McCarty 594 - Odd Choking Issue - Looking for suggestions.

[Ross128]

Hello All! Thanks for checking this out. I tried to search for this specific issue, but I didn't find anything. My apologies if this has been covered before.

I have a lack of sustain when fretting and almost immediate choking out when bending only on the high E. 22nd fret.

I suspect it is some kind of sympathetic vibration, but I have not been able to track it down. Here's the background. When I first received the guitar the action was slightly out of spec, so I adjusted it to PRS standard. The neck is very straight with a little relief. Everything plays and sounds great except for this issue. I am using the factory strings and have not swapped them yet. I am pretty confident the setup is correct. All my other guitars have Floyds, so the two pice bridge is new to me, but also pretty straightforward.

Given the nature of the issue, I don't think it can have anything to do with the frets or neck, So, I'm left with the bridge. However, everything on the bridge looks solid.

If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I can still send the guitar back, but I really like everything else about it, so I'd like to avoid that if it is easily fixable. Thanks again.

 

[Tone-y]

Certainly change those strings! I notice the high e string starts to sound bad with lack of sustain (and sound like I've got fret buzz) up on the higher frets when the strings start to get old. A fresh set and everything is good again. Other than that could the pickups be a bit too close?

 

[Lacire]

Check to make sure the string is not touching the pickup cover or pickup screw when you’re bending it. Also bend the string at the 22 fret and look to see if the string touches the front edge of the bridge. If it’s neither one of these and the pickup is really close to the strings it can dampen the strings vibration which is hardly anything being it’s the small E string and the short string length between the 22 fret and the bridge, or as stated maybe a bad string.

 

[Ross128]

Thanks very much for your help. I appreciate your time. I switched strings and lowered the bridge pickup. The bridge itself seems properly adjusted. No change so far. I'll take it in tomorrow and see if a tech has any luck. Thanks again!

 

[Lacire]

The only other guess I could make is the fret profile under the E string, but new guitar so probably not, or the seating at that end of the fret has slightly lifted from the fingerboard. Good luck and let us know what your tech finds.

 

[Rider1260]

I would try making small changes to your setup every guitar has a sweet spot adding just a taste of relief or raising the action the smallest amount can make a HUGE difference. also make sure the NECK pickup is not too high. the High E at the 22nd fret has so little mass at that point anything can cause you issue ( including your fretting ) if it rings better if you bend you might need a smalll adjustment. also try giving the last couple of frets a quick polish it can do wonders

 

[Rod/]

I would try making small changes to your setup every guitar has a sweet spot adding just a taste of relief or raising the action the smallest amount can make a HUGE difference. also make sure the NECK pickup is not too high. the High E at the 22nd fret has so little mass at that point anything can cause you issue ( including your fretting ) if it rings better if you bend you might need a smalll adjustment. also try giving the last couple of frets a quick polish it can do wonders

Great suggestion @Rider1260 .
Gorgomyte is a great fret and fingerboard polish that comes in the form of a treated cloth.. cut off a 2” square, Polish all the frets in 4 minutes.. wipe off… great stuff…..no steel wool!

 

[Pb6]

Hello All! Thanks for checking this out. I tried to search for this specific issue, but I didn't find anything. My apologies if this has been covered before.

I have a lack of sustain when fretting and almost immediate choking out when bending only on the high E. 22nd fret.

I suspect it is some kind of sympathetic vibration, but I have not been able to track it down. Here's the background. When I first received the guitar the action was slightly out of spec, so I adjusted it to PRS standard. The neck is very straight with a little relief. Everything plays and sounds great except for this issue. I am using the factory strings and have not swapped them yet. I am pretty confident the setup is correct. All my other guitars have Floyds, so the two pice bridge is new to me, but also pretty straightforward.

Given the nature of the issue, I don't think it can have anything to do with the frets or neck, So, I'm left with the bridge. However, everything on the bridge looks solid.

If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I can still send the guitar back, but I really like everything else about it, so I'd like to avoid that if it is easily fixable. Thanks again.

Old thread, but did you ever resolve the issue? I have a 594 S2 with the same problem. I do most of my own setups but this problem has me perplexed. Bent notes in the upper register don’t have much sustain. There’s no fret buzz and neck relief is set in the middle of the spec.

 

[Rod/]

Old thread, but did you ever resolve the issue? I have a 594 S2 with the same problem. I do most of my own setups but this problem has me perplexed. Bent notes in the upper register don’t have much sustain. There’s no fret buzz and neck relief is set in the middle of the spec.

Hi. Are you using the original pick ups on your 594.? I own that green S2 594 you see in my signature on the left there. Great guitar. In my opinion the pickups are a bit on the weak side, but if you raise them up closer to the strings, it will add more punch to your sound, and give you more sustain. When playing in the upper registers on electric guitars. or any guitars for that matter, you are dealing with a much smaller length of string, and it will not have as much vibration as when you’re playing at the 12th fret or lower on the guitar. Hence, it will have less energy to create for the pick ups to transfer to electricity. What I’ve found in playing up in the higher register above the 15th fret is that I hit the string harder to make up for the string length, and the lack of sustain that a short piece of string has, especially on the plain strings. The wound strings never seem to have an issue because they are much fatter, and fatter sounding and vibrate easier. I also have to push down harder the shorter the length of string. My action is not set low. No string buzz at all.. but it’s harder to play the higher you go on the fretboard…. With PRS, not by much but with my old Gibsons, it was torture