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Author Topic: Weird sustaining notes on certain frets that seem to vibrate the guitar...Techs?  (Read 5149 times)

AnnunakiMassacr

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Could somebody please help me? Techs, Luthiers, anyone!!!

I was just playing through my guitars (unplugged) about 10 minutes ago and I noticed on my ESP E-II Horizon III that when i vibrato on a fret, it seems the make a squeaking noise. Strangely the squeak vibrates within the neck. I just took this as maybe it was just friction between the strings and the frets themselves.

But as i started checking if other frets had this noise, I came across the 14th fret on the B-string, and when I play it, the whole note sustains for ages, and it makes the entire guitar neck vibrate. Strangely, the vibration is in the same key, and it rings out almost as if a harmonic is playing a few octaves below. If I keep a vibrato held, the note lasts for ages. But if I de-fret the note, the vibration carries on for a couple seconds afterwards.

I started messing around on other frets to see if it did it as well, and it did. It was only a few moments later when I realised it's the same note which triggers this strange anomaly. It's always when I fret C# anywhere on the fingerboard. But not another single note.

I tried my other guitars and I found it happens on another note on my ESP Eclipse as well.

Both of these guitar are ESP, and are Floyd Rose equipped.

Any ideas would be great
« Last Edit: December 20, 2014, 03:15:48 AM by AnnunakiMassacr »
BKPs: ESP Eclipse I CTM FT w/Riff Raff bridge/Mule neck - ESP Eclipse I CTM w/Rebel Yells - LTD EC-1000 FT w/Aftermaths - Music Man JPIX w/Juggernauts

Toe-Knee

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My RGA42 does this if I hold a note on the high E 7th fret. It also descends into awesome tuned feedback too when playing with gain after a couple of seconds.

I have no idea why it does it but it's handy. I presume the truss rod is vibrating or something?
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AnnunakiMassacr

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Yeah I thought that's what's happening. But I don't know if it's good or bad. I just doesn't feel right tbh
BKPs: ESP Eclipse I CTM FT w/Riff Raff bridge/Mule neck - ESP Eclipse I CTM w/Rebel Yells - LTD EC-1000 FT w/Aftermaths - Music Man JPIX w/Juggernauts

AnnunakiMassacr

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Anyone else got ideas?
BKPs: ESP Eclipse I CTM FT w/Riff Raff bridge/Mule neck - ESP Eclipse I CTM w/Rebel Yells - LTD EC-1000 FT w/Aftermaths - Music Man JPIX w/Juggernauts

Dave Sloven

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The C# thing is an Ibanez conspiracy to prevent you playing Black Sabbath songs on their guitars  :wink:
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IMPULSES
COBRA-T
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Toe-Knee

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I get you really. It's a bit annoying but something that i've learned to exploit more than hate.

Maybe shoot one of the luthiers on hear a PM i'm sure they will have some advice or reasoning behind it.

Also it's worth noting that this only ever happens for me if I hammer on or slide to the specific note. If I play it alone it doesn't happen. Odd little quirk.
« Last Edit: December 24, 2014, 02:41:32 PM by Toe-Knee »
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AnnunakiMassacr

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Now this is Random, all 3 of my ESPs which have Floyds on have the same problem. It's always the C# note :S
BKPs: ESP Eclipse I CTM FT w/Riff Raff bridge/Mule neck - ESP Eclipse I CTM w/Rebel Yells - LTD EC-1000 FT w/Aftermaths - Music Man JPIX w/Juggernauts

BigB

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Resonant frequency (all material have a resonant frequency) of "something on your guitar"... But what ? Given your last post I'd assume it has something to do with the Floyd ?
Have: Crawlers, BGF 50/52s, Mules, ABomb, RiffRaff
Had : Slowhands (n&m), Trilogy (b)

Mkjackary

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I'd say the resonant frequency is an important factor here, But also the standing wave of the strings vibration and its correlation to the position of the pickups is a very important factor too.
The frequency the string vibrates at will have nodes (areas of low/little sting vibration) and anti-nodes (areas of high string vibration). Think of a sine wave, the points of highest amplitude on the string will create the greatest current going into the coil of the pickup (as the rate of change of magnetic flux is greatest here). Because of this greater current there will be a louder note produced, perceived as ringing out more, and probably causing pleasing harmonics too.
This could also happen in reverse, if the pickup is placed over a node (point of little movement) then the amount of current produced will be lower, resulting in a "flat" or "dead"er sounding note.
This explanation is only valid when it is plugged in however, so if you can hear it when unplugged it is more likely the resonant frequency of the wood and guitar hardware coming into play.

AnnunakiMassacr

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It's just freaky it's all 3 Floyd guitars, which are all ESP's as well :S
BKPs: ESP Eclipse I CTM FT w/Riff Raff bridge/Mule neck - ESP Eclipse I CTM w/Rebel Yells - LTD EC-1000 FT w/Aftermaths - Music Man JPIX w/Juggernauts

PK

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Basically all instruments have this in one way or another. As noted earlier, everything has an resonance frequency, not only the guitar as a whole, but also the individual parts.
Classical musicians  sometimes tend to avoid these.
We, being rebels and all, love 'm...........to some extend, hehehehe
The reason for all guitars doing the same thing, most likely has to do with all the guitars being the same scale,  the Floyds having the same mass, the neck having the same mass etc.