Hello,

This is my first post in this forum :) Glad to be here. I've been reading posts for a few weeks now and decided to finally ask my question :)

I recently bought my first electric bass guitar ( Squier by Fender Jazz Bass. Affinity series. Made in China ). I am having loads of fun with it. Keep in mind, I'm an absolute beginner. I have been making electronic music for many years, played the violin for over 10 years. Also played the guitar for about 1 year, but the bass guitar is completely new to me. I wish I had bought one ages ago! Those are some deep sounds...

I am having a blast trying to play "Air" and "Zero7" bass lines. Those 2 bands are what made we want to start playing bass. I spend most of the time messing around and coming up with some cool short, repetitive bass lines. That is until I start taking classes :)

Anyway, one thing is bothering me. The 8th fret (C) of the E string makes the bass rattle when I pluck it more than slightly. I don't have this issue with any of the other frets on any other string.

The rattling sound gets recorded ( I plug the bass direct into a Digital interface that has a guitar preamp built in and record in FL Studio).

If I play the bass acoustically (unplugged), I also hear the rattling. It's quite pronounced...

I tried putting a piece of paper below the E string on the nut. I read about someone doing that and it helping, but that didn't work for me.

The rattling does seem to come from the general vicinity of the E string tuning head. While the rattling is going on, if I touch the back of the tuning head (where 4 screws are holding it in place ), the rattling stops. Tightening the screws hasn't helped. I tried messing with the height of the saddle for the E string, moving it up and down a bit.. still rattles..

I don't really want to mess around with the neck, so I'm thinking I need to get my bass tweaked by a professional.

If it's just one fret causing a problem, do I need to worry more than if the rattles were coming from all over the place, on many frets? Would adjusting "the neck bend" potentially solve this problem?

Anyone know of a good tech in San Francisco or in the bay area that I could pay to set up my bass for me and show me how it's done?

Thanks everyone!

Philippe

The fret might be a bit high or something. Usually if it's just one fret making the buzz, this is the issue. I can't help you on the SanFran area guitar tech though.

It wouldn't hurt to have the tech you do find do a set up for you - adjust the neck and frets, action, etc. If you're like me and not quite sure the ins-and-outs of doing a set up (I'm trying to learn but I'm not going to be doing anything radical on my basses any time soon) your best bet is to have a professional do it for you and maybe ask them how to do the simple stuff like adjust the truss rod, action, etc - there's also forums here for repairs and so forth that give some good tips.

It's been a while since I've been in his shop but Gary Brawer (http://www.brawer.com/) does excellent work. I've heard nothing but good about San Francisco Guitar Works (http://www.sfguitarworks.com/).

Best guy I've found in the East Bay is Stephen White in Berkeley 510-548-8370. He has many years of experience, and is honest & dependable.

Thanks guys! Your info helps a lot. I will call your reference in Berkeley :) Very helpful! Oh, and when I'm ready to take lessons, maybe we can hook up you and I :) May I ask how much you charge?

A Squire Affinity--I can GUARANTEE that it needs a setup. Buy it from GC?