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Post subject: Issue w/ D string on Fender American Original '60s JM
Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2018 9:45 pm
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So I ordered the above guitar from Sweetwater, played it for about two hours, and felt the D string had such a harsh snap/resonance that it was going to be unusable. Sent it back and got a new one, and after playing it for a while today realized it has the exact same issue.

Took the first guitar to a guy before sending it back, and he concluded that the nut groove was cut slightly too deep. We used a paper in the slot and it seemed to be diminished. Now that I'm experiencing the same thing with the second one, it seems evident that the issue isn't a manufacturing defect but something endemic to the guitar.

Just wondering if anyone else has encountered something similar. I hate to be the guy the sends another one back, if there's some relatively inexpensive fix I could perform on my own. I've ruled out the bridge as a factor having moved the string around on it and noticed the problem in every position.

Note: I play almost entirely from the bridge pickup. I hardly use the middle or neck positions.

Thanks.


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Post subject: Re: Issue w/ D string on Fender American Original '60s JM
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2018 9:57 am
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Did you check neck bow ?
Did you check intonation ?

Are you sure you guy know how to set up guitars ? IMO no


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Post subject: Re: Issue w/ D string on Fender American Original '60s JM
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2018 12:06 pm
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rightovers wrote:
Took the first guitar to a guy before sending it back, and he concluded that the nut groove was cut slightly too deep.

A relatively easy way to check the nut slot is to put a capo on the third fret, then check/measure the gap between the top of the first fret and the bottom of the strings.
The gap doesn't have to be big (many zero fret guitars have been made with all frets level). One recommendation is .010” (0,25 mm) for the low E string and .006” (0,15 mm) for the high e string, but most factory nuts are higher - and as an example, I cut my line to be about .006"(0,15 mm) to .004" (0,1 mm).

No gap (= string touching the first fret) suggests the nut slot is cut too deep.

rightovers wrote:
We used a paper in the slot and it seemed to be diminished.

I didn't quite understand this - do you mean you checked the nut slot the way I described, and used a piece of paper as a feeler gauge..?


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Post subject: Re: Issue w/ D string on Fender American Original '60s JM
Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2018 3:52 pm
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jmattis wrote:
rightovers wrote:
We used a paper in the slot and it seemed to be diminished.

I didn't quite understand this - do you mean you checked the nut slot the way I described, and used a piece of paper as a feeler gauge..?
My take is he used a piece of paper as a shim under the string at the nut.
From the original description, it seems like he's trying to set the action too low.

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Post subject: Re: Issue w/ D string on Fender American Original '60s JM
Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2018 5:05 pm
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Thanks for the replies. I'm just going with the out-of-the-box setup action-wise. Regarding low-action, wouldn't this problem apply to all of the strings if the action were too low?

Did the capo test and the string isn't touching the fret on any string, so perhaps the nut groove isn't the issue.

Just weird that this harshness/terrible snap only affects the D string.

And yes, to answer your question, the paper was used in the nut slot as a shim. Having tried this again it seems to be occurring with or without the paper in that particular slot. Wondering if this might be a bridge issue. If so, I'd feel better about it as I plan on putting a Mastery bridge on it.


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Post subject: Re: Issue w/ D string on Fender American Original '60s JM
Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2018 7:42 pm
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Does it do the same unplugged? Is it an acoustical issue with the hardware itself, or is this something that only manifests when amplified?
Only on the open string, or on other notes on the same string (but not when playing the same notes on other strings)?

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Post subject: Re: Issue w/ D string on Fender American Original '60s JM
Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 12:04 am
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rightovers wrote:
Did the capo test and the string isn't touching the fret on any string, so perhaps the nut groove isn't the issue.

Yes, that test was exactly to rule out nut issues - they happen, but not often on new guitars.

rightovers wrote:
I'm just going with the out-of-the-box setup action-wise.

IMHO, guitars do not come out of the factory/box with a good, even less with a perfect setup.
Now, I'm not against masterying the guitar, but I'd start with a full setup - you can get a couple done by a good pro with the price of a Mastery... :wink:


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Post subject: Re: Issue w/ D string on Fender American Original '60s JM
Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2018 1:05 am
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jmattis wrote:


IMHO, guitars do not come out of the factory/box with a good, even less with a perfect setup.


I agree.
Any professional or qualified luthier will fix that easily .


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