No sustain on high e

[WhiteofHeart]

Hi all, I have an Ibanez S521 Hardtail, and I've recently started noticing it has no sustain on the high e, and I cant figure out what the problem is.

Some facts:
- no sustain, both plugged in and unplugged. It sustains about a third to half as long as the other strings.
- it has problem with sustain both open and fretted, all over the neck, no frets jump out.
- i changed strings twice to try and get rid of the problem
- Checked whether the saddles made good contact, no difference
- held the headstock against the wall (to check for dead spots), no change.
-adjusted pickup height, no change.

I play 9s, tried ernie ball, d'addario and d'addadio EXL.


I had the nut replaced a while back, not sure if it had the problem before that operation, but there does not seem to be any problems with the nut, and there's also no sustain when fretted.

I hope you guys can help me out!

Thanks,

Bart

[Bogner]

I would still bet it is a nut problem. Make sure your nut slots are filed properly (width and depth. It is possible your nut is pinching the string. I would look there first and see if that helps. I would also throw some big bends nut sauce in the slots and see if that makes a difference. Another thing to measure is the string height across the board at the nut. It is amazing how many problems a bad nut can cause and a good one can alleviate.

[ICTGoober]

Once the string is fretted, the nut is no longer in the equation. If it's not the bridge or a problem with the frets, it's quite possible it's a dead spot for the guitar. And in that case..... Might not be possible to rectify.

[formula73]

Not nut-saddle. Not sure what it is, but if it happens fretted, it isn’t the nut. It’s possible there’s a metal defect right under the break. Try swapping saddles around if you can; I don’t know that bridge but I know ibz hardware can get a little specific.

[GuitarStv]

Does the problem still exist when you raise the action? I've found that sometimes I'm getting just the slightest edge of the string touching a fret which causes an imperceptible buzz . . . but really kills sustain.

[Securb]

Have you checked the neck for backbow? My guitars get finicky in the winter and truss rods need to be tweaked.

[Mr. B]

What I would check:
Make sure the nut action is not too low by pressing on the 3rd fret and seeing if there is clearance between the string and the first fret.
Make sure the nut slot is angled down toward the tuners. Check for high frets. Some times there can be a slightly tall fret that isn't quite tall enough to make the note fret out, but it is still killing sustain.
Make sure the pickup is not too close to the strings on the high-e side.
Make sure the string action is not too low.
If the truss rod is not set perfectly already, try adjusting it a bit straighter. Sometimes I have found guitars that sound much better when their necks are almost straight compared to having ample bow in them.
Make sure there is not a burr in the bridge saddle, or a tiny burr of plastic where the string leaves the nut.
Make sure the saddle slot is angled down toward the body the way it should be.
Make sure you are not getting tiny pieces of fuzz of a cleaning cloth or clothing caught on the string.
Make sure your tone control is working and not cutting out your high frequencies.

[GuitarDoc]

Definitely NOT the nut in any way, shape, or form.

Either:
String slot in the saddle,
The saddle itself,
Pickup (or filister screw) too close to the high "E" string

[formula73]

Definitely NOT the nut in any way, shape, or form.

Either:
String slot in the saddle,
The saddle itself,
Pickup (or filister screw) too close to the high "E" string

My money is on the saddle.

[eclecticsynergy]

I concur - if it definitely isn't contacting a fret or too close to a pickup, I'd try swapping saddles.

[NegativeEase]

If you changed strings and it doesnt help, have cleaned you saddle groove, it isn't micro buzzing on the frets and still happens when you fret the note (Not an open strum) it can only be 2 possible things that I can thinks of

Most likely
Pickup Height or string height in relation to the pickup. -your pickup bar or pole is too close to the string causing a stunted string orbit.

Also possible.
Second possibility -your saddle is floating on one or all contact points because of an oxidized set screw which is dampening the energy imparted to the string to continue vibrating.