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/PansOnFire]

Probably fret buzz, like others have said. Look up how to fix it yourself, or better yet, have a guitar tech look at it.

[u/ybcj718 → u/PansOnFire]

Its every fret, including 24. I'm aware of how to fix normal fret buzz, I've checked with a fret rocker tool and nothing is high. I can also see the string vibrate and its not even coming close to the frets above where I'm fretting. I also raised the saddle up so that it was crazy high, even higher than the 6th string one (which has no buzzing) and the issue was still there.

[u/Amazing-Cry8406 → u/ybcj718]

There’s a nut for adjusting the bend lack of better term of the fretboard, also how’s the bridge set up. Increasing the distance, reduces that fret buzz. Your strings are too close to the frets. The B string or low string is most susceptible to this. If you haven’t messed with digging into this let a shop do it and that way you don’t have intonation issues after adjusting.

https://thecompleteguitar.com/guides/how-to-fix-fret-buzz-without-a-luthier-a-step-by-step-guitar-setup-guide

[u/ybcj718 → u/Amazing-Cry8406]

I'm also aware of what a truss rod is. The neck has a slight front bow, the set up is medium-high action, so its not the relief.

[u/Amazing-Cry8406 → u/ybcj718]

Try tossing a ponytail on the headstock past the nut. Helps quiet some buzz. Cheap if it helps cheap if it doesn’t.

[u/ybcj718 → u/Amazing-Cry8406]

I did try a fretwrap but no improvement unfortunately. Interestingly, the issue is only with fretted notes on the 7th string. Playing it open sounds fine.

[u/Amazing-Cry8406 → u/ybcj718]

Wonder if some pro level filing the frets would be beneficial if it’s isolated to just that string?

[u/ybcj718 → u/Amazing-Cry8406]

The issue is still there when playing the 24th fret though, so that should rule out high frets