the notes just die like they are being dampened? could be an uneven fret or two. could need a truss rod adjustment. could be something different but the only way to find out is to personally troubleshoot or have someone do it for you for a price. since not everyone likes the idea of throwing money at techs (me for one lol), i suggest you continue your research. the whole luthier thing can rack up the bills really fast. not to mention finding a good one you can trust with your investment. the dude at guitar center is not a luthier. he is not a craftsman. he just works there and is probably googling the steps to fix your guitar. i recall taking my fender in to my most local music store to have one nut slot, ONE mind you, filed to accommodate a thicker low E. 4 days and $80 later, I vowed that I would do everything in my power to never have to take another guitar to another "tech." its been over a decade since then and im still doing quite well without them. there are a million videos out there on how to address such issues and while they may require a certain tool, they are far from rocket science. plus you are always better off in the end when you learn more about your guitar and acquire more maintenance skills. if you really dont feel comfortable or are under a time constraint then i can understand having it serviced. no one wants to f-up their guitar. just be prepared to pay. always get a quote before they take your guitar so you have an idea of what the bill will look like. if you are getting new parts put on, make sure you know how much they cost beforehand and if possible, pick what parts will be used i.e. you dont want a $35 tusq nut, you are sure a $10 bone nut will be fine. some times "techs" have a tendency to tack on all the priciest stuff and you wont know until you go to pick your jaw up off the floor when they hand you the bill. good luck either way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdclmn7 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I had one guitar that had a dead note, its real, but quite real,, nothing you can do about it. Too bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 I had one guitar that had a dead note, its real, but quite real,, nothing you can do about it. Too bad. Hello! Really? So You threw away a guitar because of a (couple of) high fret(s)? Next time, send it to me, instead. :D This clever tool helps You spot all the high frets in 10 minutes: Then, You can level and crown the problematic frets, or all of them at once: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/118680-fret-levelling-and-dressing/ In fact, levelling and fret dressing is a regular maintenance that should be preformed on every guitar (with metallic frets), after a couple of years of playing. (I am not associated with the brand above in any ways. I am showing this picture for the 1 millionth time for demonstrational purposes only). Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 Next to all guitars have dull notes on certain spots. It's a result of physics. Main influences are the speeds of sound of the woods along the grain, across the grain, and therefore the interferences resulting from them. The notes you describe are typical dull notes of Les Paul guitars, and the octave (2nd harmonic) is affected about the same on 1st and 2nd string. The 3rd string is affected much less, and past the neck heel on the 4th string there's typically no dull note on Les Paul guitars, other than with lots of other guitar models. Telecasters with ash body are among the few exceptions comparing to Les Paul guitars in this respect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zavulon Posted March 4, 2015 Author Share Posted March 4, 2015 Hello, First of all, thank you so much guys for your feedback, and sharing your experiences. I definitely dont hear any buzz near that spot, so i dont know if the theory of a high fret is still on. Still, i will follow that procedure Bence and hope to spot the guilty fret. I did also play with the truss rod, and left a space between a credit card and a bussines card on the 7-8th fret as i found on youtube. As the guitar was set up for .09.. i need to wide the nut slots as some strings are kind of high at the first couple of frets.. I will also add some weight to the headstock as a capo or something else to see if there is a difference, and also will tune down the guitar and see if the deadspot moves. does it make any sense? On the other hand, i do like to learn about how to set up your instrument. If you find a skilled tech he can do an amazing job, but nobody knows the guitar better and the one that plays it everyday. As i just got the guitar a few weeks ago, i was waiting to get the neck pickup (i changed the bridge for a seth lover) but its not very easy to get that pup in argetina. Im just a little scared with the idea that there is no fix for a physical cancellation. thank you guys so much helping me, have a great day. cheers from arg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted March 4, 2015 Share Posted March 4, 2015 ...On the other hand, i do like to learn about how to set up your instrument. If you find a skilled tech he can do an amazing job, but nobody knows the guitar better and the one that plays it everyday. As i just got the guitar a few weeks ago, i was waiting to get the neck pickup (i changed the bridge for a seth lover) but its not very easy to get that pup in argetina. Im just a little scared with the idea that there is no fix for a physical cancellation. thank you guys so much helping me, have a great day. cheers from arg Hello! Great idea of learning to do all these on Your own. As You said, no luthier knows Your preferences better than You, and noone will be more careful with Your hard-earned instrument than You. For them, it's just a workpiece - one from a dozen per day. Myself, I was very frightened to start doing these stuff, but after a couple of disappointing setups, I gave up on luthiers and collected my courage. Now, I find it very exciting to do. :) Back to high frets: they wouldn't necessarily produce any buzzing! What You most likely notice, is lack of sustain, almost immediate decay of the fretted note - even more noticable when bending the string. The fret rocker will easily spot these frets. What You need then, is to accurately file them down, and using a crowning tool, reshape the top of the frets. Good luck! Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshall Paul Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 Thanks 76, they were very informative vids mate. I now know a little more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaicho8888 Posted March 5, 2015 Share Posted March 5, 2015 I had two frets on an ebony fretboard LP that was definitely dull sounding compared to other frets. You could use a small brass hammer and tap whole fret to compare to a solidly mounted fret. It will sound hollow in parts. If the offending fret is already level and no buzzing, I just wick some superglue between the fretboard and fret on both sides...it worked. Hope you got it licked by now...Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zavulon Posted March 11, 2015 Author Share Posted March 11, 2015 Hi! Thanks again for your feedback! I did identify some high frets doing a quick test with my credit card :) So i guess it may have to be related with the lack of sustain for some notes. Unfortunately im a little too scared to do this job myself as i dont have any of the tools needed. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Hello! Don't be afraid! Use lot's of masking tape (low-tack variant) and a fretboard protection strip: Patience, and common sense! :) Good luck! Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 For crowning, use a concave crowning tool. It's much easier to work with than with the triangular file. Here I am describing the process: http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/118680-fret-levelling-and-dressing/ Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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