Little E sounds high and twangy

[PoorBoyRecordings]

Hi everyone. I've got a problem I hope someone can help me with. I bought a new Epipone Les Paul Standard Plus Top. The problem is the little E string has kinda of higher pitch or twangy sort of sound. I adjusted the bridge so the strings are at the 4/64" for the top strings and 6/64" for the bottom strings ( standard settings according to the manual ). Do I need to adjust the pickup's or raise or lower the E string at the bridge using the little screw for adjusting each individual string ? Of all the years I have played and this has never happened to me before.

 

[ggunn]

Hi everyone. I've got a problem I hope someone can help me with. I bought a new Epipone Les Paul Standard Plus Top. The problem is the little E string has kinda of higher pitch or twangy sort of sound. I adjusted the bridge so the strings are at the 4/64" for the top strings and 6/64" for the bottom strings ( standard settings according to the manual ). Do I need to adjust the pickup's or raise or lower the E string at the bridge using the little screw for adjusting each individual string ? Of all the years I have played and this has never happened to me before.

The pickup(s) may be too close to the strings, or the nut slot for that string may be cut too wide, or you may have a high fret, or your truss rod may need adjusting. Did you have it set up? If you buy from a shop, a setup should be part of the deal.

 

[PoorBoyRecordings]

The pickup(s) may be too close to the strings, or the nut slot for that string may be cut too wide, or you may have a high fret, or your truss rod may need adjusting. Did you have it set up? If you buy from a shop, a setup should be part of the deal.

No bought it from Musicians Friend. The truss rod is ok as the neck is straight as a ruler. The pick-ups seem to be the right height with the exception of the screw in the pick-up for that string. It seems to be a bit high. Since I don't know any thing about adjustments, don't want to touch anything until I find out if it's ok.

 

[Victory Pete]

No bought it from Musicians Friend. The truss rod is ok as the neck is straight as a ruler. The pick-ups seem to be the right height with the exception of the screw in the pick-up for that string. It seems to be a bit high. Since I don't know any thing about adjustments, don't want to touch anything until I find out if it's ok.

The neck is suppose to have a very slight concave bow to it, it is called neck relief. Your high E could be brushing against a fret or two. Fret the string at the 1st fret and then fret the string at the closest fret above the neck joint. If you have any relief at all you should be able to pluck the string between these two points. If the string is absolutely flat against the fretboard it is too straight and the trussrod will need to be loosened slightly. Maybe the screw for that string is adjusted too high, try lowering it and see what happens.
VP

 

[MajorTom]

It is hard to tell from pictures, but the bridge pickup looks very high to me - are you depressing the strings in those pics? If not, it looks to me like when you fret that the strings might actually touch the polepiece screw, or possibly the pickup cover. Depress the strings and see if the string(s) touch anything... they shouldn't.

If they do touch the pickup:

I would adjust the pickups down. Its not some critical adjustment that needs a pro to calibrate it or something, it is not permanent, and won't damage anything. The way you would usually "calibrate" pickup height is to measure the distance between the string and the polepiece screw with the strings depressed at the highest fret. For that guitar, and the relative magnet strength of the pickups in that ax, I personally would use either a popsicle stick or a nickel as a thickness/feeler gauge for the highest it should be. Depress the strings at the 22nd fret and then adjust the pickup height screw(s) until the string's distance from the polepiece screw is the thickness of the stick under the high E. Now adjust the low E side to where it is just a bit lower - like 1.25 or 1.5 x the stick's thickness. That ain't real scientific, and doesn't include adjusting the individual polepiece heights (to compensate for the neck's radius, and consequent difference in string to polepiece distance), but it will get you into the ballpark. Later on you can read up on pickup adjustment and fine tune it.

 

[muttley600]

Before you can diagnose this problem you need to give a few more details.

Is the "high twangy" sound There at at all frets or just the open string?

is it only at specific frets?

is it there acoustically or when plugged in, or both?

I appreciate you are trying to describe a sound but you haven't given enough to go on yet. Buzzes, tattles, harmonic overtones and the like need to be tackled by a process of elimination. Answer those three questions and I'm sure we'll be way on the way to sorting it for you or you can just take it right back to the store as it's brand new.

 

[ggunn]

BTW, the reason we are talking about pickup height is the if the pickup(s) is/are too close to the strings, the magnetic pull of the pickup can introduce strange harmonics into the sound of the string, and the thinner the string, the more susceptible it is to this effect. It's generally more of a problem with single coil pickups (that's why it's often called "stratitis") , but humbuckers can do it, too.

 

[PoorBoyRecordings]

The neck is suppose to have a very slight concave bow to it, it is called neck relief. Your high E could be brushing against a fret or two. Fret the string at the 1st fret and then fret the string at the closest fret above the neck joint. If you have any relief at all you should be able to pluck the string between these two points. If the string is absolutely flat against the fretboard it is too straight and the trussrod will need to be loosened slightly. Maybe the screw for that string is adjusted too high, try lowering it and see what happens.
VP

I did what you said and everything worked just as you said it should. Do you mean the screw in the pickup or the screw on the bridge.

 

[PoorBoyRecordings]

It is hard to tell from pictures, but the bridge pickup looks very high to me - are you depressing the strings in those pics? If not, it looks to me like when you fret that the strings might actually touch the polepiece screw, or possibly the pickup cover. Depress the strings and see if the string(s) touch anything... they shouldn't..

No, I wasn't depressing any strings in the pics. I have checked everything but not adjusted anything until I know what to touch.

If they do touch the pickup:

I would adjust the pickups down. Its not some critical adjustment that needs a pro to calibrate it or something, it is not permanent, and won't damage anything. The way you would usually "calibrate" pickup height is to measure the distance between the string and the polepiece screw with the strings depressed at the highest fret. For that guitar, and the relative magnet strength of the pickups in that ax, I personally would use either a popsicle stick or a nickel as a thickness/feeler gauge for the highest it should be. Depress the strings at the 22nd fret and then adjust the pickup height screw(s) until the string's distance from the polepiece screw is the thickness of the stick under the high E. Now adjust the low E side to where it is just a bit lower - like 1.25 or 1.5 x the stick's thickness. That ain't real scientific, and doesn't include adjusting the individual polepiece heights (to compensate for the neck's radius, and consequent difference in string to polepiece distance), but it will get you into the ballpark. Later on you can read up on pickup adjustment and fine tune it.

Ahhh, thank you. As I said in my opening post, I have been a musician for almost 40 years now and this is the first time I have encounterd this problem. I'll adjust the way you said and let you know. Thank you.

 

[PoorBoyRecordings]

Before you can diagnose this problem you need to give a few more details.

Is the "high twangy" sound There at at all frets or just the open string?

is it only at specific frets?

is it there acoustically or when plugged in, or both?

I appreciate you are trying to describe a sound but you haven't given enough to go on yet. Buzzes, tattles, harmonic overtones and the like need to be tackled by a process of elimination. Answer those three questions and I'm sure we'll be way on the way to sorting it for you or you can just take it right back to the store as it's brand new.

It is there all the time, any fret and key, and when not plugged in you can hear it ( I think that is what you meant. )

 

[PoorBoyRecordings]

BTW, the reason we are talking about pickup height is the if the pickup(s) is/are too close to the strings, the magnetic pull of the pickup can introduce strange harmonics into the sound of the string, and the thinner the string, the more susceptible it is to this effect. It's generally more of a problem with single coil pickups (that's why it's often called "stratitis") , but humbuckers can do it, too.

Thank you. I will try everything all of you suggested, not at the same time of course But the process of trial and elemination with all the information you gave me here is a start. Thanks a million guys, will work on it tonight and let you know tomorrow.

 

[Victory Pete]

I did what you said and everything worked just as you said it should. Do you mean the screw in the pickup or the screw on the bridge.

I meant the screw in the pickup that you had mentioned before. Goodluck!
Victory Pete

 

[muttley600]

It is there all the time, any fret and key, and when not plugged in you can hear it ( I think that is what you meant. )

Right if it's there at all frets and not plugged in you can rule out the nut and possibly but not definitely the pickup height.

Check in this order.

The pickup height just to rule it out. Lower the pickup by easing off the two screws either side of the pickup. If it goes away theres you problem.

You may more likely have a problem with the saddle or a high fret at the top end of the board. You can check these but as the guitar is new I would just drop it back from where it came. To check for a high fret you need to use a small straihgt edge such as a credit card across three or four frets and look to see if you have any wobble that a high fret may cause as you place it over the frets. To check the very last few you need to sight under the edge of the card for daylight. The saddle you can check in various ways but a simple method is to loose the string and trap a thin piece of paper under the string in the slot. If that helps there's your problem.

Other suggestions here involving the neck relief are less likely because that normally causes problems on more than one string and also not at the top end of the neck or on the open strings. That also chokes the string or gives specific fret buzz on certain frets rather than a "twang" sound.

More specific info on exactly what frets and at the nut would also help, as well as is variable or a consistent sound?

 

[PoorBoyRecordings]

Fixed

Thanks for all you help guys, I got it fixed. So simple .... the little E was quite a bit lower than the rest of the strings and I simply raised it using the the adjustment for that string on the bridge. Also had to lower the bridge maybe .001". Well maybe more than that, but all works now and sure appreciate all the help from you all.

 

[muttley600]

Thanks for all you help guys, I got it fixed. So simple .... the little E was quite a bit lower than the rest of the strings and I simply raised it using the the adjustment for that string on the bridge. Also had to lower the bridge maybe .001". Well maybe more than that, but all works now and sure appreciate all the help from you all.

Sounds like it was fouling on the end of the neck or pickup covers. Glad you have it fixed.

 

[Lt. Bob]

just a comment since he keeps mentioning raising or lowering the string with a screw for that string on the bridge.

There aren't any screws that individually raise or lower single strings on that bridge. You can only raise or lower the entire bridge at each end of the bridge. Yoiu can raise or lower one end of the bridge but there are no individual height adjustments. Those screws at each string are for intonation adjustment and won't affect the height.

 

[PoorBoyRecordings]

just a comment since he keeps mentioning raising or lowering the string with a screw for that string on the bridge.

There aren't any screws that individually raise or lower single strings on that bridge. You can only raise or lower the entire bridge at each end of the bridge. Yoiu can raise or lower one end of the bridge but there are no individual height adjustments. Those screws at each string are for intonation adjustment and won't affect the height.

Lt. Bob, if you will notice in my last post you will notice that I also lowered the bridge some. And from your post I will know from now what those screws are for. Thx to you and everyone else who helped out with this simple little thing.