Please Help! High-pitched Ringing Noise on Certain Notes

[Talldad]

Long shot!
Could you generate a frequency curve for the G string using something like FFT? It will show a massive spike at the harmonic/overtone. The spike might give an indication as to which harmonic is reacting and it might map to a particular fret.

The only other thought I had was whether it has anything to do with the truss Rod nut.

[Alan Carruth]

The longitudinal 'zip tone' wave is produced when you pluck the string anywhere but in the exact center of it's vibrating length; the closer you get to the bridge the more energy there is in that wave. Electric guitar pickups are not sensitive to that directly, and may not 'hear' much of it, but it can affect the way the string vibrates at an upper partial, sometimes badly. The 'zip' tone can drive the top of an acoustic guitar and produce sound directly. It's not a lot of power, and couples to the soundboard in an inefficient manner, but being high pitched and dissonant it can stand out. The higher the strings are off the top the more you will get of it in the mix.

[Black-n-Nan]

Originally Posted by t1mp0w

Hey everyone!

I am very new to AGF, and I am liking it so far! I currently have a dilemma that has been going on for about a month now:

I have a lovely Taylor GS Mini-e Koa (I've had it for about 3 months), and it sounds great. However, as of about a month ago I have noticed a shrill metallic "ringing" noise that occurs when I play the open G string. The note itself is fine, but it sounds like there is an additional loud overtone/harmonic when the string is struck. I also notice it when the G string is fretted, up to around the 4th fret or so, but it is most noticeable as an open string. The ringing is more prominent when plugged into an amplifier, but it is definitely there acoustically (I recently recorded some music with it and I can hear it without an amp). The ringing occurs on the string that is being played, and immediately stops when the string is muted. I can also hear it a bit on the high e string.

I have tried muting the strings between the nut and the tuners, changing strings to different types/gauges, swapped out the bridge pins, changing to a bone nut, tightening every screw I could find, placing my hand on and around the saddle and top of the body, switching to E-flat standard tuning, but to no avail. I'm unsure of how to locate where the sound is coming from even.

I am currently in E standard tuning, using Elixir Polyweb Mediums (I first noticed the ringing while using Elixir Nanoweb PB Mediums).

Here is a brief audio clip.

Any ideas what could be causing the sound? Any help is greatly appreciated, I am getting a bit desperate!

Have had similar problem with my Taylor 214CE. The same as you, checked everything with no result. Eventually found ES2 wires rattling inside the body.

[valleyguy]

Originally Posted by GrandpaBucky

I'm glad to see this subject made it to 2021 so I'm not replying to zombies. My Bourgeois Vintage D had a ringing noise on the High E when back-picked in one half inch long location between the hole and the bridge. I tightened the neck bolts, cleaned nut slots, made sure the truss wasn't at a neutral setting, tightened tuners, changed strings, checked string height. I actually removed my LR Baggs Lyric system to eliminate that as a contributor. I finally went to an excellent luthier, we thought he got it but when I got home it was back.

While he was working on it the luthier told the joke, Patient: "Doctor, it hurts when I move my arm like this." Doctor: "Well then, don't do that any more." It turns out there was more wisdom than you'd think in that remark.

BTW, yes I have tinnitus. That ringing is constant so not a variable to the best of my knowledge. Little known fact, tinnitus occurs in the brain, not in the actual ears.

Anyway, got home only to find the ringing was back so in disgust, I listed the guitar and sold it. A week later I bought a Martin J-40. I truly believe this guitar is, "The One." I get home, grab a .73 pick and start rocking out, something I did not do at the store. I back-picked the high E and there it was again, the same exact ringing noise. Aargh! Pretty funny, when you think about it.

I researched picks and discovered many bluegrass pickers prefer 100 mil and heavier picks so I got some to replace my .73 picks. That knocked back the ringing noise quite a bit but was not perfect.

I gave it some more thought and it occurred to me that through years of electric guitar playing I had developed a very bad habit of resting my palm on the bridge so I could palm mute. With that as an anchor point, I invariably was picking in the same exact location every time. By getting my palm off the bridge the problem went away. The luthier was right when he joked, "Don't do that any more."

Not only did the ringing go away, so did that annoying squeaking noise from my palm resting on the bridge pins.

I had also decided that rather than drill and install a strap peg in the guitar heel like I usually do, I would do like Elvis and Johnny Cash and try strapping at the headstock. One unintentional benefit of that, this allowed the guitar to shift farther to the right. Coupling that with getting my palm off the bridge resulted in a huge benefit, I found out where the best overtones and volume reside in a J-40 and it is definitely not where I had been picking. Just over the sound hole near the end of the neck is where it gets really good. If I move another inch, I get less volume but more overtones picking above the last two frets on the neck. There are also some magical but slightly metallic tones when plucked above the 9th fret.

Anyway, since I moved my picking location I have pretty much forgotten about the ringing noise and have now begun a whole new voyage of discovery.

I find most Martins with scalloped braces have that ringing on the first string, it is subtle, and most people don't hear it, but I hear and it irritates me, as I love their sound. Selling my third Martin as soon as I get it back from the shop to have the bindings glued back on.