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Getting an unwanted harmonic on my SV

4K views 25 replies 8 participants last post by  RGTFanatic 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello Jemsite

I've been having hard time playing most of slow or ballad songs that come with E Major/Minor Scale since when my E note on my SV5470FDSB started to screw me up(not sure when). Because I'm getting an unwanted harmonic on my E note on G string(fret 9) almost suddenly after I hit the note with my fine fretting fingers and picking hand, even without the vibrato. There is no string to fret buzzZZ at all.

I think it's not about the frets or pickups, because when I dropped my tuning, that thing doesn't happen again. And I tried an E note in other fret on G string after I dropped my tuning, that doesn't happen too and the same with fret 9.

It's really annoying when I need a long sustain in some songs on my E note on G string. :\


I will try re-setup and re-string first........ All helps will be appreciated.

Thanks
 
#3 ·
Hi!

It seems to me like there could be a resonance issue. One thing I do to cut down on this is I put one revolution of electrical tape over each trem spring. I've done this to stop unwanted resonances on both of my solid-bodies. Just like you, mine was resonating an E.

Another thing that could be the culprit is it might be touching a fret, not enough to make it buzz, but if it happens to be on the right node (which in your case would happen to be the 21st fret on the G-string, or another node). So it could be touching a fret that happens to be a node. It's normal to have buzz on just one string, and I wouldn't panic if I were you.

What I would try first is raise the action a bit and see if it goes away. This could mean it is a fret, so it would have to be filed a little bit, I would just take it to a tech.

I'm more inclined to believe it is a fret, based on your info.

Good luck!
Frank
 
#4 · (Edited)
@linuxpenguin
Thanks!
But it coudn't be anymore lower. The neck pickup's been set for the lowest height from factory for this SV. I want to get rid of this issue especially when I play with my neck pickups. :'(

@fwd0120
Thanks!
That's new to me, a resonance on guitar. I think that really makes sense since my another S570B also have this unwanted harmonic on the same string, but on a D note(fret 7). Its frets just have been filed a day ago(S570B) with a lower height of pickups than before.

I will try both on my SV. Thank you again. I so hope that it fixes this issue!

So I can play this song with my SV........

Now I have to play with my S. :(
 
#7 ·
gotta say this dude, your english is astounding.

edit : never mind, I can kind of hear it. Its gotta be a fret standing tall just slightly. thats the only solution. Id be willing to bet, if you are using 9's, try stringing with 11's, and it will go away, but only temporarily.
 
#9 ·
I just saw this in my email.

"im listening to your SZ tones, Im not hearing any wild harmonics, is this a new issue?"

That was my S570B. If it's SV, you won't hear a beautiful note on an E on my G string at all. You will only hear the harmonic and it dies so early.

---
Please read my previous post. I just updated it with a video.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Thank you. But I still need a dictionary to translate a word "astound". xD

I just put some of tape on my springs and it didn't help. xD

I tried raise my action and I also did adjust my truss rod...

But I will make a video of my neck & setup for you. Please help me investigate.

--
Edit

This is a close up video of my neck & fret setup.

Please tell me if you want this video in the better quality.

I played a still note on fret 9 and tried bend to an E from other frets. I tried both dropped/raised tuning and all of them get the same thing, unwanted harmonic with an E note(cry) even with the different frets.

I have no idea what to do. Is it possible that this comes from the body or neck?

And this guitar also have a really short sustain........ -_- I so hope that I can fix both of them. But I would love to get rid of this unwated harmonic first. I'm not so sure if it's a resonance issue. That's the best I could explain with the video and my english.
 
#10 ·
Hmmmm.... Strange. First of all, just to be safe, I would raise the action *all the way*. If that still happens. It could only be some strange body resonance. Here is a long shot, but trust me, it will help us diagnose. okay-

Take a tuner, and tap the body along the center, everything has a vibration, so when you tap the body, it will resonate a pitch, really. take your tuner, and tap along the body and see what pitch it is making, if it's and E, chances are, thats your problem. You can also try this on the neck, it could be a factor too. especially if the neck and body resonate at relative nodes (4ths 5ths etc.)

Hope this helps!
 
#12 ·
I actually just watched your video, and listening to it, I think it's actually kinda cool :)!
Your action does look a bit low in the video, lower then mine actually.

watching the video I remember that I have the exact same thing in my artcore (AFS75T). except it is on the 10th fret of the B string (A). I don't remember how I got rid of that. It could have just been after I gave it a different set-up (adjusting action, string gauge etc). But thinking about it, I actually *lowered* the action on my artcore, but I did move from 8s to 10s (not a typo, I was a sissy, I'm about to move up to 11s or 12s :mrgreen:)

I'll check out my artcore and get back to ya.

PS, I actually learned how to use the strange feedback spot on my artcore to my advantage musically, came in handy, and I almost miss it on my other guitars :)
 
#13 ·
Okay, just tried my artcore, and I also remembered it was on the 8th fret, not 10th, so it was G. So I tried it out, And it seems to still happen can't exactly tell unplugged, but i think it's still there, but my action is a lot lower, so it could be choking out those resonances, that seems to be whats happening.

Also, does your problem happen unplugged as well, or on cleaner settings? I would try muting the other strings, or using a capo, so the other strings, so the strings won't add the feedback/resonance. If this helps a little bit, it would indicate a resonance issue, but if it doesn't help, it could still be a resonance issue lol, but still try it!

You could then *lower* the action until it buzzes as much as you can tolerate it! The action on my artcore is so low that it chokes out the feedback thing. If that still doesn't help........ o_O

PS, the frets look really nice in the video, almost looks like a prestige! I'd be surprised at this point if it was a tall fret

PSS, oops, it IS a prestige, thats why the frets looked so awesome lol
 
#15 ·
hmmmm.... this is kinda tricky!

I think the only other thing you could really try is this.

You could then *lower* the action until it buzzes as much as you can tolerate it! The action on my artcore is so low that it chokes out the feedback thing. If that still doesn't help........ o_O
You might have some luck using a different gauge of strings possibly :confused:

Also, You seem to be getting a TON of sustain, what are your amp settings?!?! Are you using a lot of compression, also, try facing away from the amp. upload a vid of you playing on the clean channel or a clean tone or unplugged. Are you using a noise gate?!
 
#14 · (Edited)
Thank you for keeping in touch and helping me. And yeah.. it's an Ibanez Prestige Guitar, SV5470FDSB. @_@

As expected. Raising the action up highhhhhh didn't help.

And I didn't hear any unwanted harmonic by napping my ear onto the body(unplugged). I think there isn't one with the pure body tone and string itself. Well, maybe....... it's myself that didn't notice it.

Now it's something. LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Don't know what to try anymore. ARHARGAGRHAGRHAGRHAGRHARGH :evil:

I would appreciate if it happens on D note like my S570B. But with this happening with an E is unacceptable for me since I play a lot of songs in the scales of E and I need a beautiful note with a long sustain which is that EEEEEEEE.:cry:



---
Edit:
- Reduced middle pickup height didn't help. (all pickups height are almost the same)

I will give a shot with an acoustic guitar tuner and hopefully it's the neck which is causing it(if this problem is about the wood resonance). So I can just give a try about my trussrod adjustment again, because I think that might change the resonance pitch of my neck.

:( :( :(
 
#16 · (Edited)
I usually set my action as lowest as possible. I just tried raise it up lately just to diagnose this issue. But there is no different.

But trust me. My SV's sustain is bad but sometimes I feel like it's acceptable since SV stands for Saber Vintage. It's really really really short compared to my S Series S570B with DiMarzio Crunch Lab and DiMarzio LiquiFire.

I don't use an amp since I can't play loud in my house. I'm just using Line 6 POD X3 Live with a pair of decent studio monitor (please don't blame me for using POD lol) without any compression and with a little bit of noise gate in hi-gain presets made for solo.

I already made a video 2 days ago to demo my presets & tones.
<<< This

Edit:
Oh........ almost forget to tell you this. I use a webcam to record my videos, so the sound may get compressed when it's being recorded with webcam's microphone.

Additional:
I also exprience this unwanted harmonic on the same note in my clean presets if I vibrate the note hard enough(not that hard) and in lower drive presets almost suddenly after I hit the note in the most of time(the same with hi-gain), the same thing doesn't happen in other positions/notes. And yes, this doesn't apply to my other guitars.

Maybe it's getting an unwanted harmonic when unplugged too...... but I didn't notice. I will try this again tomorrow. I really appreciate that you keep suggesting and helping me, I mean it. Thanks!

I even tried removing a trem arm. LOL...... I thought that might help but it didn't.

If there's no luck on me, I will try a set of 0.010" - 0.046". I"m using 0.009" - 0.042" now. I so hope that this isn't a wood resonance issue....
 
#24 ·
I looked at the video and, without being sure (hard when you don't have the guitar in your hand), do I think your problem comes from low action.

When you tried to take it up, did you do it with getting the bridge higher or getting more bow on the neck?
My suggestion would be to try getting a bit more bow on the neck, a little turn on the trossrod.

It is, if noting ells, worth trying.

Good luck with it.

/Magnus
 
#26 ·
I just read this for the first time. I get the same harmonics on my USA custom, except that it's @ D# and E and F# on the B-string. It's natural body resonance. I haven't found a way to get rid of it, not that I really want to. I did find that switching the brand of strings I use keeps it under control much better. I used to use Ernie Ball Slinky's (9-42), but now I'm using Curt Mangan "fusion matched" 10's (10-48). These are MUCH better strings than the Ernie Ball's in every respect.

http://www.curtmangan.com/
 
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