Bass Dr.

[xxxwookie]

OK, we get a lot of people coming in here telling us about their damaged equipment and problems they're having with it. So, Since we have a lot of people with similar problems, I thought it might be a good idea to start a thread for everyone to use!

Please, if you have a problem, check through previous answers to see if your question has already been answered, but if you need somebody to clarify on something or it completely goes over your head, feel free to ask!

[xxxwookie]

hmmmm... Nobody got any problems with their equipment?! That's unusual! :upset:

Does anybody know a site that tells me how to alter my intonation correctly? I knocked it out slightly restringing the other day and the B rattles on the fret when I play an E

[kornnut]

my volume controll has gone loose. when i open the bopard behind it icudnt see anythin like a loose screw, so do i need 2 stic it down or somin?any1 knw?

[Dannyboy15]

yeah so are the nobs on my bass and when I play they seem to rattle against the metal cover.

[xxxwookie]

Well, it all depends on your bass! My knobs were a bit loose and to deal with that, I had to use an allen key to remove the knob, then use a spanner to tighten a nut underneath the knob. Could you take a picture of it with the knob removed? then I've got some sort of Idea of what might be the problem!

[zerbrochenglas]

Wookie, what bass do you have? Changing the intonation differs from bass to bass. On my Ibanez, all you do if turn a screw on the bridge that is connected to bridge support for the string.

[xxxwookie]

Originally posted by zerbrochenglas
Wookie, what bass do you have? Changing the intonation differs from bass to bass. On my Ibanez, all you do if turn a screw on the bridge that is connected to bridge support for the string. It's alright, I done it now! Somebody told me there's a specific manner to get it to sound right, but I fiddled and it's fine now! :D It's a yamaha BBG5S btw

[zerbrochenglas]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that. The twelfth fret has to be equal to the open string. Or something around those lines.....^^;;;

[xxxwookie]

Originally posted by zerbrochenglas
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that. The twelfth fret has to be equal to the open string. Or something around those lines.....^^;;; Yep, Done that! :D

[jhouse15]

hey. i have a question. when i'm playing and my cable moves, it makes a noise like you pull the cable out and touch it. i fairly certain it's something to do with the input and i took it apart and looked at it. none of the wires were loose or anything, but it's like the cable looses contact with the little things in the input when i move it around. do i need to buy a new input or something to fix it? or can i just do something simple?

[zerbrochenglas]

I had the same problem. I ended up replacing the input jack on my bass, but it didn't help. At first, the jack worked fine, but as time went on it got to be the way it was before. Sometimes the cable will lose contact and the sound will cut out or it crackles. I tried replacing the jack and it failed, I don't know what else to do.

[:amaze:]

Hey -- how would i go about defretting my pos squier... i don't know for sure if i want to, but if i do, how could i do it (myself)??

[zerbrochenglas]

I can be done. But, you must be careful. Pull the frets out with pliers and fill the gaps with a wood filler. You can make a wood filler from Elmer's glue and wood dust. Sand the filler down after it dries. You can stain it to match the rest of the fret board if you like.

[xxxwookie]

Originally posted by jhouse15
hey. i have a question. when i'm playing and my cable moves, it makes a noise like you pull the cable out and touch it. i fairly certain it's something to do with the input and i took it apart and looked at it. none of the wires were loose or anything, but it's like the cable looses contact with the little things in the input when i move it around. do i need to buy a new input or something to fix it? or can i just do something simple? Have you tried using someone elses cable with your bass and your cable with someone else's guitar? It may help you to pin point which is the problem, the cable or the bass jack! If it's the cable, You may want to replace it, if it's the input jack on your bass, it's not too expensive to replace that

[jhouse15]

i know for sure that it's not my cable. about the input and stuff.... anyways. i don't know what to do. it's definately the input though.

[xxxwookie]

Originally posted by jhouse15
i know for sure that it's not my cable. about the input and stuff.... anyways. i don't know what to do. it's definately the input though. Well, If you're not very good at electronics and taking stuff apart and putting it back together (lol) I'd suggest taking it to a music shop and tell them what the problem is! most music shops do repairs and to replace a jack shouldn't oughta cost much, £3 for the jack itself ($4.80) and they can charge you whatever they like for the work, probably not much, it's a pretty simple job. Ask for a quote and don't tell them what you think is wrong! Tell them what the problem is! I say this because if the problem isn't with the jack and you pay them to repair it, you can't claim your money back if that's not what the problem was!

[alewales]

When you're playing your bass, try threading the lead between the bass and the guitar strap. This takes most of the pressure off the jack and the socket when you jump around.

[xxxwookie]

Originally posted by alewales
When you're playing your bass, try threading the lead between the bass and the guitar strap. This takes most of the pressure off the jack and the socket when you jump around. Actually, that's a good recommendation for anybody who gigs. It prevents damage to your jack and it actually gives you a little more freedom of movement!

[:amaze:]

i used to do that, but with my new bass, the input jack is on the underside, or the bottom, or i don't know what to call it ...

[jhouse15]

yeah. i do that also. it's not as bad now. because i took apart the thing and bent the little prong that makes the connection so it's tighter up to the cable. hard to explain, but if you take apart your input thing you'll see. anyways. thanks for the advice.

[bakkusdude]

Hey ya'll... I've been playing for about 6 years now and I've got a little problem I need some advice on...

I play a Montana 4-string acoustic/electric bass in jazz band through a Peavey TKO amp. I'm pretty sure the amp is actually a keyboard amp, but unfortunately, it's all the school has.

Anyways, when I try playing through it at a reasonable volume, it feedsback like a mofo, especially when I play any B-flat note, it totally goes nuts. I'm gonna bring a BOSS GEB-7 Bass EQ pedal with me to see if I can shape the sound and boost the volume without putting the pre and post gain channels too high on the amp and without putting the pickup EQ levels too high on the bass itself. Any ideas on how I can play at a decent volume without the feedback?

Besides the obvious "get a new amp" or "get a new bass".... heh ;)

[xxxwookie]

Well, my mate gigs with a 100W keyboard amp and he doesn't have any problems with it, but his bass isn't an acoustic. You might want to try a long cable and sit away from it, but I'm not sure if that's your problem or not!

[EADG]

Umm.. my open E buzzes like hell. No other strings do, and no other notes on the E string, just the open. It's weird.

[xxxwookie]

Originally posted by EADG
Umm.. my open E buzzes like hell. No other strings do, and no other notes on the E string, just the open. It's weird. Buzzes in what way? As in fret buzz? Have you checked your intonation? To make sure that's in check simply hold the 12th fret and check to see if it's an E, but I'm not really sure! It might be something completely different

[Mobys_Reject]

mmm, seeing all this makes me thankful that i'm not having any serious problems... sorry, but i've got a problem with intonation too.

when i got my guitar, no info came with it. so when it was time to change strings for the first time, i didn't know what the hell i was doing. i was doing random stuff like trying to cut the string, trying to take off the little gold thing at the end, and yes, screwing with the intonation.

now, the way mine works, and i think the way most basses work according to my limited knowledge, is that there are two tiny screws that adjust the height of the string (distance away from the guitar) and there is one big one that slides the string up and down (toward the top of the neck - toward the body of the guitar).

Now in terms of the 12th fret matching the open string, I think I'm just supposed to turn the big screw and experiment for a little while until I get it. But I'm not really sure what purpose the other screws have, i.e., what difference it makes how high the string is.

So: could someone, in a few basic sentences, explain how the intonation down there works, what the differences are between a high action and low action, etc?

cos you'd be awesome if you did.

[xxxwookie]

Well... You already know how to alter your intonation and how to get it right, so I won't explain that.

To get the right action for your strings... Well, it's good to have vaguely high action, just so that it doesn't clatter against the frets too easily, but don't make it too high. When the action is set sufficiently high, begin moving it backwards/forwards until fret 12 on the string is the same note (Only 1 octave higher) as the open string

Is that OK?

[Mobys_Reject]

i guess i don't know what 'sufficiently high' is... *insert pot joke here*

how do i know when it's TOO high?

[xxxwookie]

Originally posted by Mobys_Reject
i guess i don't know what 'sufficiently high' is... *insert pot joke here*

how do i know when it's TOO high?
By sufficiently high I mean so high that it doesn'ttouch the fretboard, coz if it does you'll get fret buzz while your playing, basically because the string is rattling on frets further down the string, too high and it's just plain weird, but the screws aren't usually (I stress usually, I've seen some big 'uns) long enough to raise your intonation too high

Well, it's hard to get it too high coz when you move the intonation across, it lowers a bit again, but it's fairly obvious when it's too high, because it's miles above the other strings!

I get the feeling I just made everything seem a lot more complex than it should have been! :lol:

[Mobys_Reject]

no, i get it. thanks.

i'm getting a little fret buzz further down the neck, so i'll raise the action and adjust the intonation accordingly.

[alewales]

I may be stating the obvious here? A few people have mentioned fret-buzz, and while raising the action stops this, having your bass professionally set-up stops the buzz and still lets you have a lower action. You probably know this, but what they do is stone/file the frets to make them absolutely level with each other down to the 12th-15th fret, then make each fret lower than the previous one from 15th up. Then the truss-rod is loosened slightly to allow a little relief ( the neck moves away from the strings ...like a bow). This sounds all wrong, but when you play a string it vibrates in an ellipse, so this relief accomodates it and stops the buzzing (but the frets have to be levelled first!). The way I've written this sounds more complicated than it really is.
A good set-up costs about £30-£50 in the UK, and its worth every penny!

[BornGhost]

Alright... I'm having a slight problem with fret buzz too. It's only when I fret the 3rd and 5th frets on my G string though, and that's pretty **** annoying because I like to pop those two frets quite a bit. I'm gonna try to adjust the action but I need the right sized allen wrench first. Can't believe I lost that little one...

[EADG]

Originally posted by xxxwookie
Buzzes in what way? As in fret buzz? Have you checked your intonation? To make sure that's in check simply hold the 12th fret and check to see if it's an E, but I'm not really sure! It might be something completely different


Never mind it's gone. I just took the string off and wound it up again, problem solved.

[:amaze:]

Originally posted by BornGhost
Alright... I'm having a slight problem with fret buzz too. It's only when I fret the 3rd and 5th frets on my G string though, and that's pretty **** annoying because I like to pop those two frets quite a bit. I'm gonna try to adjust the action but I need the right sized allen wrench first. Can't believe I lost that little one...

Jw....how can you get fret buzz whe nyou pop your string?? I thought (correct me if i am wrong) that whe nyou pop, it makes that noise BECAUSE the string is hitting the frets....so how can you complain of fret buzz?

[xxxwookie]

Originally posted by Luke19Boarder


Jw....how can you get fret buzz whe nyou pop your string?? I thought (correct me if i am wrong) that whe nyou pop, it makes that noise BECAUSE the string is hitting the frets....so how can you complain of fret buzz? Well, when you pop, the string bounces against the fret and then vibrates, but if the action is bad, then it rattles against the fret which sounds bad

[BornGhost]

I'm not talking about just when i'm slapping. Anytime I play it, whether it be fingerstyle, slap, or otherwise, it buzzes at those frets.

[GuitarGuy77]

About a week ago I loosened my truss rod (bad idea) and it caused it to become so loose it shook when i played my low e string. so i tried to put it back.... its still shooklong story short i still cant get it to a place where it doesnt shake and the strings dont rattle.......

im just wondering if it is posible that my truss rod is like permanently loose now?

[moxshyfter]

Well, your truss rod IS essentially just a screw. You probably "unscrewed" it from where it is supposed to be in the neck. Try pressing down on the rod or wiggling it around until you find the pilot hole, maybe?

[cods]

what about the website for defretting?

[xxxwookie]

Originally posted by cods
what about the website for defretting? Someone said something about coypu's site which is

http://medieteknik.bth.se/joba01/

[Fat Man, The Bassist]

In regards to the bad output jack, you could replace the jack with a side entry one (about $10-$15 at a guitar store) and it looks cleaner and maintains an excellent connection. I myself don't have the room for it (I'd have to rout out the body) but I do what alewales said, run the cable between the butt of my bass and the strap. Stress on the shielding is much better than the plug.

[Fat Man, The Bassist]

Another little tidbit of advice for the Bassists our there, if your strings buzz at the top of the neck, it's usually because the guide grooves are too large. There are are 2 things you can do, one is more permanent than the other. If you're only ever going to use 1 brand and 1 guage, you can fill in the grooves with wood filler, then file it out to fit the strings so it's good and tight. Or 2, which I have done, is once you tune your bass, you pull the string away from the neck and slide a rubberband segment under it then put the string back, having a nice piece of rubber between the groove and the string. Fills things nicely and allows you to use large and small guages in the future.

[zerbrochenglas]

Ok, guys. This is the second time I've had this damn problem. The output jack on my bass is broken again. When I put the cord in to it, the cord slides out partially, and loses contact. It has gotten so bad, that I have to hold it in with my hadn all the time in order to have any contact. That, therefore, makes playing impossible. I have already replaced the jack once before, and I am becoming suspicious of the Ibanez parts. Are there any suggestions on preventing this from happening to the jacks, or at least, delaying it?

[Fat Man, The Bassist]

I would just get a Fender side-in jack. There are a couple other tricks you could do, but a lot of them involve jury rigging stuff up. That's what I get for being in a band... Oh well. :lol:

[xxxwookie]

Well, there's loads of ways of jury rigging it, but they are far from permenant/reliable. but I'd certainly recommend getting a replacement jack!

[zerbrochenglas]

Well, aren't you guys helpful? *glare*

I have already replaced the jack once, and geuss what? It was a Fender jack, so that idea is gone. I was asking if there was some way to decrease wear on the jack, so that I wouldn't have to buy a new one every month or two.

*indifferent*

[Fat Man, The Bassist]

I'm not feeling the love. Where's the love??? One way you can reduce the wear on the jack is while the plug is in it, wrap a rubber band around the jack, bringing the 2 conductor pieces closer together. This will make it harder for you to put the jack in and take it out, but it should stay in well.

[theFro]

two words:

duct tape.

it fixes most everything, if not forever then at least for a temporary state. i keep a roll of it in my locker, at my house, everywhere something can break.

[xxxwookie]

Originally posted by theFro
two words:

duct tape.

it fixes most everything, if not forever then at least for a temporary state. i keep a roll of it in my locker, at my house, everywhere something can break. :lol: Duct tape is great, but it leaves glue on your bass when you take it off, and you don't really wanna wrap your good looking bass in duct tape do you? I don't!

One way of reducing wear on the jack is to feed your cable through the strap, and fat man the bassist has a great idea

[evildove]

hey i have a question about my amp i hope this qualifies for ths thread but its a bass amp so..basically the story is i got a ussed Peavey amp from the pawn shop for 200 dollars, its a TNT 115 and is pretty big and almost too heavy to lift (like something you could probly play in a bar with) it was missing some knobs but i can get the knobs easy but it buzzes when i play it. i still hear the notes but theres this constant background buzzing. my frined said it was because the plugs in my room werent grounded but i dont think so and its too heavy to drag around to differant plugs in the house and mess with it. do any of you know what this means?

[Mistake Pageant]

how do i lower the action on my p- bass?

[xxxwookie]

Originally posted by Mistake Pageant
how do i lower the action on my p- bass? Well, my personal favourite way is to use an aluminium baseball bat, but only on fenders!

Right, it differs between basses, but at the bridge, at the bottom end of your bass you'll see that there are screws that require an allen key. You simply adjust these screws lower, but remember, you'll also have to move it back and forth to get the intonation correct. To ensure intonation is correct, play an E on the E string, and at the 12th fret, it should also be tuned to an E.

[Commie Jack]

Yo, evildove,
To rid your amp of buzzing (if it's an electronic buzz, not a buzz produced by vibrations from notes), try the ground life switch. On the old TNT 115's (which is the one i think you have) there should be three way toggle next to the power switch. Try + 0 and - and see which one works the best. I didn't wire your house so I dont know how your power outlets are, but try it.
- Andrew

[evildove]

Originally posted by Commie Jack
Yo, evildove,
To rid your amp of buzzing (if it's an electronic buzz, not a buzz produced by vibrations from notes), try the ground life switch. On the old TNT 115's (which is the one i think you have) there should be three way toggle next to the power switch. Try + 0 and - and see which one works the best. I didn't wire your house so I dont know how your power outlets are, but try it.
- Andrew

thanks ill go try that now

[Commie Jack]

Extremely quick guide to defretting a bass:
(I do not take responsibility for anything you screw up if you don't know what you're doing)

1.) Using either a med/low powered soldering iron or electric current, heat up the fret. (place one contact on each end of the fret and create a short circuit, heating the fret. DO NOT do this with regular 120 volt AC. Use a much weaker power source. I recommend the soldering iron method). Or you can use the soldering iron to carefully heat the fret wire up enough so that the glue will get soft and melt. This way, you can pull the fret right out of the slot in the fretboard. Be careful not to slip with the soldering iron and burn the fretboard, but that only matters if you care what it looks like afterwards.

2.) Clean any remaining glue or junk out of the slot.

3.) Fill the slot with wood putty (a different color than your fretboard to get that lined fretless thing going on). Be careful and make sure you get it fully packed into the slot.

4.) Let the putty harden and cure on all the frets. Now, take a medium grain sandpaper and sand down the whole fretboard, taking off any chunks of putty, irregularities in the fretboard, etc.

5.) Resand it again, but use a very fine grained sandpaper.

6.) Optional: Oil your fretboard (go to a music store where they sell oil for double bass and other fretless fretboards). This is only if you really care about the thing. It's a Squire, so I would just say screw the oil. You need to reoil it every once in a while, depending on the weather condiditions in your area if you do decide to oil it.

7.) Optional: Use flatwounds or tapewounds instead of regular roundwound strings. These will be much nicer to the wood on the fret(less)board. Also, I think they sound cooler, a much mellower "wooden" tone.

Good luck, any questions, email me at onionbelly@yahoo.com

-Andrew

[evildove]

how do i adjust my p-bass so it's perfect for slap and pop, right now it's like impossible to slap on because i think it is too high.

[xxxwookie]

Originally posted by evildove
how do i adjust my p-bass so it's perfect for slap and pop, right now it's like impossible to slap on because i think it is too high. Basically, you need to lower the action, by reducing the height of the bridges at the bottom end of your guitar and then you need to move them backwards until the 12th fret of each string is the same note as the open string, so E12 is E A12 is A D12 is... You get the idea. Beware not to lower the action too much or you will end up with fret buzz which is a pain in the arse!

Adjusting the intonation is a long irritating process.

[xxxwookie]

Originally posted by owenbassist
I'm supposed to be repairing a squire p-bass for a friend...one of the things thats wrong w/ it is the volume and tone controls are loose...i'm not sure if they are the original controls though, but i can't get them off. How do you take off the knobs? they come off differently than how they do on my fender jazz bass...i think they replaced some of the equipment at one point in time. any suggestions? Well, it all dpends on the type of knob, it's hard to tell you without seeing it myself. Some knobs (I've noticed particularly on Fenders) just pull off if you pull hard enouh (You may need pliers or something) Some knobs, like he ones I have on my bass are actually screwed on and mine require an allen key to do it.

[owenbassist]

these don't use an allen key...i'm pretty sure they're the wrong knobs, because they don't seem to fit right - and all the torque from turning the knobs goes on the wires, they aren't anchored to the body in any way...

[alewales]

An easy and cheap way to remove the knobs!
Get a wooden peg (the type used to hang washing on the line).
Take it apart, disguard the metal spring. Place the tapered (narrowest) end under the knob with the flat side against the body. Repeat this with the other part of the peg, but in the opposite direction ... sort of, thin end of peg A under top-right of knob, thin end of peg B under bottom-left.
Gently tap both pegs, at the same time until the knob pops off the spindle.
You should find a nut and 'shake-proof' washer underneath.
Tighten the nut while holding the pot underneath.. this may require you to take off the scrath-plate.
Hope this helps?

[ooogabooga]

How do I fix the action, and what kind of file should I use to file my nut down to the proper size to fit in the slot, and how can I make the area where the string goes through the nut a bit bigger to fit the gauge strings I have?

[xxxwookie]

Originally posted by ooogabooga
How do I fix the action, and what kind of file should I use to file my nut down to the proper size to fit in the slot, and how can I make the area where the string goes through the nut a bit bigger to fit the gauge strings I have?
Right then, To fix the action
At the bottom end of your bass (Unless it's headless, in which case it may be different) where the strings go int, there should be some moveable "Platforms" called the bridge. usually, this requires an allen key. You should be able to move these bridgesback and forth and up and down. keep doing so until the sound is just right for what you want. Make sure though that the intonation is correct when you change the action. Use your tuner and fret 12 should be he same note as the open string.

To File down the nut
This kinda links into your next question too. I'd recommend a circular file (But it doesn't really matter) and be gentle, or you can go to far and damage the integrity of the nut.

Fitting larger strings in
File down the nut (The plastic bit at the top of the neck) until an appt. size is reached. It doesn't matter if you make it a bit too big, simply use a small piece of an elastic band and trap it under the string.

[dumba_s]

i have a serious problem everytime i plug in my amp which is a crate bx-80 i play like 3notes and it just dies. it doesnt lose power but its like i unplugged the teh cord which i didnt, it just stops playing and i know its not the cord cuz i've used different ones and its not my bass cuz i can play on other amps too, what should i do?

[xxxwookie]

Originally posted by dumba_s
i have a serious problem everytime i plug in my amp which is a crate bx-80 i play like 3notes and it just dies. it doesnt lose power but its like i unplugged the teh cord which i didnt, it just stops playing and i know its not the cord cuz i've used different ones and its not my bass cuz i can play on other amps too, what should i do? I was about to suggest that if you have an active bass that the battery might be dead, but if it lasts on other amps, that's probably not the case, nless the other amps are lower wattage (Higher watt amps drain more from the batteries of active basses). If you have an active bass, try changing the battery.

If that;s not the problem, it's possible that there is a malfunctioning switch/damaged circuit inside the amp itself, you're best off having a professional look at it.

[TheOtherWhiteMeat]

I've got an Ibanez 4-string bass, with an Ashton bass amp. If I play my E-string too hard, iI get this really bad distrotion. However, when I use my bass on my school's amp, it plays fine.
Could the problem be my lead or my amp?

[xxxwookie]

Originally posted by TheOtherWhiteMeat
I've got an Ibanez 4-string bass, with an Ashton bass amp. If I play my E-string too hard, iI get this really bad distrotion. However, when I use my bass on my school's amp, it plays fine.
Could the problem be my lead or my amp? It's most likely the amp! The chances are either A, the school's amp is better than your amp, or B that the gain settings are different on the school amp than your amp. If you turn up the gain, you get louder volume, but it distorts easily. Try lowering the gain and raising the volume on your amp.

[dandawg541169]

Originally posted by xxxwookie
hmmmm... Nobody got any problems with their equipment?! That's unusual! :upset:

Does anybody know a site that tells me how to alter my intonation correctly? I knocked it out slightly restringing the other day and the B rattles on the fret when I play an E


I dont but I have a question for I got a fender and I went to play it and the neck started bending really bad. do u have any suggestions for me

[DBoons Ghost]

Originally posted by dandawg541169
I dont but I have a question for I got a fender and I went to play it and the neck started bending really bad. do u have any suggestions for me

First off, how do you store it? What is the weather like where you store it? Humidity and drastic change in tempatures will cause the wood to bend. If you lean it againt the radiator for example, it will destroy the neck. If you lean it next to a freezer it will bend. Do you keep it in a case? Do you have it in a stand at least?

[TheOtherWhiteMeat]

I probably sound hell stupid, but I just wanted to know what an active bass is?

[DBoons Ghost]

Originally posted by TheOtherWhiteMeat
I probably sound hell stupid, but I just wanted to know what an active bass is?

An active bass is one that has an onboard pre-amp built into the circuitry of the bass.

The 2 types as you may know are Passive and Active.

Passive basses have the pickups wired directly to the tone and volume controls, and you get no boost, but a good steady solid sound. No batteries no fuss.

Active basses have the pickups wired through an amplified circuit which usually comes equipped with some kind of 3-way EQ boost for treble, mid and bass. Some come with a frequency range for the mids too. They are powered by either a 9-volt battery, or 2 9-vold batteries (18v),

[newbassist69]

I duno if u already answered this but my cord falls out constantly while im playing standing or even sitting... I really have no clue what to do ... any advice would help thanks

[cods]

take of your pick guard, and do this

[xbassguitaristx]

my uncle gave me a 4x10 cab. the problem is i cant use it with my SWR LA15 because it has no output thing. i have a 6 channel mixer....but when i tried that soudn would only come out of the cabinet or the amp. anything i can do to use the cab and the amp?

[yo quiero fumar]

Question:
If i want to boil my old strings do i need destilated (im not sure thats how its spelled) water and for how long do i leave them to boil???

[yo quiero fumar]

distilled - thats the word

[KingNothing300]

I can only notice this on the Bottom E string and I tuned it to D. I think that it twangs for both tunings. Like I'll strike a note and then hear this faint twang in the background. I just got a new IBanez SRX 500. Is it because the strings are new?

[orange_destroyer]

Originally posted by yo quiero fumar
Question:
If i want to boil my old strings do i need destilated (im not sure thats how its spelled) water and for how long do i leave them to boil???


Can i ask, why would you wanna boil your strings ???

[yo quiero fumar]

well, i heard that boiling give "a new life" to old strings...

[orange_destroyer]

Fair enough. I would jus go out and buy new strings..........

[Black Ink]

Originally posted by dumba_s
i have a serious problem everytime i plug in my amp which is a crate bx-80 i play like 3notes and it just dies. it doesnt lose power but its like i unplugged the teh cord which i didnt, it just stops playing and i know its not the cord cuz i've used different ones and its not my bass cuz i can play on other amps too, what should i do?

I had a BX-100 with the same problem, at first a few kicks would make it go again but it'd always die after awhile. My problem was a loose little plastic connector thing just inside the input. You should have a pro look at it though.

[denimvest]

i just recently replaced my strings on my barracuda with epiphone ones they feel great and i find are easier to tune but i'm getting more of a jazzy/clasical sound out of my bass now and i don't like it considering i like to play rage against the machine and other rock stuff is this just beccause of the strings or what? i mean they look and feel the same

[SporKsBaSSisT]

most likely its the string type. also new strings tend to be more twangy.

[influ3nz4]

I have a dumb question here...

Im confused bout slapping...
When slaping with my thumbs,
is it better if i swing it downwards or upwards??
Or both doesnt matter?
coz.. i find it easier doing it upwards..

[Kithkin]

:(


so yesterday i was playing my bass with my new amp (its a pevy 800 watt) and it sounded funny... kinda like it had distortion... but i wasnt using a pedal or anything. I fiddled with the controls and got it sounding reletivly normal... but today a bunch of people came over and they started jamming on my amp (it can support up to 5 people at once) so after a bit i went over and pluged in my bass to join in... but i got nothing:upset:

One of the guys said maybe one of the pickups has gone... is that a possibility?

I have and Ibanez SDGR, and its pickups are 3 AFR pickups (2 p, 1 j) and the amp/head thing is a Peavy Mark 3 series from 1978 head and a peavy 800 watt amp (2 15 inch speakers)

Any idea what happened... i dont think its the amp because my guitar works in it and i know its not the cable because i tried all of the cables, and i tried it in all the inputs.

[Kithkin]

Nevermind, it needed a new battery, i should have read the whole thread first:)

[BassGiraffe]

Originally posted by Kithkin
:(


so yesterday i was playing my bass with my new amp (its a pevy 800 watt) and it sounded funny... kinda like it had distortion... but i wasnt using a pedal or anything. I fiddled with the controls and got it sounding reletivly normal... but today a bunch of people came over and they started jamming on my amp (it can support up to 5 people at once) so after a bit i went over and pluged in my bass to join in... but i got nothing:upset:
..............

Is the amp used? If it is, check the jacks to make sure they are not loose. Also check your bass's output jack and make sure your cord isn't shorting.

[Cardboard Headgear]

Originally posted by Kithkin
:(


so yesterday i was playing my bass with my new amp (its a pevy 800 watt) and it sounded funny... kinda like it had distortion... but i wasnt using a pedal or anything. I fiddled with the controls and got it sounding reletivly normal... but today a bunch of people came over and they started jamming on my amp (it can support up to 5 people at once) so after a bit i went over and pluged in my bass to join in... but i got nothing:upset:

One of the guys said maybe one of the pickups has gone... is that a possibility?

I have and Ibanez SDGR, and its pickups are 3 AFR pickups (2 p, 1 j) and the amp/head thing is a Peavy Mark 3 series from 1978 head and a peavy 800 watt amp (2 15 inch speakers)

Any idea what happened... i dont think its the amp because my guitar works in it and i know its not the cable because i tried all of the cables, and i tried it in all the inputs.

Is that the head that has an active channel or something like that below the two inputs for channel 1 and above the two inputs for channel 2? If so my friend has one, and if you're plugging into the active channel when all the other inputs are all being used, the active won't work.

[The Purple Water]

my action keep getting loose and going down....is there anything i can do to prevent that, or should i just always keep an allen wrench handy

[BassGiraffe]

Originally posted by mutalation22
my action keep getting loose and going down....is there anything i can do to prevent that, or should i just always keep an allen wrench handy

as far as I know, you can either buy new bridge saddles (if it's a 'fender' style bridge), replace the whole bridge, or keep a wrench handy :-D

[Kithkin]

Originally posted by Kithkin
Nevermind, it needed a new battery, i should have read the whole thread first:)

Thanks guys... but read the whole thread before responding to someones question, there is a chance that someone else already answered it or they made their own discoveries. I found out what my problem was and fixed it and let you all know you didnt have to respond.

[RIPJoeStrummer]

Originally posted by yo quiero fumar
well, i heard that boiling give "a new life" to old strings...

What exactly does that do and how long do you boil them for?

[BassGiraffe]

ANSWER

Boilling strings will destroy all the sweat and skin particles out of old strings so they have a tone closer to new. I'm not sure about the length, tho. I'd guess 10 to 15 minutes, but that is just a guess.

[xbassguitaristx]

keep in mind thought it will greatly shorten the life of the strings

[BassGiraffe]

yeh, unless you have real good thing to restore rust damage

[Scott4]

I have a Squier Standard Special which I have had for about a year. For about the past 2 months, whenever I take my hands off metal part of my bass, whether it be the strings, tuning pegs or bridge, I get this buzzing sound that is almost like feedback. It never used to do this...my friend who is also a bass player suggested it might be my patch cord or my strings. I got a new patch cord an new strings but it still buzzes when i take my hands off it. Any suggestions? Could it be because its a Squier with crappy pickups?? I dunno. Thanks for your suggestions.:)

[DBoons Ghost]

Originally posted by Scott4
I have a Squier Standard Special which I have had for about a year. For about the past 2 months, whenever I take my hands off metal part of my bass, whether it be the strings, tuning pegs or bridge, I get this buzzing sound that is almost like feedback. It never used to do this...my friend who is also a bass player suggested it might be my patch cord or my strings. I got a new patch cord an new strings but it still buzzes when i take my hands off it. Any suggestions? Could it be because its a Squier with crappy pickups?? I dunno. Thanks for your suggestions.:)

Few things. First off, do you play while sitting in fron of your PC? Or near any magentic device? TVs and monitors or anything of the like are well known for causing interference like a bastard. If so, you may have some kind of electro static interference coming form the plug in your house. Try a different socket, and also try moving to a new room, even just to test it out. Let us know! (Note, that strings would never cause such interference)

[Scott4]

Originally posted by DBoon's Ghost
Few things. First off, do you play while sitting in fron of your PC? Or near any magentic device? TVs and monitors or anything of the like are well known for causing interference like a bastard. If so, you may have some kind of electro static interference coming form the plug in your house. Try a different socket, and also try moving to a new room, even just to test it out. Let us know! (Note, that strings would never cause such interference)

Nope, I don't play in front of my PC or TV and I've played in a bunch of different places in my house and in other houses and i still get that buzzing.

[DBoons Ghost]

DId you change anything in the pickups, electronics? Anything?

[Scott4]

Nope. I did drop my hex wrench on my p-pickup when i was fixing the action (i'm wondering if the magnetism from the wrench had something to do with it) Both my p-pickup and j-pickup have the the same buzzing sound.

[DBoons Ghost]

Originally posted by Scott4
Nope. I did drop my hex wrench on my p-pickup when i was fixing the action (i'm wondering if the magnetism from the wrench had something to do with it) Both my p-pickup and j-pickup have the the same buzzing sound.

Well, if you feel bold and adventorous, the only thing I can think of is the ground from your pickups somehow got wacky. I am no expert though, so please wait for more opinions before following my advice solely. The ground wire on all Fender (dunno Squier) Basses comes out of the pickup cavity and uses the bridge for ground. The wire can get dirty I guess, and maybe it needs to be adjusted? I dunno man. Best bet, is take it to someone who knows more than us, and they will fix it.

Taking your bridge off to check that wire is NOT recommended, but it's not uncommon for the input jack also to get a little kooky and throw things out of whack. You do plug in and out two or three times a day right? Well, that could cause it to come loose, but I don't recommend taking your pickguard off either to tighten it. If you do want to do this yourself though, I can tell you how. But again, I really don't recommend you doing it yourself. Cant you take it to someone? Can't see them charging more then 20 bucks for a quick sodder fix.

[Scott4]

Thanks for the advice man, but I think that I'm going to have someone professional look at it. Good to know it shouldn't be more than 20 bucks.

[fleabass2232]

i have a squier p bass and for the past few weeks, whenever i hit the open e or a strings, i get a horrible rattling sound on the first two frets. its brought the bridge mounts as up as high as i can and ive had the nut checked out on the neck, but even when i fret on the 1st or 2nd, i still get the rattling, no matter how hard i press. does anyone have a sloution to this? i really hope my neck isnt warped...if it is, its not the end of the world, after 2 1/2 years its had a good run

[RIPJoeStrummer]

i would say take it to a professional and get your trus rod straightend

[alewales]

I understand that money is usually a problem for most of us, but having your bass proffesionaly set up is a great idea. In the Uk it costs about £50- £100 to have the frets stoned, nut filed, action set and intonation sorted out. Honestly, the first time I had my bass done (many years ago) it was like playing a different guitar! Plus, if you get any problems you can take it back and as most guitar techs take such pride in their work, they'll do their best to sort it out .

[BassGiraffe]

frets stoned? what's that? I've never heard anything like that...

[alewales]

Yeah it is an odd thing to call it. When the frets are being dressed it can either be done with metal files or an oil-stone (the sort used for sharpening knives, etc ), hence the term.

[niz]

does anyone know a site that i can buy new volume knobs cos mine keep falling off

[BassGiraffe]

jus go to radio shack and buy some new knobs. Or most guitar/bass stores usually have cooler knobs like skulls and such.

[Whiteman015]

Does any one know why an amp could start smoking out of the in put holes. its a 90 watt and i was playing at half vol. and pluged into a PA. I dont know if this will help but the smoke smelled electrical

[alewales]

How did you plug your amp into the PA? Which out-put from the amp did you use?

[bassi3]

I'm having a "fret-buzz" on my defretted 5-string, with already a pretty high action.

Is there any other oprion besides turning the action een higher??


second question: I heard it's better to play flat-wounds on a fretless. Is this true? if yes: does anyone know a brand of flatwound 5-strings?? I can't seem to find them anywhere...


THNX in advance,

Ronald.

[joshmay]

i dont think u r accurate in labeling the noise on a fretless (fretbuzz) hehe....um D'addario flatwounds are on my bass, i think they make em for 5 strings too...

[bassi3]

Originally posted by joshmay41465
i dont think u r accurate in labeling the noise on a fretless (fretbuzz) hehe....um D'addario flatwounds are on my bass, i think they make em for 5 strings too...

I know it sounds a bit strange. But I'm getting the buzz of my fretboard instead of my frets (duh... It's fretless :evil: ) So I wondered if it will disappear by just raising the action...

I'll check the D'addario's. THNX 4 the advice.

[Deathchild]

Umm, this probably sounds like a completeley ****ed up question but I'm fairly new to bass and no-one I know plays so I can't ask anyone, but I have a Yamaha RBX 270 and I know it needs re-stringing soon, I bought some Warwick strings (The E string was 100", A was 80" etc) but they seemed too big and when I tuned them up they were really loose and flapped a lot when I played, I compared them to my old strings and they were a couple of centimetres longer than my originals. What size strings should I get? And any tips on re-stringing? Thanks. (I know it sounds like a really basic question, but like I said, I have no-one else to ask)

[Heatherrr]

Question:

I have a scratchy volume knob....i cleaned it with electrical contact cleaner which is what i was told to use by someone on another forum, but after like 10 minutes it had the noise again...was that wrong...is there somthing else i need to do? Do i need to replace the pot?

[alewales]

Deathchild, try looking on the 'Bass Player Magazine' site, search for an article they ran a few years ago. It detailed how to re-string all common types of bass.
Heatherr, to cure the problem you will have to replace the pot. However, you can get a bit more mileage out of it by taking the back off it, and with a soft pencil (2B or softer), rub the carbon on the track...when you rotate the volume knob the metal piece that moves rubs against the track).

[angry armadillo]

question

i get fret buzz only on the 8th fret of the A string,

If i move my finger to the middle of the fret rather than right next to it it goes awy but that is a pain so how can i get rid o it

[alewales]

Sounds like you've got a low or worn fret. You can replace the fret, but it would be easier to take your bass along to a guitar tech and have them stone all the frets. This would take all the frets down to the level of the lower one. It'll play much better. When basses (even real expensive ones) come out of the factory they are only given a bassic set up, the companys' just haven't got time to do any more. It costs a few quid but is always worth it.

[Jim Hull]

Question:

My bass has 3 nobs on it that control the pitch and the like. My bass fell and the 1st nob came looses. I tightened it but now the other 2 nobs do not work unless the 1st one is turned about halfway up?? I took the back off to look at the wiring of the nobs and all the wires seem ok. what do u think has happed???

[orange_destroyer]

^^^ i think you buggered up your bass, thats whats happened.

[Heatherrr]

Originally posted by alewales

Heatherr, to cure the problem you will have to replace the pot. However, you can get a bit more mileage out of it by taking the back off it, and with a soft pencil (2B or softer), rub the carbon on the track...when you rotate the volume knob the metal piece that moves rubs against the track).


Thanks!!! also..how do i know what pot to buy? or does it matter and can i put it in myself or what?

[alewales]

Heatherr,
Yeah you can do it yourself, you'll need a soldering iron, solder and some sort of pliers. Make a sketch of the wires (note the colours) and where they are soldered onto the pot. I don't know how much of this you already know, but I'll fill in all the details incase you're new to it!
When the soldering iron is hot, dab a little solder onto the tip. Place the tip against the solder that holds the wire onto the pot. Wait until the solder becomes molten then ease the wire free with the pliers. Repeat this with the other wires.
Remove the nut that holds the pot in place, the pot should now be easy to remove. If you have trouble getting the knob off the shaft of the pot (Jesus, I just read this back, bit phallic isn't it!) and I'll tell you how to do it without damage.
On the back of the pot you'll see some numbers (maybe something like 500k) this is the resistance of the pot. You'll need this to get a replacement. If I were you, I'de just take the pot along to the shop and ask them for a replacement.
Put the pot back in place, replace the nut, and, following your diagram, re-solder the wires. Make sure that the the solder is shiny when you have re-attached the wires, if it isn't the connection isn't as good as it should be...no problem, just leave the iron on the solder a little longer. Hope this helps. Any problems let me know.

[Heatherrr]

thanks alewales! tha helped alot......(now to get the courage to mess with my guitar............)

[angry armadillo]

Originally posted by alewales
Sounds like you've got a low or worn fret. You can replace the fret, but it would be easier to take your bass along to a guitar tech and have them stone all the frets. This would take all the frets down to the level of the lower one. It'll play much better. When basses (even real expensive ones) come out of the factory they are only given a bassic set up, the companys' just haven't got time to do any more. It costs a few quid but is always worth it.


cheers m8 ill try that when i get paid

[alewales]

Jim Hull.
When you tightened the knob is it possible that the pot rotated as you tightened? If so, the wire within the insulation may have broken (you can't always see this) or the solder joints have become partially detatched. By turning the knob half way this may move the wire/solder joints enough to make contact again, and let your guitar work.
Try re-soldering the joints, if this doesn't work you may have to replace the wire or cut it back to the break and attach a new piece to lengthen it. This is no big problem! Let me know how you get on.

[joshmay]

ok a quick question, does dimarzio make bass pickups?

[joshmay]

elmers wood glue maybe....

DOES DIMARZIO MAKE BASS PICKUPS?

[fleabass2232]

Originally posted by Heatherrr
Question:

I have a scratchy volume knob....i cleaned it with electrical contact cleaner which is what i was told to use by someone on another forum, but after like 10 minutes it had the noise again...was that wrong...is there somthing else i need to do? Do i need to replace the pot?

Heatherr, if you still wanna replace your pots, check this site out, you can get completley new wiring for like 15 bucks, pots, jacks and all.

www.stewmac.com (http://www.stewmac.com)

[orange_destroyer]

Ok, i have the zoom 607 multi-effect pedal. I want to be able to turn off all effects at the push of a button, but i dont know how to set it up. The manual doesnt have anything in it about doing that, and i know it can be done. Any suggestions?\

Cheers, Orange

[joshmay]

I am thinking of getting a Behringer Ultrabass 120 watt bass amp, its a 12" speaker, anyone know how they sound?

[UnderTone]

Originally posted by orange_destroyer
Ok, i have the zoom 607 multi-effect pedal. I want to be able to turn off all effects at the push of a button, but i dont know how to set it up. The manual doesnt have anything in it about doing that, and i know it can be done. Any suggestions?\

Cheers, Orange
pressing the pedals that have the up and down arrows together at once turns the display to bP=bypass holding the pedals down for more than 1sec turns it to Nt=mute

[Mango Kid]

My bass cord stopped working. I know. Im getting a new one but I'm curios why it would just stop working. The worst part is it stopped working in the middle of a jam session.

[orange_destroyer]

The cable inside might have snapped, therefore stopped working. Did anyone step on it, bend it or anything? If they did, thatd be it. But just wear and tear can snap it. Sh*t happens :D

Orange

[Mammoth]

I have a Yamaha RBX270 which I loved until very recently. It started to rattle real bad and its making my amp make a distortion-like noise. When its unplugged it sounds like there was a screw loose somewhere inside the bass. I unscrewed and screwed back every screw that I could find and nothing changed. I took off the strings, took out the pick-ups, messed with the bridge and found nothing.

Please help me with this one, because its starting to drive me crazy.

[Ghola]

One of my Bass guitars (Silvertone) has a few issues. 1st the E string rattles on the fret and the volume knob is really loose.

Any ideas?

[UnderTone]

Originally posted by Ghola
One of my Bass guitars (Silvertone) has a few issues. 1st the E string rattles on the fret and the volume knob is really loose.

Any ideas?
for the e string. if it rattles on 2+ consecutive frets then just raise the bridge. for the knob. take off the knob and screw down the part that the knob (where you turn it) attatches to.

[BornGhost]

Originally posted by Mammoth
I have a Yamaha RBX270 which I loved until very recently. It started to rattle real bad and its making my amp make a distortion-like noise. When its unplugged it sounds like there was a screw loose somewhere inside the bass. I unscrewed and screwed back every screw that I could find and nothing changed. I took off the strings, took out the pick-ups, messed with the bridge and found nothing.

Please help me with this one, because its starting to drive me crazy.

Hmm... Could be one of a few things that I can think of this late at night.

1) A hole somewhere might be a little bigger than it needs to be.
2) The neck might be bowed and needs to be straighted by means of messing with the truss rod, which a pro should do.
3) You need to raise your action on your bridge.

[mr_coffeekiller]

I wasn't sure where to put this but for the fear of people getting annoyed with it due to the current state of the forum, it's going here.

Question: Can someone please give me a 'guide to wood' with a short explanation of what kind of tone the different woods give on bothe the nech and the body? I've got a rough idea but I'm not definate enough to make any decisions yet.... cheers

[alewales]

Mammoth.
Maybe the nut at the end of the truss rod has become detached?
Not that big a deal, but if you're not sure what you're doing it's best to take it to a guitar tech.

[Mammoth]

I messed with the truss rod a bit and I think it helped. But I cant be sure because this thing comes and goes. I aint taking it to a pro though, its not worth it. Thats what I get for buying a cheap bass.

Thanx

[Mammoth]

Nope, didnt do a thing. The rattle is still there.

Any other ideas?

[mr_coffeekiller]

Question: Can someone please give me a 'guide to wood' with a short explanation of what kind of tone the different woods give on bothe the nech and the body? I've got a rough idea but I'm not definate enough to make any decisions yet.... cheers

[Mammoth]

Check activebass.com. There was an article about wood there a while ago. If you look hard enough you might find it.

*Beavis enters*
Huh,huh.....wood...huh,huh,...hard..huh.

[Mammoth]

Oh yeah. I finally took my bass to a pro and he said the bridge sucks big time and that I shouldnt buy cheap basses anymore.

[LightRaven]

This thread has been de-spammed and duplicate questions and answers have been removed. Please try to keep it clean.. it took me over an hour to do this! :)

LightRaven

[UnderTone]

Originally posted by mr_coffeekiller
Question: Can someone please give me a 'guide to wood' with a short explanation of what kind of tone the different woods give on bothe the nech and the body? I've got a rough idea but I'm not definate enough to make any decisions yet.... cheers
www.warmoth.com has explanations on types of wood.

[whatisititisit]

you know on that site given a few pags back for de-fretting were if the actual bit about de-fretting??

[bassrockerfromhell]

I own a fretless bass and the fretboard is begginning to lose its color. It has more of a flat look now and it looks terrible! Is there is any way to fix it? or do I need to restain it or something?
and one more thing, what should I use to clean the fretboard?

[joshmay]

start using flatwounds on your neck. to make it pretty again, you can restain it, then coat it with epoxy to prevent it from happening again.

[Element86]

Hi I'm new here! I've been playing bass for about a year and a half now.

Can someone please explain to me exactly what the truss rod is?

Oh and...sorry if this has been asked but I didn't see it anywhere-

When I play ANY of my strings, they often make this slight buzzing sound.
I actually know what the problem is - the tuning peg for the G string is a little bit loose. When I touch it I can feel it is a little wobbly. And when I push it in tight and play a string, the buzz is completely gone.

Is there any way I can tighten the tuning pegs?

Thanks guys :D

[SilenceRevised]

Yeah, i got a question....My 5 string Johnson bass(i know it sucks) well the strings are like so stressed and high up from the fret board...its makes it harder to play...How would i go about making the strings lower and less tense? would i just re string it? And they're too close to each other too. What do i do about that? Thanks for any help anyone can offer!!

[Zero0Bass]

Quick question, if you're restringing, is it generally a good idea to do the whole set rather than just doing the broken string?

[morpcat]

Yeah, i got a question....My 5 string Johnson bass(i know it sucks) well the strings are like so stressed and high up from the fret board...its makes it harder to play...How would i go about making the strings lower and less tense? would i just re string it? And they're too close to each other too. What do i do about that? Thanks for any help anyone can offer!!


When your strings are far away from the fretboard that means you action is really high. There are several ways to solve this. First an foremost, get a small allen key and lower the action by adjusting the height of the bridge saddles. If your action is still quite high (say 1cm at fret 12) yet there is buzzing around frets 1, 2, 3 or even on open strings then your nut may be too low (you can replace it if you want) or your neck may be bowed. I can't see your bass so I can't tell you what to do with it so take is to a tech and he can set it up for you. If you want your strings to be less tense then buy lighter gauge strings, which, when tuned, aren't as tight. You can't make the strings go further apart (I would have thought that was obvious) but lighter gauge strings will help because they are thinner so the gaps between the strings are larger. If you don't know what I mean then read this out to a guy at a store and he will no doubt understand.


Quick question, if you're restringing, is it generally a good idea to do the whole set rather than just doing the broken string?


That really just depends on how your strings are. Obviously if you got them yesterday there's no point in getting a whole new set.

Basically there are 4 reasons to replace strings:
- They broke
- They have a really dull tone
- They are covered in bits of rust and grime
- You want to use a different gauge/type

So, if your strings sound really dull, go ahead and swap the whole lot in for some nice new bright ones. If you've got flatwound strings the dullness is part of the sound, so unless they've been on there for like 2 years you wont need to take them off.

[morpcat]

Hi I'm new here! I've been playing bass for about a year and a half now.

Can someone please explain to me exactly what the truss rod is?

Oh and...sorry if this has been asked but I didn't see it anywhere-

When I play ANY of my strings, they often make this slight buzzing sound.
I actually know what the problem is - the tuning peg for the G string is a little bit loose. When I touch it I can feel it is a little wobbly. And when I push it in tight and play a string, the buzz is completely gone.

Is there any way I can tighten the tuning pegs?

Thanks guys


You will have to remove the string to do this. Once you do, you need a big hollow spanner, that will fit over the tuning peg to reach the hexagon shape nut at the base of the peg, just above a washer (unless you have vintage tuners in which case meh). Tightern this by turning the spanner clockwise when the bass is upright and you are facing the front side.

To help prevent buzzing in future also make sure your neck is level and that when you restring the string winds around the peg beneath the previous winds. What I mean by this is: insert the string into the hole in the centre. Begin to wind up the peg. Let the string wind its way around the top of the peg (careful that it doesnt pop off) and then make sure it spirals down towards the headstock.


I own a fretless bass and the fretboard is begginning to lose its color. It has more of a flat look now and it looks terrible! Is there is any way to fix it? or do I need to restain it or something?
and one more thing, what should I use to clean the fretboard?


As was said earlier, restain (but protect overlays and be prepared to remark any fret markers you had) it with a really dark stain, then coat it with 3-8 layers of epoxy or polyurethane.

To clean an unprotected fretboard (without epoxy/polyurethane coat) use a cloth that is damp with lemon oil (not juice!!), and quickly wipe it down.

[JAHco Rastarious]

Originally posted by jhouse15
hey. i have a question. when i'm playing and my cable moves, it makes a noise like you pull the cable out and touch it. i fairly certain it's something to do with the input and i took it apart and looked at it. none of the wires were loose or anything, but it's like the cable looses contact with the little things in the input when i move it around. do i need to buy a new input or something to fix it? or can i just do something simple?

Break your problem down as much as possible to pinpoint the fault. try different cables and basses to make sure it's the bass, not the cable. Soldering isn't that hard to do yourself if it's the cable. electronics...I don't **** wit dat. :smoke:

JAHco

[morpcat]

^ The problem is simple: loose cable connect. Basically your cable just moves around in the socket and therefore the contacts change all the time. The best way to solve this is to buy a planet waves cable. These have little enlargements in them that make the cable stay put when plugged in. You can jump around and even tug on it and no noise at all. The only problem I have with them is that they cost a bit more (but I get lots of discount) and they also tend to break quite easily - but if you feel bothered enough you can get a new one with the warranty.

[carlo3449]

ok this is my problem:

i have an ibanez K5
there is a blender knob that you turn to adjust how much signal i guess u get from the front and bridge pickup. well i noticed that sometimes when im using only the front pickup my signal is distorted. i tried changing the battery and fooling around with the settings, and whats worse its an intermittant problem so everytime i try to show someone it always seems to work fine!

any ideas what the problem might be?

[morpcat]

You front coil's wiring may be poor: such as the wires simply aren't good enough quality for the signal of that pickup.

Best thing that you can do is to lower the height of the front pickup. There should be screws on the side of the pickup, tighten those by turning them clockwise. If its already really low then raise the bridge one and lower your volume.

Of course, you shouldn't have even bought that K5 in the first place.

[Kornchild987]

ok you guys might think i'm a dumb*** but i'm going to ask anyways so here goes. whenever i read tabs i can play them but i dont know how to play a hammer down Ex: 2h4 i dont know how to play those notes you my think i'm stupid but plz could you tell me

[dans107]

It's easy man!

If we take your example "2h4", all that means is play the 2 and then with a different finger, fret the 4. But use a bit of force.

I think I put that into understandable words.

Dan

[bassisbest]

im finding it hard to find left-handed basses. i want one like mark hoppus from blink 182, that baby blue color he has. anyone know any websites we i can get one from. im from the UK.

[bassisbest]

I have seen Guitar notes/tabs books but i cant seem to find bass notes/tabs books. do they actually sell them?

[Dannyboy15]

I don't think they make left handed ones after all it is a signature model and hoppus plays right handed. Plus, there are much MUCH better basses than the hoppus bass it's not very versitile.

[duderoi]

alright i have a problem, I dont play bass, but my friends bass is at my house and i was just messing around with it, and its not working , when i plug the chord into the bass I have to jiggle it around a bunch just to get it to work, and even then it gets away and the connection between the bass and amp is lost... i dont think its the chord, somethings wrong with the bass? the input?

its a yamahaa something, so im thinking its reliable....anyone ever have this problemo?

[xxxwookie]

Dude, the problem could be with the jack or with the electronics. There should be a panel on the back of the bass which unscrewsand take a look for some loose connections. Alternatively if it's got active electronics, it may just be that the battery has gone dead. My mate works in a music shop and the amount of times people have come in saying their bass isn't working and the battery is dead.... never mind. Just check out the electronics and tell me if there's anything loose or any broken connections. Probably just need a little bit of soldering which isn't that difficult... unless you're using my soldering iron :angry:

I have a problem too. I've had my yam BBG5A about 16 months now and I'm having a problem with one of the knobs. I think it's the front pickup knob, but if I turn it up too high, I lose all power to my bass. I'm guessing the pot is buggered but any alternative answers? It's a pain in the arse to get a 6 terminal potwhich is what I need plus the inside of a Yamaha is a confusing place to look, not to mention work! lol

[THE DARKNESS ROCK]

Originally posted by kornnut
my volume controll has gone loose. when i open the bopard behind it icudnt see anythin like a loose screw, so do i need 2 stic it down or somin?any1 knw?

if this happens pull off the knob and tighten the nut underneath with a spanner dont undo the scratchplate. do this early to avoid dammage to the wiring. I tigten the nuts anyway every few weeks when i clean my strings and fretboard.

[badmotherplucker]

Originally posted by xxxwookie
Have you tried using someone elses cable with your bass and your cable with someone else's guitar? It may help you to pin point which is the problem, the cable or the bass jack! If it's the cable, You may want to replace it, if it's the input jack on your bass, it's not too expensive to replace that i learned in biology when running experiments only to have one variable:lol: so you should try your bass with different cables to find out if it is your bass, and if it isnt, then try your cables with other guitars like you said

[sixstringmind]

come on, xxxwookie, get a better avatar, dats nasty:eek:

[dizagyizo]

i have a question about setting up some cabs i have....
i have a 125 w gk head and i send it out to an optimus single 15 right now that only has an input, no out. if i play just through that i get a really annoying sound (i think its the speaker cone being pushed all the way out). i also have a fender 4x10 cab box with an in and an out (or it could be 2 ins whichever is your fancy). i have been wondering if i could rig it up so that the lows go to the 15 and the highs go to the 4 10's.

i set this up before so it went head - 10's - 15 and i noticed hardly anything was being sent to the 15 and so if you know any way to make it send equally to both id be very grateful

thanks

[bassweasel]

none of the little GK heads are Biamp so no. also at that rating dont put 2 cabs on it.

[dizagyizo]

do you know anyway to stop over driving or whatever the 15?

[undergroundprep]

uhh....i have an issue with my A string.....its an Ernie Ball string..and everytime i strike it...it buzzes..not just on a certain fret..but the whole string..and i know i should get a new string but that costs mucho dinero..the stuff i dont have.......i've tried boiling it...the noise seems to come from the top of the guitar...and yeah i know i posted about this somewhere else

[morpcat]

undergroundprep:

If it's at the top, then its a problem with the nut or with the tuning peg.
My E string's tuning peg wasn't properly fixed in a while back, so the washer (circular metal disk and the bottom of the peg which stops the peg from being tightened too much and crushing the wood) would rattle around every time a hit a note really hard. If this is the case, remove the string, and get a spanner and adjust it.
If it's a problem with the nut (ie. the nut slot is too large so the string moves around in it), then get a tiny little piece of thick cardboard or elastic band, and put it under the string at the nut. This should hold it in place.
In case it's neither of those two, there are three more possibilites:
Your neck could be really back bowed, and some of the frets could be touching the string and it therefore buzzes. Adjust the trussrod to get rid of this. If it's the frets causing the buzzing, then the cause might also be that the nut is filed too low, and the string rests on the first fret and therefore buzzes, which is why it might come from the top.
Although this is unlikely (as you say the sound comes from the top), it could be a loose saddle in the bridge, in which the only way to fix it is with glue, a spanner, or some clever thinking and improvisation.
And last but not least, you could have a dud string. I had a dud E-string once, out of a pack of Warwick strings, it just made a 'puff' noise whenever I played it. I think that's cause by the main core of the string getting snapped.

[Bass Player]

is there a way to stop the strings from smacking and rattling against the frets??? i have an ibanezgsr200 i think... and that noise bugs the **** out of me.

[FunkMetalBass]

Adjust your action or your truss rod. Or you can get heavier guaged strings.

[Bass Player]

ok...just one thing, whats the action and truss rod? and how do i adjust it? o and thx :)

[FunkMetalBass]

Action: The action is the height of your strings. It can be adjusted at the bridge. Look towards www.cyberfretbass.com or something to learn how to do this.

Truss Rod: The truss rod is a long metala bar that runs through your bass' (or guitar's) neck. I can be adjusted on the headstock, right past the nut. You may have a truss rod cover that you may need to remove first.

[Bass Player]

Action: The action is the height of your strings. It can be adjusted at the bridge. Look towards www.cyberfretbass.com or something to learn how to do this.

Truss Rod: The truss rod is a long metala bar that runs through your bass' (or guitar's) neck. I can be adjusted on the headstock, right past the nut. You may have a truss rod cover that you may need to remove first.

lol i cant find where to learn to adjust the action on cyberfretbass.com. can u tell me where it is?

[FunkMetalBass]

^ I wasn't sure if cyberfretbass actually had anything or not. They just usually seem to have alot of stuff. Try just searching on Google for it. Somewhere is bound to have a step-by-step guide.

[morpcat]

To adjust your action:

There are three things that affect the string height: nut, bridge, neck.
The neck adds 'relief', by bending away or into the strings, or being flat. The nut cannot be easily adjusted, but the bridge is where the action goes on. On top of the bridge saddles (seats for the strings) there should be screws. These saddles can be raised or lowered by the screws. Do this until you have no dead spots and usually as low action as possible. Remember, if you lower the action, you have made the string flat, so you need to retune (vice versa applies too).

Sorry, that's all I have time for..

[FunkMetalBass]

^I was rather busy last night too, so I couldn't even say that much. Its surprising that I can't find a step-by-step guide on "how to adjust action" anywhere on the net.

[morpcat]

Consult 'bass gear'.. A special issue of Bass Player magazine. i got it by chance from my sister, and I have to say, it is an invaluable tool for learning about maintenance, bass manufacturing, and amp technology. i already most of the things in it, but there's loads in there that you really should know. I might scan it later when I can get to the desktop computer where the scanner is (**** cat.. long story)... and either post a decent image or use OCR to copy the text. It's got pictures though so I think i'll try get those.

[madthumbs]

My volume knob has come loose and it comes off with the slightest tug, how do i put it back on ensuring (sp?) that it will stay on?

[morpcat]

^ last time I had to fix that kind of thing, I got a small lump of UHU or pritt-stick, and stuffed it into the knob, then squished the knob back on. It pretty much stuck immediately, and wouldn't fall off when I played, but would still come off easily, and lasted about 5 months. More recently I have put sticky tape around the fixture on the bass, and then jammed the knob on, this makes it really really difficult to get off.

[pinkbass]

When I play my bass, if I play the 8th or 9th fret on E, it buzzes bad. It sounds like its coming from the head of the guitar. I've raised my strings so I'm pretty sure that they don't buzz against the frets. Also if I play two strings at once it buzzes too. Someone told me its the thing at the top of the next that holds your strings in place. Please help this is really pissing me off. Thanks.

[morpcat]

^ the 'thing at the top of the neck' is called the nut, however, there is no reason the nut should buzz when you only play a certain fret. I can't see, hear, or measure your bass, so I can't really give a decent 'diagnosis' of what's going on, but my thoughts are that it may be a mixture of the nut (2 strings buzzing) being filed a little too low, the strings not being coiled down the tuning pegs (dead spots despite decent action), and some uneven fretwork (general buzzing).

I can offer you three solutions:

- Buy some higher gauge strings, these will be tighter and less prone to buzz. You may not want to do this, as it requires buying new strings, as well as switching to a higher gauge.

- Restring your current strings, so that the string leaves the tuning peg and heads downneck towards the nut from as low a position as possible. What I mean by this is that the string should start coiling around the tuning peg as far away from the headstock as possible, then wind down towards the headstock.

- Take it to a tech at a shop and let him sort it out for you.

[pinkbass]

Alright thanks. I just have a quick question, can I buy a new nut and put it on?

[morpcat]

Ouch.. for once I don't really know. Nuts usually stay on basses and nobody much bothers to change them. Yes, you can change them, but that requires removing the current one, filing the new one, and buying special adhesives to stick together your fingerboard wood and the nut material... I would ask a shop to do it..

[nirve]

i have a practice amp that wont turn on. It is a fender frontman 15 bp. it wont turn on. ive taken apart to check fuses but there are no visible fuses

[morpcat]

Most amps have their fuses located underneather where the power cable plugs in. You should check the fuse in the plug at the socket, and beneath the plug at the amp. If neither of these have burnt out, then check for any loose connections near the power button, and if there is still no solution then get Fender on the line.

[RaDiOhEaD_fAn]

Everytime I pluck an open string I get this slight crackle coming from the amp. It gets worse on higher gain and when I turn up the volume. It's only a 15 watt amp Behringer amp. So is this crackle normal???

Oh and my guitar is a SX Vintage series, bought from, I've forgotten the name, a credible but not well known online guitar store. Sorry completely forgot the name of the website.

[morpcat]

If you play the open string with less strength the crackle should go away, otherwise there are two things I can think of:

- Your amp is crap, and can't handle a loud note
- Your pickups are too high and the string gets too close to the magnets; to lower the pickups, tighten the screws on either side of each pickup.

[Ottol2k]

No no no...
The fuse is inside the amp....

i have a 15B, and I have been trying to get it to catch fire on it's own... I wanna overload that little Beyotch so bad. i have tried so many times, but it wont. I am about to pour gasoline on it.

[Ottol2k]

Alright thanks. I just have a quick question, can I buy a new nut and put it on?

You could buy a new nut BLANK. You still have to shape it and file the slots.

No one sells prefiled nuts since string guages vary. the only exception to this would be floyd rose systems and brass nuts.

If you do not have the tools for this, you can get them @

http://www.stewmac.com

Look for nut files. they are not super cheap. They cost about as much as it wouold cost for you to just take it to a tech to have a nut replaced.

[RaDiOhEaD_fAn]

If you play the open string with less strength the crackle should go away, otherwise there are two things I can think of:

- Your amp is crap, and can't handle a loud note
- Your pickups are too high and the string gets too close to the magnets; to lower the pickups, tighten the screws on either side of each pickup.

Thanks a lot :thumb: I lowered the pickups ever so slightly and the crackle has gone :thumb:

Oh yeah one more thing, can you use normal wood polish on the body of your electric bass??

And what do you suggest for cleaning the strings???

[Ottol2k]

Thanks a lot :thumb: I lowered the pickups ever so slightly and the crackle has gone :thumb:

Oh yeah one more thing, can you use normal wood polish on the body of your electric bass??

And what do you suggest for cleaning the strings???


No... Why dont you use "guitar Polish" readily available at you local music store...

For the strings, use a rag every time you play and wipe it down after wards...
You could boil them... But you have to re-string them again, which sometimes can change their tone....

[morpcat]

^ You should use guitar polish on just about all gloss paints, as it is a polish designed to removed scratches and smudges from the thick (usually 3 coat) gloss found on 80% or so of basses/guitars. Matte guitars don't really need polishing, you can just wipe them down. Oil coats are different though, and brands that do this will usually include advice on how to keep it clean.

[RaDiOhEaD_fAn]

No... Why dont you use "guitar Polish" readily available at you local music store...

For the strings, use a rag every time you play and wipe it down after wards...
You could boil them... But you have to re-string them again, which sometimes can change their tone....

There's only one guitar store where I live (the United Arab Emirates - Dubai to be exact) and they don't sell guitar polish. I could get some sent from England like a do with the books and video's I get.

[morpcat]

One guitar shop in Dubai? You serious? feck... I thought that place was developed n all.. or at least getting there. You could order it in yes, do that.

[RaDiOhEaD_fAn]

One guitar shop in Dubai? You serious? feck... I thought that place was developed n all.. or at least getting there. You could order it in yes, do that.

Don't get me wrong, it's more 21st century than England in a lot of respects. Just not in guitar shops :upset:

To be more correct if you count 2 guitars and a load of Arabian instruments a guitar shop then I know of 4 :amaze:

I'm getting some guitar polish and string cleaner fromhere (http://www.highlystrung.net/acatalog/Online_Catalogue_Guitar_Care_Products_156.html) so it's grand now :chug:

[ThisCaucasianLovesTool]

Hi I'm new here! I've been playing bass for about a year and a half now.

Can someone please explain to me exactly what the truss rod is?

[morpcat]

^ The very first post in this thread says to read through before asking a question. Post #176 (which is on the same page as your question in my browser) contains the answer to you question. So please find post #176 and read it.

[ihatemybass]

When i hit the strings they hit the fretboard.I think the fretboard is lifting up.Also there's a crack near the Higher part of the neck.Do you know how i can fix this? :confused:

[morpcat]

First off, you shouldn't hit strings, you should kind of brush them with your fingertips. If you are going to them, they will quite obviously touch the frets. If you mean that when you play normally, you get fret buzz, then the solution is to take it to a technician at a store and ask him very nicely to fix it for you.

If your fretboard is lifting up as you say, it would be quite noticable, and you wouldn't merely think it. If it is actually coming off the neck, you have a bad bass, and should either get a new one, or a new neck. If what you mean is that the neck is bowed so that the fretboard appears to bend towards the strings, you need to loosen your trussrod, or ask that technician person I told you about to do it for you.

As for the crack, if it's a finish crack then don't worry, get some guitar polish for it. If the actual wood is cracking... you can umm.. buy a new neck.. unless you can think of some ingenious way to fix it? If you don't want a new neck, then ignore it.

I'm sorry I can't give you a very detailed answer but I don't know what to say, perhaps a more descriptive question would be in order?

[DK44]

my E string has started to make a horrible,loud, blurpy sort if sound when i play it and it is much louder than the other strings, it is not a problem with the amp because i tried a different bass on it and it was fine, what is wrong with it?

[Stuff]

my B string is sorta like that but its always been like that..my pickups were a lot closer on the B string though...so i made that a little further away and raised the other side...a little better tone also after i did that

[nirve]

ok i found the fuse but i cant tell if it is still good or not. There is one single wire in it and i ut in my amp and plugged it in and turned it on and a touched one side of the fuse...nothing. Then I tiuched the other side and I got shocked. Does anyone know whats wrong with it?

[morpcat]

If the amp works when it's in, then the fuse is working. If the amp does not work when it's in, then the fuse is not working.

[xxxwookie]

ok i found the fuse but i cant tell if it is still good or not. There is one single wire in it and i ut in my amp and plugged it in and turned it on and a touched one side of the fuse...nothing. Then I tiuched the other side and I got shocked. Does anyone know whats wrong with it?

Is the wire inside the fuse intact? if it is, it could be one of a number of other fuses that has gone. 2 of mine have gone internally but when I replaced them they blew again so I have a fault somewhere else which I have to locate grrr :mad:

[Melv]

I recently got a Musicman SUB 5 and have 2 problems with it.

1. On the B string whenever i play a note (except the open B) the note doesnt ring for that long at all compaired to other string and my other bass.

2. Im still getting alot of fret buzz after having the bass for 2 weeks. Should i take it to be set up see if that gets ride of the buz

[morpcat]

^ Yes. Basses don't set themselves up over time, you'll have to do it yourself, or take it to a shop.

As for the B string, the bass has 34" scale right? Well B strings play best with 35" scale because the string is quite loose. The reason it doesn't sound for long (low sustain) is that the string is pretty loose, and when you play the string it moves around a lot and hits the frets and therefore stops ringing. You could play softer, or play more towards the bridge, but there are also two more things to try. First of all, re-string it, and make sure the string leaves the nut, and attaches the the tuning peg at the peg's base. This increases the tension in the string. Failing that, you could get a larger gauge string, that will be tighter again. As an extra to the first measure (restringing) you could also buy a little mushroom stool thing, which you screw into the headstock between the nut and the tuner, which helps to hold the string down, increasing tension again.

[Melv]

k ill try that out. Cheers

[dazed and confused444]

my D string just snapped...im gonna hav to buy new strings now!!for ****s sake...this happened about 2 months ago aswell....is this normal?????..ive been doin a fair bit of slappin on it but thats it..i cant see y it broke..they were rotosound strings aswell they cost me £25.

[morpcat]

You could have a burr in the bridge or nut, or you could be playing a bit too hard. Did you set up your bass? It may be that your bridge saddle is as far back as possible, so the string tension is really high. this isn't healthy for the string, and probably isn't the correct intonation for the bass. Get some new strings, get a setup, and go easy on them.

[Jamie]

i have a behringer bx1200 and at band practice i plug my bass into the passive part and the mic into the active part. i have a squier p-bass by the way. will this wreck my amp?

[morpcat]

^ No that should be ok.. unless the mic is unusually powerful. Then again, I wouldn't be surprised if you're amp dies anyway, Behringers have a bad reputation.

[brandonsontag]

on my bass, everytime i tap a fret past the sixteenth fret, i get this really bad buzzing and a note doesnt ring out at all, this only happeneds on my three highest strings.(A D G) this doesnt happen when i pluck a note,thats the thing that made me really confused. if you can help please do.

[crushmeister]

my bass wont stay in tune. and ive got 2 gigs next week

[Jamie]

go out and buy new tuners, that should work

[crushmeister]

roughly how much do they cost?

[Jamie]

errrrrrm, check out pincottsonline.co.uk or try ebay. that will give you some rough prices

[morpcat]

^ it may be the tuners, it may be the bridge, it may be the neck. If it's the tuners, they need replacing or tightening. If it's the bridge, then your saddles may no be fixed properly in position, or the bridge may be wobbling on the bass, but that shouild also result in some mild buzzing, so you might have noticed that. If it's the neck (bolt-on only), your neck joint may be a little weak and the neck might wobble around a little. Billy Sheehan's old P-bass had a standard neck joint, but when he does some crazy neck bending stuff the neck would slide around so his Yamaha has a special neck joint to prevent this. Vai's Evo guitar has a crack around the neck joint so sometimes the neck slip and makes his guitar go out of tune.

I can't tell you unless I can see and play your bass.

[morpcat]

on my bass, everytime i tap a fret past the sixteenth fret, i get this really bad buzzing and a note doesnt ring out at all, this only happeneds on my three highest strings.(A D G) this doesnt happen when i pluck a note,thats the thing that made me really confused. if you can help please do.


Since it doesn't happen what you pluck put only when you tap, the problem is probably more to do with your tapping technique than anything else. You should work on your finger strength so when you tap the notes sound clearer, without going dead. If you have excessively low or high action this could also cause a problem. Low action can lead to buzzing anyway, and tapping from high action requires lots and lots of accuracy and strength.

[xxxwookie]

my amp is giving me some grief. A while ago I had my amp plugged into my PC and it blew 2 internal fuses. Then I replaced those fuses and checked I had exactly the right ones, switched on the amp and they blew again. I then disconnected the speaker and tried again and they blew. Does anyone know how I can fix this without buying a new amp? It's a carlsboro bassbomber 125W combo amp if that helps.

[morpcat]

Are the fuses in your amp or in your PC?

If they are in the PC (not that I can think of a place with a fuse), you will just be overloading the soundcard.

OK, so they're in the amp, because I just looked in my computer, and there's nothing you could blow and replace that quickly. Nevermind what I said before.

What output are you using to put your amp signal into the computer?

Try connecting this output to other devices, such as a CD player mic input, or try plugging the cable into the amp and leaving one end unplugged, and see what the amp does. If it still blows the fuses, they'll be an internal short, if nothing happens, then I don't know. My best guess would be that you were plugging into an output of the computer, which would try put a signal back into your amp.. which would be weird.

[edify]

i'm having some problems with the horn in my 4x12 cab. it produces a hiss like sound and the only way i can get rid of it is to turn the down the treble. Does anyone know how i could fix this or how to remove the horn?

[morpcat]

i'm having some problems with the horn in my 4x12 cab. it produces a hiss like sound and the only way i can get rid of it is to turn the down the treble. Does anyone know how i could fix this or how to remove the horn?

That's quite natural. If your bass isn't too quiet, or you have a cheap-ish preamp system you are likely to get hiss anyway.

[Jazza]

Im having Some problems with my semi-acustic bass when i play an open A it makes a rattling noise. what should i do

[morpcat]

Im having Some problems with my semi-acustic bass when i play an open A it makes a rattling noise. what should i do

Identify whether it's from a loose joint in the bass (or a crack) or fret buzz.
If it's fret buzz you need to get it set up again.
Does it happen on the first fret? Does it happen when you play 5th fret of the E string?

[Jazza]

I think it might be the tuning peg

[morpcat]

Then you need a big enough wrench or an adjustable spanner. Remove the string, and tighten the nut at the base of the peg. The might be loose in its seating, or the washer between the nut and the wood might be loose. Give it a little tighten, and tap the headstock with something solid to see if it still makes noise.

[Jazza]

all right ill try that :)