eliminate string squeak

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bertsig

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Can anybody tell me the frequencies to target when trying to get rid of (or at least diminish) guitar string squeak? I've been experimenting with eq's in a Roland VS 1824 with the VS-8F effects board, but would love to find someone who's already plowed this ground . . .
 
i never eliminated it through eq but i did get guitar players to remove their hands from the fret board and replace them between chords instead of just sliding up the fret board. that gets rid of alot of it but it causes guitarists to think about what they play rather than just playing it.
 
distortedrumble said:
i did get guitar players to remove their hands from the fret board and replace them between chords instead of just sliding up the fret board
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not always possible... sometimes slides are desirable...

i'd like tips on how to fix this too...
 
It seems like you'd lose a lot of tone because the finger squek contains the frequencies that make up the timbre.

Try Elixir strings.
 
And it's likely to be made of of more than one frequency. Like apl said, trying to take all those out will mess up the sound of the guitar itself.
 
well i just ask a friend how he does it and he said moisturizer.....yes, have your guitar player put lotion on...he uses curel.
 
I've never been able to make much of a dent in squeaks, except in Adobe Audition, which has a tool for identifying and elimination single noises like that. I recorded some guitarists last summer in Central Texas, which is fairly dry. This was being done in a living room, not any kind of climate-controlled studio. Anyway, one day the humidity changed, and every time anyone changed position on the fingerboard we got these loud skweeeeeeeeeeeeks. We tried washing hands, lotion, Fingerease spray, and several I don't remember. Nothing worked, except that after I got the recordings home I used the AA tool to clean them up.
 
Assuming you're talking about acoustic guitar, I've got nothing for you after the fact, but I've found using Elixer's or Martin Customs help tremendously.
 
I understand you are referring to removing string noise AFTER recording, but here's a tip that might help you before you record to get rid of string noise...

I'm not sure how this will work on guitar, but I know mandolin players that do this with good results:

Place a piece of heavy poster paper between the strings and the frets, to protect the finish on the instrument.

"Polish" the tops of the strings with fine steel wool like #000 or #0000...

Remove piece of heavy poster paper between the strings and the frets...

I know this works great with mandolin... Maybe someone wants to try it on guitar and let us know how it works...
 
To greatly reduce noise I wash my hands or get them damp and dry them before I play, makes a big difference. If I still get some spots that are too loud I just edit/lower volume over that area in Sonar.
 
Zetajazz44 said:
I understand you are referring to removing string noise AFTER recording, but here's a tip that might help you before you record to get rid of string noise...

I'm not sure how this will work on guitar, but I know mandolin players that do this with good results:

Place a piece of heavy poster paper between the strings and the frets, to protect the finish on the instrument.

"Polish" the tops of the strings with fine steel wool like #000 or #0000...

Remove piece of heavy poster paper between the strings and the frets...

I know this works great with mandolin... Maybe someone wants to try it on guitar and let us know how it works...
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cheers... sounds like a great tip

anyone know where I can buy fine steel wool in the uk?
 
Using a coated string like Elixers probably made the biggest difference, but if you've already recorded it then do this. Put a parametric EQ up at relatively high Q, turn up the gain all the way, sweep through until the squeak sounds the worst, then turn the gain all the way down. Tweak the center freq and Q until you get rid of the problem. This method works really well for finding problem frequencies, but you may not be able to fix the problem altogether, especially without changing the tone of the guitar.
 
I had this problem myself with my own shabby playing. I changed to Elixir strings (which I don't prefer) and still had it.

I finally tried a tip that someone else recommended on a forum (this one maybe?) that worked great. Try soaking the guitar player's chording hand in hot water for 5 minutes before recording. It softens the skin and completely eliminates the squeeks.

Until I can work on my techinique a little more, I do this everytime I'm recording something on acoustic guitar that I'm sliding around quite a bit on.

Good luck
 
Lucas said:
Try soaking the guitar player's chording hand in hot water for 5 minutes before recording. It softens the skin and completely eliminates the squeeks.
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If he's asleep, this will also make him urinate on himself.

Oh, the wonders of the recording studio. :D
 
"I finally tried a tip that someone else recommended on a forum (this one maybe?) that worked great. Try soaking the guitar player's chording hand in hot water for 5 minutes before recording. It softens the skin and completely eliminates the squeeks."

That was me. It's a trick I learned from Jon Chappell, the well known session guitarist. And it works. It softens the calluses and makes your fingers more sensitive, so it's not so good for real long sessions. For a few songs, it works like a charm.-Richie
 
Richard Monroe said:
"I finally tried a tip that someone else recommended on a forum (this one maybe?) that worked great. Try soaking the guitar player's chording hand in hot water for 5 minutes before recording. It softens the skin and completely eliminates the squeeks."

That was me. It's a trick I learned from Jon Chappell, the well known session guitarist. And it works. It softens the calluses and makes your fingers more sensitive, so it's not so good for real long sessions. For a few songs, it works like a charm.-Richie
Click to expand...
Gotta try it! Of course, I'll make sure I am near a bathroom! :D
 
That was me. It's a trick I learned from Jon Chappell, the well known session guitarist. And it works. It softens the calluses and makes your fingers more sensitive, so it's not so good for real long sessions. For a few songs, it works like a charm.-Richie
Click to expand...

I guess would be a good time to thank you for your suggestion then. Thanks Richie.... and Jon. Worked for me
 
This will seem weird but...I pet the dog...give him a good scratch...works two fold...hands come out with a "dusty" "powdery" feeling and the dog loves it. :D
 
A few drops of lemon oil works wonders, and it's good for rosewood fingerboards too.
 
I don't understand why its considered to be such a problem. Its part of the guitars sound as far as I'm concened. If you want lockstep mechanical perfection use a synth.
 
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