Unknown Problem. Need Help

[xghs]

The issue I'm currently having is that when playing the 14th through to about the 17th fret on the high e string I'm getting the exact same sounding note from each fret, the note itself is also distorted. The 14th fret on the B string is also producing a distorted sound; I wouldn't describe it as a buzz, the note just doesnt hold for a very long period of time. I've included a couple of photos of the general area. The frets themselves seem pretty normal; I'm no expert but I can't see any difference between the 14th and the 3rd for example. The only difference I can see is that the high e string seems to be perhaps 3mm closer to the fretboard than the other strings. The B string is maybe a couple of mm closer also. I've tried to show this in the photos but the quality isn't great.
I hope someone can tell me what's wrong and how to fix it.
A great deal of thanks to anyone who replies.

[Derek Wilkerson]

looks like you've got some decent fretwear going on already.. hopefully its not notching yet

if the string height doesnt follow your radius you have one of two problems, the first being more likely.

1. your bridge saddle has notches in it from the guitar being restrung over the years (especially if its a plastic bridge saddle). the part you're looking for is the little white piece of plastic down near where your palm rests on the bridge. check to see if your thinner strings have dug themselves a little trench. if so, you can take it to a guitar shop and he will take care of it. or you can get a new bridge. if you get a new bridge, and if you care about the guitar enough, i would invest in a bone or sythetic bone material that is harder than plastic to prevent this problem in the future. if this is just some cheap acoustic, get a plastic one. or else you'll be spending unecessary money on a cheap guitar.

2. your string notches in the nut might not have been notched properly when the guitar was last setup. the nut is a piece of plastic up near the headstock at the end of the neck that keeps the strings in place and separates the speaking length of the string from the non speaking length. with this problem you can put a drop of dense modelling glue (one that is recommended for plastics, or else it will melt your nut, and nobody likes melted nuts ) and fill in the notch that is the problem, then take it to your guitar shop and have him reset the nut slot with a nut file so that it properly fits the radius (curvature) of the fretboard).

onto the first problem you mentioned, the distorted sounding notes near the top on the top two strings on relatively higher frets. before all else i would check and see if your highest fret isnt too high, if it is you can take it to your local shop and have him level it. or it could be either a loose brace, which is rather unlikely because they only vibrate sympathetic to lower strings and notes, or you have a really loose trussrod that is broken and vibrating sympathetically with the strings. ive seen it on 2 acoustics that entered my "shop" if you can call it that. if this is the case theres really not much you can do. with acoustics you cant just swap out a neck. you have to go through to nerveracking process of breaking the finish around the neck joint, heating up the glue and separating the neck..

you could also check your tuning machine mounting nuts and see if they are loose. if they are, only tighten them till hand tightened then give about an 1/8 of a turn with a wrench or pliers, being careful not to damage it.

theres some other things i can think of but i would check these first before we get into depth with this one..

Derek.

[Diceman]

I would think that the string is contacting one of the higher frets ( than the one you are fingering ) or even possibly the neck pickup . Identify what note it is and examine the clearance between the frets and string . A thin feeler gauge (.0015") should be able to slide between fret and string . If your bridge is adjustable try raising the bottom up until the problem disappears . A little adjustment should be all that is necessary . Sometimes the neck pickup can come in contact if it is raised too high so look there also . I hope this helps or you find out what else it actually is . Good luck .

[xghs]

Thank you to both of you! In particular to Diceman; found the problem thanks to your advice. The string was touching basically every higher fret causing the issue. The guitar has a floating bridge, and so I'm going to raise it slightly at with any luck it should solve the issue. Once again thank you both so much!

[Derek Wilkerson]

i said the same thing he did somewhere in my laundry list but no biggie lol