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Post subject: Harmonic Warble on my MIM project
Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 6:12 pm
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Hey guys,
I'm back. Sorry I should visit more often to chat and not always try to get answers to my guitar problems. :?

Anyways thanks to Nikininja's input I went from purchasing a set of Vintage Noiseless PU's for my American Strat, to getting a used MIM and building a custom Strat with the Clapton Preamp. I just got it back from my friend at SFGuitarworks the other day and after a fret level and setup it plays wonderfully.

However I am noticing what I think is an acoustic issue (though I could be wrong). When I play certain notes, like a 3rd string G (12th fret) or maybe a slow bend on the 14th, I get a warble. Like when you tune two strings with harmonics that "warble" sound that decreases in frequency as the strings are tuned. Its not just the 3rd strings, other strings do it also and its most noticeable when I'm bending and the gain is up. Also it only occurs on the bridge pickup. The other pickups sound smooth, so I don't think its my technique.

I changed strings and it still warbles. Any advice would be appreciated.
thanks,
Jen


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Post subject: Re: Harmonic Warble on my MIM project
Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 6:36 pm
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stratogrrl wrote:
Hey guys,
I'm back. Sorry I should visit more often to chat and not always try to get answers to my guitar problems. :?

Anyways thanks to Nikininja's input I went from purchasing a set of Vintage Noiseless PU's for my American Strat, to getting a used MIM and building a custom Strat with the Clapton Preamp. I just got it back from my friend at SFGuitarworks the other day and after a fret level and setup it plays wonderfully.

However I am noticing what I think is an acoustic issue (though I could be wrong). When I play certain notes, like a 3rd string G (12th fret) or maybe a slow bend on the 14th, I get a warble. Like when you tune two strings with harmonics that "warble" sound that decreases in frequency as the strings are tuned. Its not just the 3rd strings, other strings do it also and its most noticeable when I'm bending and the gain is up. Also it only occurs on the bridge pickup. The other pickups sound smooth, so I don't think its my technique.

I changed strings and it still warbles. Any advice would be appreciated.
thanks,
Jen


Sounds like you have a classic case of, "Stratitis". That's when one or more of the pickups are too close to the strings and the pickup's magnets are literally pulling the string in to them and/or, the 3 pickups' magnetic flux aren't synchronized.

Try lowering the bridge pickup slightly and see if this solves your problem.

If not, the flux may be out of whack. Lay the guitar flat on its back and with both hands, gently press down on all 6 strings until the respective strings barely touch all 3 of their respective magnets simultaneously. Wait a second and then, slowly start relieving the hand pressure until the strings have been restored to their original position.

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Post subject: Re: Harmonic Warble on my MIM project
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 9:48 am
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I played with the pickup height to no avail. However this might be a strat thing. This warble harmonic is only audible with a lot of distortion and the gain turned up(a unique feature of the Clapton preamp). My American Strat has a similar characteristic when its really overdriven. I might be too picky because I was comparing it to my Les Paul which sounds like a smooth violin when overdriven. The les paul is a big heavy chunk of wood with a nice solid bridge attached to the body.

Do you think maybe a nice steel trem block might help, both my MIM and American strat have the thin zinc ones?
thanks,
jen


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Post subject: Re: Harmonic Warble on my MIM project
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 10:17 am
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stratogrrl wrote:
I played with the pickup height to no avail. However this might be a strat thing. This warble harmonic is only audible with a lot of distortion and the gain turned up(a unique feature of the Clapton preamp). My American Strat has a similar characteristic when its really overdriven. I might be too picky because I was comparing it to my Les Paul which sounds like a smooth violin when overdriven. The les paul is a big heavy chunk of wood with a nice solid bridge attached to the body.

Do you think maybe a nice steel trem block might help, both my MIM and American strat have the thin zinc ones?
thanks,
jen


In that case, you have too much harmonic 'clipping' going on which is directly traceable to your preamp(s). As stated above, synchronizing the flux will help.

Replacing the block is of no consequence.

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Post subject: Re: Harmonic Warble on my MIM project
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 10:24 am
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Thanks Martian, I was just taking a wild guess I really am not familiar with this issue. I tryed the flux thing and it seemed difficult to get all six strings to touch all 3 pickups at once. I will attempt again. Does it matter if I do this with the guitar plugged in or not?
thanks,
jen

Martian wrote:
stratogrrl wrote:
I played with the pickup height to no avail. However this might be a strat thing. This warble harmonic is only audible with a lot of distortion and the gain turned up(a unique feature of the Clapton preamp). My American Strat has a similar characteristic when its really overdriven. I might be too picky because I was comparing it to my Les Paul which sounds like a smooth violin when overdriven. The les paul is a big heavy chunk of wood with a nice solid bridge attached to the body.

Do you think maybe a nice steel trem block might help, both my MIM and American strat have the thin zinc ones?
thanks,
jen


In that case, you have too much harmonic 'clipping' going on which is directly traceable to your preamp(s). As stated above, synchronizing the flux will help.

Replacing the block is of no consequence.


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Post subject: Re: Harmonic Warble on my MIM project
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 10:53 am
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You're very welcome.

The guitar should not be plugged in.

stratogrrl wrote:
Thanks Martian, I was just taking a wild guess I really am not familiar with this issue. I tryed the flux thing and it seemed difficult to get all six strings to touch all 3 pickups at once. I will attempt again. Does it matter if I do this with the guitar plugged in or not?
thanks,
jen

Martian wrote:
stratogrrl wrote:
I played with the pickup height to no avail. However this might be a strat thing. This warble harmonic is only audible with a lot of distortion and the gain turned up(a unique feature of the Clapton preamp). My American Strat has a similar characteristic when its really overdriven. I might be too picky because I was comparing it to my Les Paul which sounds like a smooth violin when overdriven. The les paul is a big heavy chunk of wood with a nice solid bridge attached to the body.

Do you think maybe a nice steel trem block might help, both my MIM and American strat have the thin zinc ones?
thanks,
jen


In that case, you have too much harmonic 'clipping' going on which is directly traceable to your preamp(s). As stated above, synchronizing the flux will help.

Replacing the block is of no consequence.

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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 1:42 pm
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Martian,

This sounds interesting but I want to make sure I understand correctly. You can for lack of a better term, "re-sync" the flux for the pickups by holding all 6 strings on all 3 pickups at the same time?


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Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 4:46 pm
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Rob08 wrote:
Martian,

This sounds interesting but I want to make sure I understand correctly. You can for lack of a better term, "re-sync" the flux for the pickups by holding all 6 strings on all 3 pickups at the same time?


No, you have only stated half the procedure. Yes, upon slowly and simultaneously relieving the pressure until the strings as one come back to their normal position which completes the task.

Keeping this a non-technical explanation:

In the case of a Strat, you have 18 separate magnets, all 'doing their own thing'. Its like when we were kids and someone would place some steel wool shards on a piece of paper. These shards were all just hanging out in every direction, wherever and however they landed on the paper until someone started running a magnet underneath the paper and naturally, the shards too. All of a sudden, the shards all began lining up with each other and began being led around most uniformly by the magnet as one cohesive group,

The strings are the shards and by all the magnets touching all the strings at once, even the magnets are settling in to work as a one cohesive unit rather than 18 independently.

This is also why I say, GENTLY touch the magnets with the strings and, SLOWLY relieve the pressure, all SIMULTANEOUSLY. Any incompleteness as a unit, be it the strings OR the magnets will literally accomplish nothing. Also, the slow release of the pressure on th strings is vital. Just like the shards, if you yanked the magnet out from under the paper, that quick release of the magnetic field would jolt the shards and break their cohesion, sending them right back to their original state.

I do this procedure to EVERY electric guitar, bass, etc. I work on with electro-magnetic pickups where a string change is involved, even if its just one string. Needless to say, the more magnets that are involved on any given instrument, the more dramatic the realized results. Lastly, this procedure will NOT work with dead or dying strings due to at the very least, their diminishing magnetic properties.

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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Jun 30, 2009 3:50 pm
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Jen,

Did this work for you?


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jul 01, 2009 8:30 am
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Rob08 wrote:
Jen,

Did this work for you?


No but I've determined my issues are related to clipping. The preamp in the Strat (when cranked up) creates input clipping on my POD. I have to be careful how much to turn up that gain.


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