Notes on the 12th fret are fretting out on bends

[guitarman13]

All of the notes on the 12th fret of my DKMG are fretting out on bends. It's mostly the 1st-5th strings that are fretting out on the 12th fret. The 6th string barely does it. How can I fix it??

[jcm800x]

Needs a good set up, your action is too low or your neck needs adjustment or both. At worst you have a low fret.

[Szostak]

I have the same problem on a JS30RR i've been using, except my problem only applies to my high-E ... I use pretty low action, but I don't really want to give it up, and for neck adjustment...I can't do that myself. Anything I CAN do to fix it without sacrificing my action?

[JZ06]

Radius has a lot to do with that. A more rounded fingerboard radius will choke easier than a flatter one.

Things mentioned previously could also be the case, a fret that isn't right or a quick neck adjustment could cure it easily.

[guitarman13]

It looks to me like the neck is bowed from the 1st to 11th fret and then at the 12th fret it flattens out. I've already tried adjusting the truss rod and that didn't work. Is it a high fret that's causing the problem?

[jtr]

Necks take time to settle after ajusting And after reading your other post on this subject, you might want to take it to a shop and have a Tech look at it.

[Tiddles]

It’s normal for the truss-rod to be adjusted to give the neck a slight downwards bow (ie “relief”) – guitars rarely have a perfectly flat fretboard & without the relief/bow you’d usually get buzzing all over the place.

Yes, uneven fret heights is a common cause of choking … sometimes a fret is raised because it’s actually slightly loose ... try looking carefully down the frets or using a straight edge like a metal ruler to see if any frets look high or low. Low action always emphasizes fret problems … personally I’m not a big fan of ultra-low action, so I’d try raising it a bit.

Obviously you could take it to a tech., and in the end that may be the only remedy. That’s fine if you have a really good tech, although guitar forums are littered with stories of guys taking guitars to techs and getting the thing back with same problems or worse. As I say, I’d raise the action, & if that doesn’t work check for loose frets or uneven fret heights. Just 2 cents.

Ian.

[Twisteramps]

Try bending the same at the 13th and 14th frets - if they bend without fretting out, then it's a high fret or a neck issue. If they choke exactly the same way, it's likely the fingerboard radius.

Pete

[guitarman13]

None of the notes on the 13th and 14th frets choke on bends. It's only the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th strings that choke only on the 12th fret. The 6th string chokes a little on the 12th fret. So what do think the issue is? My bet is a high or a low fret.

[dg]

Sounds like you've narrowed it down to either a low 12th or high 13th fret. You may be able to see it if you look carefully from the side and fret the strings at about the 10th & 15th, or lay a good straightedge across those frets. See if the 12th or 13 are out of whack.

[Bengal65]

Your action at each of those strings' saddles maybe low also. There's a combination of potential problems as already mentioned. I don't know how well, your frets were levelled, but a steel ruler can help you check out if there are difference in the fret heights.