cant bend high E past 12th fret HELP!

[devilfish]

hi,

on my highway strat, ive started playing and writing lead p[arts higher up the neck now and really started getting to grips with my bending technique. and ive jsut realised i can bend the high E string above the 13th fret witohut getting a dead note.

the action is not particularly low and the truss rod is set right by a tech who said its curved enough so i dont get the fret buzz problem i had but its more bowed then some people have it.

any ideas?

thanks

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: cant bend high E past 12th fret HELP!

Are the individual string heights set properly? Do all the strings fret out?

 

[darnright]

Re: cant bend high E past 12th fret HELP!

sounds like possibly a high spot on a fret, I've seen this on several guitars. Use a straight edge and check to see which (if any) frets are high under you high E string. Then you (or a trained professional) needs to file only the high fret.

 

[blueman335]

Re: cant bend high E past 12th fret HELP!

You're capable of doing some of the set up work yourself, like the string height, intonation, & truss rod. Basic stuff. And the fret just may not be seated right (which is nothing rare); it's an easy fix with a simple tool you can get from an online luthier supply house like Stew Mac. Except for broken necks & refinishing, a player ought to know his instrument well enough to get it playing the way it should. It's too expensive not to.

It can be hard to explain to a lutheir exactly what you want, and it could take another trip or two for him to get it right. Of course unless you like driving across town & spending that money...

Sorry if this seems like tough love (it is). These forums are the world's best source for hands-on information for working on guitars; all you have to do is read some old threads to get up to speed, and then grab a few tools & go. As long as you're not chopping holes, you can't do too much damage.

 

[devilfish]

Re: cant bend high E past 12th fret HELP!

hi,

thanks very much. thats good news for me as im definitely one for learning how to set all my gear up and everything (havnt got the money either to keep getting it serviced etc)

ive actually refinished one of my bodies aswell and im very very happy with it, so thats one thing ill say a player can do with alot fo research.

my frets are 'a bit' worn on the certain string 'paths'; and obviously wheerre they've been bent, you can see the little change in flatness but im not sure it needs any fret work all voer as its only a year or so old (but ive played it nearly every day since! without exzageration)

its not on all strings, jsut the high E, but vie noticed my G string can get a bit fret buzzy in certain areas, any advice no that?

if i get a straight edge and place it on the 'area' on the high e ssection of the fretboard will it be obvious if one is higher than the others, which partr of the fret am i looking to be high?

also, could you point me in the right direction or uttorials and tools for fret work please?

thanks

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: cant bend high E past 12th fret HELP!

Stewmac.com has EVERYTHING you'll ever need. If you have no experience with doing fret work, however, you should spend the dough to have a tech do it...Mess that up and you might have to have a re-fret, which will get you into more money than that guitar is worth in the first place.
It's possible you simply have too much relief, and the action too low. I know you probably want it as low as possible, but try it higher with the fretboard almost dead flat, and see if the fretting out doesn't stop.

 

[devilfish]

Re: cant bend high E past 12th fret HELP!

hi,

the action has been set reasonably high and the fretboard has been bowed a little bit so it should be doing it...and its ONLY on the 12th frt after much testing, is that dsefinitedyl a high fret? which fret is it most likely to be that needs filing/work doen rto it?

where can i find info on doing it?

 

[blueman335]

Re: cant bend high E past 12th fret HELP!

the action has been set reasonably high and the fretboard has been bowed a little bit so it should be doing it...and its ONLY on the 12th frt after much testing, is that dsefinitedyl a high fret? which fret is it most likely to be that needs filing/work doen rto it? where can i find info on doing it?

Yes, the errant fret will stick out when a straight edge is put across it. It may need to be tapped into place, or leveled. You'll be able to tell. Usually a high action (which lets the strings resonate better and make string bending easier) & a slight inwards bow will prevent fret-buzzing, so your offending fret(s) should be easy to spot. Your neck might have a twist in it & be straight on one side, & slightly bowed on the other. If its at the 12th fret the buzzing starts, the problem could be the 13th fret (and maybe just on one side).

Stew Mac has books & videos on making & repairing guitars, and some specifically on frets. These will show you everything.

 

[devilfish]

Re: cant bend high E past 12th fret HELP!

ok, well the neck seems pretty normal to me...just a little bit bowed but no warping as such.

im going to be buying lots of books/dvd's on guitar tech this christmas as its really becoming an obsession with me now to find out the DUIY approach and know everytihng on guitars.

i'd love to be able to do all my own fret work and know whats the problem with my guitars.

thanks.

 

[blueman335]

Re: cant bend high E past 12th fret HELP!

im going to be buying lots of books/dvd's on guitar tech this christmas as its really becoming an obsession with me now to find out the DUIY approach and know everytihng on guitars. i'd love to be able to do all my own fret work and know whats the problem with my guitars.thanks.

And then you can teach us how to do fret work on our guitars. Other than banging a loose one down, I don't know what to do next.

 

[devilfish]

Re: cant bend high E past 12th fret HELP!

:33:

i was only saying im very interested in guitar tech and im interested in it enough to learn how to work on my own guitars.

any threads or websites dedicated to diy fretwork or basic introductions?

 

[Redmist]

Re: cant bend high E past 12th fret HELP!

When you use the small level, remember to hold it over the area in the middle of the board where it frets out, not along the E string path parallel to the board. Some techs introduce a decline in the frets from 12 or so on up to the high end of the board. This helps with fretting out in high registers, especially in tight radius boards like yours - but your fret dress may not have included this. There is also the possibility of your E sitting into a fret dip belonging to the B or G strings. All of these are only remedied by a good fret dress, providing it's not just a high fret.

 

[devilfish]

Re: cant bend high E past 12th fret HELP!

hi,

so if i use a straight edge, where should i use it to see if i have a high fret?

 

[Redmist]

Re: cant bend high E past 12th fret HELP!

You have to keep the edge parallel to the board, but even though it's the high E which is fretting out, it is only doing it when you bend it into the middle of the board. That's why you must check for a high fret parallel to the length of the board, but in the middle of the board under where your e string is sitting when you are bending it. You can only use a short straight edge for this and check for rocking over three frets at a time. Not an easy thing to do and you may need to remove all of the strings and even adjust the tuss rod to get a straight unstrung neck, before you can do this properly. You will need a longer straight edge to check the neck is straight first, and don't forget to to put some relief back into the neck when you restring.
You're really going in at the deep end with this tech stuff. If your not sure about anything, stall until you are!!!
There are plenty of past threads on here to help, using the search function.
Good luck!