JTV-69 Open G with lil-E string noise issues - SOLVED

[spikey]

This "interaction of strings in alternate tunings" has already been discussed ad-nauseum, but was wondering how any of you handled the little "E" ring sounds along with the "D" ring sound while open G tunings? I can put headphones on and the little "E" natural sounds go away while in Open-G tunings (it sounds normal I.E.- no E string with the D at the same time), but the interaction from both D & E is GOD AWFUL LOUD with no headphones on in open G tuning. And it's "mostly" just the Little E competing with the D! The other 5 strings are not near as bad as the little-E is. So this is not normal. Anyone else with these extremes on their Variax?

 

So what's my workaround (other than to just wear the headphones while playing the Variax in alternate tunings)???

In other words, what is causing this, and what parts do I need to buy/get to fix it?

[cruisinon2]

22 hours ago, spikey said:

 

 

So what's my workaround (other than to just wear the headphones while playing the Variax in alternate tunings)???

In other words, what is causing this, and what parts do I need tof buy/get to fix it?

 

Theres nothing to buy or "fix", because nothing's "broken". Your only problem is volume...and you've basically answered your own question. The problem goes away with headphones because you are no longer hearing the guitar acoustically... the cans are blocking enough ambient sound so you can't hear the guitar itself anymore.

 

If you're playing through some other output (studio monitors, etc etc), your only recourse is to be turned up loud enough to completely drown out the acoustic sound of the instrument... and you'll probably find that you have to turn up louder than you'd think to accomplish that. Solid body guitars ring out louder than most realize... we're just used to ignoring it. But when the pitches coming out of the speaker are not the same as those which the guitar is physically producing, it becomes impossible to ignore. Dissonance is inevitable unless you eliminate the guitar itself as a direct sound source going straight to your ears. And the closer the pitch shifted intervals are to the original pitch, the worse it gets.

 

The strings are inches from your head... it's impossible to not hear them unless some other source is considerably louder. And yes, you will notice the treble strings more readily than the lower registers, as they are producing midrange frequencies to which we are all naturally more sensitive at lower volumes.

 

And fwiw, none of this is peculiar to your Variax. Go ahead and fire up the new poly pitch shifter in Helix with a normal guitar, drop yourself down 1/2 step and play without headphones... if you're not cranked up loud enough, I guarantee it will be completely unlistenable.

[psarkissian]

What crusinon2 said.

It's referred to as the dual tone effect. Hearing the standard tuned strings off the guitar,

while hearing the Alt Tune signal through the amp. Turning up the volume of the amp, or

using headphones will negate that.

 

[spikey]

Thanks guys I'll check it out at a louder volume then (and I will fix the OP), but it seemed so loud at the time I could have sworn "E" was being amplified thru the speakers with the "D".

[spikey]

The alternative in this is to just play a regular electric guitar tuned to "Open G" (or whatever you like). I may do that but I have already put the 11-52's on the Variax for slide.

 

Gotta wear out a set of strings 1st!!!   ; )

 

 

Thanks again guys

 

 

[cruisinon2]

17 hours ago, spikey said:

 

....but it seemed so loud at the time I could have sworn "E" was being amplified thru the speakers with the "D".

 

It can seem that way, but you've already ruled that out on your own with the headphones. If you don't hear both pitches coming through the cans, then you can't possibly be hearing both pitches coming through other outputs either... the signal is what it is, it doesn't change just because you took your headphones off, lol.

 

Bottom line is, all pitch shifting algorithms are imperfect solutions.  Guitars will always generate their own acoustic sound... you can drown out it, but you can't shut them up. Under certain conditions these effects are quite good and perfectly usable, but in others they leave a great deal to be desired. Life's rough...;)

[amsdenj]

Probably not the problem, but make sure the Variax model with open tuning doesn't include any mix of the magnetic pickups.