Guitarists: HELP! Issues with my guitar!

[Elysian Blaze]

Alright, here's the deal. I've had this BC Rich NJ Beast for about a year, now, and I've had no problems. It's got a locking tremolo system from Floyd Rose, and though it was a bit to get used to, I did. So, on to my problem. Everytime I play something on the first or second fret on my low E and A strings, it sounds very rattley, muted, and, well, dead. This just started yesterday, and it keeps getting worse. Do I simply need new strings, or is it something with the locking system, or..? I've not been playing that long [since I got the guitar, really], and I don't know much about the technical side of it. Any advice offered would be much obliged, thanks!

 

[Trench]

From what you are describing your neck might have bent a little so you need to straighten it with the truss rod. Or the intonation needs a little tuning up as well. I would recommend taking it to a guitar tech and have him look at it if you have never done either one of these ever before as so you don't damage your guitar beyond repair (as I did with my first guitar, though I learned a lot from it).

It would be a good idea to change the strings before the tune ups are done on the guitar, that way the strings accustome to the tune ups and they aren't as likely to break.

Hope this was helpful

 

[Sunbane]

Question: Does it happen only on the first couple of frets on the E & A strings?

If this is the case, I would not suspect a bent neck, but rather a loose fret or something. Check the frets closely and see if they're starting to come out of the fretboard.

It could also be that you've just wore the fret down enough for buzzing to occur - this sounds a bit unlikely, but if you've been playing it a lot, it could happen.

Anyway, I second what Trench said about taking it to a tech. A pro would be able to figure out what is wrong with it and fix it.

'bane

 

[xenophobe]

1st and 2nd fret buzzing could be indicitave of a neck that needs re-adjustment, but you've had the guitar for a year without problems, and unless the neck is warping, I doubt that the neck would all of a sudden need adjustment. Could very well be a fret coming loose. Have it looked at.

 

[Chris Brooks]

A neck that tilts back or has a twist close to the headstock end may produce that problem, which is a hard one to have access to with the truss rod. Take it to a store that does repairs for a diagnosis is the best advice I can offer.

 

[Elysian Blaze]

And now, after just playing, it seems as though only the first fret on the low E is having problems, so I have no effin' clue, lol. Unless someone can tell me a quick fix that even a technical moron like myself could do, it's going to the shop tomorrow.

 

[Sunbane]

Hmm. Have you had any radical shifts in weather lately? Or moved the guitar from a cold room to a warm room?

'bane

 

[Creeping Death]

I don't think it's your guitar..because when I had a Warlock I had that EXACT problem. BC Rich is a guitar that usually is tuned REAL low, so, when guitarists that tune a step or more hear that rattly/muted/dead sound, they WANT that sound.

 

[Sunbane]

I don't think it's your guitar..because when I had a Warlock I had that EXACT problem. BC Rich is a guitar that usually is tuned REAL low, so, when guitarists that tune a step or more hear that rattly/muted/dead sound, they WANT that sound.

*lol*

 

[tenuous soul]

i have/had the same problem with my jackson rr that i got off of ebay way back when... that too, has a floyd rose. what may be happening is that the string is touching on a fret before whichever one you want to hit, making the string fucking clueless as to what sound it should make. what i did to fix this was i raised the bottom of the floyd rose bridge, and it now it works fine, just dont raise it too much or the strings will be too far away from the neck.
anyway, hope it helps, but as everyone else said, taking it to someone is your safest bet, because guitars are fragile things when you do work-at-home on em. and they're stubborn as a motherfucker too. ok, ill stop babbling rock on man

 

[Immortal Death]

Dude... I have the same problem! My low E and A strings are muted/buzzing, especially around the 5-8 frets.... I took it to a guitar store, and they said the neck was warped/bent... they couldn't fix it so now my only option is too take it in for repair for potentially three months!!!

:zombie:

, etc....

 

[xenophobe]

Well, if these are on floyd equipped guitars, the fix is simple. Take the nut off, and get some tin foil, fold it once or twice, and place back in there. If that doesn't do the trick, then you can always place a piece that's folded three times, or even four.

There's nothing wrong with having to shim a floyd nut. Not every guitar can be cut for a floyd nut perfectly, and I would rather have to shim, than to file... just my opinion.

 

[The Lord Conqueror]

Well, if these are on floyd equipped guitars, the fix is simple. Take the nut off, and get some tin foil, fold it once or twice, and place back in there. If that doesn't do the trick, then you can always place a piece that's folded three times, or even four.

There's nothing wrong with having to shim a floyd nut. Not every guitar can be cut for a floyd nut perfectly, and I would rather have to shim, than to file... just my opinion.

yes, i agree with xeno on this one, i have an bc rich ironbird that i had the same problem with, but once i shimed the nut, it became a really great guitar. you might also want to consider blocking the floyd if you haven't already done so.

LC