Hey everyone,
I bought a Epiphone SG a while back (used, for about $200) and I really like it. However, when I played I noticed a problem when I started playing up in the high registers of the neck: basically when I play on the high E string, I notice that I can only play clear notes until about the 19th or 20th fret, and then the pitch is suddenly sharpened by a couple of steps.
The strange thing is that all the fretted positions sound fine on all other strings, but ONLY on that high E string it sounds like this. I've also noticed that if I play the fretted position normally it sounds sharpened, but if I start to bend the string a bit it starts to return to it's normal pitch (but a little higher obviously, since the string is bent). It also doesn't just happen on one fret, it doesn't matter what fret I press down (19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd), I get the same pitch.
My guess is that the perticular fret is low or worn, especially on the one side of the neck, although I could be wrong. I was just wondering if anyone else has encountered this problem, what they did and roughly how much it cost?
Steve-0
sounds like you have a fret end popping up. Look closely at the edges of the really high frets and see if you can see under any of them. Look for a gap between the fret end and the fretboard.
My old Ibanez had the same problem and I found the fret was rising. I used a small rubber mallet and hammered the fret end back in and everything was fine.
you should be able to see any significant wear on a fret. they usually develop quite a "valley" under the strings before causing issues, unless the action is set really low.
If U2's solution does not work, just raise the treble side of the bridge a bit to up the action. if the action is already pretty high, then you may need to first adjust the neck relief (truss rod -- search forum for many instructions and warnings), then set the action. action that has been lowered too much to compensate excessive relief often results in exactly what you describe. another sign of this is the unfretted string height above the 12th fret is the same or higher than that above the 20th fret.
-=tension & release=-
Thanks, I followed U2's advice and I hammered the fret back in and that solved the problem.
Steve-0
cool -- of all the possibilities, that would be the easiest and fastest to fix
-=tension & release=-
