Help - Metallic Ringing in Ibanez JS2400

J

jakel

Power User
I swear the guitar didn't do this when it was new, but now when you palm mute and play the D string (no frets) there is this really annoying high pitched metallic sounding ringing happening. I've tried different strings, wrapping the tremolo springs in clothe, holding different parts of the guitar trying to squelch it, but nothing works. It will do it somewhat if you play a D on the A string also, so I think it's pitch dependent, and not just an issue with the D string. Anyone else see this before?
 
Every ringing problem I've ever had has been either the tremolo springs or the strings between the nut and the machines. Try damping the trem springs with your hand and see if it stops the problem. The cloth might not have been enough. I've tried cloth, only to have to resort to more drastic materials. The trem springs have also caused low frequency problems with my VG-99 hex pickups. They produce a nice 45 Hz blast of noise when you attack a note. I use a PEQ to filter it out on presets that use the hex pickup, since it is difficult to sufficiently dampen the springs mechanically at that frequency.

Also try grabbing the strings behind the nut. With a Floyd locknut, that's probably not the problem though.

Other than that, I have no suggestions other than to methodically dampen every part until you find the culprit.
 
instead of wrapping springs- just jam tissue in the cavity and screw it shut

try a hair tie or scrunchy on the headstock behind the nut

maybe even try tightening the machine heads/tuners- on the back and the nuts on top
 
I have the same problem with another Ibanez guitar. It's a lower end RG model that is my practice guitar but the ringing is annoying as hell..... Thanks for the advice, it might help me resolve my issue.
 
I've isolated the ringing to the string itself. It is actually a harmonic about two octaves up, but a D#, so it's dissonant as anything. I've tried dampening everything, tightening everything, and nothing seems to have any effect on it whatsoever. The only thing that stops it immediately is stopping the string with my left hand. I really don't understand how the harmonic is getting created as there is no gap between the bridge and my palm. It's like the guitar is just super sensitive to ring out at that frequency.

Now what? Any ideas? Sell it? Maybe take it back to the guy that did the setup? He did put some shims under some of the saddles to get the bridge to match the neck curve. They're tight, so I don't think they're oscillating. But could that effect the resonate frequency of the whole thing?
 
they make this stuff called 'nut sauce'

use that (tiny bottle is hella expensive)
or use pencil lead dust (graphite) and maybe some vasline mixed together with a tooth pick and put it under the saddles and nut under the strings...

also change the strings...
 
jakel said:
I've isolated the ringing to the string itself. It is actually a harmonic about two octaves up, but a D#, so it's dissonant as anything.
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It's possible for a string to develop a tiny kink, either from an impact to the string against the neck or from other causes. If your string has a micro-kink at the first fret, it could be just barely vibrating against the first fret. That could cause the problem you're seeing.

It's worth trying a new string, just to see if it fixes the problem.
 
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Jeries - I've got some nut sauce. I'll give that a try. Rex - I'll try the string change tonight also. Thanks. And by the way, this is all on one line because my browser at work (IE) won't recognize the Enter key. Nice, huh?
 
I've encountered something similar before and changing strings did the trick. Hopefully that does it for you. Otherwise, I would take it back to your tech for another adjustment.
 
I had similar issue with my JS1200. I know it sounds obvious, but check the bolts that hold your locking nut in place. Should be allen-head bolts on the back of the transition of the neck/headstock. If they are loose, that can cause this. Good luck.
 
I've had the same problem with several guitars- metallic ringing only while palm muting the open D string. Not sure what it is but it's more evident on certain guitars and certain presets which makes me think that how much it stands out depends on EQ. I've also noticed that a heavier string guage can make it less noticeable.
 
I tried everything suggested with no (good) luck, so I'm taking it to my guitar tech tonight. He mumbled it could be this or that, both things I thought were beyond me. Thanks for all the suggestions! If he fixes it I'll let you all know what it was.
 
Could be the bridge saddle or string not setting right on the saddle,bring the action up a bit and see if it goes away.as far as the term strings go,I take a kleenex and fold it to the size of the springs and put the cover on,I use velcro on the cover to hold it on
 
I got the guitar back from the tech last night. No luck. We thought we had it when he found one of lock screws inside the main trem pivot studs loose. Nope. He buffed the saddle and did some work on the nut to make sure everything was good, and tried various other things. He is convinced it's a "metal" issue, and he actually called me back this morning and said to bring it back to try one more thing. I think he wants to put Teflon tape on the main trem pivot stud threads. I'm not very hopeful at this point.
 
EdgE said:
Could be the bridge saddle or string not setting right on the saddle,bring the action up a bit and see if it goes away.as far as the term strings go,I take a kleenex and fold it to the size of the springs and put the cover on,I use velcro on the cover to hold it on
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What would bringing the action up do? I'm not saying I won't try it; just trying to understand where you're headed.
 
It's entirely possible the open D string is ringing against the first fret (D#) as it's being struck and this is in turn activating the harmonic. If the nut is cut too deep on the low D or A this can happen. An easy way to check is to fret the string at the third fret and check the clearance at the first fret. There should be about ten thousandths to thirty thousandths of an inch. Raising the action may alleviate it some but if the problem is the nut being cut too deep you'll have to fix that first.
 
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What Groovenut said. From the symptoms, it sounds like fret buzz could be the culprit. Did your tech rule that out?

Fret buzz can be caused by a nut slut being cut too deep, a fret lifting, fret wear, too little neck relief, low action, a kinked string, and a bunch of other stuff. At a minimum, the tech should check fret tolerance, nut height, neck relief and action to rule these out.
 
Ok, you guys aren't going to believe this. Since I couldn't find the cause (I thought I had it when I found a piece of shim-stock under that saddle that was half hanging in the breeze), I started picking up my other guitars to see what they sounded like (maybe it's me). Les Paul - no problem. Strat - no problem. Tele - no problem. My old Ibanez V (from the early 80s) - same thing!! It's not as pronounced, but the exact same harmonic is very excitable on that guitar also. I probably never noticed it because of the really hot mid-rangy pickups (aftermarket) just don't accentuate that tone. But the Mo' Joe in the 2400 is designed to bring out harmonics.

So now what? Either I'm really unlucky (quite possible), or something in the design of their guitars (neck joint? trem?) can cause this to happen. This guitar is quite bright, which is why I like it for church use, so I guess I'm going to just make sure I always use the D on the A string when I'm palm-muting.

Thanks to all that offered suggestions! :encouragement: I know I'm richer for it, and I hope others have gained from this "pain" also.
 
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