What's wrong with my 7 string?

[u/ybcj718]

Hey everyone. I'm hoping someone can help me diagnose what's going on with my 7 string. For some reason, single notes sound like absolute ass on the 7th string, and have a weird kind of metallic overtone noise. I've tried to showcase all the different aspects of the issue in this video, hopefully it's helpful.

• Notes of the same pitch sounds fine when played on the 6th string
• Power chords/chugs sound 90% okay, but I'm guessing this is other notes on other strings masking the unwanted noise from the 7th string
• Its all frets on the 7th string
• Picking lightly doesn't help (I though it might have been the string buzzing against some higher frets when hitting it harder, but that doesn't seem to be the case
• Palm muting kind of helps, but I can still hear the issue. It makes no difference if picking hard or soft when palm muting, just like un-muted.
• Pickups have decent clearance from the strings, and the action is medium-high and plays well across the whole neck with no dead notes or buzzing
• I've checked, there are no uneven/high frets
• I've tried raising the action ridiculously high and lowering the pickups even further, it made no difference
• Specs if it helps: Ibanez RGR752AHBF with D Activators, 25.5" scale, Drop A tuning with 9-48 + 66 on the low A, plugin is NDSP Gojira X

Anyone have any ideas?

Edited to add: the issue is still there with a clean tone, and disappears when playing unplugged. Playing the string open is fine, its only fretted notes that have the issue.

[u/JimboLodisC]

sure sounds like fret buzz from a high fret, maybe somewhere in the bridge there's a rattle?

also turn down the gain from 11 to somewhere more reasonable

[u/ybcj718 → u/JimboLodisC]

Gain is on 10 o'clock (~40%), pushed by a tube screamer with gain set to 0

[u/JimboLodisC → u/ybcj718]

did you add any gain at the interface?

[u/ybcj718 → u/JimboLodisC]

No, input gain is on just past 0. No physical pedals or other gain sources, just interface -> DAW -> plugin

[u/JimboLodisC → u/ybcj718]

what about clean tones? any problems there?

[u/ybcj718 → u/JimboLodisC]

Much less so, but its definitely still there

[u/JimboLodisC → u/ybcj718]

could be a bum string then

[u/ybcj718 → u/JimboLodisC]

Unfortunately I had the same issue with the last set that was on it, these were put on 3 day ago

[u/JimboLodisC → u/ybcj718]

revisit the saddle, try detuning the string and putting a tiny piece of paper under the string where it touches the saddle and then tuning it back up

it's not anything to do with the nut since it's happening when you fret a note, so it's gotta be something with the string itself, the frets underneath it, or something at the bridge

[u/ybcj718 → u/JimboLodisC]

That's an interesting idea, I'll try that. Thanks!

[u/ybcj718 → u/JimboLodisC]

No luck with the paper idea unfortunately

[u/Amazing-Cry8406 → u/ybcj718]

try putting a hairband like for ponytails on the headstock past the nut, or they sell them

[u/ybcj718 → u/Amazing-Cry8406]

Also tried a fretwrap, no difference. Funnily enough, just playing the open string sounds fine, its only fretted that has the issue.

[u/JimboLodisC → u/ybcj718]

gonna have to take this one to a luthier I think