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View Full Version : Telecaster double/duff notes problem



Rich
February 21st, 2012, 02:39 PM
I have a US Highway one telecaster. FWIW, I'm using ernie ball 10 gauge strings, but have been for a few weeks now and only just noticed this.

It seems to have developed a problem where it will ring out notes I'm not fretting. Seems to happen on the thickest 3 strings. If I am running up a scale for example, when I play a note one of the other top 3 strings will also ring a note which sounds like some sort of augmented harmonics. It only seems to do it from the 12 fret upwards. The further up the neck I go the more noticeable it seems to be.

It seems to be if I play a note on the D string, the A will ring somewhere, if I play a note on the A string, the E will ring somewhere. But it is pretty hard to tell exactly.

Obviously its really off-putting to play a note and then have another (horrible) note ring as well!

Any ideas what causes this or anything I should try to adjust?


I tried to make a video (not easy to balance camera on top of guitar while playing!) although its hard to hear it is noticeable a couple of times.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvmQVcFUgKc


Many thanks for any suggestions

Spudman
February 21st, 2012, 03:50 PM
Thanks for putting up that video. You've got some action/neck relief issues going on. You shouldn't get buzzing like that. Check the relief (Google to find out how). Your neck might be too straight or too concave.

If it's too concave you may just have to tighten the truss rod just a tiny bit and/or adjust the bridge saddle height. If it's too straight then loosen it a tiny bit and see what happens.

My guess is since you put on the heavier strings you have a little more bow in the neck, so a little tightening of the truss rod should help.

Rich
February 21st, 2012, 04:42 PM
Thanks for that,

I found this guide from Fender which seems to cover everything:
http://www.fender.com/support/articles/telecaster-setup-guide

I'm going to hunt some feeler gaugers down and give it a try :)

Cheers
Rich

marnold
February 21st, 2012, 04:51 PM
You don't really need feeler gauges. I've used business cards for the same purpose.

Having said that, I also bought myself some feeler gauges. It gives me the illusion that I could actually do repairs on cars.

markb
February 21st, 2012, 06:09 PM
Strings make great feeler gauges. My way with Fender necks is to get them as straight as I possibly can without fretting out. It usually works if the neck angle is right and the fret job is good.

Rich
February 22nd, 2012, 12:12 PM
Well I went to check the relief, with capo on 1st, last fret depressed I cant slide anything under the 8th fret - its touching it!

So I guess I need to wind the tross rod back a bit to aim for the recommended 0.25mm gap!

Problem is I have no allen keys! Off to buy some then... Hopefully this fixes it :)

marnold
February 22nd, 2012, 12:27 PM
There's your problem! It's not hard to adjust a truss rod, but it is one of the few things that can cause permanent damage if you aren't careful. The two basic rules are: 1) Take it slow. Adjust 1/4-1/2 turn at most and then give the neck some time. 2) If it won't move, don't force it. Take it to a repair shop you trust.

Rich
February 22nd, 2012, 12:28 PM
Will do, thanks everyone for the advice. Will report back when I've given it an adjustment :)

markb
February 22nd, 2012, 02:01 PM
What Marnold said but I'd go no more than a 1/4 turn at a time. If slackening the rod, you may want to push the neck slightly forward as you turn the key and make sure there's no play in the adjuster. Retune to pitch and measure again. Repeat until fixed. Actually a lot quicker than it sounds.

Rich
February 22nd, 2012, 02:48 PM
I found a key but when I try and turn it anti clockwise, it seems to twist a few mm then "clicks" and feels like the key has popped out. Manage to turn it a few mm each time before it "clicks" and slips again.

Dont think im actually moving anything as the tuning doesn't change and the neck hasn't got any slacker.. hmm.

I might need a heavier duty allen key. this one looks the right size and seems to initially fit but its really hard to see.

markb
February 22nd, 2012, 03:16 PM
Most US guitars use an imperial sized key but Highway 1s are mostly made from "international" parts and need a metric tool, either 4mm or 5mm. It sounds like the allen key is slipping in the socket. I'd take it to a pro rather than risk rounding out the socket. It gets expensive after that. If you're anywhere near me I'd be happy to look it over for you. PM me for contact details if you want more advice.

Spudman
February 22nd, 2012, 05:41 PM
Most US guitars use an imperial sized key but Highway 1s are mostly made from "international" parts and need a metric tool, either 4mm or 5mm. It sounds like the allen key is slipping in the socket. I'd take it to a pro rather than risk rounding out the socket. It gets expensive after that. If you're anywhere near me I'd be happy to look it over for you. PM me for contact details if you want more advice.

Ya. I was going to say this too. It sounds like you need the correct size wrench.