rythmking24 Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 hey folks, i have just got a new sg special. everything is great, except... there is an unusual problem with the G string. it seems that there is very little sustain on frets 11 and 12 on the G string. they almost sound dead at times. i am using standard 10 gauge gibson brightwire strings. i have my guitar in standard tuning aswell. at first, whilst playin with the factory standard strings ( which i was lead to believe were also 10 gauge gibson brightwires ), i thought the problem might just be that the strings needed changing. but i changed them and the problem remains. the action isn't very low and the neck is slightly concave. i also find it strange that is just seems to be frets 11 and 12 on the G string, and even the higher frets seems to ring true. any suggestions as to what the problem might be? cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellion102792 Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 It's what you said it is, a dead spot. Sounds like those frets in particular aren't level, so when you press down the string hits the top of the next fret, deadening the note. Take it to a luthier or guitar tech and have them take a look at it, sounds like it shouldn't be too expensive to fix if it's only a couple of frets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boston004681 Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 That's what you get for buying the cheapest SG you can get... It's what you said it is' date=' a dead spot. Sounds like those frets in particular aren't level, so when you press down the string hits the top of the next fret, deadening the note. Take it to a luthier or guitar tech and have them take a look at it, sounds like it shouldn't be too expensive to fix if it's only a couple of frets.[/quote'] That sounds about right. My father's bass has a couple dead spots. high on the neck though, not a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rythmking24 Posted March 11, 2009 Author Share Posted March 11, 2009 That's what you get for buying the cheapest SG you can get... cheers for the response. but, actually, i got the ebony finish, so it was an extra £150. anyway, some of us are on a budget i know they are kinda bottom of the range gibsons, but still, you would expect better. not like it's a melody maker. what are gibson playing at? i have to say that sucks though. this is my second sg special. the first one i took back because the fretboard craftmanship was terrible. there were bits of wood flaking off, and small gaps around all of the fret wires. also, the pickups were extremely slanted. as i understand, they should be kinda level with the body of the guitar, because you can't adust the angle of them due to the fact that there is only one screw on each side of the pickups. i thought that was unacceptable for a £750 guitar. gibson should shape up their act. the fretboard and general build quality of the new guitar i have is unbelievably better though. i am guessing that the guy who was responsible for doing the fretwork and stuff on the dodgy guitar was a newbie to the trade. anyway, the frets do sound a note, i just don't get as much sustain. does it still sound like a dead spot? are there varying degrees of 'deadness'? also, is this a common problem or have a just been unlucky? and is the only way around it to get a luthier to grind down the fret/ frets or something? cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nynvolt Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 I noticed on my special the overall craftsmanship was not as good as my standard, but that being said there is no excuse for it to be that way, the specials aren't exactly cheap guitars. And the amount you pay for a guitar will do nothing for your ability... Have you changed the strings? If you have it does sound like you may have some issue with your frets. Since it's obviously noticeable to you, then I would return it unless you've bonded with it already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 I Have a similar issue on my standard at the 12th fret on the g string.Bit of a mystery, never noticed it till I cleaned my sound up. Try tuning the G up or down one fret- does the problem then "move" up and down one fret? If so, it sounds like a "dead spot" situation -but may not nescesarily mean uneven/poor fretwork.I'm not sure if there's much that you can do about a true dead spot, as it has more to do with the timber than the frets/action/strings. Some german guy (can't find the page now!) did a whole paper online on deadspots. If I can find it, i'll try and post a link. Mine has a premature dying off of the note in the same position as you, and though annoying it isnt always noticeable - depending on the speed of play and the scope for keeping the note going with a bit extra vibrato. By the way- I found that trying a wound G string made a lot of difference in my case (no idea why- as that would seem to contradict the "dead spot" theory). I just don't like wound G's though.If you don't already have a wound G on you might want to try it. Again, It might be best to "cut your losses" and go back to the shop-If you only got it recently, and exchange it for another one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LPC Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 It's a shame about the varying build quality of Gibsons. Firms like Yamaha have been producing consistently good guitars across all price points for decades. Good intentions by the management are just that. It's not unreasonable to expect good quality from an expensive guitar. Regarding the sustain, open strings sustain the longest and this gradually diminishes the higher you fret. If there is a spot of reduced sustain, and then the string begins to ring true again further up, it is most likely caused by uneven frets. These are very common - even with Plek'd guitars. Even though your action is not low, uneven frets can still cause this problem. If you are otherwise happy with this guitar, I would return it for a check and possible light dressing of these frets. It's good to be critical of all new guitars regardless of cost. We often hear the 'handmade' comment but this is a feeble excuse. Handmade should mean better quality, not worse ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rythmking24 Posted March 12, 2009 Author Share Posted March 12, 2009 I Have a similar issue on my standard at the 12th fret on the g string. Bit of a mystery' date=' never noticed it till I cleaned my sound up.[/quote'] well, thanks a lot for the feedback everyone. i feel a bit better about the whole thing. although, i still think that this is the sort of thing that could be expected from a lesser make of guitar. certainly not gibson. i suppose this is a result of mass production though. it's not a major issue anyway. more annoying than anything else. i like the guitar a lot. so i don't really wanna take it back. any ideas as to how much a fret dress might cost? cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellion102792 Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 The luthier around here charges $60 to level and recrown the frets, and a single fret replacement is $25. I don't think they need to be replaced, and if only 2 need to be leveled then he probably (shouldn't) charge full price. Everybody has different prices though, so look around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geff Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 This, I am afraid, is exactly the sort of thing that led me to buy a less expensive but no-faults-I-can-discern epiphone SG. Genuine Gibsons in my price range (and, apparently, even the higher price ranges) are a bit of a lottery and I really didn't like the necks on the faded specials that I have seen at all. Id still like to own a genuine Gibson one day but not until the quality matches the price or a rich relative dies and leaves me more cash than I know what to do with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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