monkeybass Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 on my 5-string the open B is sounding really dull, iv tried changing the strings, the intenation is fine. Anyone got advice to sort this problem out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Wazoo Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 I would check the nut slots, if they are too tight they might deaden the sound, they should be just a little wider than the string. Also if your nut is a cheap plastic one, it is better to replace it with a better quality one, such as bone, reconstitute bone, tus-q, graphite. I am sure any of these will improve the situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 (edited) well im sure i can solve it if you tell me what your bass is for a start..i will take it from there... Edited April 21, 2011 by bubinga5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 [quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1207754' date='Apr 22 2011, 12:16 AM']I would check the nut slots, if they are too tight they might deaden the sound, they should be just a little wider than the string. Also if your nut is a cheap plastic one, it is better to replace it with a better quality one, such as bone, reconstitute bone, tus-q, graphite. I am sure any of these will improve the situation.[/quote] you wont like me for this but that is nonsense... see i told you.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Wazoo Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 [quote name='bubinga5' post='1207768' date='Apr 22 2011, 12:40 AM']you wont like me for this but that is nonsense... [size=3][b]see i told you..[/b][/size][/quote] oh don't worry I won't hold it against you, you know me I don't give a sheesh kebab, but I gotta ask: you told me what exactly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted April 21, 2011 Share Posted April 21, 2011 (edited) sorry that was very rude of me GW.. forgive me please... i was thinking why would a bad nut not make the rest of the strings dead..? but if its a tight B string nut slot,chocking the string... your quite right.. Edited April 21, 2011 by bubinga5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Wazoo Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 [quote name='bubinga5' post='1207780' date='Apr 22 2011, 12:55 AM']sorry that was very rude of me GW.. forgive me please... i was thinking why would a bad nut not make the rest of the strings dead..? but if its a tight B string nut slot,chocking the string... your quite right..[/quote] That's Kool & The Gang dood, you're aaaareeiit! None taken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Is the bass a 34" scale? Sometimes the B can be a bit loose an flappy on a 34" scale bass, which is why many prefer a 35", it just tightens the B a bit and makes it ring out better. You could try a heavier gauge B string maybe? Definitely have a look at the nut slot to make sure the string fits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 @ the OP - we can help a LOT more if your give us some basic information. What bass do you play? What make of strings do you use? Are they roundwound or flatwound? Do you play with a pick or fingerstyle? What sort of music is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 [quote name='monkeybass' post='1207719' date='Apr 21 2011, 11:39 PM']on my 5-string the open B is sounding really dull, iv tried changing the strings, the intenation is fine. Anyone got advice to sort this problem out?[/quote] Need a whole load more information before we can give you any useful advice... 1. What is the bass? 2. Has the B string ever sounded good? 3. What strings have you tried so far? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 [quote name='Rayman' post='1207944' date='Apr 22 2011, 09:25 AM']Is the bass a 34" scale? Sometimes the B can be a bit loose an flappy on a 34" scale bass, which is why many prefer a 35", it just tightens the B a bit and makes it ring out better. You could try a heavier gauge B string maybe? Definitely have a look at the nut slot to make sure the string fits.[/quote] IME quality of build is far more important for getting a good sounding B than simply adding another inch to the scale length. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 [quote name='BigRedX' post='1207962' date='Apr 22 2011, 09:36 AM']2. Has the B string ever sounded good?[/quote] I'd start from here. It is not a given, IME, for all B's to sound good.. I always say it defines the 5st bass and have heard more poor B's than good ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 [quote name='BigRedX' post='1207966' date='Apr 22 2011, 09:39 AM']IME quality of build is far more important for getting a good sounding B than simply adding another inch to the scale length.[/quote] Again...gotta agree. The arguments of 20 years ago of scale V bolt-on V neck-thru etc etc ...have largely been sorted now and I don't believe there is one defintive element in that equation that is any better than the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XylemBassGuitar Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 [quote name='Grand Wazoo' post='1207754' date='Apr 21 2011, 05:16 PM']I would check the nut slots, if they are too tight they might deaden the sound, they should be just a little wider than the string. Also if your nut is a cheap plastic one, it is better to replace it with a better quality one, such as bone, reconstitute bone, tus-q, graphite. I am sure any of these will improve the situation.[/quote] True, the nut slots should be cut properly, and a non-plastic nut will probably make a little difference BUT... Keep in mind that the nut is only part of the equation when the [i]open[/i] strings are being played; as soon as you press a fret the nut is no longer part of the equation (for the most part at least). I gotta agree with the rest of the posters in asking if the B string has [i]ever[/i] sounded good...knowing that answer will help a lot, there are a ton of things that could be causing the issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeybass Posted April 22, 2011 Author Share Posted April 22, 2011 [quote name='Happy Jack' post='1207958' date='Apr 22 2011, 09:34 AM']@ the OP - we can help a LOT more if your give us some basic information. What bass do you play? What make of strings do you use? Are they roundwound or flatwound? Do you play with a pick or fingerstyle? What sort of music is it?[/quote] it's an ibanez sr705 with a 34" scale neck. i use heavyass overwater strings, only recently has it started sounding this way, and yes i have changed the strings since they are roundwound i use both styles but it sounds worse with a pick and i play metalcore mainly but also alot of rhcp and metal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeybass Posted April 22, 2011 Author Share Posted April 22, 2011 [quote name='XylemBassGuitar' post='1208548' date='Apr 22 2011, 06:54 PM']I gotta agree with the rest of the posters in asking if the B string has [i]ever[/i] sounded good...knowing that answer will help a lot, there are a ton of things that could be causing the issue.[/quote] the b string has sounded good before, but only recently has it done this after a re-stringing from a local shop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Having read that, first thing I`d question here is did they use the same brand/series/gauge strings as before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Ok so have had a sound out of the B string that you've been happy with... Do you know what make and gauge the B string that you liked was? Also what make(s) and gauge(s) of B string have you tried since? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeybass Posted April 22, 2011 Author Share Posted April 22, 2011 [quote name='BigRedX' post='1208570' date='Apr 22 2011, 07:21 PM']Ok so have had a sound out of the B string that you've been happy with... Do you know what make and gauge the B string that you liked was? Also what make(s) and gauge(s) of B string have you tried since?[/quote] the set i had orginaly was elixers that had a 0.130 b which is the same as what i have now, could the truss rod affect any of this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 So the string make and gauge hasn't changed. Did the alternative string that you mentioned in your first post come from the same shop as the first duff one? If so they might have a duff batch. It might be worth trying another B string from an alternative source. Why do you suspect the truss rod? Has it been altered since the set of strings you liked were changed? Has anything else been changed in the set up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeybass Posted April 22, 2011 Author Share Posted April 22, 2011 [quote name='BigRedX' post='1208579' date='Apr 22 2011, 07:31 PM']So the string make and gauge hasn't changed. Did the alternative string that you mentioned in your first post come from the same shop as the first duff one? If so they might have a duff batch. It might be worth trying another B string from an alternative source. Why do you suspect the truss rod? Has it been altered since the set of strings you liked were changed? Has anything else been changed in the set up?[/quote] i've changed the strings since they changed them in shop and its the same issue. the truss rod hasnt been changed i just asked incase it affects the strings that way. im going to take my bass in for a full setup elsewhere to see if they can sort it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I think new strings are critical on a B St... and if the bass has sounded good before then that is good news and you may just have a duff batch....but you8 should hear this across the set There have been a few threads on this recently and I am currently trying to get a new set of DR's to sound good, but it isn't working so I'll have to write them off. Any new set should work well enough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 IMO there's a good case for matching up the right string for a particular bass and playing style. I have a range of different 5-string basses that I use on a regular basis and each has different strings that work best. For instance, my 2 Gus G3 both use La Bella Hard Rocking Steels, but the black Gus which I play mainly finger style benefits from a heavier gauge than the red Gus which I mainly play with a pick. My Overwaters are strung with Overwater string, but as they are both 36" scale it's a bit of a no-brainer except the fretted has stainless steel and the fretless has nickels. At the moment my Yamaha BJ 5B is strung with the same La Bellas that my red Gus has but they're not working quite as well as on the Gus. I'll probably try either SITS or Ritter Sword Steels on it next. Unfortunately the road to finding the right string make and gauges can be expensive and time-consuming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeybass Posted April 22, 2011 Author Share Posted April 22, 2011 when i have money my bass is going into overwater for a full setup. luckily they have thier workshop in my town and they should be able to sort out most problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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