Bell-like overtones/noise after lowering action

md1234 said:
I am wondering if this is related to the strings. I ask this because i have played many years on Elixir 10-48 strings and changed a few weeks ago to NYXL 10-48 and last week i suddenly noticed this sound, both unplugged and even plugged... after a while i found out it was them ringing behind the nut.
Do some strings (depending on brand) make more noise behind the nut than others? I restring regulary and never noticed it before with the Elixirs. But it might be coincidence, and once you hear it, you keep hearing it... ;)
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Interesting theory! I'll keep it mind for next time I re-string.
 
fractalz said:
Great that you found the source. Interesting that the sound from behind the nut is dominating the signal to the pickups. Are you playing at low volume and possibly hearing the behind-the-nut sound acoustically and not through the fractal?
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I wouldn't say it was dominating, but it certainly had a strong presence that couldn't be ignored. Like background noise that's dialed up to 4 when it should normally be at 1.
 
I just got in a new Tele that on a certain string literally plays 2 notes at once and gives out almost a sitar type sound. If your neck does not have enough relief (or bow), whereas the profile is 'too flat', when you strike a string, and the string rotates, it could slightly touch another fret or possibly a slightly high fret and cause a harmonic type sound.
The neck relief will change with humidity and temperature, where I live it changes seasonally, so I do about 3 to 4 calibrations per year using a dial gauge. So by lowering your action you have 'possibly' exposed a high fret for inadequate neck relief. If that is the case to correct it you need to make sure the neck relief is proper, then set your action as low as you want but not to buzz.
 
Axelman8 said:
Sorry for beeing to quick writing a response.
It could well be that your whammy pedal is on?

Been there -> done that. It cost me a lot of trouble at the time searching and restoring what I had changed in the meantime, when all I had to do is lower the pedal to the zero position.
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I wouldn't publicly admit to that lol so I commend your courage.
 
mwd said:
I just got in a new Tele that on a certain string literally plays 2 notes at once and gives out almost a sitar type sound. If your neck does not have enough relief (or bow), whereas the profile is 'too flat', when you strike a string, and the string rotates, it could slightly touch another fret or possibly a slightly high fret and cause a harmonic type sound.
The neck relief will change with humidity and temperature, where I live it changes seasonally, so I do about 3 to 4 calibrations per year using a dial gauge. So by lowering your action you have 'possibly' exposed a high fret for inadequate neck relief. If that is the case to correct it you need to make sure the neck relief is proper, then set your action as low as you want but not to buzz.
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There is almost no such thing as too flat. half the thickness of your high E is about perfect. You can model "perfect" on a Plek and by perfect I mean optimum next fret clearance in any position on the neck . If you hit frets higher you need to look at the interaction between the next fret clearance how hard you hit the string and how high your action is in relation to how hard you hit the strings.. Too much relief totally interferes with the geometry that works above the bottom of the relief contour. If you are a hard hitting player that rarely goes beyond fret 10 it may work but the upper register is seriously compromised and the more the fingerboard radius is the worse it gets. From the bottom of the curve and back up all the so called gains you make in clearance you inversely loose making a higher action needed to even bend without fretting out or seriously reducing next fret clearance and dynamic potential . Using a plek to model the result properly you find that the optimum (half high E) works on any guitar with a correctly functional truss rod and across pretty much all string gauges and preferred action. The variables are governed by whether the guitar has a slight fall away at the top end and if the truss rod is optimally effective and unfortunately many are not.
 
mwd said:
I just got in a new Tele that on a certain string literally plays 2 notes at once and gives out almost a sitar type sound. If your neck does not have enough relief (or bow), whereas the profile is 'too flat', when you strike a string, and the string rotates, it could slightly touch another fret or possibly a slightly high fret and cause a harmonic type sound.
The neck relief will change with humidity and temperature, where I live it changes seasonally, so I do about 3 to 4 calibrations per year using a dial gauge. So by lowering your action you have 'possibly' exposed a high fret for inadequate neck relief. If that is the case to correct it you need to make sure the neck relief is proper, then set your action as low as you want but not to buzz.
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This is completely wrong as the centre of oscillation moves up the neck as you do. An almost straight neck and an appropriate action for the player/guitar is the answer here.
 
With respect Andy I’m having a hard time figuring out what you are disagreeing with. The comment in above post stating ‘this is completely wrong’ then list a physical theory regarding center of oscillation I 100% agree with. As to ‘There is almost no such thing as too flat’. The ‘almost’ part of that statement ‘is’ neck relief.

I’m down for the least amount of relief and the lowest action I can get away with. I would also agree that a guitar that has had Plek service, providing being done properly, has the best chance achieving those goals. Perhaps I stated it incorrectly but my intended suggestion to the OP was nothing more than ‘check your neck relief’. In the grand scheme of things preferably first.
 
mwd said:
With respect Andy I’m having a hard time figuring out what you are disagreeing with. The comment in above post stating ‘this is completely wrong’ then list a physical theory regarding center of oscillation I 100% agree with. As to ‘There is almost no such thing as too flat’. The ‘almost’ part of that statement ‘is’ neck relief.

I’m down for the least amount of relief and the lowest action I can get away with. I would also agree that a guitar that has had Plek service, providing being done properly, has the best chance achieving those goals. Perhaps I stated it incorrectly but my intended suggestion to the OP was nothing more than ‘check your neck relief’. In the grand scheme of things preferably first.
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I appear to have misunderstood your post. I apologise.
 
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