DULL G STRING

[Jimbo]

I hope someone out there can enlighten me!

 

I have just moved up from 11 Gauge strings to 12 gauge strings,with an unwound G, because I like the feel and sound of heavier gauge strings.

 

However the G string on the new set seems to lack sustain, sounds dull and almost chokes off around the 12th fret.

 

I have experimented with all kinds of gauges in the past and never noticed this before (I have even had wound and unwound G's from a set of 13 gauge strings and not noticed this.I have looked at the nut, and it doesn't appear to be a case of the slot being too narrow. The neck relief is OK, and my action is average to high. The problem gets ever so slightly worse the higher up the neck I go, up untill the 12th fret, and then things get a bit better again.None of the other strings have this problem and the imbalance in output/sustain and tone( particularly with the E and B below is a pain.

 

I am wondering if It's just a dud string?-but then why does the problem get noticeably worse at a certain point on the neck?The frets seem OK.

Anyone else had this problem?/can anyone point me in the right direction here?

[dickey]

This may seem like a silly question, but why not CHANGE THE STRING??!

[Simonphilipps]

Sometimes it's just a little bridge problem..Try screwing it a bit up.

[BIGBENDS]

I'm not sure if this is the problem, but check the neck for backbow. It may just need a simple truss rod adjustment. There's a lot of humidity in Scotland and high humidity can do bad things to wood. If this the problem, you may need to keep your guitar in a drier environment/room.

[Jimbo]

Thanks for the replies so far guys. I already adjusted the neck for extra relief and raised the bridge, but no improvement.(I take the point about humid conditions in Glasgow).As this problem only started with the string change, I'm hoping that replacing the string today will be enough-Either that or the string change has highlighted some latent problem in the frets/neck that I can't see with the naked eye.

[Dynadude]

You could try lowering the neck pickup a bit.

[BIGBENDS]

Dynadude, I think you may have just hit the nail on the head. It probably is dull due to magnetic pull.

[Jimbo]

Sorry Dynadude and Bigbends, but I tried lowering the pickups last night-Good Idea though. (The neck pickup right down)-although they are already usually quite low. Couldn't get a single G string of comparable range to replace the offending string today, so...... I am going to put a spare set of 11's back in just to reassure myself that there's no new problem with the guitar, then ponder my next move.

 

I have read about folks having problems with unwound G's in heavier gauges,"dead spots" etc. I think I'll first reassure myself that my guitar/neck/frets are ok and then take it from there.

[deelaz]

what strings are you using? i use xl strings sometimes i get the g string with dead tone, it usually happens with the xl's strings, well maybe you should try other sets, who knows it could be the factory defect.

[Jimbo]

what strings are you using? i use xl strings sometimes i get the g string with dead tone' date=' it usually happens with the xl's strings, well maybe you should try other sets, who knows it could be the factory defect.[/quote']

 

It was Ernie Ball. Are they known for this?- I' might be wary of XL's then--thanks! .

It is strange because I have never had this with a new set of strings. I'm about to put the 11's on right now.

[Jimbo]

11 gauges are now back on, problem completely gone!

Must have been a dud string- relief all round:d/ .

[Marcelo]

Hi Jimbo, can you let me know what is the brand of strings that solved the problem for you?

 

I just changed the old Earnie Balls 9-to-42 with an equal set, and the new ones still give me E buzz at the 12th fret, but slightly less than before. I had the neck adjusted to fix the problem, but it is still there. Maybe switching brands of strings will solve my problem.

[80LPC]

Do you mean an open E buzz at the 12th fret, or when you have have fretted the 12th ? If the latter, there is no way a neck adjustment will make any difference because the truss rod is designed to add/remove relief, and there is no relief in this region. Your action could simply be too low, or there could be uneven fret height. Other buzzes can be pickups or mounting rings etc that are buzzing sympathetically.

[Marcelo]

I hate to hijack Jimbo's thread, but the buzzing starts as I fret around the 12th and keeps going on the 13th, 14th and higher. The neck on this guitar meets the body at a subtle slant, so that the frets of the low-E are a little higher than the fret of the high-e, so I see that people raise the bridge on the low-E side so that the strings clear the frets better.

 

Today, I was looking at the neck closely and it bows outward slightly at the headstock after I put on a new set of strings (I guess the added tension, moved the neck). I had this same problem fixed by a professional who set my neck a few weeks ago, after sending it in for this same symptom, so I have to take it back for him to fix it again. I guess that eventually I have to raise the action, especially on the low-E side of the bridge.

[Jimbo]

Hi Jimbo' date=' can you let me know what is the brand of strings that solved the problem for you?

 

I just changed the old Earnie Balls 9-to-42 with an equal set, and the new ones still give me E buzz at the 12th fret, but slightly less than before. I had the neck adjusted to fix the problem, but it is still there. Maybe switching brands of strings will solve my problem.[/quote']

 

Mercello

:Sorry for the delay in gertting back to you.

I'm afraid it was Ernie Ball's! as that's all they had in 11 at the time.However, The problem is still just about noticeable with an UNWOUND G in 11 gauge, but not noticeable at all with a WOUND G. You might want to try a wound G if that suits your style.

Incidentally I tried detuning and tuning up a fret. My problem then moved up or down to the 11th or 13th fret, although I see that your problem affects all frets beyond the 11th, which makes me think it might be a slight raising of the action at the bridge that is required.I don't think adjusting the truss rod further will help you much that far up the neck. My problem seems to be related to a particular pitch on the G string rather than the actual position of the fret- so I might be suffering from some sort of vibration that is squashing the note.Doesn't happen on the other strings though.

 

Good luck and let me know how you got on.