resonating top

emielow · #1 10-11-2005, 04:19 PM

if i play my bass, this one

http://www.glovepuppets.nl/emiel/contrabas3.JPG

i hear, especially when i play the C on the A string a resonating noise.. it hear it best on the top, under the neck, like there is something inside that is resonating. it sounds like a piece of paper against the wood, but i don't know what it is. i don't hope its a crack or something, but i cannot see it

can you help me?

KSB - Ken Smith · #2 10-11-2005, 04:35 PM

Take all that stuff off your Bridge and tailpiece first. This will help to see if it is a Resonanant Frequency of something loose. Tap the Top along the Bass Bar area. Listen for a noise to see if the Bass Bar is loose. Do the same around the edges of the top and back to see if there is an open seam. This is possible on production made Plywood Basses as they are not necessarly assembled by luthiers. The job in the Factory is to do it quickly and save money. If all fails, take it to a qualified Bass luthier to find the problem and get it fixed.

**Freddels** · #3 10-11-2005, 04:45 PM

I noticed the same thing today on my bass. I don't know what it is.

hdiddy · #4 10-11-2005, 05:44 PM

Funny, I have the same thing. I was wondering if I had a high spot under the A string in that area. I do notice that there is a quiet pop if I gently pull the FB away from the neck. It's not something I do intentionally... just sometimes when I carry the bass around I have one hand on one end of the FB and another hand under a rib and lift it. I looked for open seams around the sides of the bass but didn't find anything. The glossy lacquer on my bass seems to do a good job keeping everything together I think. But the noise always sounds like it'ss coming up around the neck area and not near the body.

**Freddels** · #5 10-11-2005, 05:45 PM

Could this be time for a winter soundpost fitting?

Mudfuzz · #6 10-11-2005, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hdiddy

It's not something I do intentionally... just sometimes when I carry the bass around I have one hand on one end of the FB and another hand under a rib and lift it.

Do not do this!!!

I was able to pull my FB off my bass by hand when I was replaced it.

Put your hand around the neck, the whole neck, not the the board; this is what my luthier told me to do eight years ago and I never have had a problem.

hdiddy · #7 10-11-2005, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron Noguer

Do not do this!!!

I was able to pull my FB off my bass by hand when I was replaced it.

Put your hand around the neck, the whole neck, not the the board; this is what my luthier told me to do eight years ago and I never have had a problem.

EEK!!! You don't have to tell me twice!!!

jmpiwonka · #8 10-11-2005, 06:13 PM

hmm, my teacher told me it was ok to lift the bass by the fingerboard, i'm sure we all know the method we speak of....the bass is standing up, you reach your left hand around the neck like you were going to play in TP but your forearm rests on the treble side bout, and then use the fingerboard to pull the bass up onto your hip to carry it....your not really applying pressure that is pulling the FB away from the neck.

hdiddy · #9 10-11-2005, 06:17 PM

Well something like that, but minding that most of the lifting should done on the rib, not the FB. Anywhere else but the FB or bridge.

emielow · #10 10-12-2005, 01:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freddels

Could this be time for a winter soundpost fitting?

what do you mean exactly? i am a bassguitarplayer, and i don't know very much about an upright. i have bought my upright for a month ago, and i didn't move it since i put it in the corner.. (only for playing, not carrying it around)

i didn't notice the noise when i bought it, or played it the first week. but now i can play a little better, and especially when i play the C on the A string i hear the noise. it seems its coming somewhere under the wood

(i recently put another screw on the pin, under the bass, but i don't hear noise here)

hdiddy · #11 10-12-2005, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emielow

what do you mean exactly? i am a bassguitarplayer, and i don't know very much about an upright. i have bought my upright for a month ago, and i didn't move it since i put it in the corner.. (only for playing, not carrying it around)

What he meant was that your bass may be physically changing to the weather conditions in your area. During winter, the wood of the bass might shrink as things get colder. Some basses have a chance of cracking because it gets drier. The opposite happens during summer. So he's saying that your bass might be making noises because things are loosening up due to the change in season.

emielow · #12 10-12-2005, 01:56 PM

i've spoken someone, he sais maybe the inlay is the problem?

my bass is standing in the corner here, and doesn't travel with me haha, i don't think it gets cold or something

Eilif · #13 10-12-2005, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emielow

my bass is standing in the corner here, and doesn't travel with me haha, i don't think it gets cold or something

It's not just the heat and cold. (though even indoors, temperatures tend to change from season to season) It's also about the humidity of the air. Humidity tends to vary alot from season to season, wether you are indoors or out. In most places it is much drier (less humid) in winter than in summer. Changes in humidity are just as important as changes in temperature when an acoustic instrument is involved.

emielow · #14 10-12-2005, 02:16 PM

so, maybe it is not a crack, and in the spring (its fall here now) the problem is over?

hdiddy · #15 10-12-2005, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emielow

so, maybe it is not a crack, and in the spring (its fall here now) the problem is over?

Who knows. Repeated shrinking and expanding might cause damage at some point. What if it gets really dry where you are and a hidden fracture causing that noise turns into a big crack? Maybe, may not. Who knows.

Personally, I know my FB has that little high spot on the A and I'd like the bass to sound a touch darker so I might take to a luthier and have that rattle checked out too.

Eric Jackson · #16 10-12-2005, 03:42 PM

Personally, I would not ever lift or move a bass by the fingerboard.
We're coming into heating season for those of us in more northern areas. Winter is dry season, do a search for humidifying basses, there's been much discussion of it in the past. Short strokes: Get a hygrometer, do whatever you must to keep the ambient air where your bass lives at 35% relative humidity or higher.