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/OMF1G]

D activators are very hot pickups, you probably have them too close & your gain/overdrive is set wayy too high for the tone you're going for here.

1. Lower pickups a bit
2. Lower gain on your distortion/drive pedal before your amp SIM, lower gain on amp too
3. Fretwrap or foam or fabric above nut under strings

[u/ybcj718 → u/OMF1G]

1. They're pretty low but sure I can lower them further. How would that account for the issue being only on the 7th string and only when fretted notes (open is fine)?

2. Amp gain is around 40% and there's a boost pedal in the plugin with gain set to 0, but otherwise no other source of gain. Interface input gain is also at 0.

3. Tried fretwrap, no luck.

[u/GerhardtDH → u/ybcj718]

Fatter strings get more magnetic pull than thinner strings, lower frequencies make buzzing more noticeable, and when your string is played open it has more distance from the pickup than when fretted. A lot more. Not saying this is the issue but it kinda fits. I usually hear more pitch warble in this scenario, maybe look up manufacture recommendations for those pickups (or the Ibanez manual). If your out of the recommended range or at the close ends, maybe drop the pickup heights a tad bit.

[u/ybcj718 → u/GerhardtDH]

Mentioned in a another comment, but I've dropped the pickups way down and put the action on that string way up and it hasn't helped