Any fix for a dead spot on a guitar?

[reignman454]

Just got a used, Les Paul where when you play B on the G string it just dies. Is there any fix for a dead spot? I can’t imagine there is. I made sure the relief on the neck was good. I don’t get any Fret buzz. The note just falls off a cliff where around it they decay naturally.
I changed the strings and it didn’t change anything.

You're certain it's not low in the nut right? I know it makes zero sense.... but I've seen guys cut them higher so they can eliminate that without the need for a full fret. Rarely works im sure but an option.

 

[DanTravis62]

Gibsons can def be all over the place. There were some 5k 335's that were total dogs when I went shopping last year. Somehow I walked away with the cheapest and best sounding/playing 335 they had there. Even the used Bonamassa Epi 335 was more resonant and lively than many of the Gibsons I put hands on. I think most buyers aren't serious players so just having a "Gibson" leads them to believe they have a great guitar.

I took my old man to GC back in 2000 to pick out a strat when they were blowing out CS models. There were maybe 3 or 4 worth owning out of 25 or 30 guitars. I narrowed it down to a CS 58 and a CS 60. He bought the 58. Couple weeks later a buddy went down there and shows up with that '60. He went through them all too, lol.

It's like that with all guitars, it's just generally the more expensive they are the easier it is to find a great one

 

[njshred]

Gibsons are like Range Rovers, high maintenance, expensive headaches, purchased to impress broke people.

 

[napalmdeath]

Did some rudimentary changes. It came with a very low but playable action. Neck was dead straight. Kind of got away with it because the frets are pretty low. There was no relief though so I loosened it until I had some. Didn’t need to adjust the bridge. Something else I wasn’t crazy about was how loosely goosey the posts were for the bridge and the tailpiece. I double checked against my V and it too, had some sideways play on the posts but it was minimal compared to the Les Paul.
Basically I’m not interested in spending more on “fixing it” after what I spent getting it so I’m just going to return it. Shame because the neck shape is good but now at least I think I have a year of production to keep looking for. I got it from GC so I’ll let their guy take a look first and see what they would offer to do. Also the nut is chipped at the B string slot so it needs a nut.
I just spent more than I felt was right on a refret for another guitar so just don’t want to go through that right away.

I was going to say, maybe the nut slot, or saddle need cleaned up.

 

[Geo]

Gibsons are like Range Rovers, high maintenance, expensive headaches, purchased to impress broke people.

The Les Paul is arguably the best sounding guitar ever made.

 

[skoora]

Test if it's resonance based: firmly plant the headstock against a door jam or dresser etc. Does the note now ring out? If yes, then it's resonance based (damping the neck lets the energy stay in the string and allows the note to ring out). Also if it's resonance based, bending to the problem note will also die quickly.

Theres really nothing you can do to remove a resonance based deadspot. Adding or subtracting weight on the headstock can move it up or down a few steps depending on placement etc. But nothing can eliminate it entirely. Best you can do is a Fat Finger or clip on tuner that you move around depending on which note you need to ring out.

I was about to head out to return it and tried what you suggested, and it did ring out true when I had the headstock up against a solid surface.

 

[Greazygeo]

If you play the same note on a different string, does it die out too?

 

[The~Kid]

Gibsons can def be all over the place. There were some 5k 335's that were total dogs when I went shopping last year. Somehow I walked away with the cheapest and best sounding/playing 335 they had there. Even the used Bonamassa Epi 335 was more resonant and lively than many of the Gibsons I put hands on. I think most buyers aren't serious players so just having a "Gibson" leads them to believe they have a great guitar.

I took my old man to GC back in 2000 to pick out a strat when they were blowing out CS models. There were maybe 3 or 4 worth owning out of 25 or 30 guitars. I narrowed it down to a CS 58 and a CS 60. He bought the 58. Couple weeks later a buddy went down there and shows up with that '60. He went through them all too, lol.

Tbh they do sound great and I will probably get a Standard 50s one day, those things are beast and sound amazing.

 

[skoora]

If you play the same note on a different string, does it die out too?

I returned it.

 

[cobrahead1030]

Sometimes a minor change at the bridge or tailpiece can help. Top wrapping, adjusting tailpiece height, even a different saddle for that string (or a whole different bridge)

But that’s grasping at straws, and usually gets you a minor improvement at best.

 

[skoora]

Sometimes a minor change at the bridge or tailpiece can help. Top wrapping, adjusting tailpiece height, even a different saddle for that string (or a whole different bridge)

But that’s grasping at straws, and usually gets you a minor improvement at best.

It had come to me top wrapped. When I restrung it , I did it traditionally. Problem didn’t change. At least the return experience at GC is always easy peasy.

 

[cardinal]

I returned it.

This was the correct answer.

All guitars will have a deadspot somewhere. If you don't know where it is: that's good! Don't look for it!

But once you've found it and it bugs you, there's no hope. Move it on.

 

[Music&Chaos]

Yeah. I was talking with @DanTravis62 when i was shopping. And it was tough to decide between a gibson and epi. I chose gibson in the end. But the epis have come pretty far along

They have but they are different engines. My buddy has all of the top of the line Epiphones set up wicked and decked to the gills. He picked up an 02 studio deluxe like mine and said it feels completely different to him in a way that shocked him, said you could tell that the Epi were trying to imitate the Gibson but not quite getting there. To be fair, I have one of the best playing LPs I have felt (why I bought it) and his feels probably even better somehow. I did all of the work on his guitars as well btw lol

The Epis are awesome but a different thing.

I think a lot of it has to do with the import lumber and not using Nitro.

 

[Music&Chaos]

This was the correct answer.

All guitars will have a deadspot somewhere. If you don't know where it is: that's good! Don't look for it!

But once you've found it and it bugs you, there's no hope. Move it on.

Not true man. Sounds like you need a better tech. This is normally caused by a small high spot on the fret right above it and can be remedied. I have had a number of guitars hit the bench with the 'dead spot' issue and it is pretty much always a high fret or some other setup issue as such.

When I say dead spot, I mean it, not like 'this place doesnt sustain for 30 seconds' or some other meaning that is implied.

 

[cardinal]

Not true man. Sounds like you need a better tech. This is normally caused by a small high spot on the fret right above it and can be remedied. I have had a number of guitars hit the bench with the 'dead spot' issue and it is pretty much always a high fret or some other setup issue as such.

When I say dead spot, I mean it, not like 'this place doesnt sustain for 30 seconds' or some other meaning that is implied.

Sigh. He said the note sustained when he dampened the neck (firmly planting it against a heavy object). How would fretwork fix that?

It's caused by the neck resonating at the same frequency as that note. The energy from the vibrating string excites the neck instead and the note dies quickly.

 

[Music&Chaos]

Sigh. He said the note sustained when he dampened the neck (firmly planting it against a heavy object). How would fretwork fix that?

It's caused by the neck resonating at the same frequency as that note. The energy from the vibrating string excites the neck instead and the note dies quickly.

Fair enough.

 

[skoora]

The resonance thing must be what happens when a note at a certain part of the neck just jumps out with a crazy low end. I’ve experienced this on basses a lot. Usually on the Low E string between the 5 and 8th fret.

 

[cardinal]

The resonance thing must be what happens when a note at a certain part of the neck just jumps out with a crazy low end. I’ve experienced this on basses a lot. Usually on the Low E string between the 5 and 8th fret.

Yeah, on a bass they tend to call that a wolf note.

Also common on Stingrays in particular; somewhere around the third fret of the high G: a note will just not sustain and sounds a bit strange. Luckily you're not usually sustaining a note there. Just staccato type stuff.