Acceptable # of dead spots on neck?

[flogstrat]

I have noticed that some guitars have dead spots on the neck, usually on the lower wound strings, and usually above the 12th fret. By "dead spot", I mean a fret where the string does not ring as clearly or tonefully as it should. I am not talking about fretting out.

So how many of these dead spots are acceptable on a guitar costing at least $1200?

Personally, I think the number should be 0. What do you folks think?

Dave

[ugacrow]

For a $1200+ guitar? Umm...

Zero. Zilch. Nada. Goose egg. Sombrero. None. Zip. Squat.

[Gas-man]

+1200

^

[Serious Poo]

Exactly zero.

[jamo71]

Zippidy doo dah!

[pickaguitar]

Saved by zero!

[ugacrow]

Originally Posted by pickaguitar

Saved by zero!

Dammit! That song is going to be stuck in my head for the rest of the day!



Seriously, though. I can't believe this is even a question. I wouldn't want dead spots on ANY guitar, much less a $1200+ guitar.

[hogy]

Sometimes it's just the pickup magnets being too close to the strings. I'd rule that out before dismissing a guitar.

[tmaker]

absolutely, none

[elkym]

yeah-- none is the way to go... I've got a couple of relatively inexpensive guitars, but I don't find any dead spots on mine...

[Bryan T]

How bad are the dead spots? If the sustain of that one note isn't that different from the neighboring notes, then I can forgive it. Also, some designs are 'flawed' and frequently have dead spots. A popular example is the fifth fret C on the G string of a Jazz bass.

[harryjmic]

I've always kind of thought of dead spots being more a function of the pitch and the string as it relates to the harmonics and overtone series on the guitar. Perhaps I'm way of base but why is it that you can play certain pitches and the notes will just bloom but move one fret up or down and it will never take off?

I have also found that where I pick can effect this said dead spot and actually improve the response.

[Structo]

Sometimes dead notes are a symptom of a fret that is not anchored properly.
He called them dead frets.

I remember a Dan Erlewine Trade Secrets newsletter ( you can get these free through Stew Mac) that addressed dead frets.

His remedy was to wax the fretboard near the fret (rosewood fretboard) and then using a pipette wick some thin super glue into the fret slot. The wax prevents the glue from adhering to the fretboard. If the fret was raised he used a caul with wax paper between it and the neck to clamp the fret down while the glue set up.

He stated that after the fix the guitar came alive and that all fretted note rang out and had better sustain.

Might be worth a shot.

Here is the text from the newsletter. I tried including the pictures but the forum software limits it to 18 images.

Most guitars needing fret work still have their original frets. When I get ’em into the neck jig, I find that those frets were pressed in at the factory, without any adhesive to hold them down.
This no-glue technique is good if the frets and slots are perfectly paired, but often the slots are too big: lots of air and not much coupling. The frets are only held in by their barbs. This leads to fret troubles, and it saps the guitar’s tone.
Here how to get these frets to sit tight and sound right.

1. I’ll jig the guitar and use a Fret Rocker to seek out any proud frets (frets that sit up a little higher than their neighbors). They cause buzzes and trouble, but the Fret Rocker makes them easy to identify.

2. When I find these proud frets, I press ‘em right back down into their slots where they belong. Jaws is the tool I use for this.

3. To prep for gluing, I wipe paste wax onto the wooden fingerboard with a Q-tip. While the glue's wet, the excess will wipe right off the waxed wood with a paper towel. Move fast to remove the excess — this is super glue we're talking about!
When you're all done with the gluing process, just wipe away any leftover wax.

4. Okay, time for the glue.
Use a pipette to run a thin bead of glue down the length of the fret. “Wicking” action will suck it right down into the slot. Sometimes I actually see it come up from below on the other side of the fret! Quickly wipe the fret clean with a paper towel and hit it with a drop or two of accelerator

Try this yourself: Glue a fret or two, then tap a bone nut blank on one of them. Listen to the sound. Now tap an unglued fret. The glued frets create a fuller sound that actually vibrates through the neck. You can see how this translates to better overall tone.

Here are the pictures for the newsletter

[pickaguitar]

Loose frets are an issue...

[BluesForDan]

none