natural harmonics are to weak or seem to fade very quick

[bumbleee]

a friend of mine asked me to post his problem


it seems he "calibrated" (im not sure if the term is correct in english) a guitar and there is no frett buzz and the tuning of the octaves in each string its fine. but natural harmonics are to weak or seem to fade very quick. and according to the owner of the guitar that didnt happen before.

any ideas?

[Lefty Robb]

try to Adjust the height of the pickups

[eruji]

It could be that he adjusted the action (string height over the frets) so low that the string although it doesnt buzz loudly on one fret it does kill the sustain which would make harmonics really short and weak...

[bumbleee]

i adjust the action more high
and didnt change anything...
same problem u__u

[rvai]

hola, si subes las cuerdas, intenta subir las pastillas tambien

[bumbleee]

pues lo que hice fue lo siguiente ... tome en cuneta lo de mover la pastilla si bajas o suves la accion y nada todo igual ...revise que a mi amigo le pasa lo msimo es una ibanez prestige de 7 cuerdas con tremolo lopro edge y pasa esactamente lo mismo y apesar que son guitarras con pstillas de mucha ganancia no logro que los armonicos se queden sonando mucho tiempo y en otras guitarras si

lo que hice con las ibanez S series fue colocar los resortes de forma que las cuerdas inferiores tuvieran mas tencion que las superiores ... tencionando los resortes inferiores y dejando los de las cuerdas graves menos estirados y se resolvio un poco el problema pero aun asi sigue apagandose y el tremolo y la octavacio estan perfectamente calibrados como se deve

la verdad no se que hacer de todas las guitarras que he calibrado soloe sas 2 me an dado ese problema y no tengo ni idea de como repar ese desperfecto

[Bowie]

Adjust the action LOWER. High action is usually duller and the sustain fades quickly because of the extra tension. Low action lends to lengthened notes (so long as you're not getting too much buzz, though a little is perfectly fine).

[ryanb]

Bogus. Action changes do not have any effect on string tension for the same string at the same pitch.

Lefty and eruji have probably got it covered.

[Bowie]

Originally Posted by ryanb

Bogus. Action changes do not have any effect on string tension for the same string at the same pitch.

You probably think a Les Paul and a Strat have the same tension too, right?

[Lefty Robb]

I have to disagree, changing string height does not change tension at all, I can raise and lower all my LoPro's as much as I want and they do not go out of tune at all, and that proves that tension does not change.. Scale Length and string thickness are the biggest factors.

[brothersnowgone]

Originally Posted by Bowie

You probably think a Les Paul and a Strat have the same tension too, right?

That has to do with scale length and string thickness like robb said, nothing else... And to say that higher action makes a guitar sound duller? If anything it would greatly increase sustain and sound more full.

There is no "magic" in any certain kind of guitar that gives it it's tension. It's just math, longer strings need to have a higher tension to achieve the same note as a shorter string. And vice-versa. Action would have nothing to do with this.

Think of it this way, your string tension stays basically the same all the time, but when you shorten the string by fretting it, you get a higher note.

[eruji]

I have to disagree, changing string height does not change tension at all, I can raise and lower all my LoPro's as much as I want and they do not go out of tune at all, and that proves that tension does not change.. Scale Length and string thickness are the biggest factors.

exactly...

as far as harmonics go.. newer strings will help.. the bridge pickups will usually pick up a stronger harmonic.. and (fretting) the harmonic in the correct position. If he changed the intonation its possible that the he is fretting where it used to be the sweet spot, now its changed. just some suggestions...

[Jamie]

Isn't there a situation where if action is very low, the magnetism from the pickups can inhibit string vibration?

If I'm right this could be part of the problem as harmonics are a very weak vibration and lowering the pickups slightly might help.

I know higher pickups generally equals higher gain, or "pick up" of the notes, but I think there is diminishing returns if you get too high. Might be wrong on this though.

[Bowie]

Originally Posted by brothersnowgone

That has to do with scale length and string thickness like robb said, nothing else... And to say that higher action makes a guitar sound duller? If anything it would greatly increase sustain and sound more full.

There is no "magic" in any certain kind of guitar that gives it it's tension. It's just math, longer strings need to have a higher tension to achieve the same note as a shorter string. And vice-versa. Action would have nothing to do with this.

Think of it this way, your string tension stays basically the same all the time, but when you shorten the string by fretting it, you get a higher note.

Well, it's obvious that higher action = stiffer playing.
As far as sounding "duller" goes, I should have worded that better. When the action is higher, the sound becomes more midrange focused which, to a guitarist, might sound thicker, but to an audio engineer like myself, it is honky w/o a quality balance throughout the spectrum. Also, the transient attack is increaced on a higher-action note with a quicker fade whereas properly set-up low-action will give a smooth, lasting sustain.

[Bowie]

Originally Posted by Jamie

Isn't there a situation where if action is very low, the magnetism from the pickups can inhibit string vibration?

If I'm right this could be part of the problem as harmonics are a very weak vibration and lowering the pickups slightly might help.

I know higher pickups generally equals higher gain, or "pick up" of the notes, but I think there is diminishing returns if you get too high. Might be wrong on this though.

Good point. You're absolutely right. Though pickup magnetism is often exaggerated, it definitely does have an effect.