The Steel Guitar Forum

So I've got a couple of Dead spots on my B string, right past the fret markers 1 and 3. when I press the pedal or detune the string they move.

And i found one on my C6th neck the other night as well. It's a fulawka, have never had an issue with it before.

you slide up to it, note rings, hit the spot and the note vanishes, reappears when you slide past it. It's not right on the fret, but close enough that vibrato can hit it.

anyone got any ideas? the ball end of the string string appears to be seated in the changer correctly, although the E string next to it is not quite all the way in.

Does this happen both amplified and unamplified?

Have you tried a new string?

It's interesting that the dead spots move when you change the pitch of the open string.

Amazing , I had the exact problem a few weeks ago. Mine was 6th string , pedal down or up , on the eighth fret. I couldnt see anything under the string at the roller or the changer end. But it did it all night.

Move forward or backward just a bit and the problem was gone. the next day everything was fine. I went ahead and changed strings anyway. This only happened at one gig and has never happened before.

yeah, the fact that the spots move is confounding. im going to try a new couple of strings right there and see if that does it, if so ill changed the whole set.

i just wanted to see if this same thing had afflicted anyone else, because its a weird issue.

it also does NOT appear to happen at the octaves.

It is probably phase cancellation between the resonant frequency of the guitar and the fretted note. Common on all stringed instruments. Especially noticeable on acoustic guitars.

hard to tell if its happening unamplified, and its in several places on both necks.

Olli Haavisto wrote:It is probably phase cancellation between the resonant frequency of the guitar and the fretted note. Common on all stringed instruments. Especially noticeable on acoustic guitars.

Thats what it sounds like to me as well.. Only thing is, he stated he never had the issue before.. I would try a new string, and check the changer finger very closely where its against the string.. i have seen some weird things happen there that a bit of fine sandpaper cleared right up... bob

Make sure absolutly all other strings are muted in order to isolate the problem. The "problem" string should only be allowed to vibrate between the bar and the changer. Can it be duplicated on another string at same pitch ?
Is your pickup very close to the strings so that there can be unintended magnetic pull on the string?
Try also different cable, different amp in order to eliminate any part that may cause the problem.
And also try a new string. Good luck with finding and fixing the problem. Nothing that feels worse than playing on an instrument that fights against you or misbehaves in weird ways.

B.Erlandsen
Zumsteel S12extE9 7+7

My experince with dead spots on acoustic guitars is that you can go for years not noticing them, but once you do they`re ALWAYS there.😀
JB, if the same pitch on a different string is dead, I`d say it`s phase cancellation, if not, it`s something else....

John,Has Paul Carestia checked out your guitar?He seems very knowledgeable and could probably figure it out.