Hey guys.
I have sort of a bizarre problem. My High E string (thinnest) really stands out in chords with a weird tone (although it's in tune) and keeps ringing for what seems to be forever.
In order to see what the problem might be I was playing around with each string when I noticed that if I pluck the high E string hard it will make the A string (which is 3 strings apart) ring. I tried it with an electronic tuner too. I pluck the high E string and get an E reading on the tuner. Then I mute the E string with my finger and after a pause the tuner needle goes to a perfect A which is the string that is ringing.
I see the same effect between other strings, for instance B and low E but it is less pronounced, probably because the string is thicker. Now I am aware that the guitar is a whole and things are in contact with each other, transferring vibrations, but I'm not talking about something subtle here.
Now a little it background. This is a Seagull Spruce S6 guitar I bought a few months ago. I have changed the strings on it with LIGHT bronze ones. I am not sure what the original gauge was. I'm thinking maybe the strings have some room to move in the grooves ? That might explain the funny sounding high E as well.
So. Am I onto something here? Is this an unexplained phenomena? Something common?
Thanks
Oktay
The sound you hear when you play is not just a simple soundwave - if you put your guitar sound through an oscilloscope you'd see that the wave was quite jagged and uneven in places. The sound you hear includes any number of overtones and harmonics (and there's a mathematical formula I don't understand which tells you which harmonics you will get) and these cause sympathetic resonance in other strings; which is what you're hearing.
Best,
A :-)
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Thanks for the information. I've actually changed the strings today and the "funny sounding high E" has gotten a little better. I guess I'll try a few guitars at a shop to see if I really have a problem.
Thanks again.
Oktay
The sound you're hearing might be caused by a faulty nut or bridge saddle. Do you notice any buzzing frets? If one of your frets is raised it may be causing the harmonic to ring. My bet is on the bridge saddle though. Likely the groove is too deep or the string is catching on a burr in the bridge saddle.
