noisepolluter Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Hi all, bought a new J45 this week and am generally very happy with it - plays very nicely, it's a very clean build, sounds quite lively compared to a couple of others I tried - the one exception is that the 11th fretted note on the low E string has noticeably less sustain than others - and indeed the guitar doesn't seem to "pick up" the note as well as others. This follows the note around if I re-tune the string, so if I drop the string to D it now happens on the 13th fret. Has anyone else experienced something similar, and did the problem get resolved by playing in or/and getting the guitar serviced, or is this something one simply lives with or replaces the guitar? As I say, it's a new guitar (fresh out of the shipping box in the shop), and I am otherwise completely happy with it, so if it's something that becomes less of an issue as the guitar opens up, or can be addressed by skilled attention to the nut/frets/saddle/bridge pins or whatever, then I'm happy to persevere and/or be patient. My girlfriend has a Gibson Songwriter which is 10 years old now and very nicely opened up - this is pretty much my benchmark (allowing for the differences in tone/volume from the different shape), and it doesn't seem to have any dead spots in evidence. However, if this is a definite and unusual flaw, then I might be inclined to go back to the dealer. This is my first "proper" acoustic, having previously played a cheap'n'cheerful laminate box, and it's also quite a milestone, as I bought it for my 30th birthday. Therefore, I want to make sure I have a keeper that will last me for the foreseeable future. Any help or information gratefully received - thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tioga_man Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 what about the first fret on 4th string? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noisepolluter Posted February 3, 2008 Author Share Posted February 3, 2008 what about the first fret on 4th string? No problem at all there - the 6th fret on the 5th string is OK, though slightly lacking in sustain - I probably wouldn't notice if I wasn't already aware of the 6th string. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tioga_man Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 No problem at all there - the 6th fret on the 5th string is OK' date=' though slightly lacking in sustain - I probably wouldn't notice if I wasn't already aware of the 6th string. [/quote'] well the 11th fret of the 6th string is the same note as the 1st fret of the 4th string. So if you do have a problem, maybe it is associated with the saddle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewG Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 The problem you have is probably a wolf note or wolf tone. Every guitar has its own resonant frequency; if you play a fretted note which happens to be the same frequency the two will cancel each other out resulting in a marked loss of sustain and a muted thump instead of a ringing note. I had a Martin OM-21 where all the G's, all over the neck, were wolf notes and had to send it back. On many guitars this phenomenon is most common around the F/F#/G and shows up most noticeably on the A string. It's an inherent thing and nothing can be done about it. On the other hand you might just have a poor string or, as has been suggested, your saddle might need looking at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noisepolluter Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 The problem you have is probably a wolf note or wolf tone. Every guitar has its own resonant frequency; if you play a fretted note which happens to be the same frequency the two will cancel each other out resulting in a marked loss of sustain and a muted thump instead of a ringing note. I had a Martin OM-21 where all the G's' date=' all over the neck, were wolf notes and had to send it back.On many guitars this phenomenon is most common around the F/F#/G and shows up most noticeably on the A string. It's an inherent thing and nothing can be done about it. On the other hand you might just have a poor string or, as has been suggested, your saddle might need looking at.[/quote'] Now you mention it, the Eb note on the lowest string does have a bit of a hollow overtone to it. While changing strings today I found that the low E string and pin didn't quite sit cleanly in the saddle, as the hole was ever so slightly too small to comfortably accomodate the string and the peg. The string's ball end is buried slightly deeper in the saddle than the others, and the peg is standing slightly proud. I have no idea whether this is affecting the way the string resonates on certain notes - I might take it along to be looked at sometime in the next couple of weeks, but am inclined to leave it be and just let the guitar settle for the moment, as it's not a frequently played note. The warranty has plenty of time to run. Thanks everyone for your advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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