B String - ringing note continues after string muted

[ColonelForbin]

Noticed a peculiar behavior on my new custom 24. It's most evident when I play a harmonic on the b string at the 12th fret. When I mute the string with my palm, the note continues to ring. It doesn't seem to do this on the other strings. Thought I was hearing things! Checked my strat, note dies immediately after muting the string.

I am hopeful, as the guitar is brand new, it's just something that needs to adjust slightly, or be broken in with some proper playing time. Figured I would ask, since it's not something I have experienced before!

Read elsewhere, someone had reported a similar condition on a strat, responses were guessing it's an improperly cut nut, that the b string is resonating between the tuner and the nut? I will check that, but if anyone else would care to weigh in with experience or opinions, please do!

Thanks!

 

[AP515]

Are you sure your palm is muting all 6 strings? It could be sympathy notes. Try this, pluck the open B string (or the harmonic). Then deaden the ringing B string, and listen for the note still ringing. Touch each of the next strings to see which one is ringing in sympathy to the B string. I had a McCarty that was so resonant that hitting one string would cause the other ones to ring the 2nd harmonic of that note. It was unbelievable that a guitar body would ring so much.

 

[Jazzedout]

It could also be the trem springs ringing... It could happen when you have a lively guitar... there are many tricks to mute the trem springs on youtube.

 

[ColonelForbin]

Thanks for the replies! I will check those out, see if I can figure out what's going on, will also plug it in, and see if that sound is carrying to the pickups, or it's just mechanical / resonance.

 

[solacematt]

There's another thread on this exact subject you may want to take a look for

 

[ColonelForbin]

There's another thread on this exact subject you may want to take a look for

That's likely a good starting place, thanks! I will do some searching.. I checked it again last night, it's specific to the B string; it continues to 'chime' mostly on the harmonic, but I assume it's resonating with any note / use of the b string. It does continue to ring when muting all 6 strings, and it continues to ring when muting all strings across the headstock above the nut..

It sounds like it's coming from inside the tremelo cavity; possibly springs as Jazzedout mentioned above.. I hear it when plugged in too.

On a side note, because even though this is a 'problem', it's a great problem to have all things considered!!! #ThankfulForPRS>>.

Yeah, so I got to crank up the PRS through an amp last night; I must say, the pickups sound incredible - I am very used to hearing my strat tones with it's five-way blade, and these tones are WAY different; in a most excellent way. I love how loud the neck pickup is!!! And the middle pickup is great, chunky - nice rhythm tone setting. The other two (2 and 4) sound similar to strat 'quack', but not really, and they have their own character.

I need to get this B string thing resolved so I can really play this baby, and do some recording.

Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[rugerpc]

Are you sure your palm is muting all 6 strings? It could be sympathy notes. Try this, pluck the open B string (or the harmonic). Then deaden the ringing B string, and listen for the note still ringing. Touch each of the next strings to see which one is ringing in sympathy to the B string. I had a McCarty that was so resonant that hitting one string would cause the other ones to ring the 2nd harmonic of that note. It was unbelievable that a guitar body would ring so much.

THIS

I get harmonic stimulation of other strings regularly on my guitars - THIS IS NOT A FLAW.

When a guitar is so resonant that plucking one string can cause other strings to chime in (see what I did there?) with harmonics, that is a very musical guitar.

Interesting note (did it again...): There is a great example of one string stimulating a harmonic on another string in a recording you should have heard many times. On The Beatles' I Feel Fine, the song starts with Paul plucking the open A string on his bass. John's "semi-acoustic" guitar's A string resonated without being touched. The Acoustic pickup amplified John's A string and since the guitar was near John's amp, there was feedback. It was the first use of feedback on a record and that is the part that gets written about, but the interesting part for me was that the note on John's guitar was induced by sound waves coming from Paul's amp.

This Wikipedia entry gets the story right: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles'_recording_technology - the note was induced on John's guitar by Paul's bass.

This one has errors: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Feel_Fine - John did NOT pluck the string.

 

[ColonelForbin]

What's odd is, A.) it only does it on the B string; and B.) it doesn't do anything remotely like that on my US Fender strat, which also has a tremelo.. I grabbed the strat, hit a harmonic on the B string; muted the strings, and all sound stops - as it should. Do the same thing on the PRS, and the note continues clear, like metal sound continuing to ring undampened. Not correct... You don't want your guitar to continue making sound, especially specific notes, when you are muting all the strings. Especially a note that may or may not be correct for the musical passage occuring at that moment in the song. A guitar that wants to let the note B ring somewhere it shouldn't would make playing the key of F troublesome...

Frustrated postulating about what it could be, while being at work during the day without my guitars! I will take a (careful) closer look when I get home. On a side note, every office should have an office guitar on hand. Or two. Just sayin'!

I *definitely* muted all string related possibilities that could be continuing to ring - it's most likely something to do with the springs; sound is coming out of the tremelo cavity. I was plucking the note, holding my ear close to the guitar with it unplugged, trying to ascertain which end of the instrument was producing this odd sound.. IT does not seem to do this with the other strings - will check more carefully.. My guitar just likes the note 'B'! IT's like I have the worlds smallest one string violin inside the tremelo cavity! I will put the bar on and work the tremelo arm a bit, and likely take that back panel off, see if I can spot any specific offenders.

Thanks folks, will report back if I figure it out

 

[Michael_DK]

It's funny - both the PRS I have now and the one before it had the same thing with the trem springs - and both of them very specifically excited by the open B-string (hm... looking at that sentence I guess it's a good thing it wasn't the G).

I could have sworn that it came through the pickups as well - but I did a recording to test it, and there was nothing there, it was just the "acoustic" effect.

 

[swede71]

Put some foam in the spring cavity and I'm sure it will go away.Try to detune guitar to e flat and loosen springs til tremolo is parrallel to body as a test.Less tension on springs.I have the same problem on my DGT.If I tune down it goes away.i use foam from a pickupset and tune to standard.This is not a PRS problem,it is a problem with all tremolo units using springs.Steve Vai for example has this problem with his custom made Ibanez guitar.He use foam.Many people say taking tremolo backplate off makes guitar sounds better,I think it is clothes damping the springs they hear as better .

 

[Michael_DK]

...And if you don't have foam lying around, paper towel works just fine as well

 

[ColonelForbin]

It's funny - both the PRS I have now and the one before it had the same thing with the trem springs - and both of them very specifically excited by the open B-string (hm... looking at that sentence I guess it's a good thing it wasn't the G).

I could have sworn that it came through the pickups as well - but I did a recording to test it, and there was nothing there, it was just the "acoustic" effect.

Thanks!!! I was getting worried; but I talked to my guys at Third Coast; I am heading to the city on my day off this Wednesday, and will be picking up the SG they just did a setup on, and dropping off my bass to get electronics repaired. He said bring the PRS, they will take a quick look while I am there, and likely correct any issue for me on the spot.. We'll see, I will definitely take a closer look myself before then! Glad to know someone out there recognizes what I am talkin' about..

 

[ColonelForbin]

Put some foam in the spring cavity and I'm sure it will go away.Try to detune guitar to e flat and loosen springs til tremolo is parrallel to body as a test.Less tension on springs.I have the same problem on my DGT.If I tune down it goes away.i use foam from a pickupset and tune to standard.This is not a PRS problem,it is a problem with all tremolo units using springs.Steve Vai for example has this problem with his custom made Ibanez guitar.He use foam.Many people say taking tremolo backplate off makes guitar sounds better,I think it is clothes damping the springs they hear as better .

Yeah; it does seem the springs are the culprit; will take a closer look, try the foam trick. I can see if that stops it; since it's so new, I didn't want to start having to correct issues already, but seems like this will be an easy tweak..

Then I can go home and crank up the amps while wife is away for the day!

Cheers, thanks for the tip! Glad I am not imagining things..

 

[Proxmax]

easy trick:
i glued a lil foam stripe on the cover inside of the trem cavern to damp the springs...

 

[swede71]

Check vid from 1.40.He Use paper towel or tissue as michael dk told us about.

 

[László]

If memory serves (been a while since I've had a Strat), my old Strats didn't have trems that float like the one on a PRS. I think that's a big enough difference that you might find the springs vibrating more freely since the body isn't dampening the bridge as much.

I've seen lots of players of various kinds of guitars split pieces of foam tubing and slip the split tubes over the springs to dampen the vibration.

I haven't found spring resonance a problem, but each guitar is different and each player is, too!

 

[markintime]

I saw something like that somewhere, and I took the springs out of my SE CU 24, cut some packing foam small enough to insert inside the springs, and put them back in. But that was kind of a preemptive measure ... just in case, even before I had such a problem. Y'know, just in case....

 

[Proxmax]

 

[rugerpc]

What's odd is, A.) it only does it on the B string; and B.) it doesn't do anything remotely like that on my US Fender strat, which also has a tremelo.. I grabbed the strat, hit a harmonic on the B string; muted the strings, and all sound stops - as it should. Do the same thing on the PRS, and the note continues clear, like metal sound continuing to ring undampened. Not correct... You don't want your guitar to continue making sound, especially specific notes, when you are muting all the strings.

In my example above, it is another string, which IS desirable - cured by simply muting the strings. Since you say the note continues to ring with all the strings muted, it probably is the tremolo strings and undesirable.

 

[rugerpc]

You don't want your guitar to continue making sound, especially specific notes, when you are muting all the strings. Especially a note that may or may not be correct for the musical passage occuring at that moment in the song. A guitar that wants to let the note B ring somewhere it shouldn't would make playing the key of F troublesome.

I've been thinking about this part...

Since it only happens when you play a B, you only have to worry about it when you play a B. If you are in a key without a B, or playing a run or whatever without a B, no unwanted sound, correct?
And if you are playing something that does have a B in it, well, it might be out of place in a phrase, but not out of key.

So, I don't think you have to worry about the unwanted B ruining your songs in F, etc.

I'd still dampen the trem springs, but I don't think it going to ruin your non-B songs if you don't.