Neck HB pup, strange bad mids resonance, only a few notes at the 12th fret

[j8stringer]

Hello pickup makers, Maybe someone here can point me in the right direction on this problem. I'm not a builder, just a player. I have good quality guitar from a small east cost builder. When I play with the neck humbucker on, a few notes at the 12 fret give me an ugly midrange squak. It does not happen with the bridge pup...and it follows the guitar from amp to amp, so I know its not the speaker (with another guitar, the amp is fine). This guitar has an active midrange switch, but I leave it off. Could I have broken coil wire in the neck pup, that is causing this one bad frequency to pop out (along with the notes I hit)? Does anyone have a suggestion where I could look for an answer? Thanks for any help.

[the great waldo]

Hello pickup makers, Maybe someone here can point me in the right direction on this problem. I'm not a builder, just a player. I have good quality guitar from a small east cost builder. When I play with the neck humbucker on, a few notes at the 12 fret give me an ugly midrange squak. It does not happen with the bridge pup...and it follows the guitar from amp to amp, so I know its not the speaker (other guitar the amp is fine). This guitar has an active midrange switch, but I leave it off. Could I have broken coil wire in the neck pup, that is causing this one bad frequency to pop out (along with the notes I hit)? Does anyone have a suggestion where I could look for an answer? Thanks for any help.

Try lowering the pickup and see what happens and don't forget to check that the strings are ok or even try another tension or brand. Also check that the neck is fairly straight without a hump at the body end raising the action might help. Good luck.
Cheers
Andrew

[Jim Darr]

Good advice from The Great Waldo.

Also check to see if the guitar makes the same sound when it is not plugged into an amp. It almost sounds like some type sympathetic vibration. If so, common culprits could be the pickup, pickup spring(s), wiring, loose hardware, loose frets, truss rod, or anything else on the guitar.

After you try these things, and it really only seems to happen with the neck pickup, my guess is it would be something vibrating or loose in that pickup.

It is hard to isolate without having the guitar in hand, so these are only guesses and suggestions.

Good luck. Keep us posted as to what you discover.

[j8stringer]

Good advice from The Great Waldo.

Also check to see if the guitar makes the same sound when it is not plugged into an amp. It almost sounds like some type sympathetic vibration. If so, common culprits could be the pickup, pickup spring(s), wiring, loose hardware, loose frets, truss rod, or anything else on the guitar.

After you try these things, and it really only seems to happen with the neck pickup, my guess is it would be something vibrating or loose in that pickup.

It is hard to isolate without having the guitar in hand, so these are only guesses and suggestions.

Good luck. Keep us posted as to what you discover.

Hi Jim....I appreciate your suggestions...it does sound like a sympathetic vibration...a really ugly, hi-mid whine, as though thru a cocked wa wa pedal. Really jumps out on a vintage JBL with alum cap....there, but less on Celestions. Some of the frets (8th to 14th) do have G string notch from my digging in...so its time for a re-crown. I do have the tools to re-seat if any frets are loose or raised. While the strings are off, I'll take of the neck pup ring and have a look under (I got this guitar used) to see if anything is out of place. How about a little piece of acoustic foam (like Auralex) under the pup just to deaden any vibrations or loose parts? This is a chambered strat body...so there is that too. Thanks again for the places to start looking.

[j8stringer]

Lowering the pup is on the table. Neck is straight with no hump....but the frets have string valleys on the G & B areas,,,mid neck. Thanks Andrew.

[the great waldo]

Lowering the pup is on the table. Neck is straight with no hump....but the frets have string valleys on the G & B areas,,,mid neck. Thanks Andrew.

Hi

If your playing with mega gain a bit of foam in the spaces under the pickups helps to tame feedback. If your frets look like a Toblerone then your'e not going to get a clean tone. Check that the bridge saddles don't have any issues, some have a flatish top and can cause sitar effects with the strings.

Cheers

Andrew

[j8stringer]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for your input. Bridge is good but the frets, I will level and re-crown. The guitar has fairly high action, but lowering the pup height just a bit did a world of good. This is my #1 guitar, a Sadowsky NYstrat, so the frets see a lot of wear and tear. Time to put it on the workbench and get leveling.

Cheers

Joe

[the great waldo]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for your input. Bridge is good but the frets, I will level and re-crown. The guitar has fairly high action, but lowering the pup height just a bit did a world of good. This is my #1 guitar, a Sadowsky NYstrat, so the frets see a lot of wear and tear. Time to put it on the workbench and get leveling.

Cheers

Joe

Hi Joe
Glad to see it might have helped. Now if anyone knows anything about ovens, I was just going to bake an apple pie that i'd made and the oven shorted out, yet another repair. Does it ever end?!!

Cheers
Andrew

[the great waldo]

Hi Andrew,

Thanks for your input. Bridge is good but the frets, I will level and re-crown. The guitar has fairly high action, but lowering the pup height just a bit did a world of good. This is my #1 guitar, a Sadowsky NYstrat, so the frets see a lot of wear and tear. Time to put it on the workbench and get leveling.

Cheers

Joe

Hi Joe

I forgot to mention not to level the frets to low, that can be a real tone killer especially with wider frets. I fixed the oven by the way. Bought a new one !!!!

Cheers

Andrew

[LtKojak]

not to level the frets to low, that can be a real tone killer especially with wider frets.

Andrew, what do you mean with this?

You see, I grew up as a player with a "fretless wonder" Black Beauty '68 LP Custom, and although it was hard to bend strings, I can't say it sounded any less good than other LPs with normal frets I've had at hand.

Care to elaborate?

[David Schwab]

It sounds like magnetic pull.

Actually no, it doesn't. First, humbuckers generally don't cause this problem because the pull at the poles is much lower than single coils (300G vs 700G). Plus, it would happen with either pickup, since they are both pulling the strings all the time. And on a Strat you have three pickups adding their pull.

Secondly, your chart was showing harmonic nodes, and has nothing to do with string pull.

And magnetic pull doesn't do what was described.

[LtKojak]

C'mon... Antigua is still around?

Still lecturing on everything he doesn't even start to grasp?

Ban him. No other option has shown to be viable.

The Forum can thank me later.

No emoticon. Not kidding.

[the great waldo]

Andrew, what do you mean with this?

You see, I grew up as a player with a "fretless wonder" Black Beauty '68 LP Custom, and although it was hard to bend strings, I can't say it sounded any less good than other LPs with normal frets I've had at hand.

Care to elaborate?

Hi Pepe

Higher frets normally give a little better pressure between string and fret which imo should give a bit better sound. You can check the effect with a capo moving it back from the fret, very noticeable on an acoustic guitar with low frets more so if the capos not tight. (this stuff ought not really to be in this forum as it's not to relavent to pups)

Cheers

Andrew