Low volume at 9th fret of 2nd string. What could cause this?

[David DeLoach]

I've encountered a weird issue. The 9th fret on the 2nd string of my steel has a low volume - sounds a bit dead. 8th and 10th frets sound fine.

Could that be I need a new string?

[David DeLoach]

Changed the string and the issue is still there.

[Noah Miller]

I've played a couple of electric instruments that had odd phase issues where certain notes were reinforced or cancelled out by the instrument itself. It was just the stars aligning in an unexpected way.

[David DeLoach]

OK. the plot thickens. That same note on every string is weak. Guess it's a case like Noah described.

[Tim Whitlock]

My Stringmaster developed a similar issue. For no apparent reason, notes around the 15th fret on the first and second strings began to "plunk" with no sustain. The issue occurs whether it's plugged in or not, so I have been looking for some kind of mechanical cause. I have reseated the bridge and the plate it sits on a few times, thinking something loose was causing a resonance or phasing, but no luck. I changed the strings and made sure the ball ends are firmly anchored. I checked underneath the bridge plate and found nothing that looked like it might be loose, causing weird vibrations. This has been driving me crazy for six months. All I can suggest is do the same - look for anything that might be loose, causing an unwanted vibration. Following and good luck!

[Rick Rienks]

Hi there, I don’t know if this is related but my Supro Comet has a bakelite pick-up cover. Leaving it stock at first, I encountered an odd noise/response. I tapped around and eventually concluded the two threaded knobs that held the cover in place, while snugged down were a part of the issue/resolution. On the treble side, the nut was snug against the top of the stud, but the stud stood a small amount proud of the body. Thus the cover was not firmly bedded on the body of the guitar. For the short term, the cover is off. The proper repair would be to lock two nuts on the top of the stud and carefully back it out, taking care to avoid lifting any finish, measure the stud length and the hole depth. With that information you can determine your options. 1. Drill the stud hole a little deeper and reset the stud to the required height above the body, or 2. Since it is out and away from the instrument, you might choose to shorten the stud at the upper end. I would never do this (file) with it in the body with out protecting the instrument from slip damage or loose filings winding up attached to the pick-up (magnetically), or otherwise getting into the electricals or marring the finish. Yeah, I’m that fussy. I built a successful instrument repair business based upon leaving nothing to chance and demanding perfection in outcomes. One last thought, taking metal off the top of the stud can leave a sharp edge where you cut across the thread. That must be safetied by delicate file work. It also occurs to me that a cartridge reloaders tool that might help for this type of repair is the burr remover (applied outside after trimming a case to length).

Okay, a long road to get to your interesting “dead spot.” As I had to search out a tiny rattle, you may find a component that is responsible for causing the issue. The previous suggestion that something related to the body could causing a “phase cancellation” is a solid way to examine this issue. I am minded that the body is composed many parts. Tapping around with a finger tip will allow you to explore. Never forget to check the entire string path and look for loose string windings. Whew! Sorry to rattle on so. Good luck. If it wasn’t bad before it can be put right again.

[David DeLoach]

MYSTERY SOLVED!

Ok, I found the source of the quiet “B” notes on the steel - and it wasn’t the steel at all.

I’d been trying to record for a couple of days using a Fractal Axe-FX III processor running straight into my computer and it was during this time that the quiet “B” notes manifested.

Last night I unplugged the steel and played it acoustically - and the “B” notes sounded perfect. Then I plugged the steel into an amp and the “B” notes sounded perfect.

So the source of this issue was somewhere in the way I have my Fractal Axe-FX III configured!

[Michael Kiese]

MYSTERY SOLVED!

Ok, I found the source of the quiet “B” notes on the steel - and it wasn’t the steel at all.

I’d been trying to record for a couple of days using a Fractal Axe-FX III processor running straight into my computer and it was during this time that the quiet “B” notes manifested.

Last night I unplugged the steel and played it acoustically - and the “B” notes sounded perfect. Then I plugged the steel into an amp and the “B” notes sounded perfect.

So the source of this issue was somewhere in the way I have my Fractal Axe-FX III configured!

When all else fails, go analog! LOL.

Glad you got that figured out. Such a strange issue. Physics are physics, and strings are strings.

I was perplexed on what could have been the issue.

I'm still curious as to what caused the issues in the steels of the other commentators.

[Rick Rienks]

Yeah, that was funny. I assumed the problem manifest itself even unplugged. I often practice unplugged to avoid annoying my wife. Thanks to leads from these pages, I am getting in more “Amp time.” But I don’t even use my pedals usually. So the fancy signal chain is not something I would have thought of. Glad it was a black box issue and not some other dimension in space.

[David DeLoach]

Just had to tweak the EQ in my Fractal and in Logic to eliminate the issue.

Lesson learned.