# Solar A1.7: is this normal?



## Oblivium (Apr 2, 2021)

Hi all, I just bought this shiny Solar A 1.7 as a B-Stock, turns out it has a couple of problems which are making me thinking of returning it. First of all there is this terrible ringing, which is really audible after each palm mute or string mute. Here is an example:

https://soundcloud.com/oblivium/solar-a17-ringing/s-38fCcsfZeCC

Then the finish is a bit messed up on both sides of the fretboard (pictures attached). It is a shame, because other than that the price was good and the guitar feels, sounds and plays great. How is your experience with Solar Guitars? Should I maybe try the lottery once more?



















EDIT: The ringing seems to be coming from behind the nut, so I used a fretwrap and the ringing is far less audible now. The rest stays unfortunately....


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## Rev2010 (Apr 2, 2021)

Oblivium said:


> https://soundcloud.com/oblivium/solar-a17-ringing



Says "Track not found". Are you muting the strings at the headstock? I usually cut a small rectangle of foam and slide it under the strings to fully deaden the ringing behind the nut. Some people use fratwraps or hairbraids etc. Also, you don't say, nor can I see from the pics, what bridge type it is. Lastly, the fretboard belmishes appear to be mild fret sprout. Happens when the frets are inlaid and the wood wasn't properly kilned OR if the location it was built is very warm & humid and your location is cold & very dry, the wood shrinks a little and the fret edges push out a bit. Like I said, looks very mild here. When you slide your hand over it does it feel sharp or rough?


Rev.


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## Oblivium (Apr 2, 2021)

Rev2010 said:


> Says "Track not found". Are you muting the strings at the headstock? I usually cut a small rectangle of foam and slide it under the strings to fully deaden the ringing behind the nut. Some people use fratwraps or hairbraids etc. Also, you don't say, nor can I see from the pics, what bridge type it is. Lastly, the fretboard belmishes appear to be mild fret sprout. Happens when the frets are inlaid and the wood wasn't properly kilned OR if the location it was built is very humid and your location is very dry, the wood shrinks a little and the fret edges push out a bit. Like I said, looks very mild here. When you slide your hand over it does it feel sharp or rough?
> 
> 
> Rev.



Fixed the link, but yes, it was just noise coming from behind the nut, as I also found out later (it is a Solar A1.7 with an Evertune btw). And no the frets don't feel sharp, nor they seem to pop out. At least not a considerable amount.


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## VGK17 (Apr 2, 2021)

Oblivium said:


> Hi all, I just bought this shiny Solar A 1.7 as a *B-Stock*


It's B stock for a reason. If you bought it from the Solar website they post pictures of the specific guitar showing it's issues.

The ringing sounds like it's a by product of the amount of gain on your tone. Could be the springs in the Evertune ringing out too.


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## mpexus (Apr 2, 2021)

Why did you bought a B-Stock? To save money right? why do you think it was a B-Stock?


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## Oblivium (Apr 2, 2021)

VGK17 said:


> It's B stock for a reason. If you bought it from the Solar website they post pictures of the specific guitar showing it's issues.



Yeah it is not from Solar, but returning it should not be an issue. 



mpexus said:


> Why did you bought a B-Stock? To save money right? why do you think it was a B-Stock?



Right, but other than "signs of use" there was no other issue mentioned. I was not expecting the perfect guitar, I am just worried that those frets might get worse with time.


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## MaxOfMetal (Apr 2, 2021)

Just some fret sprout, and minor from the sounds of it.


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## olejason (Apr 2, 2021)

Yep just minor fret sprout pushing the finish out into a 'bubble.' I wouldn't worry about it, I've had plenty of guitars with the same thing. That will happen to most guitars with finish on the edge of the fretboard and no binding if you're in a climate where fret sprout is normal.


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## NoodleFace (Apr 2, 2021)

IMO the fret sprouting on an Indo guitar (I think solar are indo?) is to be par for the course unfortunately. 

The ringing to me doesn't sound like a gain issue that someone else said, it sounds like the string is 'fretting out'. Do you have a high fret barely touching the string? Is it only on one string or multiple?


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## Rev2010 (Apr 2, 2021)

Oblivium said:


> Fixed the link, but yes, it was just noise coming from behind the nut



So you were able to stop the ringing then? If so, if you saved a decent amount of money I'd keep it. As mentioned the fret sprout seems minimal so I wouldn't worry too much about it.


Rev.


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## VGK17 (Apr 2, 2021)

Oblivium said:


> Yeah it is not from Solar, but returning it should not be an issue.
> 
> Right, but other than "signs of use" there was no other issue mentioned. I was not expecting the perfect guitar, I am just worried that those frets might get worse with time.


Was it Thomann? That sucks they didn't have pics for you.


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## mpexus (Apr 2, 2021)

My RG550 Genesis MIJ had the worst fret spout of all my guitars (MII; MIC; MIJ). Its wood, it expands and shrinks.


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## /wrists (Apr 2, 2021)

Highly recommend that people stay away from Solar Guitars this year from the amount of quality control issues. Ola has been staying silent on a lot of it, not sure if he's aware. Have heard and experienced multiple and varying degrees of bad fretwork, finishes, and overall just low quality guitars. Customer service is abysmal too. 

It's a bad fashion trend at this point.


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## /wrists (Apr 2, 2021)

Rev2010 said:


> So you were able to stop the ringing then? If so, if you saved a decent amount of money I'd keep it. As mentioned the fret sprout seems minimal so I wouldn't worry too much about it.
> 
> 
> Rev.


In my opinion, even some of the guitars they sell "new" would be considered B Stock.


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## Rev2010 (Apr 2, 2021)

evade said:


> In my opinion, even some of the guitars they sell "new" would be considered B Stock.



Guess I got luckily cause the one I got is just about perfect. Hopefully no new issues arise.


Rev.


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## Eyelessfiend (Apr 2, 2021)

I know this is fairly minimal(and very common) fret sprout but I do wonder if Solar is having a QC problem. It seems so with the cracked fretboard thing but idk if thats a continual issue or not.


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## Oblivium (Apr 2, 2021)

NoodleFace said:


> IMO the fret sprouting on an Indo guitar (I think solar are indo?) is to be par for the course unfortunately.
> 
> The ringing to me doesn't sound like a gain issue that someone else said, it sounds like the string is 'fretting out'. Do you have a high fret barely touching the string? Is it only on one string or multiple?



The ringing has considerably disappeared after using a fretwrap, however there is some heavy vibration while using the low B, coming from the Evertune itself, which is not picked up by the pickups (luckily). I read that this happens often when the low string is very thick, but I wouldn't say it is a real world issue.



mpexus said:


> My RG550 Genesis MIJ had the worst fret spout of all my guitars (MII; MIC; MIJ). Its wood, it expands and shrinks.


Honestly all my guitar have nearly perfect frets, including other Indos from other brands. I also have that same Ibanez you were mentioning and it has no issues. I have never seen so many imperfections in a guitar in that price range (and even lower), that is why I was a bit alarmed. 



Rev2010 said:


> So you were able to stop the ringing then? If so, if you saved a decent amount of money I'd keep it. As mentioned the fret sprout seems minimal so I wouldn't worry too much about it.


Yes, definitely much better. I might update the clip later on.


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## MaxOfMetal (Apr 2, 2021)

The QC doesn't seem any better or worse than many guitars sold around $1k these days. I think folks just need to temper thier expectations.


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## Oblivium (Apr 2, 2021)

If you say so, but even the logo looks weird on this guitar. I don't think this should have passed QC, imho.


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## VGK17 (Apr 2, 2021)

Oblivium said:


> The ringing has considerably disappeared after using a fretwrap, however there is some heavy vibration while using the low B, coming from the Evertune itself, which is not picked up by the pickups (luckily). I read that this happens often when the low string is very thick, but I wouldn't say it is a real world issue.


What gauge string are you using? I have a 7 with Evertune, I played around with a .70 for a little bit and didn't have any ringing. I'm just curious, not discounting what you are hearing by any means. If you're on Facebook I'd check out the Evertune users group, Herbert from Evertune responds to questions there and he's really cool. There could possibly be something with the bridge, like the comb not being seated on the saddles.

As far as the logo in your last picture yeah that's bad if they are peeling. I wonder if this is an actual Solar B stock (have an E1.6 B stock which is flawless but it's a 2019 model so that might not mean a thing) or someone returned a guitar with issues and the distributor marked it as B stock.


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## Oblivium (Apr 2, 2021)

VGK17 said:


> What gauge string are you using? I have a 7 with Evertune, I played around with a .70 for a little bit and didn't have any ringing. I'm just curious, not discounting what you are hearing by any means. If you're on Facebook I'd check out the Evertune users group, Herbert from Evertune responds to questions there and he's really cool. There could possibly be something with the bridge, like the comb not being seated on the saddles.



Thank you for the tip, I'll definitely check that out. Unless the previous owner(s) changed strings it should be the stock 62.

The vibration comes from the saddle and it is mentioned also by The Guitar Pit in this video (14:12): 

There is a pinned comment from Evertune which explains why that happens. A quick fix that I found is to close the gap between the first two saddles. But honestly that doesn't bother me that much, since it can't be heard through the amp anyway.



VGK17 said:


> As far as the logo in your last picture yeah that's bad if they are peeling. I wonder if this is an actual Solar B stock (have an E1.6 B stock which is flawless but it's a 2019 model so that might not mean a thing) or someone returned a guitar with issues and the distributor marked it as B stock.


The second one you said.


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## SCJR (Apr 2, 2021)

Yeah that peeling logo has been an issue apparently.


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## nickgray (Apr 2, 2021)

Oblivium said:


> I just bought this shiny Solar A 1.7 as a B-Stock



If the price was good and you like the guitar - just give it to a tech. If you know a good tech and you like the guitar, assuming it doesn't have any other weird nasties, dropping an extra $100-200 makes sense if you ask me. It sucks, but $1k just isn't the same amount of money as it used to be.



Oblivium said:


> so I used a fretwrap and the ringing is far less audible now



I recommend putting a sizeable piece of foam, works way better than fretwrap. These reversed headstocks have way more ringing than normal ones.



Oblivium said:


> If you say so, but even the logo looks weird on this guitar



Lol, mine's also peeling. Seems like a common problem. Doesn't really bother me though, it's hard to see and you definitely don't see it when you're playing.

The problem with these guitars is that you're basically buying a "genuine Indo", so to speak. I'm dead sure Ola doesn't have any input with regards to the actual nitty-gritty technical side of things. He just supplies the basic design and the specs. How they're gluing the neck, how they're shaping the neck joint, how they're doing the frets, the finish, the woods, and everything else - that's the _actual_ guitar that you're buying.

Oh, there's another funny thing - noisy pots. Ola himself had a Solar in a few vids with a noisy af volume pot. Mine's definitely pretty noisy and needs a bit of working every now and again. I need to grab some deoxit or something. I guess that's just another thing that the factory cheaps out on.


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## NoodleFace (Apr 2, 2021)

Ola had mentioned in a letter to one of the youtubers that was critiquing the situation that these are known issues but allegedly the pool size is pretty small.


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## SCJR (Apr 2, 2021)

Oblivium said:


> Hi all, I just bought this shiny Solar A 1.7 as a B-Stock, turns out it has a couple of problems which are making me thinking of returning it. First of all there is this terrible ringing, which is really audible after each palm mute or string mute. Here is an example:
> 
> https://soundcloud.com/oblivium/solar-a17-ringing/s-38fCcsfZeCC
> 
> ...




The headstock has always looked pretty big to me, even more so than other designs in a similar vein from other builders. Do you find it to be neck heavy or have any neck dive? It does look really cool.


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## Oblivium (Apr 2, 2021)

nickgray said:


> If the price was good and you like the guitar - just give it to a tech. If you know a good tech and you like the guitar, assuming it doesn't have any other weird nasties, dropping an extra $100-200 makes sense if you ask me. It sucks, but $1k just isn't the same amount of money as it used to be.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Technically the guitar is actually quite good and it sounds massive, but so far most of the aesthetic issues I have read online are manifesting themselves. If my fretboard will crack in a few months, like other users have reported, it would be a bit more difficult to swallow. 



SCJR said:


> The headstock has always looked pretty big to me, even more so than other designs in a similar vein from other builders. Do you find it to be neck heavy or have any neck dive? It does look really cool.



The guitar looks objectively quite sick (if you don't look too close, lol) and I did not notice any significant neck dive. Just the top strap button is installed in an unusual position.


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## Dumple Stilzkin (Apr 2, 2021)

Oblivium said:


> If you say so, but even the logo looks weird on this guitar. I don't think this should have passed QC, imho.


Dude don’t take this the wrong way. It’s a B stock guitar for a reason. If you wanted one with less issues, next time just get the regular stock.


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## Oblivium (Apr 2, 2021)

Dumple Stilzkin said:


> Dude don’t take this the wrong way. It’s a B stock guitar for a reason. If you wanted one with less issues, next time just get the regular stock.


The whole point of this thread was to find out if the fretboard was still in good shape and if the guitar was worth keeping, that is why I also did not mention the headstock logo in the first post. And for the record no issue was mentioned before sale. I have had b stocks which were completely flawless before.


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## NoodleFace (Apr 2, 2021)

Dumple Stilzkin said:


> Dude don’t take this the wrong way. It’s a B stock guitar for a reason. If you wanted one with less issues, next time just get the regular stock.


I agree in general, but the label peeling is a big issue right now


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## nickgray (Apr 2, 2021)

Oblivium said:


> If my fretboard will crack in a few months, like other users have reported



I have a 2.7, no cracks after ~1.5 years. Unless you live in a cold and dry place it shouldn't be an issue I think. Don't store it near a heater or in a dry place, use fretboard conditioner occasionally.

Btw, I just noticed, I have an Indo Ibby bass, and the BTB logo is suspiciously similar to Solar's. It's also peeling  First time I've noticed in 5-something years of owning it  I guess it's the same (or similar) material and tech that they're using on Solar's logos.


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## Karg (Apr 2, 2021)

I think if you buy a b-stock guitar and it plays and sound well, that is all you should expect, unless it looks like someone dropped it off a balcony or something.


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## MaxOfMetal (Apr 2, 2021)

NoodleFace said:


> the label peeling is a big issue



Why?


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## Jonathan20022 (Apr 2, 2021)

Accountability is great, and the fact that people are reviewing their guitars and openly displaying issues they run into. But lets not forget that the company response is the most important thing to take away from it, and if they're handling them well that's all anyone can ask for.

Ebony cracks are incredibly common no matter how much money you.'re spending, and there's too many variables to blame for it. From wood sourcing, to manufacturing processes, customer climate, and customer care all play greatly into that. I'm watching a few videos right now about people reviewing recent issues. I'm listening to Louis currently say that it's 2021 and that every company should mirror the customer experience that Amazon provides, it's intensely cringey to hear people echo those sentiments

I don't know why manufacturers don't just say fuck it and use Richlite and force customers into the new material. All people care about is how smooth their fret ends are, and richlite removes the risk of that/sprout/cracking/and any other issues that could occur with an otherwise brittle fretboard option.


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## NoodleFace (Apr 2, 2021)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Why?


Sorry, the better term was widespread


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## nickgray (Apr 2, 2021)

Jonathan20022 said:


> don't just say fuck it and use Richlite and force customers into the new material



Just use rosewood. Prestige Ibbys have amazing dark rosewood. Way better than shittily dyed "ebony" that leaves black paint residue on your rag every time you wipe it with fretboard oil (seriously, it does).

In fact, Ola could've cut the corners better than he did, imo at least.


Dark rosewood > any ebony
Good OEM pups > Duncan-branded pups that aren't really Duncan
Gotoh non-locking tuners > Indo OEM locking
Nickel frets, but with high quality fretwork > stainless frets with mediocre fretwork
Gloss > matte (the logo won't peel too)
Evertune == meh
At least half-decent nut work for once
Don't cheap out on the pots and the switch
Dump the logo, go both no inlays, and those classy small dot inlays that some Ibby Prestiges have (NO SCHECTER STYLE INLAYS)
Honestly, I'd pay an extra $100-200 on top if the QC was spot on, just saying


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## JimF (Apr 6, 2021)

But then they'd be $400 more and they'd have priced themselves out of the market.
Ignoring the aesthetics for a second, the gaudy BC Rich mother of pearl models have been criticised for the price, comments of "$1600 for a guitar made in XYZ?!?!"
Also to counter your other points, I expect any new guitar to need a full setup, and I normally change pickups so swapping pots isn't a huge deal. 
Your other points regarding inlays, Evertunes, gloss/matte are subjective.


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## Nicki (Apr 6, 2021)

Ringing behind the nut is normal on reverse headstock guitars because the length of the bass side strings between the nut and tuning machine + their mass means that any vibrations after nut are going to transfer into the headstock side of the of the string. This is the primary reason I don't like reverse headstock guitars. You're on the right track with foam or a fretwrap. The other source of ringing is the springs under the bridge. Deadening those with another piece of foam or a sock will help. 

As for the finish issues, it's a B-stock. You accepted that there would be cosmetic flaws by ordering a B-stock.


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## hazimwood (Apr 6, 2021)

NoodleFace said:


> Ola had mentioned in a letter to one of the youtubers that was critiquing the situation that these are known issues but allegedly the pool size is pretty small.


This is probably correct. It's like I've always believed that the Flat Earther group is the same 10 people being covered thousands of times by reporters, making it seem like a bigger group than they actually are.


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## Thorsday (Apr 6, 2021)

Ringing behind the nut means a bad nut. Fine file or rework a new nut.


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## Karg (Apr 6, 2021)

Nicki said:


> Ringing behind the nut is normal on reverse headstock guitars because the length of the bass side strings between the nut and tuning machine + their mass means that any vibrations after nut are going to transfer into the headstock side of the of the string. This is the primary reason I don't like reverse headstock guitars. You're on the right track with foam or a fretwrap. The other source of ringing is the springs under the bridge. Deadening those with another piece of foam or a sock will help.
> 
> As for the finish issues, it's a B-stock. You accepted that there would be cosmetic flaws by ordering a B-stock.


I know they are not for everybody, but this is another reason I appreciate the Floyd's locking nut system. All issues with string movement/binding and headstock noise are removed immediately with a locking nut. Hate dealing with a Floyd? Block the bridge.


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## Rev2010 (Apr 6, 2021)

Thorsday said:


> Ringing behind the nut means a bad nut



That is not true. The strings vibrate behind the nut and uncoated (ie. non-coated) Floyd springs also vibrate. That's why there are way to dampen the behind the nut vibrations (foam under the strings, hair scrunchy, fretwrap, etc) and ways to dampen Floyd spring vibration (rubber tubing inserted into the springs, coated noiseless springs, etc).


Rev.


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## Rev2010 (Apr 6, 2021)

Karg said:


> All issues with string movement/binding and headstock noise are removed immediately with a locking nut



And this also is wrong. You still get vibration behind the nut with locking trems. Everyone knows this.


Rev.


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## Karg (Apr 6, 2021)

Rev2010 said:


> And this also is wrong. You still get vibration behind the nut with locking trems. Everyone knows this.
> 
> 
> Rev.


Well, it works for me pal. I really don't think there is much vibration past the nut if it is locked. Perhaps if you had an incredibly resonant neck. Since _everyone_ apparently believes otherwise, please provide an example if you have the time.


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## Rev2010 (Apr 6, 2021)

Karg said:


> Well, it works for me pal. I really don't think there is much vibration past the nut if it is locked. Perhaps if you had an incredibly resonant neck. Since _everyone_ apparently believes otherwise, please provide an example if you have the time.



I'm not going to argue something that is already very well know "pal". Nor am I going to waste my time and effort to remove the foam on one of my guitars and make a recording so you can understand better. Everyone knows there's still ringing behind the nut on a Floyd guitar, doesn't have anything to do with "resonant" necks. That is why people still dampen behind the nut on Floyd guitars. I have 4 Floyd guitars currently, a 6-string production Jackson Kelly, a Schecter 7-string, a Solar 7-string, and a custom 7-string Jackson Kelly. They ALL need dampening to be 100% quiet in between palm mutes. No it's not a horrible loud ring, but if you do staccato palm mutes and want dead silence in between mutes you must dampen behind the nut and also dampening the springs (I use noiseless springs) or you will still pickup some low level ring.


Rev.


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## Karg (Apr 6, 2021)

Rev2010 said:


> I'm not going to argue something that is already very well know "pal". Nor am I going to waste my time and effort to remove the foam on one of my guitars and make a recording so you can understand better. Everyone knows there's still ringing behind the nut on a Floyd guitar, doesn't have anything to do with "resonant" necks. That is why people still dampen behind the nut on Floyd guitars. I have 4 Floyd guitars currently, a 6-string production Jackson Kelly, a Schecter 7-string, a Solar 7-string, and a custom 7-string Jackson Kelly. They ALL need dampening to be 100% quiet in between pal mutes. No it's not a horrible loud ring, but if you do staccato palm mutes and want dead silence in between mutes you must dampen behind the nut and also dampening the springs (I use noiseless springs) or you will still pickup some low level ring.
> 
> 
> Rev.


I think that is obsessive. I have had several Floyd Rose guitars with reverse and non-reverse headstocks and I do not hear any string noise past the locked nut while chugging. 

If this is as prevalent as you suggest, you would be able to provide the link to at least one Youtube video demonstrating this issue. 

I'm sorry that asking for you to spend a minute looking for some evidence of your claim comes across to you as reprehensible. Also, you really shouldn't take offense to something as innocuous as 'pal' when you tell me something as condescending as '_everyone knows this_'. All you had to do was educate me on your position, but instead you turned the discussion into basically calling me an idiot by saying '_everybody knows this'._


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## Rev2010 (Apr 6, 2021)

Karg said:


> If this is as prevalent as you suggest, you would be able to provide the link to at least one Youtube video demonstrating this issue.



Dude, I'm at friggin' work. But here a really quick search, which you could do yourself, gives me this really quick:

https://www.metalguitarist.org/threads/tech-foam-string-dampening.51933/



Both have Floyd's. The Youtube video shows the guy using a string dampener on his Floyd guitar at 8:15 but doesn't show the sound with it off. Yes it could be be considered "obsessive" but it depends on how dead you want it to be in between mutes and how much the guitar itself rings. As mentioned already in this thread reverse inline headstock guitars ring more because of the extra length of the lower strings, just physics. I have to go help someone so I can't do any more looking up for you. You can Google if you're curious. *EDIT - just realized the video screenshot already shows him using it on a Floyd.


Rev.


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## Karg (Apr 6, 2021)

Rev2010 said:


> Dude, I'm at friggin' work. But here a really quick search, which you could do yourself, gives me this really quick:
> 
> https://www.metalguitarist.org/threads/tech-foam-string-dampening.51933/
> 
> ...



Thanks for simply providing evidence for your assertion.

if you are so busy at work and 'have to help someone' right now, you really shouldn't be logged in here telling people they are wrong and not expecting to have to show evidence.

That said, I do think this issue is obsessive, and any modern noise gate setup for tight metal will remove any hint of this noise existing in between chugs. (The noise really shouldn't even travel to the pickups anyways.) I think very few professional guitarists in modern rock/metal notice this issue. Certainly, this issue is miniscule enough that I shouldn't be talked down to for not acknowledging it.


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## Rev2010 (Apr 6, 2021)

Karg said:


> any modern noise gate setup for tight metal will remove any hint of this noise existing in between chugs.



Yes, that is true but the harmonics still come through in the tone while you are playing as well, it's not only in between mutes. I prefer to mute both behind the nut and the trem springs as well to stop the issue at the source rather than rely on a tight noise gate.



Karg said:


> Certainly, this issue is miniscule enough that I shouldn't be talked down to for not acknowledging it.



Depends on the person. For you it's minuscule, to others they want zero ringing. I was merely stating that your comment was wrong, which it was. Locking nuts do not in any way kill the ringing. Here's a link below to a thread on here to a post which another forum member agrees. You shouldn't feel so offended and that I am talking down to you when it was your first reply that came across confrontational. Either way, please accept my apologies.

https://www.sevenstring.org/threads/string-dampeners-mutes.244497/page-3#post-3715137


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## Karg (Apr 6, 2021)

Rev2010 said:


> Yes, that is true but the harmonics still come through in the tone while you are playing as well, it's not only in between mutes. I prefer to mute both behind the nut and the trem springs as well to stop the issue at the source rather than rely on a tight noise gate.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Apology accepted, and thanks for shedding light on this subject.


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## Nicki (Apr 6, 2021)

Rev2010 said:


> Yes, that is true but the harmonics still come through in the tone while you are playing as well, it's not only in between mutes. I prefer to mute both behind the nut and the trem springs as well to stop the issue at the source rather than rely on a tight noise gate.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



So, I'm just going to add a very minor point to this whole "locking nut deadens vibration" thing. True, it does not _completely _prevent vibrations from traveling across the nut to the headstock stretch of the strings. However, the mass of a locking nut greatly lessens those vibrations. It further lessens the vibrations on the return trip of the vibration towards the bulk of the string, thus further preventing it from creating noise that can be heard through the pickup. But deadening vibration in the trem spings does make the most difference, as can adding a piece of foam (or a small sock) under the pickups themselves to lessen string vibrations traveling to the pickups through the body.


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## eaeolian (Apr 6, 2021)

Oblivium said:


> If you say so, but even the logo looks weird on this guitar. I don't think this should have passed QC, imho.


Clearly you've never bought anything made by Gibson.


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## Edika (Apr 6, 2021)

Some guitars are worse than others in the ringing part after the nut. The worse one so far is actually my newest guitar, the Jackson DK7. It was so loud it was unbearable and coming out so strong in my amp. A foam block afterwards completely silenced. All the other guitars that have non locking nuts I think my Gibson Les Paul and my Scheter E-1 fight for second place. So not an uncommon issue. For my trem bridges usually foam under the springs deals with the ringing.


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## nickgray (Apr 6, 2021)

Karg said:


> The noise really shouldn't even travel to the pickups anyways



It does, and it's easy to hear it - just pick the strings past the nut. Even if it's locked tightly, you'll still hear that ringing through the pickups. Or just play a power chord really aggressively and immediately mute with your left hand, you'll hear the ringing as well.



Karg said:


> I think very few professional guitarists in modern rock/metal notice this issue



It's an issue that mixing engineers will pick up on, guitarists are generally notorious for being crap at production-related side of things. Some don't even know how to set up their guitars.


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## Karg (Apr 6, 2021)

nickgray said:


> It does, and it's easy to hear it - just pick the strings past the nut. Even if it's locked tightly, you'll still hear that ringing through the pickups. Or just play a power chord really aggressively and immediately mute with your left hand, you'll hear the ringing as well.
> 
> 
> 
> It's an issue that mixing engineers will pick up on, guitarists are generally notorious for being crap at production-related side of things. Some don't even know how to set up their guitars.


If it is such a big issue to you guys, you could just fucking cut off the strings past the nut - voila! no more magical string noise past the nut because the strings past the nut are removed. You would have to dive the bar to release string tension the next time you change strings, but there will be NO string noise past the nut if you REMOVE the strings past the nut. Meanwhile, the locking nut will hold the strings tension, without even being tightened by the machine heads.

To be clear - I am specifically referring to string noise past the nut on a locked Floyd Rose system. Of course tremolo spring noise is a (much much) bigger issue, and headstocks without locking nuts will produce more string noise.

I think most people who aren't 'mixing engineers' or whatever will not care or notice string noise behind a locked nut - it is extremely little.


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## NoodleFace (Apr 6, 2021)

I bought a fret wrap for my floyd's and I never really noticed a difference between on/off. I now just use it to mute extra notes when I'm recording leads


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## nickgray (Apr 6, 2021)

Karg said:


> If it is such a big issue to you guys, you could just fucking cut off the strings past the nut - voila!



Or you could just put a piece of foam...


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## Rev2010 (Apr 6, 2021)

Karg said:


> If it is such a big issue to you guys, you could just fucking cut off the strings past the nut - voila!



OK, calm the F down! Now you're cursing at us and suggesting stupid solutions. Now YOU are acting like an ass. I already apologized for your getting upset at me, maybe it's your turn. Cutting all the strings behind the nut is a stupid and nonsense idea. Simply putting a piece of foam under the strings or using any one of the commercial solutions solves the issue. No need to flip out on people that find this to be an issue when you don't. You keep doing you and we'll keep doing us.


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## budda (Apr 6, 2021)

Just buy a 5150.


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