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Post subject: Bad sustain in my Fender stratocaster Again!
Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 4:19 pm
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Hey!
I still haven't figured out what the problem is with my fender stratocaster. The problem is that the notes i play dies after maby 3 seconds, and i hate it!

I have tried to: Use compression, and some other effects that should improve sustain, Clean my whole fretboard, Change strings (10s), ajust the pickup hight, and ajust the truss rod, and nothing helps!

There is something wrong with the guitar, because other strat players i listen to has this killer sustain.

Please help me!

// Martin


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Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 4:22 pm
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action too low maybe.

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Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 4:26 pm
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Well, a Strat is never going to sustain like a guitar with a glued-in neck (waiting for the howls of disagreement on that).

But if you feel it's just dying on you then something is wrong - most likely something is loose. And most likely (again) it's the neck joint. Check those four screws at the back: they need to be good and firm - but not so tight you risk damaging the wood with the screw thread. Just firm. Any play in that joint? No? That's right, then.

By the way, a compressor is one of the subtlest guitar FX out there. It sure ain't going to turn a Strat into a Les Paul, and it ain't the solution if there is something actually wrong with the guitar.

Fix the guitar, is the solution. And while we're about it, see if you can try some other Strats, in a shop or whereever, just to remind your ears what it is meant to be sounding like.

Cheers - C


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Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 4:35 pm
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Ceri wrote:
Well, a Strat is never going to sustain like a guitar with a glued-in neck (waiting for the howls of disagreement on that).

But if you feel it's just dying on you then something is wrong - most likely something is loose. And most likely (again) it's the neck joint. Check those four screws at the back: they need to be good and firm - but not so tight you risk damaging the wood with the screw thread. Just firm. Any play in that joint? No? That's right, then.

By the way, a compressor is one of the subtlest guitar FX out there. It sure ain't going to turn a Strat into a Les Paul, and it ain't the solution if there is something actually wrong with the guitar.

Fix the guitar, is the solution. And while we're about it, see if you can try some other Strats, in a shop or whereever, just to remind your ears what it is meant to be sounding like.

Cheers - C



The screws are frim, as you say.


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Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 4:49 pm
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I think it was a good idea to get new strings put have you tried new pickups? thajavascript:emoticon(':lol:')t could really help, or maybe try some different picks.


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Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 4:52 pm
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Without seeing and hearing the guitar, it's a tough call. However, based on your complaint that ALL the strings and frets are affected, I'm leads to deduce any one or combination of these major culprits:

- Strings dead;
- Action too low;
- Frets in poor shape;
- Reverse (arch) warp in the neck. (I'm betting on this one.)

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Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 4:56 pm
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Martian wrote:
Without seeing and hearing the guitar, it's a tough call. However, based on your complaint that ALL the strings and frets are affected, I'm leads to deduce any one or combination of these major culprits:

- Strings dead;
- Action too low;
- Frets in poor shape;
- Reverse (arch) warp in the neck. (I'm betting on this one.)


I live in Sweden so i don't get all the english guitar expressions =) So what is "Action too low" And that last one you wrote?


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Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 4:57 pm
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Martian wrote:
Without seeing and hearing the guitar, it's a tough call. However, based on your complaint that ALL the strings and frets are affected, I'm leads to deduce any one or combination of these major culprits:

- Strings dead;
- Action too low;
- Frets in poor shape;
- Reverse (arch) warp in the neck. (I'm betting on this one.)


Yep, all good thoughts. Basically, at this point, without significant further information, it really has to be a visit to a decent technician for an on-the-spot diagnosis. Find one via you local guitar shop, in the first instance.

I still want you to handle another Strat or two, though, to be sure of what you ought to be hearing. Don't depend on what you think you are hearing on recordings of other people (see OP).

Good luck - C


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Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:03 pm
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Denkath wrote:
Martian wrote:
Without seeing and hearing the guitar, it's a tough call. However, based on your complaint that ALL the strings and frets are affected, I'm leads to deduce any one or combination of these major culprits:

- Strings dead;
- Action too low;
- Frets in poor shape;
- Reverse (arch) warp in the neck. (I'm betting on this one.)


I live in Sweden so i don't get all the english guitar expressions =) So what is "Action too low" And that last one you wrote?


So happens we have several Swedish people right here on the Forum: they may want to do a bit of translating for you.

But for now: "action too low" means the strings are too near to the frets on the neck. "Action" is the height of the strings.

"Reverse arch" is when the middle of the neck curves nearer to the strings than either end. We really want a straight neck, or one that curves a tiny bit away from the strings in the middle. "Warp" means the neck has twisted.

Does that help?

Ha det god - C


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Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:05 pm
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Denkath wrote:
Martian wrote:
Without seeing and hearing the guitar, it's a tough call. However, based on your complaint that ALL the strings and frets are affected, I'm leads to deduce any one or combination of these major culprits:

- Strings dead;
- Action too low;
- Frets in poor shape;
- Reverse (arch) warp in the neck. (I'm betting on this one.)


I live in Sweden so i don't get all the english guitar expressions =) So what is "Action too low" And that last one you wrote?


"Action too low": Your strings are set at the bridge too close to the fingerboard.

Reverse (arch) warp: The neck is not straight. Instead of warped in such a way that it is dipping down, away from the strings, it may be doing the opposite - bending up toward the strings.

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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 9:40 am
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The neck is straight, and the strings are set at the highest.


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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 10:40 am
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Denkath wrote:
The neck is straight, and the strings are set at the highest.


As I have said earlier, it is difficult to diagnose your problem or many other guitar problems without having the afflicted guitar present. As we have offered virtually all the most likely culprits which you say do not apply, the best and only thing left for you to do is to bring your guitar to a competent technician for inspection.

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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 11:06 am
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Could be the poles of the PUs are too close to the strings, pulling and preventing them to reverb. PU needs to be lowered or action raised, either way that's an easy starting point.


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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 11:08 am
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Denkath wrote:
Martian wrote:
Without seeing and hearing the guitar, it's a tough call. However, based on your complaint that ALL the strings and frets are affected, I'm leads to deduce any one or combination of these major culprits:

- Strings dead;
- Action too low;
- Frets in poor shape;
- Reverse (arch) warp in the neck. (I'm betting on this one.)


I live in Sweden so i don't get all the english guitar expressions =) So what is "Action too low" And that last one you wrote?

i can take this i speak a language he understands

altså. action to low betyr at strengene dine er for lavt ned mot gripebrettet, noe som kan påvirke "sustainen" dette kan fikses ved å ta gitaren inn til service i butikken hvor du kjøpte den.....

Reverse (arch) warp in the neck. betyr at halsen på gitaren bøyer seg for mye noe som og kan påvirke sustainen dette kan også fikses ved service

jeg anbefaler deg og ta med gitaren til butikken og få gjort en justering si at du vil rette ut halsen og justere strengehøyden, dette burde fikse alle problemene dine....

hope that helps :)

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Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 11:20 am
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bluestube wrote:
Denkath wrote:
Martian wrote:
Without seeing and hearing the guitar, it's a tough call. However, based on your complaint that ALL the strings and frets are affected, I'm leads to deduce any one or combination of these major culprits:

- Strings dead;
- Action too low;
- Frets in poor shape;
- Reverse (arch) warp in the neck. (I'm betting on this one.)


I live in Sweden so i don't get all the english guitar expressions =) So what is "Action too low" And that last one you wrote?

i can take this i speak a language he understands

altså. action to low betyr at strengene dine er for lavt ned mot gripebrettet, noe som kan påvirke "sustainen" dette kan fikses ved å ta gitaren inn til service i butikken hvor du kjøpte den.....

Reverse (arch) warp in the neck. betyr at halsen på gitaren bøyer seg for mye noe som og kan påvirke sustainen dette kan også fikses ved service

jeg anbefaler deg og ta med gitaren til butikken og få gjort en justering si at du vil rette ut halsen og justere strengehøyden, dette burde fikse alle problemene dine....

hope that helps :)


Ok bluestube now I'm impressed. Thanks for the translation.

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