Dead spots on guitar

[jhczar]

Has anybody ever had a guitar with dead spots? I mean notes that you play that resonate funkily through the guitar's neck and body and just kill the note.

My son just bought an SG '61 Reissue. It's beautiful. But when I play an E on the G string on the 9th fret, or on the D string at the 14th fret, it's subtle, but the notes die off faster than any other notes on the guitar. We can hear it both acoustically and through an amp.

So, I brought it back to GC, and though they will work out a replacement with us, they looked at me like there's never been a dead spot that couldn't be attributed to either a high fret or a bowed neck.

I've had one acoustic with a dead F, and a P-Bass that had a dead spot, but that one was not a show stopper.

Anyone else have this problem?

[gtrnstuff]

Yes. A Gibson L6-S. Dead G on 3rd string, 12th fret. Fender Jazz Bass dead C, 1st string 5th fret. Gibson L-00, dead Bb 3rd string 3rd fret. Not fret related. Resonance related. That's what you get for making guitars out of wood:-)

[aleclee]

Earlier 24 fret PRS guitars are known to have dead spots around the 12th fret on the G string. I have two of 'em.

[Tone_Terrific]

Yes, the 12-15th fret on the g (especially), b or high e strings seems to be the most cursed area. Then, you can have the plinky die-off of notes further up the 1st string, too. I hate them all.
I don't have the means to buy a guitar that is perfect, if I could find one, although, I suspect more balanced guitars may be found, by luck, in various price ranges. Good luck.

[jhczar]

Thanks for the response, guys. I hoped it wasn't just me...

[fjs1962]

I had a PRS McSoap that was dead on the 13th fret G# note, or anywhere else you played that note on the guitar. Too bad too, as it was great everywhere else. From what I was told by the PRS rep, sometimes the harmonic overtone of a certain pitch can be so strong that it kills the fundamental note, and that's what was happening on this guitar (it was a very lively guitar to begin with). Fortunately they worked it out with the dealer to take the guitar back.

One easy way to tell if it's really a dead note on the guitar and not a fret issue: Put the headstock of the guitar up against something solid like a guitar cab and play the note. Usually the extra mass from doing this will shift the frequencies enough to make the dead note sustain. PRS had a kit you could get to help with the dead notes on the early short heel guitars.

[walterw]

PRS had a kit you could get to help with the dead notes on the early short heel guitars.

what sort of kit? fishing weights and scotch tape? http://www.thegearpage.net/board/images/icons/icon10.gif

[fjs1962]

what sort of kit? fishing weights and scotch tape? http://www.thegearpage.net/board/images/icons/icon10.gif

Actually it consisted of different tuner buttons, lock screws and bridge screws to change the distribution of mass on the guitar. I had a 91 Custom that had the dead note problem and put the kit on it. The kit actually moved the dead spot to a different frequency that wasn't as bad as the G note where it started.