Calling all guitar players
 

I got a weird problem with my guitar and I can't figure it out. I'll tune my low E so that it is perfect but when I play the third fret the G is sharp by quite a bit. All other notes are fine, the F# and G#, and the frets look good. What the hell is going on here and how do I fix it? Anyone know?

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Re: Calling all guitar players
 

take it to a guitar shop and try to get it setup - you may have a bad neck/bridge and are pushing too hard on the string.

Or you could just have a worn fret there -

shouldn't cost much to fix though - at best you're talking about replacing what, one fret?

If you're in Minneapolis, or St. Paul -(I think you are) - look up Shapiro's Guitar Repair - (AKA Moses Oakland - bluesman) - he's fixed a LOT of my stuff over the year, and if there's a balance or neck problem, he'll get it easy...

He's in the Podium Music area on University East of Dinkytown.

RB

Re: Calling all guitar players
 

What's the guitar and model? When did this start to happen? How many cents sharp is it?

It's quite odd to have the 2nd and 4th frets in tune, but the 3rd fret out (barring a fret problem). Did you try a new string? Sometimes kinks can cause small problems in the bass strings.

Re: Calling all guitar players
 

Does it sound the same as your G# (next fret up)? This is the most likely situation as that's a very commonly used fret, and could be worn out.

NT

Re: Calling all guitar players
 

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Or you could just have a worn fret there -

shouldn't cost much to fix though - at best you're talking about replacing what, one fret?

RB

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This is what has me nervous. The frets look fine.

Re: Calling all guitar players
 

[ QUOTE ]
What's the guitar and model? When did this start to happen? How many cents sharp is it?

It's quite odd to have the 2nd and 4th frets in tune, but the 3rd fret out (barring a fret problem). Did you try a new string? Sometimes kinks can cause small problems in the bass strings.

[/ QUOTE ]

Less than 2 hours on the current string, Gibson songbird acoustic. It's like an 1/8th of a step sharp, (rough guess).

Could this be a problem with the neck?

Re: Calling all guitar players
 

check with Leonard...

nearly cracked the headstock of my les paul clean off, and he was able to repair the neck without replacing it...

RB

Re: Calling all guitar players
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
What's the guitar and model? When did this start to happen? How many cents sharp is it?

It's quite odd to have the 2nd and 4th frets in tune, but the 3rd fret out (barring a fret problem). Did you try a new string? Sometimes kinks can cause small problems in the bass strings.

[/ QUOTE ]

Less than 2 hours on the current string, Gibson songbird acoustic. It's like an 1/8th of a step sharp, (rough guess).

Could this be a problem with the neck?

[/ QUOTE ]
What method of checking your tuning are you using, and are you sure the 4th fret is in tune and not sharp as well?

Also, did you change to a heavier gauge set of strings?

Re: Calling all guitar players
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
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What's the guitar and model? When did this start to happen? How many cents sharp is it?

It's quite odd to have the 2nd and 4th frets in tune, but the 3rd fret out (barring a fret problem). Did you try a new string? Sometimes kinks can cause small problems in the bass strings.

[/ QUOTE ]

Less than 2 hours on the current string, Gibson songbird acoustic. It's like an 1/8th of a step sharp, (rough guess).

Could this be a problem with the neck?

[/ QUOTE ]
What method of checking your tuning are you using, and are you sure the 4th fret is in tune and not sharp as well?

Also, did you change to a heavier gauge set of strings?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm just using my ear, I have perfect pitch.

I actually just changed the E with a lower gauge than what I normally use. It was a loose spare I had lying around and I meant it as a temporary fix untill I change all my strings at once. All my other strings are real old and need to be replaced.

Re: Calling all guitar players
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
What's the guitar and model? When did this start to happen? How many cents sharp is it?

It's quite odd to have the 2nd and 4th frets in tune, but the 3rd fret out (barring a fret problem). Did you try a new string? Sometimes kinks can cause small problems in the bass strings.

[/ QUOTE ]

Less than 2 hours on the current string, Gibson songbird acoustic. It's like an 1/8th of a step sharp, (rough guess).

Could this be a problem with the neck?

[/ QUOTE ]
What method of checking your tuning are you using, and are you sure the 4th fret is in tune and not sharp as well?

Also, did you change to a heavier gauge set of strings?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm just using my ear, I have perfect pitch.

I actually just changed the E with a lower gauge than what I normally use. It was a loose spare I had lying around and I meant it as a temporary fix untill I change all my strings at once. All my other strings are real old and need to be replaced.

[/ QUOTE ]

Okay, and the 2nd and 4th frets are perfectly in tune? If it were a neck problem, more than one fret would be affected. If it's an intonation problem (i.e., string gauge change), the same applies. If it's only one fret, it's either a fret problem or a kink in the string.

Re: Calling all guitar players
 

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I'm just using my ear, I have perfect pitch.

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i was gonna help you, but now i just hate you.

Re: Calling all guitar players
 

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Or you could just have a worn fret there -

shouldn't cost much to fix though - at best you're talking about replacing what, one fret?

RB

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This is what has me nervous. The frets look fine.

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The fret may be from a defective lot in terms of the actual height of the fret. It may also have to do with the fret slot on the fretboard or neck being mis-machined. There also could have been a little bit of debris in the area where the fret is installed. A little chunk of saw dust in the area could raise the fret, let's say .015" - .030" higher than the rest putting one area out of tune.

Just a couple ideas especially if the fret appears visually ok. Take it to a professional.

Rock On

Re: Calling all guitar players
 

hijack -
I went to change my strings the other day and my bridge pins were all f'd up. They were all cracked and instead of being stiff you could bend them until they just broke in half. WTF? I've had this guitar for a few years and have changed the strings many times. Any ideas how that happened?

Re: Calling all guitar players
 

Nice....but just buy an epi and keep the gibson behind glass [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: Calling all guitar players
 

This has to be a problem with either the string or the fret itself. A problem with the neck would affect more then just one note. Do the other strings sound fine at the 3rd fret? Try changing the string, this is obviously quick and cheap and you can then rule that out. Also check it against a tuner, even if you normally have perfect pitch sometimes your ears can play tricks on you. JMO