I want a guitar like this

[muttley600]

Just wanted to hear other people's opinions on the sound.

I'm not too crazy about it to be honest.

Strumming sounds harsh. The high e string sounds "pingy" (don't know why?). Not much low end either.

It works good for fingerstyle though.

Also the 12th fret on the high e string doesn't sound at all really. And the 13th sounds the same as the 14th.

What do you think could cause this?

Well its hard to judge a guitars natural sound via a recording. Everything colours it a bit. Mic room etc..

The main thing thats missing to my ears is the middle and a little of presence in the low end. I could be wrong because as I say I'm listening to a recording.

Lack of brilliance in the middle can often result in the unwound strings sounding "pingy" or dominant. Some people like it. You really are gonna just keep hunting for that elusive guitar. It will turn up.

If you want a guitar thats great for fingerstyle, strumming and digging in your making the search even harder.

the problem with the high E at the 12, to 14th fret is almost certainly down to a raised 14th fret. When you fret at the 12th it is choking or just sitting too close/on the 14th fret. When you fret the 13th fret it is sittining on the higher 14th fret. It is not uncommon and is what is known as the 14th fret hump. Theres a lot of things going on at the neck joint and as things settle and move over the years you can get a high spot there as its where you have the wood of the neck,fingerboard, soundboard and neck block all trying to hold their place..Does it happen on any other strings at the the same fret?

The fix is to get the fret levelled and polished by a good repair shop. If it was just the one fret I would recon on less than an hours work. More like 20 minutes for me if it was straight forward. A cheaper but less perfect solution is to raise the action till it plays ok. You may find you have to raise it too much. You can shim the saddle to do this but the better solution is to dress the frets where its a problem.

Happy hunting for that dream guitar. Its out there waiting for you..

 

[danny.guitar]

Thanks muttley.

All strings buzz on the 12th fret. But it's real bad on the high e string.

I was thinking of getting my action raised anyway because it's pretty low.

When I took it to the shop awhile ago to get the high e string thing fixed, it wasn't doing it. A few days after that it started doing it again. Go figure.

Do you think raising the action might also help somewhat with the tone?

Thanks again.

 

[muttley600]

Thanks muttley.

All strings buzz on the 12th fret. But it's real bad on the high e string.

I was thinking of getting my action raised anyway because it's pretty low.

When I took it to the shop awhile ago to get the high e string thing fixed, it wasn't doing it. A few days after that it started doing it again. Go figure.

Do you think raising the action might also help somewhat with the tone?

Thanks again.

Its not that surprising that it comes and goes a bit. Wood is moving all the time with changes in humidity. You typically have Mahogany, ebony, spruce and the neck block timber depending on whats been used all moving by differing amounts. Hows the weather where you are, is it changable? As a guitar gets older it tends to stabalise a lot so the problem settles or remains constantly depending on severity. Get a small straight edge (credit card or similar) and rest it over the 14th fret it will most likely show that the fret is higher than the others. As I said the best fix is to get the fret seated and stoned properly. Raising the action can help out in the short term but is not an ideal fix.

Raising the action is unlikely to give you a marked improvement in tone. It will allow you to dig in a bit more without buzzing and rattling. The only time raising and lowering the action can dramaticaly change the tone is on archtops or instruments with tailpieces. By raising the action on them you increase the downward pressure on the soundboard and that can sometimes have a marked effect. With a fixed bridge the forces of the strings are acting in a different direction when they are at rest.

 

[danny.guitar]

Thanks again muttley.

I'll try taking it to the shop Monday (if it's still doing it) and see if it's the fret, and how much they'd charge to fix it.

I also need to invest in a case. I've had this guitar for over 5 years and it's never been inside a case. It's always been in my room though, and in my car a few times, but not for long.

I think I'll notice an improvement once I get that problem fixed.

Thanks again.