Suggestions please

[spidey]

HI
I've recently had a fret dress and a new Faber bridge fitted to my R9.

Tonally it sounds far superior than before and now plays great. However I've noticed an issue with the B string - it rings clear and true if unfretted but if I fret around the 6th, 7th and 8th fret and bend, then the string doesn't sustain as much as any other string on the guitar or even at other frets on the B string.

What do you think might be the cause? I don't have a low action and I have plenty of relief. Do you think the fret dress was substandard or maybe an issue with how the luthier filed the B string saddle?

Any ideas guys?

 

[Offshore Angler]

Measure the action height, then use a fret rocker to check the fret. let us know what you see.

Never hurts to try a different string either. I've encountered multiple issues with fake chinese knockoff strings that are packaged so well you can't tell by looking unless you REALLY know what to look for. I buy a lot of strings so it was inevitable I would get burned sooner or later. Some strings are just bad even if they aren't knockoffs.

Chaz

 

[Any Name You Wish]

I agree, get a fret rocker and check the 9th and above frets on the bass side of the neck. By "plenty" of relief, how much exactly? Some folks try to get down to only .006" or even lower and that can bring out a slightly high fret really easy. I shoot for .008" to avoid issues, especially when humidity and temps change a lot. If your neck pickup is too high that can be a damper on certain strings. Maybe the B string saddle was notched a tad too low.

 

[spidey]

Thanks for your input so far guys.
Measured at the 12th fret my action is 5/64” on the low E and the high E strings. Relief is a touch more than .008”. I’ve tried another B string but still the issue is there.
I don’t have a fret rocker but I’ve zoomed in with my iPhone on the saddles and on the top E and B strings I see none of the string is higher than the saddle. My understanding is that roughly half of the diameter of the string should stand proud above the saddle. I’m therefore suspecting this is the issue. Would you agree?

 

[Any Name You Wish]

I agree. On the G, B and E strings I get the string lined up and lightly tap it with a small brass hammer to create a tiny indent in the saddle. Gibson really mashes them in there. It does not take a big deep groove to hold the string in place.

Your action is pretty good. If you really get a good fret dress and .008" relief you can get it down to 4/64 on the high E side. That's what I shoot for on a Gibson set neck.

 

[spidey]

Measure the action height, then use a fret rocker to check the fret. let us know what you see.

Never hurts to try a different string either. I've encountered multiple issues with fake chinese knockoff strings that are packaged so well you can't tell by looking unless you REALLY know what to look for. I buy a lot of strings so it was inevitable I would get burned sooner or later. Some strings are just bad even if they aren't knockoffs.

Chaz

Hi Chaz. Please see above. Thanks.

 

[spidey]

I agree. On the G, B and E strings I get the string lined up and lightly tap it with a small brass hammer to create a tiny indent in the saddle. Gibson really mashes them in there. It does not take a big deep groove to hold the string in place.

Your action is pretty good. If you really get a good fret dress and .008" relief you can get it down to 4/64 on the high E side. That's what I shoot for on a Gibson set neck.

Great. Thanks for your help.

 

[Offshore Angler]

Raise the bridge slightly and see if the problem goes away. If it does replacing the saddle is an easy do-it-yourself fix

Chaz

 

[c_wester]

DId it sustain before?

 

[Offshore Angler]

That's mucho relief you have there too. A straight neck is a happy neck. When I adjust my Gibsons I tighten until there is zero relief and then back off to where it's barely perceptible, as in too small to measure. Your action sounds about right.

And then - hate to say it, but some guitars just have dead spots. Can you hear the difference through the amp at your normal performing volume? Plugging into a good amp will sometime get rid of issues like this. These are NOT acoustic guitars. They are designed to be played amplified.

If you need your relief quantitative and not qualitative - if you know a good machinist ask him or her for some .001" and .005" shim stock to use for a feeler gage.

Chuck

 

[Cliff Gress]

I love the help people get on this forum...

 

[TBurst Std]

Old school spark plug feeler gauges do the trick.

 

[charliechitlins]

Fret any note on the E or G string.
Note the margin by which it clears the next fret.
Now make your B string do it's thing and see if the string is clearing the following fret(s) by a similar margin.
If so, your noise is coming from elsewhere.
If not, time to get out the rocker.

 

[Offshore Angler]

Old school spark plug feeler gauges do the trick.

.001 spark plug feeler gage? lol!

 

[Any Name You Wish]

.001 spark plug feeler gage? lol!

At .001" you would have to play with a very light and precise touch. Every time the humidity rises a lot you'll be re-adjusting. I like to leave more relief, but this is just personal set-up preferences. Did you raise the bridge a little yet? Did it remove the problem?

 

[charliechitlins]

.001 spark plug feeler gage? lol!

I have a set of feeler gauges that go down to .001”.

 

[Offshore Angler]

Any Name You Wish,

I have been playing my Les Pauls for decades set up that way. Hot and humid, cold and dry, it don't matter. You need to adjust ANY guitar when there's a major seasonal swing. We're talking relief, not action. As the old saying goes, "a straight neck is a happy neck."

My Gibson setup has always started at barely perceptible relief and 1.5mm on the treble and 2mm on the bass. And if you've seen me play - well, I've never been accused of having a light touch!

Yeah, on my Fenders I'll go up to maybe .008", but that's due to the smaller fretboard radius and longer scale. Fenders are completely different animals than Gibsons to set up.

YMMV, but my guitars make me pretty decent money.

The main thing one needs to do with guitars to keep them happy is to PLAY THEM. Case queens or guitars that live on stands are often pretty difficult to keep in peak performance.

 

[TBurst Std]

I have a set of feeler gauges that go down to .001”.

I was mistaken, the smallest is .0015 (.038mm).
Its so you can stack them. They all fold up into a nice little deck. Think 60s/70s era. It's whisper thin.

As an example

32-Piece, Feeler Gauge, 0.04 - 0.88 mm / 0.0015 - 0.035" | Haas Tooling

This quality Haas feeler gauge can be used to measure the gap or clearance between two surfaces. This set includes the following gauge thicknesses: 0.04/0.0015", 0.05/0.002", 0.06/0.0025", 0.08/0.003", 0.10/0.004", 0.13/0.005", 0.15/0.006", 0.18/0.007", 0.20/0.008", 0.23/0.009", 0.25/0.01"...

www.haastooling.com

 

[guitartsar]

For me the straighter the neck the better. I don't like the feel of too much relief in the middle of the neck. All guitars are different though so some need a bit more relief than others. Also if you play quite hard then you may need more relief. I was taught to fret the 1st fret on the low E string with the first finger of my left hand and then fret around the 15th fret using the thumb of my right hand. Then use the first finger of my right hand to check relief around 7th/8th fret. The truss rod doesn't do that much beyond the 15th fret or where the neck joins the body..............Of course lefties need to reverse this! As others have said feeler gauges can be useful but you'll soon get a feel for how much relief works for you and the guitar. It is quite a personal thing.

 

[Any Name You Wish]

Any Name You Wish,

I have been playing my Les Pauls for decades set up that way. Hot and humid, cold and dry, it don't matter. You need to adjust ANY guitar when there's a major seasonal swing. We're talking relief, not action. As the old saying goes, "a straight neck is a happy neck."

My Gibson setup has always started at barely perceptible relief and 1.5mm on the treble and 2mm on the bass. And if you've seen me play - well, I've never been accused of having a light touch!

Yeah, on my Fenders I'll go up to maybe .008", but that's due to the smaller fretboard radius and longer scale. Fenders are completely different animals than Gibsons to set up.

YMMV, but my guitars make me pretty decent money.

The main thing one needs to do with guitars to keep them happy is to PLAY THEM. Case queens or guitars that live on stands are often pretty difficult to keep in peak performance.

Naaaa, .001" is too flat and will just cause problems. Gibson spec is .006" which is a good starting point.