Help! Fretting out...

[Stevie]

Help,

My Axis on high E will fret out when pulled up on frets 18 and higher, excluding the last fret.

I have noticed that if i were to pull up on the above frets that there is a distinct "scrapping" mark on the last fret within the 2nd quarter on top of that last fret. It would seem the E string is touching that part of the last fret and hence the freting out is occuring. I have tried to shim the E and B saddles and this gave some joy with the B but E still fretted out, albeit not easily. Shimming does not fix the problem however.

The neck, as far i can tell is straight, i followed the FAQ responses on the EB site to varify. The bridge (floyd) is level everywhere it is meant to be.

Can it be possible that i could have an uneven neck pocket so the high E is sitting higher than that of the low E? Is it possible that the fret is higher at that point than others?

Any assistance would be appreciated.

 

[ivanmihaljevic]

Just contact customer service...

 

[TNT]

Stevie,

Are you talking about the string "buzzing" or "fretting" out?????

I think you're talking about "buzz".

"Fretting out" has nothing to do with buzz, it occurs when you finger bend a string "so far e.g., a step and a half", that the string begins to come off of the fret (because the radius curves the fret).

"Buzzing" is when a string is actually hitting a fret higher up the fretboard from where your fretted note is being played.

In any situation the "last fret" on any guitar can always be slightly filed down, because no other fret follows it. So it will never cause a buzz to any frets higher up the fretboard.

You probably have to take it to a tech to do an analysis on the guitar, to see how to remedy the buzz.

 

[Stevie]

TNT,

i get a slight buzz, then on a string bend, it will fret out.

 

[TNT]

Stevie,

With that radius it shouldn't "fret out". You can't really remedy that, it only has to do with the fretboard radius, and that guitar will not fret out, it's to flat.

You may want to take it to a tech, etc. . . just to check it out.

 

[Lou]

Fretting out can usually be corrected by increasing the action a bit. Your guitar may need some fretwork. See a qualified repairperson.

 

[TNT]

Hey Lou,

I think you mean a that a "buzz" can sometimes be corrected by raising the action.

It would be just the opposite, that is, lower the action to correct fretting out (but you can't).

 

[Lou]

increasing = raising. Sometimes I'll get the action pretty low and bend some strings in the 12-15 fretr area and it frets out. Raise the action a bit and your usually back in buisness.

 

[beej]

If it's fretting out above the 18th fret you're going to need to raise the saddles.

If they're as high as they can go, you might need new screws for them (taller ones). You can buy those from MM if you can't find them locally.

Could also be a high fret, in which case a fret job could even out the problem. If the action is set right (straight-ish) and the height is reasonable (so it's playable) and you still can't get it to stop fretting out you may have to go this route.

Give it a go and if you can't get it quite right I'd see a local tech. FYI, if you do need fretwork, you can't beat EBMM for price and quality.

 

[TNT]

"Fretting out" is a fretboard radius issue it has nothing to do with action, saddles or anything else!!

 

[beej]

In the usual context it refers to the string fretting at a higher fret than you intended. Sometimes the note just dies.

It's affected by the radius, but it's also affected by the string height (imagine a line from the top of the fret to the saddle). Raising the string height or dressing the offending fret (if it's higher than the surrounding ones) should fix the problem.

 

[petruccirocks02]

"Fretting out" is a fretboard radius issue it has nothing to do with action, saddles or anything else!!

Just curious but are you a luthier? Fretting out definitely can have something to do with the action or frets, its not necessarily a "fretboard radius issue". I had a string a while back on one of my guitars that would fret out when bent and it turns out that it was a high fret, it had nothing to do whatsoever with the fretboard radius.

Stevie, I would:
A) Call Customer Service and see if they can sort it out for you
B) Take it to a certified luthier and see what he has to say

Its very possible that you just have a high fret or something along those lines.

-Phil

 

[TNT]

Hey Steve,

Yeah, I work on guitars/basses. Mainly neck mod's/replacements, set-ups, bridges/ trems, pickups and frets.

Often when I get a guitar, and almost without exception, they always confuse "buzz" with "fretting out".

Fretting out only occurs when a string is bent so far (say the G string) that the string begins to go "off" of the noted fret on the "other side" of the fretboard. It happens because the fret is curved downward on the "other side".

It has "nothing" to do with anything else. If anything, you would "lower" the saddle action, to keep the string closer to the noted fret when it begins to roll off.

That's why many guitar players choose the 12" or larger radius vs. the 10" (because the 10" will fret out with a large bend".)

 

[Stevie]

Thanks for suggestions.

I currently have the E and B shimmed up 0.2mm. B is ok, however E still frets out on a bend.

TNT, your suggesting that i take out the shims, shimming the B worked, shimming the E doesn't, unless i use a higher shim but that creates problems of uneven string height between E and B. Am i right right in assuming that shimming will not fix the underlying problem, it will in most situations get the result, however. I want to fix the problem and as i detailed out in above, it looks like the E, when pulled up, scraps along the top of the last fret. This would lead me to thinks that i need a fret dress for that one fret.

I will tonight take out the shims and see the results and let you know the result, btw, in the last week i also raised the action, i didn't make a noticable difference.

 

[Stevie]

Well, i took out the shim under the E saddle last night and it made the fretting out worse. I'll pass it by customer service for their thoughts.

 

[Stevie]

Thanks Rob.