New guitar?

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danny.guitar

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I've been having some problems with this acoustic for awhile now but just recently they went from bad to worse, to almost unplayable.

I think it might be a warped/twisted neck, but I'm not sure. I plan on taking it to a shop soon, if you guys think there's anything that can be done.

The problem is mostly on the high E string, and also on the other strings around the 9th - 12th fret.

On the high E string, the notes from the 11th to 13th fret sound exactly the same. And the whole string sounds "twangy" and shitty...

I uploaded some clips of me playing each string from Open to the 15th fret. They're small MP3 files and shouldn't take more than a second to download.

You can just click the link and select "Open" so it's a lot faster.

High E · B · G · D · A · Low E

They sound kind of funny so go ahead and laugh... :(
 
Its fret buzz. Either the guitar strings are too low, or more than likely your neck is out of wack and needs some truss rod adjusting (or both).

See a guitar tech for a setup.
 
The action is pretty low on the guitar. And the neck does look a little "bent" when looking at it from the side. If I lay it down flat and look across the body and the neck from the back, it almost looks a little twisted? :confused:

On average, how much do you think a shop would charge to fix something like this?
 
That sounds exactly like my '67 Epiphone used to. I don't know if I got reamed, but they charged me around $300 to plane the fretboard and do a fret job on it. It was really bad between the 10th-15th frets, right around the neck/body joint. It was literally warped. One way to see if (or how bad) it is, set the end pin of the guitar on the ground, and then lean the guitar towards you, fretboard facing upward, and look down the strings. If it's good or bad, you'll at least be able to see what you are dealing with.
 
Hopefully it's just the truss rod that needs adjusting. If it's gonna cost about $300 then I might as well put that towards a new guitar. :(
 
danny.guitar said:
If it's gonna cost about $300 then I might as well put that towards a new guitar. :(
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Yes!!!!...I agree!

Truss rod adjustment won't cost you $300, but it may need some fret work.
 
I really hope it doesn't need fretwork. The frets look fine but then again I don't know what to look for.

Hopefully I can get it fixed enough so I can at least play it until I can afford a new one. I've been wanting a new guitar for awhile anyway.

:( :mad: :( :mad: :(
 
tdukex said:
I'd say it's time for you to get some experience setting up a guitar. If you fuck it up, no great loss.
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:(

No great loss, except the fact that if I fuck it up it will be a long while before I can play guitar again...much longer than if I was just to go get it fixed by a professional.

Thanks for the link though. I've been wanting to learn how to do this stuff myself but I don't have an extra guitar to play if I fuck up.
 
danny.guitar said:
:(

No great loss, except the fact that if I fuck it up it will be a long while before I can play guitar again...much longer than if I was just to go get it fixed by a professional.

Thanks for the link though. I've been wanting to learn how to do this stuff myself but I don't have an extra guitar to play if I fuck up.
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If it is a simple setup problem that can be fixed for $25, that is fixable. But you said it has gotten progressively worse to the point of being almost unplayable and that it appears to have a warped neck. That is not fixable for any reasonable cost.

Please understand that nowdays you can find excellent acou guits (with solid tops) for under $150 (I know because I just bought one at GC for a young beginner--and I think I only paid $125). It was really quite impressive in tone, playability, and looks, but I had to pick through several brands and models.

So my advice is not to throw good money at a bad guitar--especially one that appears to have a warped neck. My guess is a tech will charge you somewhere in the $100+ range for an attempted fix (with no guarantees), and the results may very well be less than desired.

Unless you have some sentimental attachment to this guit, I wouldn't spend much money on it, especially when you can get a decent new one for < $150.

But definitely go and get an assessment of the problem--that doesn't cost anything.
 
tdukex said:
Please understand that nowdays you can find excellent acou guits (with solid tops) for under $150 (I know because I just bought one at GC for a young beginner--and I think I only paid $125).
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Sounds cool - would you mind telling us what the model is? I've been looking for a cheap solid top acoustic thast I can convert into an octave-mandolin.

Thanks.
 
it's probably lack of humidity that's doing it. get a guitar humidifier and take it to a shop to be checked out.

every shop worth its salt will be glad to look at it, tell you what's wrong and give you a quote (possibly for free or at least cheap). that way you won't have to pay a lot of money for work you might not want to have done. guitar shops and auto shops are a lot alike, like that. :D


cheers,
wade
 
Could it be the weather too? I've been keeping it in my room and sometimes I open the window and it's been cold out lately...maybe the warm/cold/warm/cold is messing with the neck?

I'd hate to give up on this guitar. I'd at least like it to be playable until I can afford another decent one.

I've played a lot of semi-good ones in the <$200 price range, but none that sound as good as this one when it works. This one was a gift and it does mean a lot to me, and I think it was about $400.
 
danny.guitar said:
Could it be the weather too?
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YES YES YES

cold really screws with necks. especially on acoustics.

take it to someone to get it looked at. really. $400 is a good chunk of change to spend on an acoustic--spend the $50 for a "tuneup".


cheers,
wade
 
32-20-Blues said:
Sounds cool - would you mind telling us what the model is? I've been looking for a cheap solid top acoustic thast I can convert into an octave-mandolin.

Thanks.
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Here is the guit:
http://www.guitarcenter.com/shop/product?full_sku=100261031

The price was actually $150, but I was able to talk the manager down to $120 “out the door.”

This guitar is an exceptional value. It has a solid spruce top, rosewood fingerboard, and laminate mahogany back and sides. The workmanship and playability are amazing for a guitar at this price point. And it sound great. I have paid much more for much less. Like I said in my mini review, I wish I had a guitar this nice when I was starting out!

I don't know who makes these Mitchells for GC, but it was far superior to the Yamahas (which surprised me), Fenders, Ephiphones, and Ibanez in the < $200 that I played that day.

Note that I only went to one GC and played around for an less than an hour because this guit model easilly stood out. So your experience with other guits in other places may differ.

But this was an easy decision for me, and I mean it when I say I have payed a lot more for a lot less. They actually had two of this model and both had consistent build quality and playability. The action was pretty low but a little stiff (but I am a wimp when it comes to action), and a little truss rod adjustment eased it a bit. It played like your basic off-the-shelf Martin dreadnaught. It is a very handsome guitar as well and bears none of the cheap stain, workmanship, glue, or over-glossy finish that you would expect in this price range.

Just looking and playing this guit, you would expect to pay $300-$400. I played her for a couple of days before giving her up.

Always play 'em before you buy. :)
 
Sounds like it needs a truss adjusment and a shim at worst. But without seeing it, who knows. Look for a post a few days back about qa guy that was afraid to adjust the neck on his strat. Pretty sure there are some links to setup tips sites. Wouldnt be cost effective with that guitar to tech it out.

You wouldnt happen to have 13s on there do you?
 
Has the 14th fret come loose and popped up on the treble side of the fingerboard?

Has the action height become lower as winter got colder and the relative humidity inside got lower?
 
Flamin Lip said:
You wouldnt happen to have 13s on there do you?
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Yea, I use D'Addario Medium Guage strings. For the first 2 or so years I always used Light guage strings then the past 3 or so years I've been using mediums. I think the guitar was setup for light guage strings because the low E string doesn't fit into the nut slot all the way, kind of sits on top of it.

Timothy Lawler said:
Has the 14th fret come loose and popped up on the treble side of the fingerboard?
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Nope

Timothy Lawler said:
Has the action height become lower as winter got colder and the relative humidity inside got lower?
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The action has always been real low, so I'm not sure if it's gotten any lower.

I'm going to try and get it to a shop today and have someone look at it. I'm kind of afraid of what they're going to tell me. :(
 
First of all it would need to be set up to handle 13s to compensate for the extra tension on the neck and top..... secondly, you have to have pretty strong bracing to keep 13s on there all the time. Weirdly enough, laminated tops(i assume thats whatcha have) can usually handle higher tension than solid tops, as the plys going across one another offer mere strength.... with less vibrations as a result. So if ya get the truss adjusted and dont mind risking major belly on the top or maybe even your bridge popping up...... set her up and rock on w/ the 13s...... not too much tonal difference IMHO between 12s and 13s......

good luck man!
 
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