Weird harmonic in high E and B strings after mini home setup

[luer1001swe]

As i stated in the title i randomly got some weird harmonics from my high e and b strings after doing intonation and action on my classic vibe 50s tele. I have very little experience with setting up my guitar so i am having a hard time troubleshooting. It's most noticeable when playing the open strings but i can hear it faintly on all frets. Things i have tried: deafening the strings before the nut, checking if any frets are in contact but i have decent height, made small adjustments to pickup heights, tried deafening the strings before the bridge saddle, restringing (with the same string) the high E string. In the mega link there is a sound file so you can hear it for yourself, thankful for any experienced tips! https://mega.nz/file/8tJhGAYI#DMofP3RogJQYv8WIYiEOfpZ2j3GSZ3eDju6LIVbfIcg

 

[luer1001swe]

I tightened every screw on the guitar, most notably the b and high e string guide screw, and it's hard to notice it now!

 

[SPUDCASTER]

Check the nut and lube it.

 

[Fluddman]

If you raised the pickup height, I would try lowering it again.

 

[Gardo]

If you raised the pickup height, I would try lowering it again.

I would definitely double check the pickup height

 

[Boreas]

Impossible to diagnose without knowing what you CHANGED when you did the setup. Also important to know the guitar and hardware you are dealing with. Did you adjust the nut? Change string gauge?

If you hear weird harmonics up and down the neck on just those two strings, I would suspect rattlin' saddles or saddle screws. Could also be the strings are not quite seated in the saddle slots. String trees can vibrate sympathetically as well. Even a loose tension rod nut can vibrate. But the sound sample sounds like a low nut or low action - aka fret buzz. It doesn't sound sympathetic, but more like metal-on-metal.

 

[Tim S]

If you raised the pickup height, I would try lowering it again.

Another vote for pickup height. Those could be wolf/ghost notes caused by magnetic interference if the pickup is too close to the strings (most often, the neck pickup).

 

[luer1001swe]

Impossible to diagnose without knowing what you CHANGED when you did the setup. Also important to know the guitar and hardware you are dealing with. Did you adjust the nut? Change string gauge?

If you hear weird harmonics up and down the neck on just those two strings, I would suspect rattlin' saddles or saddle screws. Could also be the strings are not quite seated in the saddle slots. String trees can vibrate sympathetically as well. Even a loose tension rod nut can vibrate. But the sound sample sounds like a low nut or low action - aka fret buzz. It doesn't sound sympathetic, but more like metal-on-metal.

Ok so what i changed was moving the saddles forward, and lowering the action. I have tried to live with it but it's bugging me immensely. I have tried moving the saddle back up as well and it has not gone away. when playing i mainly hear it on the two highest strings but when muting the strings i can hear it on the g string as well. I have now tried using thread lock on the saddle screws, as well as changing the high e string entirely. i put some carbon in the nut while changing the string as well, but the weird not persists. I have tried moving pickups up and down but they dont seem to change anything. I am using ernie ball 9s and am on a completely stock nut except for some attempted lubrication.

 

[luer1001swe]

Ok so what i changed was moving the saddles forward, and lowering the action. I have tried to live with it but it's bugging me immensely. I have tried moving the saddle back up as well and it has not gone away. when playing i mainly hear it on the two highest strings but when muting the strings i can hear it on the g string as well. I have now tried using thread lock on the saddle screws, as well as changing the high e string entirely. i put some carbon in the nut while changing the string as well, but the weird not persists. I have tried moving pickups up and down but they dont seem to change anything. I am using ernie ball 9s and am on a completely stock nut except for some attempted lubrication.

Listening more closely the sound of my weird harmonics are identical to the note being played just below the tuners on the 3 highest strings, before the string tree even.

 

[Boreas]

Again, is this a Fender Tele? What kind of bridge?

Why did you move your saddles forward? Was this simply for intonation purposes? Otherwise, moving your saddles forward and backward will alter your intonation. Or did you mean up and down?

Depending on the bridge/saddle type, look closely at the string path to make sure saddle intonation screws are not contacting strings. Sometimes they are too long and an upward angle will create string contact.

Is the truss rod nut snug and not rattling?

Pix of bridge, nut, and tuners can be helpful.

 

[luer1001swe]

Again, is this a Fender Tele? What kind of bridge?

Why did you move your saddles forward? Was this simply for intonation purposes? Otherwise, moving your saddles forward and backward will alter your intonation. Or did you mean up and down?

Depending on the bridge/saddle type, look closely at the string path to make sure saddle intonation screws are not contacting strings. Sometimes they are too long and an upward angle will create string contact.

Is the truss rod nut snug and not rattling?

Pix of bridge, nut, and tuners can be helpful.

It is a squier classic vibe 50s tele, with the 3 saddle bridge ass you can see. I moved the saddles forward for intonation but it might have been unnecesary, the intonation is good now however. I moved them up and down a bit as well, trying to adjust the action but i have set them back up in the process of problem solving. The truss rod nut i snug, and i have the relief set quite good. Here are the pictures you suggested as well!

 

[Boreas]

Thanks. Everything looks pretty good, but one thing jumped out at me. It may just be an orange reflection, but are your tuner bushings RUSTED? If so, could they also be loose or binding? Check to make sure the tuner posts are not sloppy.



Can you verify your strings aren't contacting the headstock just past the nut? I don't think that is the issue because it "sounds" like a metal/metal buzz/vibration/rattle.

 

[luer1001swe]

Thanks. Everything looks pretty good, but one thing jumped out at me. It may just be an orange reflection, but are your tuner bushings RUSTED? If so, could they also be loose or binding? Check to make sure the tuner posts are not sloppy.

View attachment 1065601

It's just the reflections, good catch tho! Maybe i should try placing some fabric in front of the nut or something like that since it seems to me that's where it's mostly coming from. What bothers me the most is how this kinda appeared out of nowhere, or maybe i didn't hear it before and now cant unhear it?

 

[Boreas]

I tightened every screw on the guitar, most notably the b and high e string guide screw, and it's hard to notice it now!

Try removing it altogether and see if it makes any difference.

 

[luer1001swe]

Try removing it altogether and see if it makes any difference.

That did not solve it, I did however put a pieace of fabric under the strings and it dampened the harmonics considerably!

 

[Boreas]

It's just the reflections, good catch tho! Maybe i should try placing some fabric in front of the nut or something like that since it seems to me that's where it's mostly coming from. What bothers me the most is how this kinda appeared out of nowhere, or maybe i didn't hear it before and now cant unhear it?

Sometimes just changing strings can unleash gremlins.

Make sure there is no string contact on the tuner ferrules or headstock at exit point of nut.

May want to try polishing the nut slots. Those two slots look pretty tight. Do they stay in tune properly after bends? Do they "ping" when tuning? These are indicators they are too tight. If they are just a few atoms too tight, it can cause noise/vibration in addition to tuning problems. Graphite/lube often isn't enough - but is a temporary band-aid that sometimes works. But I believe to already tried that. The actual shape of the slot is also important. The slot should be a little loose where it leaves the nut toward the tuner. It should also roll downward toward the tuner. Also - make sure the nut has no cracks. A thin Fender nut can indeed crack under a string.

Did you change string brand or size?

 

[Wallaby]

Just to eliminate the possibility of the truss rod vibrating, you could try snugging up the truss rod slightly and see if anything changes.

Just enough additional tension to cause the truss rod to ( hopefully ) tighten up against its channel.

 

[Peegoo]

@luer1001swe

You lowered the strings, which brought them closer to the pickups. That's the same as raising the pickups.

This weirdness is commonly caused by the neck pickup being too close to the strings. And the E strings are always the closest to the pickup due to the radius of the fretboard. And it's more common on Stratocasters than other guitars, but it can happen on Telecasters, Les Pauls, etc.

Lightly press one of the E strings to the highest fret and measure the distance between the bottom of the string and the top of the neck pickup. You want it in the neighborhood of 2-3 mm or so. Do the same with the other E string.

The bridge pickup should be about 2mm from the two E strings (when pressed to the highest fret).

Try this and see if it helps.

Cheers and gott nytt år!

 

[bendercaster]

It sounds like behind the nut harmonics. Ita not uncommon on a fender headstock to get that from the g string when there isn't a steep enough break angle. One way to improve this is make sure you put sufficient winds on the those three tuers to create a steeper break angle. My Start occasionally does this in the g if I'm not careful about stringing it uo.

It could also be ringing created from vibrations in the nut slot. Generally, the nut slot should be a little wider than your string to avoid punching or binding in the slot. But if it is too wide (or even just too flat), you can have this problem too.

The final thing I would check, though this usually results in more of a dead sound, is the bridge. Sometimes with a three saddle bridge, people will angle the individual saddles to match the radius. I have found, especially with the three saddle bridge, that keeping the little grub screws level on the bridge plate can help eliminate weird noises down there. You have more ven contact and pressure on the bridge that way.

 

[RCinMempho]

If you have a ceiling fan in that room, turn it off. A fan can cause some really weird things.