Jazzmaster Issue - Low E string weird muting sound - help

[jondom22]

My new Jazzmaster Partsmaster has a Mastery Bridge, Musikraft neck, AVRI trem, etc (all top notch hardware/body/neck/electronics/etc). I've messed around with the setup for months, and then took it to one of the best techs in NYC to have the fret's leveled/crowned, and to do a thorough setup. He did a really great job with getting it extremely playable and he works a lot on jazzmasters so I trust his judgement on it.

Anyways, even after all this tweaking and professional setup, I have this problem on my guitar in which I pluck the low E string (and this occurs wherever I am fretting it on the neck), and the note rings out for a second, and then all of a sudden it sounds like someone muted it or through a blanket over the speaker. In essence, it sounds like the string is not ringing out correctly and thus I am losing all my overtones. I thought this issue would have been resolved through the last pro setup and my tinkering, and I assumed that maybe I just need more string tension on that string, so I even installed a buzzstop (yes, with my mastery still on), to see if it helped, and it did not.

I also noticed that when I play any note on the low E-string with another note on another string (anything from intervals to power chords to jazz chords), the low E-string is completely overwhelmed by all the other strings. I've messed around with pickup height and a different neck pickup, and this doesn't help either this issue, or the aforementioned issue (though I think they're related).

Here's my specs to help you help me troubleshoot this:
Pots = 1 meg, Cap = .033uf Orange Drop
Neck Pickup = Seymour Duncan Antiquity II (originally a Pickup Wizard "50's" style Formvar Wire Alnico 5), Bridge Pickup = Pickup Wizard 50's style Formvar Wire Alnico 5
Bridge = Mastery, Trem = AVRI, Tuners = Vintage Kluson style, Nut = Bone,
Body = Ash (finish done by Danny Hines)
Neck = Musikraft 9.5" radius 25.5" scale 6105 frets maple with rosewood fingerboard
Pickguard = Anodized Aluminum
Shielding = Copper and correctly grounded

[Larry Mal]

My first thought was the nut, but you say it happens when you fret.

Have you had the Mastery adjusted to accommodate the 9.5" radius? It comes set to 7.25" stock, so the outermost strings, high E and low E, will be closer to the neck and frets than they should be if not. On the other hand, though, this would lead to a pretty distinct sound of fretting out that you would be hard pressed to misdiagnose. I suppose it could be "fretting out" on the side of the neck in some way.

If you raise the action, does anything change?

This is kind of a puzzler. What about the tremolo? Is anything in the cavity wrong, perhaps pressing up against the string?

Failing that, I have to wonder if it might be the electronics. Does this happen when you play acoustically, or only when you are plugged in?

[Grandmasterdavid]

Have you tryed a new set of strings? I've had the odd experience of getting a few bad strings in my lifetime, weird shit that wouldnt pickup,sounded bad or was not constructed properly.Just a thought.

[mashu]

Do you have enough string clearance on the bass side?

Do you have a shim in the neck pocket?

[jondom22]

My first thought was the nut, but you say it happens when you fret.

Have you had the Mastery adjusted to accommodate the 9.5" radius? It comes set to 7.25" stock, so the outermost strings, high E and low E, will be closer to the neck and frets than they should be if not. On the other hand, though, this would lead to a pretty distinct sound of fretting out that you would be hard pressed to misdiagnose. I suppose it could be "fretting out" on the side of the neck in some way.

If you raise the action, does anything change?

This is kind of a puzzler. What about the tremolo? Is anything in the cavity wrong, perhaps pressing up against the string?

Failing that, I have to wonder if it might be the electronics. Does this happen when you play acoustically, or only when you are plugged in?

Mastery was adjusted to 9.5" radius. I've tried raising the action and it still does this. I just did some experimenting and here are my conclusions:

1 - When I pluck the low E string, it rings for a second and then it sounds like someone turned on a low-pass filter (effectively attenuating the high frequencies/presence/attack). I also noticed that I was hearing something very similar on my other strings, and what I was hearing was almost an oscillation effect in which immediately after I pluck the string, you hear almost some type of "glitch" or low-pass filter effect. I can't really hear this when playing acoustically (though that's cos I'm probably half-deaf), but can hear it vaguely when I play clean. It is most noticeable when I use the neck pickup and higher gain pedals (big muff) but also noticeable with a TS-9. I still hear the oscillation effect when using the bridge pickup very slightly as well. Overall, it ends up giving the guitar a more compressed tone.

I noticed this before I changed the neck pickup as well, and whether or not I have new strings on.

[jondom22]

Do you have enough string clearance on the bass side?

Do you have a shim in the neck pocket?

Slight shim, and I've tried raising and lowering the action and it hasn't helped.

[jondom22]

Have you tryed a new set of strings? I've had the odd experience of getting a few bad strings in my lifetime, weird shit that wouldnt pickup,sounded bad or was not constructed properly.Just a thought.

It's been occuring with both new and old strings. I play 11's, and have tried D'addarios and Ernie Balls on it.

[Grandmasterdavid]

Might be a dumb question ,have you tried eliminating other variables? Like -rumning straight into the amp-using a different amp-different cables etc etc?

[jondom22]

Might be a dumb question ,have you tried eliminating other variables? Like -rumning straight into the amp-using a different amp-different cables etc etc?

yep

[jondom22]

I played for a little while longer now, and what I noticed is that I think this is actually being caused by fret buzz. The problem is that even when I raise my action to 6/64" or 7/64" I'm still getiing fret buzz. The reason why I think it's this, is because that "oscillation" sound I was hearing was occurring at the exact same time that my strings would buzz. In other words, when I played it acoustically (specifically the low E, G, and high E strings) would get fret buzz at approximately the same time interval I was hearing the oscillating/low-pass filter effect.

Now since I just had a fret dress, and I tried raising the action higher, I tried giving the strings more tension via a buzzstop on top of my mastery bridge, I have graphite in the saddles, what else can I do to remedy this (without raising my action to 1/4" haha)?

[spacecadet]

Probably a dumb question, but have you actually visually looked at your neck to see if it appears to have the proper relief? You can also usually see any frets that are sticking up or otherwise problematic when you do that.

You probably have, but I didn't see it mentioned in any of your posts, just that you took it to a pro who you trust and he did a bunch of work and you figure he must have done it right. I would still check to make sure he actually did. Or that you don't have a twist in your neck or something (unlikely, but it happens).

[jondom22]

Probably a dumb question, but have you actually visually looked at your neck to see if it appears to have the proper relief? You can also usually see any frets that are sticking up or otherwise problematic when you do that.

You probably have, but I didn't see it mentioned in any of your posts, just that you took it to a pro who you trust and he did a bunch of work and you figure he must have done it right. I would still check to make sure he actually did. Or that you don't have a twist in your neck or something (unlikely, but it happens).

neck is pretty straight with tiny amount of relief. im pretty sure its the fret buzz causing this so im actually gonna take it back to him to relevel some of the frets. i dint have the greatest eye for seeing fret nuances so its hard for me to tell which frets are causing this (checked with rocker too)

[Lame Pseudonym]

Mine does that too.

[Zorro]

Late bump here.
Are your JM doing well these days?
I am curious, because I have the same mystic problem with my Jaguar, and have had it for months, a slight muffled sound on my low E. I also have a Staytrem bridge (in accurat radius), and I have lately begun to suspect this little fellow.
I have tried everytthing, higher action, more relief, checked the frets etc etc.