Guitar Set Up or Guitarist problem?

[rocky_acoustics]

Hello there,

I recently bought an acoustic guitar from City Music. However, everytime I play a barre chord the G-string (no pun intended) gets muted. I never had this problem with my previous classical guitar.

Initially I thought it was my playing problem, so I tried to overcome this by pressing harder. Sometimes to the point it is cramping up my left hand.

A friend came to me and said that it may be that the guitar is not set up properly.

Could any kind soul advise me on this?

Thanks.

Rocky

 

[dmitry_a]

Try playing E-major which also involves fretting the G-string at the first fret. If the note sounds then I guess its your fretting. If its still muted or the note dies out fast then you may have an issue although I think it's unlikely.

If the guitar is not set up, you might wanna take it to your favorite shop, or give City Music a call (since the guitar is new).

It's easier to fret on a classical guitar because of the nylon strings (I never really played one much, can't deal with the string spacing). Hope this helps...

 

[Jumpin'Jellybean]

If it's very very hard to press down, probably it is the action of the guitar.

 

[van_halen]

citymusic will setup your guitar for you, free, as part of their warranty service.

 

[rocky_acoustics]

dmitry, van halen, jellybean:

Thanks for your replies, fellas. I'll bring it back to City Music for a check up.

dmitry:
Regardless of any fret I play, the g string doesn't sound. Unless I force it, which cramps up my hand after 10 mins of playing.

 

[dmitry_a]

^ wow... didn't realize it was that bad. Take it to City Music then, from what I have read on Soft their after sales service is good.

 

[rocky_acoustics]

Feeling a bit frustrated now.

Went back to City Music today (and OMG, it was pouring today loh!) and the guy adjusted the neck and did some dehumidification work. He also suggested I change the strings citing that the strings were rusty already (which they were, indeed!).

He recommended the Martin MFC740 Light tension strings, which is a 0.12 string. However I felt that the end result was a less bright sounding guitar. I loved the old sound of it because it was loud, crisp and bright. Now it sounds like a mellow oldie wollie.... The G-string is not really a problem now but the top E string buzzes every now and then when I play it hard.

Sigh... am I too picky or is there really something wrong?

 

[van_halen]

different types of strings will give different sounds. as for the E string buzzing, give and take close 1 eye lar. lower the action will make it easier to fret but may also cause buzzing.

 

[csds92]

If it's very very hard to press down, probably it is the action of the guitar.

hahas maybe its just me, but i've never seen before a classical and an acoustic guitar with low action.

 

[van_halen]

acoustic guitars can have low action too.

 

[EugeneSmasher]

'Low action' can be subjective, too. I consider my acoustic to have low action and prefer it that way, but it has higher action than many other acoustics I've tried.

rocky_acoustics: The strings are new, right? New strings need some days of playing to 'break in' to sound like they should. So give it some days first, and see if the tone improves. Also, how bad is the fret buzz? Is it loud or just a minor thing? Fret buzz is quite normal actually and if it is minor, I just leave it be. As Van_Halen has said, very low action is easier on the fingers but tends to cause fret buzz.

 

[rocky_acoustics]

Well, it's been 3 days since I changed the strings and it doesn't sound anywhere near what I bought. Extremely sad now. Haven't slept well for the past few days because of this....

I've verified the tone with 2 guitar instructors and their comment was that the guitar lost its brightness. Got to go back to City Music again....

 

[van_halen]

eh, can't you just change to a new set of strings?

 

[rocky_acoustics]

Exactly, that's what I did on Sat because they guy at CityMusic recommended me to change. Now the entire tone is gone. The strings he recommended damn chui lo...

eh, can't you just change to a new set of strings?

 

[dmitry_a]

Now... how do I put this... play the guitar get the strings 'broken in'. When you just change strings they are always a bit shrill, bright (i'm very bad at describing tone). I've seen it on acoustic and electric (unplugged). Usually after a day or two it goes of and the tone is what i want. The thicker string have that low end to them.

The one time it lasted a long time was when I felt like the sound sucked and barely touched the guitar for a week. I felt it was because I barely clocked any playing time on the guitar as I used the exact same strings as before.

Or... maybe they are not the strings for you.

 

[van_halen]

Exactly, that's what I did on Sat because they guy at CityMusic recommended me to change. Now the entire tone is gone. The strings he recommended damn chui lo...

no, i'm saying, if you don't like the sound of this set of strings, can't you just change to another set of strings?

 

[rocky_acoustics]

dmitry_a:
Yeah, it's been 3 days and still the tone sucks. What I wanted was a bright tone but now it's very mellow.

I guess these strings are not for me...

Now... how do I put this... play the guitar get the strings 'broken in'. When you just change strings they are always a bit shrill, bright (i'm very bad at describing tone). I've seen it on acoustic and electric (unplugged). Usually after a day or two it goes of and the tone is what i want. The thicker string have that low end to them.

The one time it lasted a long time was when I felt like the sound sucked and barely touched the guitar for a week. I felt it was because I barely clocked any playing time on the guitar as I used the exact same strings as before.

Or... maybe they are not the strings for you.

 

[rocky_acoustics]

Van Halen:

You are right about that. So now I have to go back to CityMusic and tell the guy off for recommending this set of strings. I specifically told him I wanted a bright sounding set but the end result was a mellow one instead.

I don't know what the original strings were because they were stock strings. The manufacturer website did mention a "recommended" set but having not tried them, it's still a 50/50 chance.

I know strings are relatively cheap ($10). I'm not ngiao about the $10, I'm just unhappy about paying for something I don't want.

no, i'm saying, if you don't like the sound of this set of strings, can't you just change to another set of strings?

 

[van_halen]

to answer the topic: yes i think it's really the guitarist's problem. user problem.

 

[lemonade93]

My acoustic is reaaaaal low