LTD JH600: Action at 1st fret issue

Updated
Danny T.

Guitar Setup: Nut was raised, but Low E is high? Low Sustain on G string too, need expert opinion.

I wanted a second opinion. So I got my guitar setup and he said the nut was too low. It was raised so now the low E measures a .022 , but the high E measures .019. Stew mac says u need .023 on low E (accurate to what he did) but the high e side needs .010 . Do u think this is ok, or I should have had a gradated shim (no shim on the high e side) but only on the low E? I guess I could remove the nut and half the piece of paper or whatever he put in there. 

Also, the setup did not fix the sustain on the G string. The G string on my LTD JH600 has half the sustain as the other strings on fret 10-13. It lasts from a count of TWO- Miss-iss-ippi rather than 4 counts on E and B string.

The luthier I used was unable to fix that. However, when I googled this, it seems like a very common issue especially with Japanese guitars and their "resonant" peak. Is this true and normal for the guitar?

Pushead

It sounds like a gradated shim would be the fix for the action at the nut. If your tech used paper for the shim, I'd probably find a new tech.

The "resonant peak" seems a bit hogwash to me. Especially considering the JH-600 isn't Japanese, it's Korean. It's true that some guitars can have dead spots caused by the resonance of the wood, but you find that more in hollow and semi-hollow bodied guitars. I'd lean more toward a fret leveling issue. Instead, I'd try a simple fix like replacing the clamping block on the G string of the Floyd saddle, or changing the string gauge you use for the G first.

Danny T.

Thanks for your opinion. I'm waiting for new techs and this local luthier to answer, (worked on EVH himself and Fender, etc) but no one has given me their opinion since I've contacted them =/

Danny T.

Actually, no for sure this is really bad. I just discovered the D string is high about 8c at the 5th fret. This mean's i can't possibly tune my D string to my G string! It reads in tune open but I have to tune the D string flat to make it in "tune."

I think this nut shim totally screwed up my guitar

Pushead

Have you tried adjusting the intonation at the bridge?

Danny T.

Yes. I actually moved the saddle back and the string while intonated at the 12th fret is not changed at the 5th. Instead of reading G it reads +5 cents so it won't tune with the neighbor G string! 
This is some bad work man. I brought this guitar in to make it play better not worse.
When I had brought this guitar in, I had pre intonated the guitar and had no issue . Now it has an issue on the D string

Danny T.

Ok guys, one of the major problems has been solved. I was told that DR strings do not intonate and you know? They were right. I trusted this DIMEBAG string and removing it and putting in a ghs string solve the problem.

I still need a way to fix dead sustain on G string and some fret buzz, but at least its not a total emergency now.

Pushead

 Raise your action at the bridge 1/4 turn (loosen all the strings first and pull the bridge slightly away from the posts to avoid damaging the Floyd edges.)

Danny T.

Why am I raising the action? And the guitar isn't a Floyd.

Pushead

I didn't realize they made an LTD with the Kahler.

If you raise the action at the bridge a bit, you may reduce the string buzz and gain some sustain on your G. You could also try adding a bit of relief to the neck (loosening the truss rod), but you said the action on the higher strings near the nut are already higher than you prefer.  My guess (without seeing your guitar) is that you're getting the buzz on the higher frets and that slightly raising the action will solve that issue.

Danny T.

This problem on the G string was well before the nut was raised ( I also just removed the shim, as it was causing barre chord issues and making them sharp)

Before this, the action was a bit higher and the g string still had sustain issues. Changing the bridge height didn't change that. 
I was recommended some fret work to get this guitar to high level. 

Forgot to mention that the whole guitar only stays in tune for one song, even with the big bend string sleeves. 

Pushead

I'd still recommend trying to raise the bridge a touch. Raising it at the bridge end will make the strings higher at the high frets and less so at the nut.  At this point, what's the harm? 

I'd also recommend you try a different brand of strings than whatever it is you're using now. I don't have tons of experience with Kahlers, but I've never had this much of an issue getting them running.

A fret level and recrown might be the solution, but that doesn't mean you can't make it playable in the meantime.

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