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I got a call today from my brother for whom I made a Strat-type guitar about 6 months ago.

Last night one of his musician friends played it at a club. It sounded and played great until about midway through the first set. He said the strings above the 12th fret began sounding dead with some buzzing, especially on the small e string.

Not having seen it myself, I can only report on what the player stated. I asked if it was dropped or something but it apparantly wasn't traumatized in any manner. My brother was present for the performance. He says the strings are "relatively new" but that is his opinion. I'm thinking that maybe the TR went out of adjustment, even though I never heard of such a thing. It also sounds like the upper frets might be a tad high...but then it would have been noticed at the beginning of the set.

I'm baffled. Any thoughts...TIA

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

sounds like either neck relief,

or you may have a rise in the tongue, pretty common on fenders/fender style, especially if your neck blank was not bone dry and flatsawn,

if its got a rosewood board theen your ok, pop the frets and level it, add a few thou of fallaway, replace frets.. if its maple, then enjoy!!!

Hi JJ,
has anyone checked the electronics?
Craig S.

see if the saddle has dropped, often the vibrations can make the height adjustment screws drop.
Evan

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http://www.NewYorkGuitarRepair.com

Thanks for the suggestions. I really won't know anything until I have it in my hands...not likely soon since he lives in western PA.

Paddy...it's a rosewood FB. I can't comment on the current neck releif or the condition of the tongue, but it's also in line with my suspicion.

Craig...The player didn't seem to suspect the electronics, but I'm sure it's something to consider. He felt that it was relief-related or fret height.

Evan...I hope you're right...adjusting the saddle would be an easy fix.

I'm going to suggest a few things to my brother in order of simplicity (he's a klutz and I don't want him getting too bold):
1) Put on new strings
2) Adjust the saddle screws
3) Take it to a reputable set-up person, or
4) Wait until we get together next.

Since he never plays above the 12th fret he should still be able to enjoy himself until we solve the mystery!

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

JJ

I'm no expert on Electrics, but could the screws that hold the neck in the neck pocket have come a little loose and allowed the back end of the neck to rise.

Sounds kinda strange to me. I woulda thought if the screws were loose it would increase the action height up there. Maybe the player has bad PH and caused the strings to go south while in his hands or mayhaps a fret worked loose.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

Hmm, that's an interesting problem JJ. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but regarding the truss rod, if that were the culprit, wouldn't it affect the lower frets much more than the upper register? I would think above the 12th fret, where the neck is actually bolted to the body, would have the least effect from a TR problem. I'm not sure though.

John

I am willing to bet that the guitar was that way all along, and never "moved" or changed while the guy was playing it. You said he played it for the first time, and then after just a few tunes he started to notice it getting wierd on him...well, I bet that he was just getting used to it, and only after he played it for a few tunes did he realize its more subtle problems.
Set it up right for him, and have him play it some more. It'll be OK.

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Mark Swanson
Swanson Guitars
http://www.MarkSwansonMusic.com