I've got an Ibanez Artcore AS83 and am having a goofy problem that I've since noticed on other of my guitars too. If I do hammer ons from open string at 7th fret and above (on any strings) two tones sound. The louder of the two is usually the appropriate note, but slightly quieter, but still audible, a second tone sounds as well. The second tone is not a friendly interval. In addition, when playing with a slide, I hear a similarly, but related goofy thing - double tones in most places on the neck. Even more frustrating is that for example, if I play the high E-string and slide up toward the bridge, I hear the expected ascending tones, but I am also simultaneously hearing defending tones as well.
Guitar is in tune and intonated
The next may have been a little too straight, so I loosened the truss rod a little. The action is a little higher, but still the same problem
Any ideas?
Is the "ghost" note by any chance the note you would get if you plucked on the same string but between the nut and where you fretted the string ?
If I claim to be a wise man , it surely means that I don't know .
It depends on where I am hammering on the open string. If I am hammering lower on the neck near the nut (below the 12th fret), the "ghost" tone that sounds is higher in pitch. If I hammer on an open string higher on the neck (above the 12th fret), the ghost tone that sounds is lower in pitch. The break point is the 12th/13th frets. It's a semi-hollow body guitar, so I often play unplugged. However, when I do this unplugged, the ghost tones are more audible than the actual notes.
This seems to happen on each string
For example, I can to a series of open string - hammer on's on the A string, starting at the first fret and move up the fretboard to the 22nd fret. As the actual tones get ascend in pitch, the ghost tones descend in pitch, crossing over each other at the 12th/13th frets
On the A string, when I hammer at the 12th fret (A), the ghost tone is the 13th fret (A#). When I hammer on the 13th fret (A#), the ghost tone is A (12th fret). The difference between the tones increases the further away from the 12th/13th frets I am hammering on.
Makes playing a slide impossible
I should mention that I added new strings, adjusted the bridge and intonated the guitar as well. Using D'Addario Nickel Wound, Bright tone, round wound medium gauge EXL115 strings 11-14-18-28-38-49
Fret any string anywhere on the neck , preferably somewhere in the middle . Now pluck the string on both sides of your finger and you will hear a tone produced on each side , although the bridge side will be louder . If you move your fretting finger toward the bridge one fret the tone on the bridge side would go up one half tone and the one on the nut side would go down one half tone . When you are hearing the ghost note I believe you are somehow hearing the note produced on the nut side of your finger .
What can be done about it ? You could try using a finger to dampen the strings behind the slide when using it . Maybe some other slide players can offer some suggestions .
If I claim to be a wise man , it surely means that I don't know .
That's exactly it - the ghost tone is the note that sounds between the fretted note and the nut
It is rather frustrating to hear, of course.
Much louder when unplugged and unamplified. In fact, when doing hammer ons on open strings and/or using a slide while unplugged and unamplified, the ghost tones are as loud, if not louder than the actually fretted notes or intended notes with the slide.
It's much less notable when amplified
However, I don't believe this guitar has always been like this and I've made no major changes to it in the last 5+ years
Any thoughts on what could be adjusted to minimize this phenomenon?
I really don't know what could be done , only a guess as to what you might try . First , put a capo on the first fret and try the hammer-ons and see if you still get the unwanted notes . Second see if lowering the height of the pick-ups has any affect on the volume of the ghost notes compared to the desired ones when plugged in .
It would seem that somehow the resonance of the ghost tone is transferring to the whole guitar through the neck joint . That would be the only way it could be picked up by the electronics .
If I claim to be a wise man , it surely means that I don't know .
Everybody's right about the cause - it's the other half of the string.
What you can do about it:
When you're playing slide, the slide should be on your third or fourth finger, and you should rest your index finger lightly across all the strings as you play.
When you're fretting, the most direct cure is to get a terrycloth wristband and put it over the nut of the guitar. Your open strings will be slightly muffled, but your fretted notes will be clean. Players who do a lot of tapping with high gain often do this.
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
Could this all be a symptom that the strings are sitting too high at the nut?
I notice on a couple of my other guitars that when I fret a note, say at the 9th fret, if I pluck the string between the fretted note and the nut, the sound is muffled, muted, i.e. the tone doesn't ring out. On this Ibanez guitar, if I do the same thing, the tone sounds noticeably and is not muffled or muted. Could this be an issue at the nut?
