Bad string

[BassMick]

I have read about bad strings, how do they exactly sound? I'm not sure if I have a bad string, but the A string makes a weird vibrating noise un-plugged, and you can hear it more when plugged in.

Im using Dunlop 105-45 on a mexican Fender P. New Strings

[fu22ba55]

If the bass is new, or if you've recently cleaned the bridge, I'd wager that the sound is something rattling/vibrating on the bridge, not the string.

Try plucking the A while unplugged and holding different parts of the bridge to dampen vibration.

Stock fender bridges are notorious for this type of noise. (until they get old, oxidized, rusty and full of gunk, in which case it's not an issue.)

I suppose is could be a "bad string" and many on this forum have claimed having a bad string, but in my 28 years of playing, I've never personally purchased a bad string.

[BassMick]

Originally Posted by fu22ba55

If the bass is new, or if you've recently cleaned the bridge, I'd wager that the sound is something rattling/vibrating on the bridge, not the string.

Try plucking the A while unplugged and holding different parts of the bridge to dampen vibration.

Stock fender bridges are notorious for this type of noise. (until they get old, oxidized, rusty and full of gunk, in which case it's not an issue.)

I suppose is could be a "bad string" and many on this forum have claimed having a bad string, but in my 28 years of playing, I've never personally purchased a bad string.

Yes my P-bass is about 2 months old. It also makes a tin metal noise, like a miner striking gold.


Thank you for the reply.

[80'sRocker]

I have had strings (usually an A by chance) "dud out" after use. Change it out to troubleshoot it

[fu22ba55]

Originally Posted by BassMick

Yes my P-bass is about 2 months old. It also makes a tin metal noise, like a miner striking gold.

I've had the set screws on the A saddle spin like crazy, screwing and unscrewing themselves... sometimes it's the springs... sometimes it's one saddle rattling against the other.

If it's a set screw buzzing, a tiny dab of clear nail polish should stop it from spinning... but if it's more endemic (if you play really hard and the whole saddle is vibrating) the Gotoh 201 is an inexpensive upgrade, and there's the Hipshot bridges, and the Badass II, and the Babicz.

I'd try to see what's rattling, and try the nail polish trick first.

(Or is could seriously be a bad string... I've just never had one, so I don't know what those symptoms are.)

[fu22ba55]

Something else that's a huge problem with Fenders in general... make sure you have enough wraps around the string post at the tuner, on the E string and ESPECIALLY the A string.

The D and G have that silly button-string-retainer, but on the E and A strings, the only thing that applies downward pressure to the string after the nut is how many winds you have around the post.

I usually go overboard with the wraps on my A string (3 or 4) to make sure the string is really being pushed down into the nut. If I don't have enough wraps on the A string, it produces the "miner striking gold" sound you describe. Try pressing down on the A string between the nut and the tuning post when you pluck it to see if that's the issue.

(It goes without saying that you should be winding your strings around the post in such a way that they are pushing the string DOWN. You don't what the string higher up on the post the more it winds.)

[BassMick]

Originally Posted by fu22ba55

Something else that's a huge problem with Fenders in general... make sure you have enough wraps around the string post at the tuner, on the E string and ESPECIALLY the A string.

The D and G have that silly button-string-retainer, but on the E and A strings, the only thing that applies downward pressure to the string after the nut is how many winds you have around the post.

I usually go overboard with the wraps on my A string (3 or 4) to make sure the string is really being pushed down into the nut. If I don't have enough wraps on the A string, it produces the "miner striking gold" sound you describe. Try pressing down on the A string between the nut and the tuning post when you pluck it to see if that's the issue.

(It goes without saying that you should be winding your strings around the post in such a way that they are pushing the string DOWN. You don't what the string higher up on the post the more it winds.)

Thank you for being helpful and informative. I have 3 wraps on the A. I did notice my string wrap is high on the post (I will send a photo soon) I noticed the saddles will move or rock to the left and right when changing strings.

When these strings get dull and need to be replaced I will do 4 wraps this time. How do I keep the strings down on the post? I apply downward pressure, but the strings are stubborn.

[BassMick]