A guitar issue that's driving me insane...

[Fox Mulder]

This is something I've come across about a zillion times and it was instantly cured by putting on new strings, but now it just wont. :Smug:

Here's the scenario right now:

Whenever I play the 6th string on the 2nd and 3rd frets the strings tend to oscillate in a very uneven manner. It's the same thing with the 5th string in the open position. It's barely noticeable when playing single notes but when I'm doing chords things get fucked inside out - a somewhat distuned feel as if someone's lightly flicking my tremolo.

I've changed strings - no avail.
I've changed strings again - no avail.


My intonation is fine. Can anyone shed some light on this?

 

[Fox Mulder]

Btw, it's the cheap shit Ibanez XPT700 Xiphos (neck-thru).

 

[Fox Mulder]

Oh, zero buzzes.

String gauge: 10-46

 

[Dexter_prog]

It might be uncalibrated (I don't know the proper term in English. I mean it's gone out of calibration, or however it is said)

 

[crazykarl]

could need a refretting job?

 

[Fox Mulder]

It might be uncalibrated (I don't know the proper term in English. I mean it's gone out of calibration, or however it is said)

could need a refretting job?

Those frets were playing a little sharp. The issue of the first 3-4 frets playing a little sharp is experienced by guitarists with low-end gear universally if you've noticed, and I came to the conclusion that my guitar needs a lower nut and a complete fret job.

What was bothering me is - only the frets mentioned in my previous post were playing sharp, not the entire range from 1-3. So later on I went ahead and reduced my neck relief a bit, and there - all of them from 1-3 are playing equivalently sharp right now thus saving me from the 'trem chord issue' that I mentioned in my previous post. It's really weird though, even if I fret a D5 the weirdness doesn't seem to be there anymore (I play in standard D).

So I guess I'll live with it and use a different guitar when recording, and get the fret job done asap.


Cheers!