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Post subject: Bad G string oscillation at and above the 12th fret.
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 11:44 am
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I have a 2012 American Standard Stratocaster. This was a recent purchase from an individual over the internet and the guitar is in like new condition, original owner purchased it in 2013 and thought it was a 2013, but according to the serial number he actually purchased a left over 2012. It plays great with very little to no buzz now that I did a set-up, but it has a severe case of g string oscillation. I have been playing guitar for over 35 years and repairing guitars for over 20 years, I can not seem to solve this problem. I wondered if any of you ever found a solution for this some what common Strat problem? Playing a single note on the g string at the 12th or higher frets sounds like my guitar is going through a lesslie! This is most prevalent in the overdrive channel of what ever amp I have tried.

So far I have:
leveled frets, set-up and eliminated most all string/fret buzz (it is possible to make any guitar buzz if you try hard enough),
tried different tremolo set-ups (floating, blocked against the body, more springs, less springs, spring position, placed foam under the springs etc..), verified properly cut nut, dampened behind the nut, dampened behind the bridge saddles, intonation is perfect, lowered pickups, replaced strings numerous times, etc....

I thought about replacing the fat 50's pickups that it is equipped with, but it sounds like others have already tried that route with no luck. Do you have any tips or answers for a frustrated guitar player trying to get this Strat straightened out?


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Post subject: Re: Bad G string oscillation at and above the 12th fret.
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 11:57 am
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Stratitis?

I think you have to lower all the pickups (especially the neck) even more.
Then lower them some more.

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Post subject: Re: Bad G string oscillation at and above the 12th fret.
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 12:10 pm
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orvilleowner wrote:
Stratitis?

I think you have to lower all the pickups (especially the neck) even more.
Then lower them some more.


+1

My first though as well.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Bad G string oscillation at and above the 12th fret.
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 12:18 pm
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orvilleowner wrote:
Stratitis?

I think you have to lower all the pickups (especially the neck) even more.
Then lower them some more.


I have already tried lowering them as far as they will go without falling off of the adjustment/mounting screws. :roll:

I have experienced Stratitis caused by pickup height before, but this is extreme and only on the G string. The guitar has no rattles or buzzes, just severe oscillation of pitch on the G string. I even checked the G string saddle for burrs under a magnifying glass and nada no burrs or defects to be found! As stated it is of course most prevalent when plugged into an overdrive channel of what ever amp, but with a careful ear it can be heard when playing in a clean amp, but not enough to ever bother with. I realize that all guitars do this to some extent, it's just so minor that most people never notice it, but again, this Strat has an extreme case!

But thanks for replying and trying to help guy's :D


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Post subject: Re: Bad G string oscillation at and above the 12th fret.
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 2:14 pm
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I'm stumped.

:shock:

How about the neck itself?

Adequate relief?

Frets correctly leveled?

Truss rod not loose?

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Bad G string oscillation at and above the 12th fret.
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 2:39 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
I'm stumped.

:shock:

How about the neck itself?

Adequate relief?

Frets correctly leveled?

Truss rod not loose?

Arjay


Yep, been doing this work for over 20 years and used to own a repair shop. As stated, no buzzes and good set-up. I have built and worked on countless Strats, first time I have not been able to solve a problem. It has to be something simple that I am over looking.

In my first post I called this a somewhat common problem, that is not really true, but I have now found several threads on the internet describing this same problem. All of the threads were about fairly recent guitars, has Fender done something different other than the very small changes that we all know about?

Thank you for your input Arjay, appreciated!


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Post subject: Re: Bad G string oscillation at and above the 12th fret.
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 2:55 pm
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i would try changing the string to a different brand/stiffness/metal/thickness.


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Post subject: Re: Bad G string oscillation at and above the 12th fret.
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 3:15 pm
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It seems all the suggestions left here have been tried by you already to no avail. At this point you need a physicist to solve this. Where I am going with this is since you have tried all the obvious causes and failed I can only come to the conclusion that this is some kind of a resonance issue. However the fact that it does this not only at the 12th fret but higher would theoretically rule that out. So it would seem that this is neck related. Does it have this problem on every single fret with the G string from 12th to 21st?

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Post subject: Re: Bad G string oscillation at and above the 12th fret.
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:45 pm
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ebaysux wrote:
It seems all the suggestions left here have been tried by you already to no avail. At this point you need a physicist to solve this. Where I am going with this is since you have tried all the obvious causes and failed I can only come to the conclusion that this is some kind of a resonance issue. However the fact that it does this not only at the 12th fret but higher would theoretically rule that out. So it would seem that this is neck related. Does it have this problem on every single fret with the G string from 12th to 21st?


Yes you are correct it is every note from the 12th to the 22nd on the g string.
With the pickups lowered below Fender specs a little bit (10/64 & 8/64) the guitar sounds great until adding in some over drive, and it is especially bad on the neck pickup.
Actually the guitar sounds great with over drive, with the exception of the g string from the 12th on up, all other strings sound just fine. This is starting to drive me nuts! Yet I played it for about four hours tonight (clean most of the time) and it just sounds fantastic so long as I stay away from the problem area with overdrive at the same time.


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Post subject: Re: Bad G string oscillation at and above the 12th fret.
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 11:27 pm
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The only other procedure I could recommend would be to install a different Strat neck to try and isolate precisely where the problem lies. Would you happen to have one on hand?

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Bad G string oscillation at and above the 12th fret.
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 11:28 pm
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This is extremely odd because the same notes you would hit on the G string from the 12th fret down would be the same notes you would also hit on other strings in different positions. So it seems to be ruling out a resonance issue with the neck/body. For giggles have you tried the identical amp/OD setup with a different guitar to rule out the guitar itself being the culprit? The only other thing I could think to try is get an assistant and have them touch certain parts of the guitar (bridge/tuners etc) while the oscillation is happening to see if it is something that is causing resonance.

EDIT:.... or what Arjay said. A last resort would be to try another neck. At this point there is really no way to rule out the neck.

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Post subject: Re: Bad G string oscillation at and above the 12th fret.
Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2014 11:48 pm
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Since this happens with overdrive and on the neck and middle pickups, I would be looking at a possible bad solder joint on one of the tone pots and or a bad Cap.

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Post subject: Re: Bad G string oscillation at and above the 12th fret.
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 8:34 am
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Jeffytune wrote:
Since this happens with overdrive and on the neck and middle pickups, I would be looking at a possible bad solder joint on one of the tone pots and or a bad Cap.


Hmmm. It couldn't hurt to reflow those solder joints.

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Post subject: Re: Bad G string oscillation at and above the 12th fret.
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 12:43 pm
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Anything is possible at this point but if it was sonething as simple as that why would it only do it on the G string from 12th fret up? Those same notes are found all over the neck. Granted if it is some odd harmonic/resonance issue anything is game since they might be specific to those particular dynamics on the G.

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Post subject: Re: Bad G string oscillation at and above the 12th fret.
Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 4:51 pm
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Well guys
Lowering the pickups help but does not eliminate the issue. I had a day off from work today and decided to make the 60+ mile trip to Omaha and check out guitars at GC and a local shop. As I tried many Strats of varying models (and there were some nice Fenders!) I discovered that every American Standard did the exact same thing as mine. At GC I even ask them for their string action gauge (that made them do a double take) and measured the action and pole piece heights to compare to my set up, we even lowered the pickups on a couple of their in stock standards, and they still did it! Their tech, (actually a pretty knowledgeable guy that has been around the Omaha music scene for a lot years) was blown away, said he had not noticed this issue before. I guess if you weren't looking for it you might miss it. I caught it right off the bat due to a solo for an old 38 Special song that I was playing, it just stuck out like a sore thumb.

In the end I guess my issue is not unique, but I still can't see the cause and other models did not do this, or at least not to this extreme. I can only speculate that the magnets in the pickups might be extra strong, even though the fat 50's are a vintage type pickup with a moderate to low output.

I really appreciate coming here as the new guy and all of you trying so hard to help me out! This is a really nice forum, and my first impression is that you have some great members here!

Thank you all so much!


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