[guitarpsycho777]

hey.. i've been playing guitar for a while, and i haven't had this problem until now.. when i play lower on the neck of my acoustic guitar (1st - 3rd frets) my high E and G strings make a dead plucking sound rather than the note. is this something to do with the string? or is it the fretboard? thanks

[Crawdaddy]

The truss rod might need some adjusting, it might need a little relief or it might be that the slots in the nut that the strings run through have worn low.

[dadfad]

Not uncommon, especially if you have changed to lighter or different brand strings recently. When you finger a "dead note," if you keep going up the neck on that string one fret at a time, when it stops that fret is usually the one causing the buzzing or deadening.

Something has changed the height of that fret in relationship to the others from how it was before. The fret may have "lifted" slightly. Lighter strings may have changed and lessened the "bow" of the neck, which is usually adjusted by a very slight loosening of the truss-rod. Sometimes weather and temperature or humidity changes can do it as well, although that is usually temporary. Sometimes the saddle-groove may have changed, but that's less likely unless you can see it's cracked or worn. It won't be the nut-groove, which can only effect buzzing in an open-string. Occasionally fingering on very worn frets will cause a buzz because the fret above it is now proportionally higher than the worn one that you are fingering. So there could be any of several things causing it.

Sometimes just simple time and age requires a slight re-adjustment of the neck or saddle. If your fret(s) has not lifted and you've not gone to lighter strings and the frets are not worn excessively, then that's likely the case. A 1/8th turn or so counter-clockwise of the truss-rod might correct it, or a slight saddle-shimming (raising the saddle several thousandths or so of an inch.). There are previous topics on doing both (or it can be re-posted). If you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself, you should let someone who knows how do it.