Sympathetic Vibration

[The Bone]

Okay, I know this is not my imagination anymore. I have a MIM Tele. The low E string has a sympathetic vibration. It is extremely apparent when I strike the B string or the A string. I can dampen all the other strings, yet the low E string sings out. This does not happen on my other guitars. I have had the guitar professionally set up. My set-up guy said nothing unusual, but yes, it is, unusual.

I think it could be one of two things:

#1. Bridge: My tele has the standard bridge. Can the bridge be transferring string energy from the other strings to my low e?

#2. The body itself: Perhaps the body is ringing with the same "wavelength" as the low e string. (or maybe the same wavelengths as the B or A?????). Anyway, I thought about taking the pickguard off and drilling a couple of large routes to take some weight off and perhaps change the "frequency response" of the body.

I'm not worried about ruining the guitar. It was inexpensive. I like the way it sounds, except for this vibration.

Any advice?

Thanks!! 8)

[Mark Davis]

Try this, strike the strings that cause the weird noise.

While they are still ringing touch/press the string behind the nut.

If it goes away you need a string tree or the nut is cut wrong or you didnt put enough winds on the strings.

If all those are ok check the saddle adjustment screws make sure none of them are loose that can cause weird tones. If they are loose tighten them and you can put some clear nail polish over the screws to keep them from vibrating loose.

[PraiseCaster]

Originally Posted by Mark Davis

If they are loose tighten them and you can put some clear nail polish over the screws to keep them from vibrating loose.

Dude! That is so simple, and yet, so cool! I love hearing simple remedies like that!

[Mark Davis]

Pretty much everything I recommend is cheap and can be found in most households that comes from years and years of never having any $$ and making other stuff work.

Toothpaste is the trickest stuff you can use it to remove light scratches from pickguards and take sweat stains out of black guitars.

[PraiseCaster]

A samll apology to Tony there, I dont mean to hi-jack your thread: I would like to know if ya got it fixed though, so I guess it's not a 100% hi-jacking?

But ya know, Mark's post got me to thinkin, maybe we need to start a thread, discussing "home remedies" for our guitar's, and amps? The nail polish, and the toothpaste would be like the bench mark: an item that you would normally have around the house, that you can put to good use, for repair, or whatever.

[The Bone]

I haven't been able to do anything.

I may try this weekend.

I am noticing there are not many winds around the tuners. I'm not too good a re-stringing a guitar

However, this problem has been there since I purchased the guitar and there has been a professional set-up in between...

This is my "experiment" guitar anyway, so hopefully I'll learn something...

[PraiseCaster]

Originally Posted by The Bone2

I am noticing there are not many winds around the tuners. I'm not too good a re-stringing a guitar ...

What I've found, that works best for me, on putting new strings on my guitar, is gettin about 2 wraps of the string around the tuner shaft.

How I do that is: I get the string set in the bridge, stretch it out to just the other side of the next tuner shaft, and with my finger's, I put a 90* bend on the string. I then cut the string about 1/4" beyond the bend.

Leaving the bend in the string, I insert it into the thru-hole in the shaft, and situate it, so the "bend" is working for me: the string exit's out the other side of the shaft, and points AWAY from the direction that I am winding the string.

As I am winding the string, I keep down pressure on the string with my right index finger, on the face of the headstock (dont press down too hard, you dont want to scratch the finish on your headstock), This allows the taper of the shaft to work for you: it aligns the string on the shaft that is optimum. Simultaneously, I'm pulling up on the string with my right pinky, and ring finger: this keep's the string taught while winding it. (NOTE: oh yeah, use a string winder, it's easier this way!). I'll let go of the string, once I have enough pressure for the string to seat in the nut.

Now, since I have a teflon nut (and I love em!), and I like my guitar to go right back into tune after I bend the heck outta my strings, I take a Q-tip that is soaked in ordinary household 3-in-1 oil, and lightly dab each seat on the nut (slide the string over to one side, apply the 3-1 oil, right into the "cut" of the nut, replace the string, wipe up any excess, with the dry end of the Q-tip. I dont know if this will work on any other nut other than teflon, and if it is bone, that may cause a discoloration, so use caution. This keeps the portion of the string that set's in the nut, from binding.

After all the strings are on, I start stretching my string's (one at a time). I'll stretch the 6th string, tune it up (using a tuner), stretch it again, check with the tuner, and repeat as necessarry (usually 2-3 times, max), and then move on to the next string.

Dont rush. Take your time. I've been stringin my guitar this way a long time. I have fine tuned the way I do it, based on some threads I've read here, but overall, it's the same method. It's worked incredibely well: My guitars are alway's in tune. Ive even had it where for two+ weeks, I just checked it on the tuner, and no tuning was needed (I'm sure that was just a fluke, cuz usually the temp/weather/humidity, play's a big factor in being in tune, day after day)!

EDIT: Oh yeah, 0le Fuzzy put out a great tutorial on winding up strings on Kluson type tuners (split-shaft). You might want to do a search, and check it out! Really good, and lotsa pictures too!