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Post subject: Plunkie sounding Strat at higher frets
Posted: Fri May 20, 2016 8:35 am
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I picked up a used 1998 "Classic/ Vintage player? Stratocaster, I think it was the first year of Mexican production, It has the 7 " radius neck. The guitar is a Sunburst with rosewood neck and the wood looks quite nice and guessing is Ash.

The guitar is the heaviest Stratocaster I think I have ever picked up. This thing is heavy! I had to work on the set up and its still not were I want it, the biggest problem is that up past the 14 fret its starts to sound really "plunky" and dull. Plunky like a banjo does higher up on the neck.

I put a steel block and new saddles on it and its still acoustically dead sounding higher on the neck.

At this point I am puzzled.

Help

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Post subject: Re: Plunkie sounding Strat at higher frets
Posted: Fri May 20, 2016 10:22 am
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All strings sounding evenly plunky and the plunkiness appears from 14th fret up on all frets?

If the answers are yes&yes, it might be a truss rod issue. Check if you have too much relief.
IMHO and for my taste/playing style, the recommendation in the Strat setup guide for 7.25" radius (.012" = 0.3 mm relief) is way too much - not all of us need a SRV level curve.
Test drive the guitar with a straight neck and soft touch, then increase relief just enough for your normal pick attack.

And optional to the above: how's your pickup height?


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Post subject: Re: Plunkie sounding Strat at higher frets
Posted: Fri May 20, 2016 10:29 am
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jmattis wrote:
All strings sounding evenly plunky and the plunkiness appears from 14th fret up on all frets?

If the answers are yes&yes, it might be a truss rod issue. Check if you have too much relief.


+1

As well, check all the frets for consistent level and crown.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Plunkie sounding Strat at higher frets
Posted: Fri May 20, 2016 11:14 am
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Yes, it's plunkie all across the 6 at the higher frets.

I have had a lot of trouble setting this up, if I flatten out the neck, that is take the relief out, it tend to get a lot of buzzing. I raise the grubs screws but have yet to find that sweet spot where everything works out.

It's funny, I love this guitar more than any other I have but at the same time its the hardest to play well. The neck is really nice and round thick on the back.

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Post subject: Re: Plunkie sounding Strat at higher frets
Posted: Fri May 20, 2016 11:24 am
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If it were me I think I might want to find a 6" long straight edge and run it up and down the neck in a few spots to look for a high fret as well.

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Post subject: Re: Plunkie sounding Strat at higher frets
Posted: Fri May 20, 2016 12:27 pm
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"Plunky" to me doesn't indicate fret buzz, but either the frets or the bridge dampening the strings.

For frets, check that they're not too flat, nor grimy or rusty from not having been played and cleaned much up on the top frets by the previous owner. A pencil eraser can clean frets quite well.

For the bridge, the angle increases the higher towards the bridge you fret, and with a knife edge tremolo, that can be just enough to get resistance from the bridge killing sustain. If so, first check the truss rod and trem screws, and then if the problem still persists, add another trem spring, or lower the bridge a bit and if necessary shim the neck to compensate.


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Post subject: Re: Plunkie sounding Strat at higher frets
Posted: Fri May 20, 2016 1:07 pm
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Let me clarify, the strings when fretted high on the neck are not buzzing or contacting the frets. The strings are vibrating free and clear (well as much as they seem to want), the instrument just sounds really acoustically dead, and the strings dull and lifeless and just sound as though they are not vibrating with any brightness or sustain. They are new Ernie ball Slinky 10's and this is not the first set of new strings I have put on it. Pick the string plunk, plunk, plunk.

This is not the brightest Strat acoustically to begin with. Its really, really heavy. I have considered going under the hood and taking out some wood and back chambering it to lighten it. But it's almost 30 years old and the first production year Mexican Strat and I don' know if in another 20' years it will have any greater value as is, so I doubt I will do these things. Sometimes I think maybe its just a dud, that happens.

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Post subject: Re: Plunkie sounding Strat at higher frets
Posted: Fri May 20, 2016 2:06 pm
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If that be the case, your guitar may be the victim of "dead neck syndrome". It happens only rarely and I've only personally seen one but if yours is suffering the effects of rigor mortis there's no way I know of restoring it to health. It may be time for a "transplant"......

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Plunkie sounding Strat at higher frets
Posted: Fri May 20, 2016 4:04 pm
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How does it sound when played through an amplifier?

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Post subject: Re: Plunkie sounding Strat at higher frets
Posted: Sat May 21, 2016 8:45 am
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oneal lane wrote:
Let me clarify, the strings when fretted high on the neck are not buzzing or contacting the frets. The strings are vibrating free and clear (well as much as they seem to want), the instrument just sounds really acoustically dead, and the strings dull and lifeless and just sound as though they are not vibrating with any brightness or sustain.

That's what my reply was based on, yes.

My gut feeling says that it's the knife-edge vibrato killing sustain because when playing at the higher frets, you create ever-so-slightly more downward pressure on the bridge and tilt the floating bridge just a tad more than when playing at lower frets. It doesn't take much.
If so, open the back and tighten the screws that holds the top end of the springs so there's a tiny bit more pressure. Or, if the springs are like this: |||, you might want to put them like this: /|\, which also increases the pull a tiny bit.


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Post subject: Re: Plunkie sounding Strat at higher frets
Posted: Sat May 21, 2016 9:40 am
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I'd like to know the answer to BMW-KTM's question, does the problem come through the amp, or is it just on acoustic sound/play feel?
Plus, what are your neck angle, relief and what kind of action are you trying to reach?

That 'fiddle with the trem' advice arth1 gave is sometimes helpful. I was thinking of suggesting a shim to add downforce on the bridge as the next step...


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Post subject: Re: Plunkie sounding Strat at higher frets
Posted: Tue May 24, 2016 7:07 am
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If you can't get rid of the "pluck" sound by adjusting the truss rod,
try a neck shim. Sometimes even a folded post-it note in the neck
pocket can make a world of difference. Don't forget to adjust saddles after
the shim.
Good luck!

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