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Post subject: Very Strange problem on an American deluxe
Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:35 pm
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Hi

I just have a new Fender american deluxe stratocaster guitar , and although its great , it has a very strange little problem that is bothering me. When i make a bend on the G string it goes slight flat, however if i press and release the tremolo bar it goes back to perfect tuning, it only happens with this string, the others don't have this problem. I even change the string and the problem continues although a little less.

I have really no clue what could be wrong, if it was a problem on the 2 point tremolo i suppose i would affect all the strings and if it is a problem on the locking tuner then the string wouldn't come back to pitch after the tremolo use. I don't think the SCN have anything to do with this.

So i have no clue, i have never heard of a problem like these before, somebody any suggestion?


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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 3:56 pm
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Did you stretch the strings when you first put them on your guitar? If they're not stretched they can do weird things sometimes. Also, do you mean flat note-wise or flat as in it buzzes against the fretboard?


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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 4:50 pm
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Bending and it's flat? Wouldn't that just mean to bend a little more? I mean, maybe I'm not getting it, when you bend you're taking a string up the scale. If you bend a full step bend you've gone up from say the note of d to the note of e. If you're at e flat, then you just need to bend more. Your guitar is not going out of tune, you're just falling a little short on the bend. I mean, it's by ear when you're bending. You've got to hear where you want to be. If you bend a full step, then it's like you're on the little string playing "a" at fret 5 and you bend a full step and now you're playing "b." If you go to fret 7 and now you're playing "b" the same note as the bend. If I'm not getting your problem, sorry.


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Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 4:52 pm
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If you're saying that it's flat after you bend, and then you hit the whammy bar and it's back in tune, then maybe you want to get the nut checked out? When you bend you're pulling the string through the nut at a slight angle.


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Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 8:32 am
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When you drop the bar on a properly tuned guitar the note normally goes sharp because when the strings loosen they slide in the nut toward the headstock; when the bar comes back up the strings catch in the nut and don’t return to pitch. If you then tune down to correct this then the note will go flat the next time you bend it. When I first started playing I used to do this on purpose because I used the whammy a lot and did not bend strings as much. Note goes flat, pop the bar, and presto it’s back in tune. As I started developing more of a blues influence style with bending and finger vibrato then I had to stop this technique and fully stretch the strings in because I was going out of tune all the time.
When tuning you should never tune down – always tune up. Before tuning give all the strings on your guitar a firm tug – I usually grab each string around the 9th fret and pull straight up from the fretboard – you can also just give each string an aggressive bend at a 9th fret. After pulling the strings they will now be flat. Tune them up to pitch, then repeat the process until you can pull up on the string and it not go flat.
What will happen now is when you drop the bar the guitar will go sharp – just tug the strings a bit and they should return to pitch (more or less.)
One thing that will help your strings return to pitch is lubricating the nut – you can use everything from Vaseline to Chapstick or graphite. I personally use a mechanical pencil to apply pencil lead (graphite) because the thin lead of the pencil fits into the nut slots really well. Also lube the string trees where the strings make contact.
You should also check the intonation on your guitar once you get the tuning set as it will probably change a little from how you have it set now.
All this can be a headache, but that’s all part of the “fun” of a Fender tremolo – and why Floyd Rose invented the locking nut!


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Posted: Tue Oct 30, 2007 5:06 pm
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H-fi, yes i strech strings and i mean flat tone-wise. Strat58cat, i mean its flat after the bend, I checked the nut and it seems pretty well, its a new guitar after all, but its a good advice anyway . TRWilley, i have a gibson sg with a les trem tremolo bar and it doesnt have any problem of this nature, also i checked other strats and no problem, it's something particular of my guitar and its even strange the fact that it only happends with that G string

Any other suggestions?


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Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2007 9:31 am
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Try bending your G string and when it goes flat tune it up - do not touch the bar. If you accidentally turn up too far then loosen down and tune back up (never down!) Repeat this until you can bend the G and it not go flat. If you do all of this and the G will not stay in tune then it sounds like the tuner on that string is not holding like it should.
By the way, the G string is the worst on a strat for tuning issues.


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Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 4:15 pm
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The G string on strats are stubborn.


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Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 4:31 pm
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Maybe the G-string sticks in the nutslot.
Try lubricating with pencil lead or widening it a little.

Peter


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Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 4:42 pm
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Nikki wrote:
The G string on strats are stubborn.


Same on a Gibson, actually thought it was worse on a Gibson.

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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 9:43 am
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I'm a bit of a noob at this, but could it be the saddle/ anything to do with the intonation? If the allen screws on the saddle (the height adjustment ones) are not even then the saddle could be moving around when you bend putting the string out of whack.


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Post subject: bending gspot going flat issue....lol.
Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 1:07 pm
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try selecting a different pick up setting, if it happens at the bridge, or mid or neck only, then you know for a fact that the pu is bad. if it happens at all pu settings, then i would change strings. poss go with 10's instead of 9's. the G string ;) is probably defective. i used to get a warped low E, until i switched strings.


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Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 3:35 pm
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I have exactly the same guitar. . . and exactly the same problem! My guitar is a few months old and only recently noticed this problem.
The G strings is giving me all sorts of problems. I could hear an almost creaking noise every time i used the whammy bar. This would only stop when i muted the G string. I then had the G string snap on numerous occasions and had this fixed. Now this problem is occurring. it happens ever so slightly on the D string but that is almost un-noticeable. I've checked my nut and found a small black bit in the slot but It looks like slightly corroded metal rubbed onto it. I think maybe vigorous use of the Tremolo bar has caused the nut to catch the strings. I'm going to see if my local guitar tech can help me and ill post back anything i find out off him. I've also tried lubricating the nut using graphite from a mechanical pencil. This didn't really help much. I think if this doesn't work i made try and upgrade to a roller nut after saving. They greatly reduce friction (...and supposedly improve sustain[SUPPOSEDLY!])
Any advice you find would also be much appreciated :)


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Post subject:
Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2007 10:41 am
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It sounds like a problem with the nut slot. One thing no one has asked is what strings are you using? Have you stayed with the 9-42s that come stock or have you gone heavier? If it's a heavier string set the nut probably needs to be recut for the wider strings. If you changed brands or sizes does the new set have a plain G or a wound G? If it's a wound G then it definitely will bind which will cause the effect y'all are describing.


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 3:50 pm
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The same gauge strings it came in. 9's


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