Fixing it didn't fix it, but I still managed to fix it...

[FourBanger]

I have/had a dead not on the fith fret of the E string on my RBX170. Seemed as if it was chocking off even though the action was great everywhere else.

I raised the saddle a bit, and it got worse. I gave the neck some more relief and it got worse. I was worried and the action was now much higher than I like, so I put everything back.

Then on a whim I lightly scraped a straightedge just across the sixth fret in case. PROBLEM SOLVED. Chocked note gone.

Seems either the fifth fret was a little low or the sixth was a little high on the E string, but either way it was fixed. Still worried the other solutions made it worse first though...

[FourBanger]

But seriously, been playing around with it more and the higher the action the worse the sustain, just in that one spot. Seems contrary to howit should react.

Now I am paranoid.

[edpal]

Fourbanger - that is not unusual at all, that is pretty much what fret leveling is about to some degree. Sometimes it is due to a fret that has lifted a little at one end - try a thin piece of paper, you might find it slips under the side of #6 at the low E end. Or tap with a finger nail across the fret, it will sound different, "tick,tick" instead of a deader "thump, thump. Don't tap it in, tapping metal anywhere but at the end makes it want to curl up(peening), the opposite of what you want. Safer to figure out a way to apply a little pressure with a clamp or such,squirt a little Super glue under there and immediatly clamp. * The gel stuff gives you more time to work. Sand a radius into a block of wood using something about the size of a large coffee can, then the two ends of the block will contact the ends of the fret before contacting in the middle, due to the smaller radius of the block. G-luck. This is no big deal, happens all the time.

[FourBanger]

But the mystery is why did raising the action deaden that note more?

I played around for quite a bit adding more relief to the neck and/or raising the saddle thinking it was getting chocked somewhere, but it always got worse the higher the string was from the fretboard?

Is it possible the string is bad and has some sort of damage or defect int that one spot?

[edpal]

Well, raising the action increases the breaking angle and requires you to press marginally harder. Adding relief causes the wood to clench the fret tangs harder(pressing in frets actually creates a little back-bow as the wood is forced marginally apart,20+ times). Which (adding relief) could actually make it ride furth out of the slot if that is what was going on. OR it could just be #6 is too high or you have worn #5 down. I suspect the loose/lifted fret myself.

[FourBanger]

In mu quest to get to the bottom of the issue I finally dug out a straightedge, it seems whereas the treble side of the neck has an even curve in the relief the bass side has a hump causing the string to choke when fretted at the sixth fret. I tried raising the action to lessen the choke but it was well of the fretboard before it got better.

Thus I also found out my truss rod is not doing much, whe I tried to back it off the nut would get to the point of spinning free before the neck would move at all. For now I've loosened it all the way and tuned the strings up a step, trying to get this ten-year-old cheap neck to start moving again.