poor sustain on high e (SOLVED!!!)

  • Thread starter Thread starter xzyryabx
  • Start date Start date
xzyryabx

xzyryabx

Well-known member
I noticed that I have very poor sustain after the 12th fret on one of my guitars.
I don't really recall if this is a problem from before or something new.
This guitar sustains for 8 seconds on all frets, even on the high e before the 12th, but as soon as you go over that it drops to around 3-4!
Possible culprits:
1) Pickup pull (bridge & neck); so I dropped them both all the way down and this did not solve the problem.
2) high/low frets;probably not the case since all frets below the 12th have this problem; in any case I raised the bridge an ungodly amount to ensure adequate clearance.
3) low bridge; as above, I raised it an ungodly amount to ensure this wasn't an issue but still no go.
4) bad string; this is the only thing I haven't tried yet, but given that the frets above the 12th are ok this probably isn't the cause, not ruling it out though! i changed the strings around a week ago as well.

Any ideas?
 
Intonated bridge distance. That's my guess - the micro adjustment on the bridge, something's wonky there.
 
Ventura":3vn6k1ms said:
Intonated bridge distance. That's my guess - the micro adjustment on the bridge, something's wonky there.
Click to expand...


hmm...sounds plausible since it starts at the 12th fret....will give it a shot and report back
 
Highly doubt it's the intonation.

I did have an oddball problem with the high e once, sounded like it was hitting frets around 15-22...after messing around with it for a few days, I took it to my tech/store and about 20 minutes later after being baffled he changed the string and presto! Fixed.

so I vote #4
 
BTW what kind of bridge is it ? If its a Floyd style it could be the string block or even the saddle, I have had strange problems with my older FR too.
 
Intonation is dead on.
Just changed the string and it improved somewhat, but still less sustain compared to the rest of the strings/frets.
Bridge is an OFR.
If it's the saddle wouldn't it also affect the frets before the 12th?
could this be a dreaded dead spot in the neck?!!
 
I wouldn't think a deadspot would cover so much of the neck. Here's a trick to weed out deadspots: press the headstock up against a table top, wall, etc. and play some of the notes. Does it sustain "normally" when doing this and poorly when not? The problem with a true "dead spot" is sympathetic vibrations somewhere in the system. Jamming the headstock against something dampens those vibrations and should make a true dead spot diminish or disappear.

Could be the saddle. Have you tried just shimming that saddle rather than raising the action for the whole bridge?

How new are the springs? I find that brand new, stiff springs suck and can cause similar issues IMHO. Go crazy with some drive bombs to try to get them to loosen up and for the bridge system to settle in.

Ummm... Is it the same when the bar is installed vs. when it's out? Subtle changes in the weight of the bridge can have a big impact, too IME.

Floating Floyds are great once you get them dialed in, but I find that they are very very touchy and weird issues like this can crop up. Probably just needs some futzing with to get it just right. Good luck.
 
Is there too much neck relief? That may cause issues above the 12th fret, but usually for more strings than just the high E.
 
Sounds to me like your truss rod is too tight. Try a loosening it a quarter turn at a time and see if that increases sustain.
 
xzyryabx":2gripxn7 said:
I noticed that I have very poor sustain after the 12th fret on one of my guitars.
I don't really recall if this is a problem from before or something new.
This guitar sustains for 8 seconds on all frets, even on the high e before the 12th, but as soon as you go over that it drops to around 3-4!
Possible culprits:
1) Pickup pull (bridge & neck); so I dropped them both all the way down and this did not solve the problem.
2) high/low frets;probably not the case since all frets below the 12th have this problem; in any case I raised the bridge an ungodly amount to ensure adequate clearance.
3) low bridge; as above, I raised it an ungodly amount to ensure this wasn't an issue but still no go.
4) bad string; this is the only thing I haven't tried yet, but given that the frets above the 12th are ok this probably isn't the cause, not ruling it out though! i changed the strings around a week ago as well.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...
The frequency response of the amp is deliberately attenuated in the high frequencies.
This is done to prevent ringing and squealing at high gain settings- by the manufacturer.
Also, the shorter the string becomes, the less (widely) it vibrates. (12th fret IS shorter...)
High frequencies: When the sound reaches the guitar IN phase, sustain occurs.
When the sound reaches the guitar OUT of phase, cancellation occurs.More than likely, you are getting cancellation due to out of phase frequencies from the amp/speaker.
But then again another problem is the wood the guitar is made out of, and the pickups...
Some types of wood are just "dead" sounding, and have poor sustain characteristics....
So, reduced sustain is due to a range of phase/ frequency response, and materials used...besides a high fret which is killing the string vibrations.
It has nothing to do with the intonation of the string. That's a far fetched idea, I would say, try again.
 
Thanks all for the input!!!
I solved the problem....was about to smack my head against the wall when I noticed that the string had a shim under the saddle and the saddle was actually pitched forward (Floyd rose saddle BTW) and not making full contact with the baseplate.
I took it off, re-intonated and now it's ringing out like a charm!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top