[Formerly Given To Fly]

On my EBMM JPX7, the 17th - 24th frets of the 1st string sound "choked." By that I mean I get the note when plucked but almost no sustain. If I slide up to the 17th fret, hammer-on to the 17th fret, or tap the 17th fret, the slid note gets abruptly cut and the hammer-on/tap is just me hitting the fretboard producing no pitch.

The problem is limited to the 17th - 24th frets on the 1st string (none of the other strings are affected). Does this sound like a problem you folks have encountered before? I feel like the solution is simple like, loosen the truss rod a smidgen, but I don't really know. Also, what I call a problem, you might call basic maintenance. I think I've just sort of lived with it for a long time, but after not playing the electric guitar for a handful of months, coming back to it has clearly shown what and where the problem is on the fretboard and I would like to remedy it.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. 🙏

 

[Ashurbanipal]

I had a similar issue in the past with an RG I owned - the high E sounded noticeably weaker past the 12th fret. In my case, it wasn't due to the fret wear etc., as I had changed the neck on the guitar and the problem was still there. Never quite solved the problem as I'd bought a new guitar eventually and was playing that but wondered whether the issue was at the bridge (Lo TRS II, floating) somewhere - never got around to experimenting whether changing the height a bit, or even the saddle itself would've made a difference.

It reminded me of the wolf note phenomenon acoustic guitars can have - resonances between different parts of the instrument cancelling each other out, so some notes don't sound properly.

It's certainly worth also checking the basic stuff like neck relief and fret height with a rocker.

 

[jemboyee]

feel like the solution is simple like, loosen the truss rod a smidgen, but I don't really know.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. 🙏

What you’re describing actually sounds like the truss rod should be tightened, as too much relief can be a cause of the issue. If you’re not sure how to check relief of a neck, there are all kinds of articles and videos out there.

 

[Viper Pilot]

Sounds to me like the 24th fret under the high e string has a little sprout or has a high spot. May try to tap it down, or dress it a little bit.

 

[pingfloid]

To discard a Dead Note (the guitar absorbing the vibrational energy at one specific frequency) tune that string a step or two down and up to see if the problem is displaced. If it is displaced, that's probably a dead note. If it is not, it could be a fret problem.

 

[Formerly Given To Fly]

Thank you for the help!

I raised the left side of the saddle a small amount and that helped the most. I'm not sure if it was the solution to the problem or just a temporary fix but it did not cause major problems elsewhere on the guitar.