Hey fellaz, I did a few searches and read that it's not uncommon to have a bass with a dead spot, but I will pose my question just to be sure.

I have a 4-String, Fretless, Warwick Corvette Standard and there is a extremely noticeable dead spot on the 9th fret E on my G string. The F and Eb aren't as bad, but they lack the resonance of the other strings as well. The E is just pitiful, though. I've read that this can be fixed. I would prefer to learn how to do it myself rather than take it to a shop. Could it be a truss rod issue?

The other problem I have comes when I play my open A string. I'll play my E, D, and G open and they will resonate until infinity, but when I pluck my A it just doesn't feel right. The tone seems flat and less punchy. It resonates pretty well still, but not nearly as nice as the other strings.

Any help would be appreciated.

Hey fellaz, I did a few searches and read that it's not uncommon to have a bass with a dead spot, but I will pose my question just to be sure.

I have a 4-String, Fretless, Warwick Corvette Standard and there is a extremely noticeable dead spot on the 9th fret E on my G string. The F and Eb aren't as bad, but they lack the resonance of the other strings as well. The E is just pitiful, though. I've read that this can be fixed. I would prefer to learn how to do it myself rather than take it to a shop. Could it be a truss rod issue?

The other problem I have comes when I play my open A string. I'll play my E, D, and G open and they will resonate until infinity, but when I pluck my A it just doesn't feel right. The tone seems flat and less punchy. It resonates pretty well still, but not nearly as nice as the other strings.

Any help would be appreciated.



THis will not be a truss rod issue. First off, on the A string, I'm assuming that you've tried a few different sets of strings to make sure you don't have a bad string or one that's twisted when installing it. Otherwise, the sound you describe suggests that the nut of your bass is miscut, or that the A string doesn't have enough break angle over the nut.

The G-string deadspot is fairly typical on standard scale basses...you can move it around by changing the mass of the headstock or changing string guages, but you risk moving it to a worse place rather than a better one.

Virtually every bolt on bass regardless of it being a cheapo or the most exotic of custom basses has some notes that don't resonate as long as others, Typically somewhere between the 5th and 9th frets on the g string. You have to decide whether you play the sort of material where an audience would notice said dead note. If you are not happy with that then its time to off the bass and find one where the deadspots dont bother you as much.

Dunlop makes a product called a "FatFinger" which is just a mass of metal that you screw on your headstock (doesn't require any modification, and doesn't damage the bass at all- at least it hasn't yet!)- it is advertised to help end deadspots and also increase sustain, etc... I have one that I switch between my basses and it definitely changes the sound- one of my basses has a problem with a dull open D which completely goes away with the "Finger", and the same bass had a problem with the D on the 7th fret of the G string which is also much less noticeable with it attached. I've also heard stories of people using them and finding absolutely no difference in tone- so I would recommend trying one before buying if possible. I find that dead spots or no, it always adds some degree of sustain/ resonance- so I've started using it all the time!

Karl

Thanks Guys,

I just play around the dead spot unless I'm playing something that doesn't require any resonance. I like my bass enough that it's not an issue.

BurningSkies, I have changed my strings over time and know that strings aren't the issue. As for the nut, I have a confession to make that I wish I didn't. The first time I changed my strings I noticed that one side of the nut plastic was broken off, so it was basically just being held down by the strings. Shortly there after the other side of the nut that was kind of latched on still broke as well. I assume this isn't very common. My bass still sounds great besides the open A being a little, so I assumed it was a non-issue. Since the plastic was attached to the headstock I assume that replacement of the nut isn't something that usually comes up without buying a whole new neck. Is it uncommon for those fragile little plastic pieces to break off? More importantly, is it uncommon to find a replacement nut?

Thanks again for your help. I take comfort in knowing that the dead spot is common. I'm not so comforted when I can't be fully confident in my A strings ability to perform! haha.

-Caleb

Replacing a nut definitely does not require replacing the whole neck! Many bass manufacturers will tend to skimp on parts like nuts for some reason- they often use very cheap plastic nuts that are very easy to break and have a minimum of resonance. It is also one of the things that gets overlooked when people start upgrading their hardware on cheap basses(people often replace bridges, tuners, pickups, etc...first).

When looking for a new nut, the most important measurement to pay attention to is the string spacing, assuming you buy a pre-cut nut (meaning the distance between the center of one string and the center of the next string)- the height and width can be sanded down to fit, but the string spacing obviously can't be adjusted. The other option is to buy a blank nut- which you then have to file notches for the strings and cut it down to the correct size yourself, etc- if your bass has a common spacing, like a Fender for example, you should have no problem finding a compatible nut... You can get nut material or precut nuts from many different places- the Allparts website, Stewart Macdonald website, Ebay, and countless others. Lastly, you need to decide what material to use- nice nuts these days are made of all sorts of crazy materials- graphite, Delrin, "Tusq" (fake synthetic bone), etc...but most manufacturers still use the cheapest plastic ones, go figure....

Karl

Those retaining tabs can easily snap if you remove all the strings E - G or reverse, as it places a lot of tension on one side of the nut. The topic is well covered on the warwick.de forums - I did a little how-to with photos when I installed the old brass just-a-nut.

http://warwick.de/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=930