Am I getting Wolf Notes?

[BoardMonster]

Ok
I've Rerecorded it, First I use A very mild overdrive pausing again on the 12th Fret, and then I use add more Gain (and once again hitting the 12 fret twice for emphasis), Let me know what you guys think.

Wolf Notes part Deux

Oh and I forgot to respond to Slingy , I would contact Customer Service, but I'm all the way in Jamaica and really dont want to dial international :S.

 

[BoardMonster]

When you have two frequencies close to each other they "beat", you can hear the warble as the notes interfere.

What I'm saying is, I can't hear the "wolf notes" you're talking about. To me, it just sounds like there's a little beating going on and the distortion makes it more noticeable.

Maybe it's really noticeable in person, but I can't tell what's going on from that clip.

Ohhh...I've been calling it the wrong name all along, I've actually been trying to describe the beating as you call it, that warble. Oh..that makes more sense. So now two questions remain, what causes this beating and how best do I go about fixing it?

Thanks

 

[beej]

Not sure, but I think a wolf note refers to an acoustic instrument. I don't think this is a resonance issue.

Sounds to me like there's a slight beating where you hit the note twice. (Again, its' tough to really tell from that sample, it's not that pronounced.) So question is, what's the string beating with?

If this is an instrument issue, you should hear it acoustically. Not the beating, which might be tough to hear, but you should hear a buzzing or other string vibrating that's contributing to it. How does it sound unplugged? Is something loose? Is the string also vibrating in the nut, etc.? Be creative, put your ear everywhere.

If it's set up well (no string buzzing) and you don't hear anything acoustically, then I have to suspect it's your rig. Have the same problem when you play through other amps, etc?

 

[BoardMonster]

Yes I've played it through other amps and heard it as well.
Well I've unplugged it and played it acoustically and It does have a slight bit of fret buzz on the G string, but It also has fret buzz on the strings below that (EAD) which while I can hear through my rig doesnt produce that same nasty beating overtone. Another thing I noticed earlier and forgot to mention is if I roll off the tone knob on the guitar The beating goes away But I suppose that's just me cutting out the frequencies that clash.

Is it safe to assume that my low action is causing a bit of fret buzz which in turn leads to this beating on the G String?

 

[RocketRalf]

My theory is: It might be fret buzz. You can't hear it on the other strings because they are not wound and the G is the only wound string that's buzzing. Try lifting the saddle on the G string and see if that's the problem, if not, then go back to what you have. Just count the turns you give to the screws.

 

[beej]

Yeah, I'd suspect fret buzz as well. I'd try RocketRalf's suggestion and see. Crank it right up to test.

 

[BoardMonster]

Ok, thanks for that bit of advice, I'm a bit green to guitar setup, I know the screws at the back of the bridge move the saddles horizontal position, so How exactly do I raise the saddle height? If either of you guys can point me in the right direction it'd be very appreciated.

 

[RocketRalf]

Use a small allen key into the cylinders that hold the saddle vertically. Turn them both counter-clockwise the same amount of turns, and like I said before, count the turns so you can revert it to the original position if you want to.

 

[BoardMonster]

Thanks a lot, gonna try now

 

[BoardMonster]

Haha, as soon as I can find an allen key small enough to fit the cylinder

 

[BoardMonster]

Well I raised the saddle by three revolutions but no luck, the buzz was gone acoustically but the beating is still there.

 

[beej]

I'd suggest you take it to a tech to look over. Not really easy to diagnose this over the Internet.

If you have a MM dealer nearby, give them a call. Maybe CS can recommend somebody in your neck of the woods, but any good tech should do.

 

[BoardMonster]

Ok, THanks For all the help guys, much appreciated, I'm gonna switch to 11's this weekend and then if that doesnt work, I'll try to find a "good" tech.

 

[KoreyD]

Ok, THanks For all the help guys, much appreciated, I'm gonna switch to 11's this weekend and then if that doesnt work, I'll try to find a "good" tech.

Hey man, please keep us posted on what happens. I'm going through the same thing with my <cough, cough> PRS right now. Never had the problem, had new tuners put on by a "pro." Ever since I got it back it had the beating problem. So, for the last few months I've been trying everything short of a new nut, but to no avail. Just raised the action a bit more again last weekend, and it got a bit better it seemed. Anyways, this thread has been very informative for me, so thanks for all the insight! They say everything happens for a reason, and this problem pushed me over the edge to order my first ball 6 stringer!! And I just got the phone call today, that it's ALIVE, ALIVE!!! Should have it Monday or Tuesday!!!! Can't waaaaaaiiiiiittttttttt....

 

[tommyindelaware]

have you tried other amp rigs & still hearing it ????
cold solder joints in pedals & solid state amps can have this effect. in tube amps .....a bad tube (usually a preamp tube) and / or a cold solder joint can cause a wolf note .( oscalating tone)

Not sure, but I think a wolf note refers to an acoustic instrument. I don't think this is a resonance issue.

Sounds to me like there's a slight beating where you hit the note twice. (Again, its' tough to really tell from that sample, it's not that pronounced.) So question is, what's the string beating with?

If this is an instrument issue, you should hear it acoustically. Not the beating, which might be tough to hear, but you should hear a buzzing or other string vibrating that's contributing to it. How does it sound unplugged? Is something loose? Is the string also vibrating in the nut, etc.? Be creative, put your ear everywhere.

If it's set up well (no string buzzing) and you don't hear anything acoustically, then I have to suspect it's your rig. Have the same problem when you play through other amps, etc?

 

[shredderbetter]

take the trem cover plate off and see if it's spring vibration?,then try to see if it stops by touching pickups and other parts,these can be a pain but it's usally an easy fix,make sure neck is tight and all knobs and hardware are tight!
good luck!

 

[BoardMonster]

Hey thanks Ill look into that

 

[BoardMonster]

Hmm well I haven't been able to ascertain anything in checking the springs and the saddles, Should I perhaps raise the action a bit with the truss rod and see if it makes a difference?

On a More positive note I put on 10's today and the tone got even better.

 

[KoreyD]

I too, just tore through mine again, and no luck! Loosened and reset saddles, checked trem springs, messed with the action a bit, nothing changes it. This has been driving me crazy for months!!!

Now that I got my Axis, I think it's time to take this sucker to someone and see what they say. PRS customer service said it sounded like a nut problem, so that's one thing I haven't messed with. I REALLY hope my neck didn't get tweaked by the last tech. Good help is hard to find!!!!

 

[guitarman23]

yea.......ummm, i got that to a while ago and re-set up my action, its the action cause from what i hear and experienced i have no doubt that its fret buzz! also i had to clean my saddles because the dirt/grime started building up after a while witch gave it a weird humming sound (all humming stopped after i cleaned it), so maybe try one of these... good luck!