Problem with my guitar plugged in

[Primdmit]

Hi, guys! I have an Ibanez ae305 electro acoustic guitar. When i play it plugged in all notes sound good except for C# on the forth fret of the fifth string: this note sounds much louder and sustaines much longer than C or D notes. The sound is really awful and the note sustaines more than 30 sec. and stopes ringing only when i mute it with my hand. When i unplug my guitar all notes sound similarly. I’ve checked my guitar all over the neck and this is only C#. Did anyone have something like this? What could be the matter?

[JayBee1404]

Sounds like it’s feeding back. Are you playing with your amp turned up really loud? Try reducing the volume a little. Does your amp have a notch-filter? If yes, try using it to ‘dial back’ that frequency. If not, try standing either sideways-on or with your back to the amp and see if that cures it.

[Wade Hampton]

Primdmit, unfortunately the built-in electronics that come installed on many intermediate-priced guitars are often not very good. Having one or two strings that are louder or quieter than all the others is quite common. In your case, the guitar itself might be producing what’s called a wolf tone (or wolf note,) where for whatever reason the guitar reacts to that specific frequency.

But if it was the body cavity of the guitar producing the wolf tone it should be present when you’re playing unplugged, and that isn’t happening. So for some mysterious reason it’s the electronics that are reacting to that specific frequency.

Trying to track these problems down can be difficult, time-consuming and - sometimes - ultimately unsuccessful. It’s extremely frustrating to deal with, as you’re undoubtedly experiencing right now.

My suggestion might not be something you’re going to be happy about, or you might not be able to afford to remedy right away. But my suggestion is that you put some money aside as you can afford it, then once you’ve got enough money put aside purchase a decent quality pickup system to replace the factory-installed system.

You know what, I have a professional quality pickup system called the LR Baggs Anthem that’s a dual source, good quality pickup system. Contact me by sending me a private message (click on my user name above) and if you give me your mailing address in Russia I will give it to you. I have no immediate use for it, I’m an old pro who wants to encourage younger players, and on my one concert tour in the Russian Far East (in Magadan Oblast, in March, 1992) I was treated so wonderfully by everyone I met that I would be honored if you would take it.

It would be a nice way to thank you for the kindness that the Russian and Chukchi people showed me.

I am serious. You can do an Internet search on the LR Baggs Anthem and you’ll find that it’s a highly regarded professional quality rig. It is unquestionably better quality than what you have in the guitar right now.

I suspect that it’ll fix the problem with the shrieking C# note, too.

So send me your mailing address and we’ll see whether we can fix this problem for you.

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller

PS: After I post this I’m going to bed, so you probably won’t hear from me for several hours. But my offer is sincere. I’d like to fly to Voronezh to help you install it, but that’s not going to happen. What I would strongly suggest you do, rather than attempt to install it yourself, is spend a little money to have it installed by a professional.

Once again, thank you for the kindness that I received in your country.

[jjbigfly]

One of the best responses I have read, and on many levels.
Thank you, Mr. Hampton.

[Mirosh]

Originally Posted by jjbigfly

One of the best responses I have read, and on many levels.
Thank you, Mr. Hampton.

Indeed. I'll always remember my days in Moscow, January 1971, with my college classmates and prof. Still get a thrill when I see that place on TV, and the people. Thank you, Mr. Hampton, for this example of gratitude and humanity.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Primdmit

Hi, guys! I have an Ibanez ae305 electro acoustic guitar. When i play it plugged in all notes sound good except for C# on the forth fret of the fifth string: this note sounds much louder and sustaines much longer than C or D notes. The sound is really awful and the note sustaines more than 30 sec. and stopes ringing only when i mute it with my hand. When i unplug my guitar all notes sound similarly. I’ve checked my guitar all over the neck and this is only C#. Did anyone have something like this? What could be the matter?

Hi Primdmit

Sounds like feedback.

You have not shared with us what amp or PA you are using, nor if the speakers are located in front of you facing outward, or pointing at you while you listen.

If it's feedback, turning the volume down will cause it to go away. If you need the volume so high that the note feeds back, then a $5 (USD) Planet Waves feedback suppressor (a black rubber plug which fits in the soundhole) will cure it..

Planet Waves Feedback Supressor - CliCk

[slowesthand]

I could not begin to say what the problem is, but I have a electric guitar, (strat style) that does the same thing, unplugged or plugged in. I does it on all the C notes and C chords up and down the neck.
It doesn't sound bad to me, I kinda like it, sounds like a underwater reverb !

[Primdmit]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Primdmit, unfortunately the built-in electronics that come installed on many intermediate-priced guitars are often not very good. Having one or two strings that are louder or quieter than all the others is quite common. In your case, the guitar itself might be producing what’s called a wolf tone (or wolf note,) where for whatever reason the guitar reacts to that specific frequency.

But if it was the body cavity of the guitar producing the wolf tone it should be present when you’re playing unplugged, and that isn’t happening. So for some mysterious reason it’s the electronics that are reacting to that specific frequency.

Trying to track these problems down can be difficult, time-consuming and - sometimes - ultimately unsuccessful. It’s extremely frustrating to deal with, as you’re undoubtedly experiencing right now.

My suggestion might not be something you’re going to be happy about, or you might not be able to afford to remedy right away. But my suggestion is that you put some money aside as you can afford it, then once you’ve got enough money put aside purchase a decent quality pickup system to replace the factory-installed system.

You know what, I have a professional quality pickup system called the LR Baggs Anthem that’s a dual source, good quality pickup system. Contact me by sending me a private message (click on my user name above) and if you give me your mailing address in Russia I will give it to you. I have no immediate use for it, I’m an old pro who wants to encourage younger players, and on my one concert tour in the Russian Far East (in Magadan Oblast, in March, 1992) I was treated so wonderfully by everyone I met that I would be honored if you would take it.

It would be a nice way to thank you for the kindness that the Russian and Chukchi people showed me.

I am serious. You can do an Internet search on the LR Baggs Anthem and you’ll find that it’s a highly regarded professional quality rig. It is unquestionably better quality than what you have in the guitar right now.

I suspect that it’ll fix the problem with the shrieking C# note, too.

So send me your mailing address and we’ll see whether we can fix this problem for you.

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller

PS: After I post this I’m going to bed, so you probably won’t hear from me for several hours. But my offer is sincere. I’d like to fly to Voronezh to help you install it, but that’s not going to happen. What I would strongly suggest you do, rather than attempt to install it yourself, is spend a little money to have it installed by a professional.

Once again, thank you for the kindness that I received in your country.

Hi, Mr. Hampton! Your reply has touched my heart. I’m sure if you had visited any other place in Russia you’d have been given the same warm welcome. Unfortunately Russia and the Russians are often demonised but it is all political stuff that has often nothing to do with real things.Thank you for your kind words about my Country and thank you for your offer! I have a couple of friends who would say the same kind words about USA and American people and i hope someday i’ll visit the US and say the same things.
I’ve heard about LR Baggs - it’s one of the best pickups, though it’s very hard to find them in Russia and the price is too high due to constant devaluation of our currency.
As for the other comments, thank you so much, guys, i’ll check everything when i’ll be at home.

[JayBee1404]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

[size=2]Hi Primdmit

Sounds like feedback.

You have not shared with us what amp or PA you are using, nor if the speakers are located in front of you facing outward, or pointing at you while you listen.

If it's feedback, turning the volume down will cause it to go away. If you need the volume so high that the note feeds back, then a $5 (USD) Planet Waves feedback suppressor (a black rubber plug which fits in the soundhole) will cure it..

Planet Waves Feedback Supressor - CliCk

Thanks Doug, I’m relieved to find I’m not the only one who looks for the simple answer first.

[Wade Hampton]

Well, I’m sorry if my offer to give the guy a pickup offended you experts, but Dima himself is delighted, because the Anthem system happens to be what he’s been thinking about for a while.

You’re most likely unaware of it, but I give away musical instruments and gear on a semi-regular basis. Normally it’s about a guitar a year, but I’ve given away a guitar and a violin already this year, and now this pickup.

Normally I never post about it because I don’t do it for self-aggrandizement, I do it to help. The reason I make a practice of it is that over the years as a performing multi-instrumentalist I have been given many instruments, often by people I don’t even know. But they’ve seen me onstage switching between different instruments, some of them definitely little-known, and apparently they say: “Well, maybe that Wade Hampton Miller guy can use this.”

Autoharps, dulcimers, banjos, fiddles, basically everything other than guitars.

At first I turned down a nice old lady when she wanted to give me an autoharp that I didn’t want or need, but she was so crestfallen when I turned her down that after that I resolved to accept whatever was given to me and to then turn around and find a better home for it.

For many years I was being given about an instrument a year, so that’s normally the number of instruments I give away per year. In recent years it’s mostly been all-solid wood guitars I’ve bought for a reasonable price off Craigslist, fixed up and then dialed them in, but mostly I don’t play out with them because I’ve got some superb guitars that I use for that. So I find suitable candidates to give them to.

It’s better karma when I can pass the blessings along.

So that’s what I’m doing here. Plus I was genuinely honored to be asked to play a tour of the Russian Far East and have found most Russian people to be incredibly friendly and warm.

So that’s why I’m giving this pickup to a gentleman who can use it. Hope that’s okay.


Wade Hampton Miller

PS: To JJ & Mirosh - Thanks to you, too.

[leew3]

Classy and gracious offer Wade.

Unfortunately on forums no good deed goes unpunished.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by JayBee1404

Thanks Doug, I’m relieved to find I’m not the only one who looks for the simple answer first.

Hi JB

It doesn't matter which pickup system I've ever installed, feedback for acoustic guitarists is an ever-present issue, and the more volume you need (stage or house), the bigger the issue.

I discovered (over 30 years ago) that a Big-Black-Plug (feedback suppressor) solves it without affecting the house version of the signal (the one that the people who come to listen to us play hear).

[jricc]

Originally Posted by jjbigfly

One of the best responses I have read, and on many levels.
Thank you, Mr. Hampton.

I so agree! Thanks for your generosity to others!

[shufflebeat]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

So send me your mailing address and we’ll see whether we can fix this problem for you.

That's a very kind offer and an excellent piece of kit, however, the rubber soundhole plug is the much better place to start. If you choose to also incorporate the Baggs pickup which is a very good one the soundhole plug will still be useful.

Everybody's happy

[Gordon Currie]

I'll pile on with kudos for Wade. That is a generous offer. I like to do something similar where I 're-home' equipment/instruments I no longer need.

I didn't see the posts that were critical, were they deleted?