Help! Farty G6636TSL!

[Viking Power]

Yes, farty.

I did a setup on my Silver Falcon and everything seems great except that up around the 12th fret and on, the tone is so spanky it’s really farty. Think funk tone but unintentional and certainly not what I want. No sustain.
I’ve played with amp settings, pedals, pickup and pole piece heights, no change.
I have a G5622T, essentially an identical guitar (scale length, body size), that does not suffer from the Uber spanky higher frets.
None of my longer scale Fenders have this going on either.
I used NYXL strings would they be that dramatically weird?

Any thoughts?

 

[mbkri]

Did it play like that BEFORE you did the setup? Im guessing its to do with bridge height relative to pole pieces

 

[Viking Power]

Did it play like that BEFORE you did the setup? Im guessing its to do with bridge height relative to pole pieces

Not that I ever noticed. Seems like I would’ve noticed but I’ve done dumber things. Haha. Really don’t think it was that way prior to setup.

 

[Viking Power]

Bump just to see if anyone else has advice. Hard to imagine nobody has had this happen. Hoping one of you wisemen can steer me right.

Just tested the two Gretsches unplugged. My Falcon sounds this way even un-amplified. The other Gretsch sound normal.

With the Falcon it sounds almost as if the notes are choked off as you move up the fretboard especially fret 12 and up. This is on all the strings.

I’m so mystified and a bit bummed out as I was so proud of myself for doing my first setup.

 

[Cryin_Caleb_Aaron]

I associate the “farty” adjective with messy low-end, and I associate “spanky” with a tight trebley telecaster sound.
So I’m not sure what you’re hearing. It does seem as though your bridge is too low or your neck isn’t set with the correct relief.

I would recommend taking measurements of the heights on the Gretsch that sounds better and try and match the specs. That’s where I would start anyway.
I would set an amp as clean and plain as possible and then a/b and compare guitars.

 

[Bertotti]

Is it all strings or just a particular one or several? Provided this wasn’t an issue before go back to the beginning. Start at the nut and double the check set up down the board. At the pups and in the nut and bridge. Play it unplugged and listen closely. Capo at the second fret play again and listen for any changes. Play up the neck both with and without the capo unplugged and then amplified. If the setup is good And there are no unexpected changes in tone unplugged and plugged in then I would look at the strings. Is this the first time you have had NYXL on that Gretsch? If so then decide if you want to go back to your other strings or lower the pups not Both at the same time, and play again. ate there any tonal changes? I used NYXL for awhile and liked them but to me they were brighter and more tinny sounding than the normal DaD’s I used at the time. Nothing farty about them.

 

[Lucky Jim]

Without seeing the Falcon I suspect that there could be too much relief in the neck and a low action at the 22nd fret. That could possibly be a result of the new strings being a heavier gauge or simply having higher tension.

First check how much neck relief there is. Put a capo on the first fret and hold down the high and low E strings in turn at the fret above the neck/body join. There should be a very minimal gap above the 7th/8th frets. Do you have any feeler gauges?

If there's too much relief, i.e. too much gap, tighten the truss rod an eighth turn at a time, checking the relief as you go.

However, if the present relief looks OK try changing back to your previous strings to see if you still have the problem.

Let us know how you get on.

 

[TSims1]

Shoot a quick vid of the issue and post it here and I bet you could get it sorted.

 

[rcboals]

I’m so mystified and a bit bummed out as I was so proud of myself for doing my first setup.

There is a learning curve with learning how to do a proper set up (in my case it was a long learning curve) with lots of trial and error. Each type of guitar is different to set up. If you have the time and inclination to learn how do it right it will take some time. YouTube is your friend there are some very good videos on how to and some downright bad ones. My other motto besides "you won't think less of me than you already do" is "I can't screw it up bad enough a professional can't fix it" Keep at it only if you enjoy doing it even with the frustrations of learning.

 

[rcboals]

Shoot a quick vid of the issue and post it here and I bet you could get it sorted.

Thank God for YouTube for videos on how to fix stufff and being able to upload videos on forums like this. Before youtube you had to rely on printed directions and advice from forums like Harmony Central. I remember one guy on one of the forums had a by line by his name "I am not really a luthier, but on line I am"

 

[Viking Power]

Thanks all y’all. I appreciate the advice and genuine desire to help a brother out.

I’m taking @TSims1 suggestion and posting a video. Actually two vids. Both are straight into my 65 PRRI, with a neutral tone and no effects. Both are with pup selector in the middle position. The first is my G5622T which is for the most part well setup and sounding how I’d want. The second is the farty Falcon. No comments about sloppy technique. No truss rod wrench is gonna fix that.

The good:


The bad:


Thanks for taking a look!

 

[Cryin_Caleb_Aaron]

Yep, either the bridge on the falcon is set far too low or the neck is too bowed.

Try setting your E strings about 1.5mm above the 12th fret. This is a good place to start.

 

[Viking Power]

Yep, either the bridge on the falcon is set far too low or the neck is too bowed.

Try setting your E strings about 1.5mm above the 12th fret. This is a good place to start.

Thank you sir. Not sure how I got off course I was following some videos but got crossed up somewhere. Good learning experience when I finally get her dialed in.

 

[rcboals]

You are definitely fretting out. What Cryin_Caleb_Aaron said is a good place to start. If you don't have a string action gauge it is a very good thing to have. I have this one under $10.00 free shipping. You won't regret getting one.. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ActionGauge--dunlop-action-gauge

If that doesn't work you nmost likely will need to adjut the nex bow with the truss rod. A whole different thing but very simple if done correctly.

 

[Viking Power]

You are definitely fretting out. What Cryin_Caleb_Aaron said is a good place to start. If you don't have a string action gauge it is a very good thing to have. I have this one under $10.00 free shipping. You won't regret getting one.. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ActionGauge--dunlop-action-gauge

If that doesn't work you nmost likely will need to adjut the nex bow with the truss rod. A whole different thing but very simple if done correctly.

I’ve got that same one. Apparently I need to practice with it. Haha.

 

[Bertotti]

I never adjust my truss rod with the strings tuned up other may.

 

[Robert Keyes]

I have the same spanky/farty concern with a White Falcon Acoustic, buzzing and notes choking out all over the place, just posted about it on my page which lead me this thread, Any tips?

 

[Bertotti]

Ina

I have the same spanky/farty concern with a White Falcon Acoustic, buzzing and notes choking out all over the place, just posted about it on my page which lead me this thread, Any tips?

I can guess where you are in the winter the humidity is a slow as here in SD. Check you humidity then do set up, make sure to check for fret sprout as you go.

 

[Robert Keyes]

Thanks

 

[Henry]

Imo if it's not something that can be addressed by reading or watching videos about setups, then I suggest a Pro setup. How to make your electric guitar play great is a good resource and available in many libraries.