What the heck is this sound?

[player]

Apply some superglue to the nut slot(s) you think is the culprit(dont glue your string down)...or put a piece of paper under the string in the nut slot(to compensate for a nut cut too low).

If I remember correctly, one of my guitars did this too, but it turned out to be a loose nut on one of the tuners post.

interestingly enough Someone else I knew had a similar problem they found that graphite in the nut works wonders.just a thought:rockon:

 

[mrmudcat]

Boy, this is a tricky one. I started a mental list of things to check at the beginning of the thread and one by one, each was mentioned by someone (good community of knowledgable folks!)

All I'm left with is that if you were to keep the guitar (looks like you're not though) you could tie a very short piece of rubber band around each offending string, above the nut. Not by any means a correct repair but an easy band-aid fix.

(EDIT) Maybe even a small piece of tape wrapped around each.

I had been playing with the idea that I knew a trick in the 80's where you wrap all the strings with a piece of tape.I did not want to suggest something I did not "remember correctly"


By the way glad yo popped in Dread!:dude:

 

[ShortBuSX]

Any updates? Any resolve?

 

[Robert]

I have the same thing happening to my Strat. Mostly on the G string though. On my guitar, it's coming from the part of the string that goes between the tuning post and the nut. Possibly the nut can have be better slotted, I guess. I have a different neck than the original, but I had the same thing happen on the original neck.

I tried putting some dampening material on the string above the nut. It took away that "PING" sound, but it deadened the string quite a bit.

I've gotten used to it. The B and E string have string trees, and this doesn't not happen much with them as a result.

 

[Danzego]

Any updates? Any resolve?

I'm waiting on Guitar Center to get another one in, at which point the salesdude is supposed to give me a call and tell me to come down and grab it. In the meantime, he said to hold on to the first one until the new one comes in (and not to worry if it ends up going part the 30 day return policy; they'll take care of it).

I could have had him special order it in to rush one down there, but I've been VERY busy in school lately, which will be the case now through late March. thus, I'm not in a huge hurry to get it in since I won't be able to play much until the quarter is over anyways. However, it has been on my mind and I was considering giving a call this weekend to get an update. I'll update when I do so.

 

[Danzego]

I have the same thing happening to my Strat. Mostly on the G string though. On my guitar, it's coming from the part of the string that goes between the tuning post and the nut. Possibly the nut can have be better slotted, I guess. I have a different neck than the original, but I had the same thing happen on the original neck.

I tried putting some dampening material on the string above the nut. It took away that "PING" sound, but it deadened the string quite a bit.

I've gotten used to it. The B and E string have string trees, and this doesn't not happen much with them as a result.

Yeah, I'd have to say if a damping material is deadening the string, it must be the nut slot cut too wide or low to where it's allowing the entire string to vibrate and cause that noise. The string trees only make a slight difference though, since I'm having the problem on the B string (though not as bad as with that G string).

If it happens on the replacement guitar, I'm just going to cough up the dough and get a new nut put on. That's going to be kind of hard though, since I'm trying to save up for a wireless router that's going to ding me to the tune of $135 as it is.

 

[oldsneakers]

Cool

I know this is an old thread but I couldn't resist replying. I have three mim Strats that have the G string overtone generated between the nut and the tunning peg as mentioned here. One is a 06 and two are 07's. I looked high and low for a year trying to get info on it. I wrote to Fender and they told me I was crazy. I ended up just wrapping something around the string which damped the overtone but also mutes the string some. Thanks for info here on how to fix it. I will give them a try. Great Forum also. Don't know how I missed it.

 

[Danzego]

I updated this in a thread in the Strat forum, but it's more of topic here, so I'll give the quick and dirty version:

I took the Strat back, but it was taking forever for Guitar Center to get a new one in. Amazing- the largest the guitar store in America can't get a new guitar in from the largest guitar company in American. :thwap:

Anyway, due to some things people said, I was getting worried that the new guitar might not feel as good. When the salesdude offered again to have the nut replaced since Fender was now saying they were out of stock, I told him "if you have a graphite nut and not some cheap crappy All Parts plastic nut put on there, I'll come down and check it out."

I've been playing VERY nice with them since the first guitar problem (the Strat with the tooling marks on the frets), them trying to get in a Lonestar and that never happening, and now this. However, after having to wait around for hours for the nut to be put on since it wasn't done when they said it would be and then them not wanting to sell the guitar back to me for the 900 bucks I bought it for the first time (they went to fixed pricing recently, so they claimed their computer wouldn't let them sell it for under $1000), my frustration with the whole situation finally showed. I wasn't walking out of there without a $900 Strat or cash in hand and I was rather vocal about the fact.

Happy to say I got the Strat back with the new graphite nut and it plays great- no more sympathetic ringing of the strings above the nut. :AOK:

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Great! You got a nice guitar with a nice upgrade! When you have a chance, could you upload a pic of the guitar with new nut?

 

[TS808]

I'm just reading this thread now too...here are my thoughts (and I wish I had seen this sooner so I'm beating a dead horse). A few times when I've bought guitars (not just Fenders) they not only needed a good set-up, but I also noticed that often the nuts were cut improperly...usually way too deep and the slots were even too wide in some cases. On some guitars, if it came with .09's strung on it, the strings would literally wiggle in the nut slot...if I put 10's on it would be a little better but not much.

A good set up helps with a tech who knows how to file a nut too.

 

[M29]

Sounds like a nut job to me

M

 

[Danzego]

M29, you're killin' me!!!

I'm just reading this thread now too...here are my thoughts (and I wish I had seen this sooner so I'm beating a dead horse). A few times when I've bought guitars (not just Fenders) they not only needed a good set-up, but I also noticed that often the nuts were cut improperly...usually way too deep and the slots were even too wide in some cases. On some guitars, if it came with .09's strung on it, the strings would literally wiggle in the nut slot...if I put 10's on it would be a little better but not much.

A good set up helps with a tech who knows how to file a nut too.

Yeah, I hear ya. But like I mentioned somewhere along the line, I just didn't see having to deal with immediately look into paying for a new nut on a thousand dollar guitar (even IF I paid "only" 900 for it).

Mind you- and I'm not saying that you're insinuating any different- I'm aware that there are a million other guitars out there that cost more and this isn't the highest end guitar on the shelf. When taken into that perspective, it's NOT an expensive guitar. But still, that's a lot of money to me and it was a pretty big stretch. I feel something as simple as a properly cut nut should be taken for granted on a brand new, quality guitar. Especially when every guitar I've ever owned before this cost no more than half as much (and most well below that) and not one of them exhibited such an issue.

Oh, and I'll get a picture up the moment I can. Right now is my little break from all day school and schoolwork just so I can get up early tomorrow to start all over again. Boy, I sure can't wait until I can actually PLAY this guitar a bit since getting it.

 

[M29]

From my limited experience, I think the nuts on a guitar are the most neglected part of any new guitar. It is almost like they treat it as a last minute detail that is not that important. We all know that the material and surface where the strings set and where the nut contacts the neck are extremely important for tone transfere. I don't understand why this is not prioritized on any guitar over $500.00. Maybe it is a production thing, I don't know.

M29