Sqeaky frets?????

[GASMAN]

When I bend strings on my Cobra, I'm hearing a sqeak that I believe is coming from the strings rubbing against the frets. It's below where I'm playing (like between my fretting hand and the nut). It's a rosewood board with large frets. Never heard this on a guitar before. Any suggestions?

[killerburst]

Severe fret wear can do that sometimes. How old/worn are your frets? Are you due for a crown and level? Or maybe you have some corrosion on your frets. Try some 0000 steel wool or equivalent 3M Scotch Brite over the tops of the frets, if that's the case. 3rd possibility- your strings are corroded. And finally, if the sound is a single "ping" when you bend the string, it's probably a tight nut slot. Try a little pencil lead or powdered graphite in your nuts slots.

[GASMAN]

Nope---the guitar isn't very old (02). I geuss I'll try the steel wool thing. It's not at the nut. It's almost as if you can hear the string rubbing as you move it vertically up and down on the frets. Weird huh? Thanks for the suggestions . Will keep you informed.

[tom]

stop! please do not use steel wool on stainless frets. it can leave scratches, especially if you are going with the grain of the wood. nickel frets will get smoothed over by string bending, where the stainless is hard enough to stand up to the strings. we use a super fine abrasive running lengthwise on the fret(the direction the string will travel) as the last polish after the oooo steel wool.
this is a new one for me. is it really a squeek or is it a scraping sound?

[Stan Malinowski]

Gasman,

How far up the neck do you need to go before you hear the "squeaking" sound?

[GASMAN]

Thanks for the heads-up Tom. I have not done anything to the frets yet. I've been meaning to ask-------does my guitar have stainless steel frets? Serial # 11-2-02P. OK-----I know this is odd, so I'll do my best to explain. I seem to only be having trouble with the B and G strings. The B string starts around the 5th fret and the G at around the 3rd fret. They make noise as I bend up and as I let them come back. My best description is that they sound like they are rubbing against the other frets. It does not make the guitar unplayable, but is audible through my amp when I'm playing alone. (I'm sure it would never be heard with a band). The high E does not seem to do it------nor the lower wound strings. I know it is not coming from the nut. I am planning on changing strings and cleaning the frets with a cloth to see if that helps. If you need more info----let me know. I certainly appreciate the help.

[Stan Malinowski]

Gasman,

All Andersons starting from around March 2002 on are equipped with SS frets. I have a Classic built in early March of that year which is one of the first that came with the newer frets.

Stan

[tom]

yes , stan is correct, you have syainless. is it the sound of fretting out? as you bend it decays rapidly? since it is in the middle of the neck i would be suspect of the neck adjustment. could it be too striaght or slightly back bowed?

[dpeterson]

hmm i have a dt classic that is 04-01-02P and it is not stainless steel. so were there odd balls after march that did not have them?

dave

[Stan Malinowski]

Dave,

Are you sure the frets are not SS? I looked at all my hang tags and they do call out SS as the fret material (all 4 of my present Andys are post March 2002 and have SS frets).

Stan

[killerburst]

I think Roy mentioned that Jumbo frets are still nickel.

[GASMAN]

My description card that came with the guitar simply lists them as "Heavy" frets. Whether that means jumbo or not is maybe something Tom could clear up. (SS or not). Anyway------------no, it does not fret out at all. The B and G just simply make noise when sliding on the frets. The next time I'm in St. Paul, I'll have the guys at Willies take a look at it. It's really not that big of a deal to me. Just seems strange. For what it's worth, I love the guitar. Black with three cream colored P-90's. The guys at Willies called it "the domino" guitar. Rosewood board. 62 round-back neck. I had it sent back to Anderson to have them install the peizo bridge. (I'm hooked on the peizo/electric blended sound). Great ax! It just has---a------you know-----squeaky frets. Ha! You guys must think I'm nuts. Well-----keep the suggestions coming. Thanks.

[tom]

it's just that i've never heard squeeky frets. very beezar. nate nd the boys should be able to figure out what's going on. only jumbo's past early 2002 are nickel. smalls, mediums and heavies are stainless.

[Stan Malinowski]

only jumbo's past early 2002 are nickel. smalls, mediums and heavies are stainless

Wow, I never knew you could order Andersons with Jumbo frets....even the price lists I have specify only Small, Medium or Heavy as your fret choices.

[GASMAN]

OK----I think the most important thing at this point is that we clear up the proper spelling of the word. I think we can all agree that my original post using "sqeaky" is probably incorrect. ( The most embarassing part------I typed it that way more than once). Tom's version of "squeeky" is much closer than mine. However----I do believe Stan wins the prize with his homerun hit-----"Squeaky". Yes!!!!! I believe we have a winner! Merry Christmas everyone. Here's to a sqeakless 2004. (OK--that's the last time).

[Stan Malinowski]

The ONLY reason I can spell squeaky correctly is my wife's nickname is "Squeaker"! We went around in circles over the spelling when I set up her own email account a few years ago.

BTW, she got the nickname from her father because the "squeaky wheel gets the grease".

Merry Christmas to All!

[Roy (maybe)]

Hi There & Happy Holidays Squeaky Frets,

I spoke with Roy at Anderson concerning your dilemma and he suggested:

Very curious that it only squeaks on G & B and not high E--and only in certain areas of the fingerboard. That indicates to me that it is not frets because certainly high E would overlap into the “squeaky area” of the frets at sometime while bending.

Without being able to hold it, my first guess would be corrosion of these two plain strings on the underside. Changing just one of the two strings and seeing if the squeak goes away on that string can quickly test this theory.

Also, are you ready for this, fingers can squeak on a rosewood fingerboard. Mine do it on fresh Madagascar sometimes--but I kind of like it. Try oiling your fingerboard with a bit of Lemon Oil on a rag. Put the oil on a rag, wipe it over the board, count to twenty and buff it off with a clean rag. You can repeat the procedure again if you want to. Once it is clean and oiled pay attention and notice if it is your finger tips doing the squeaking. Try changing playing positions to see if it goes away.

If it does not go away, I would look toward the bridge and nut. A drop of liquid Tri-Flow (shake it up first) is a good thing in each nut slot but make sure to blot each drop with a Kleenex to absorb the lubricant, leaving only a film of lube. Saturate a Q-Tip and wipe a very, very light film over each bridge saddle as well.

Happy Holidays, Happy Playing and Happy Squeaking
Roy (maybe)

[tom]

i'eem not suree what thee propeer speeling is, but it is problee not myee veersion. i seeem to havee a probleem with myee eeeeeeeeeee keey. or maybee it's myee braieen.

[dpeterson]

they dont appear to be stainless.. the first fret is starting to develop a mild dent, and they dont feel like my frets on my new one, or on my parker, so i'm going to say they are not.

i've had my parker deluxe for 5 years, and it was used when i got it, and the frets look brand new, and i've played the hell out of it. If the frets on my 04 2002 drop top are stainless, then they seem to hold up the same as nickel do, but they dont feel like what i know are stainless. On the serial number lookup, it just says "heavy".

Dave

[tom]

they could be nickel from may. the stainless wouldn't show wear this soon.

[dpeterson]

tom,

should the stainless show wear at all? i thought that was one of the selling points to stainless frets. my parkers look brand new.

Dave

[GASMAN]

Hey gang! Progress report. I've found that when I push the G and B strings down BEHIND the nut (like a string tree would do) the noise goes away. Maybe I was wrong and the noise does indeed originate from the nut, but the sound travels throughout the neck------giving me the impression that it is coming from strings rubbing on the frets. At any rate----is this telling me that the truss rod needs adjusting or is there a problem with the nut at these two strings? Making progress here. Thanks.

[Stan Malinowski]

String trees are a significant friction point for string binding. Try getting one of the graphite pastes (I use Big Bends Nut Sauce) and lubricate the underside of the string trees where the strings ride. My periodic maintainenece schedule on all my guitars includes lubing of the string slots in the nut and the underside of the string trees.

[GASMAN]

Thanks Stan. I shall give it a try.

[GASMAN]

Thanks everyone for trying to help me figure out my "sqeaky" frets. Just got around to changing strings. A little dental floss in the nut slots and a new set of Elixers---------------------------no more sqeak!!!! (I mean-------well, you know what I mean) Anyway, problem is solved and I'm a happy Cobra Special player. Again, thanks all.