Dead spot or do I need new strings?

walknbluez · #1 05-15-2009, 03:25 PM

I don't notice this when we rehearse but when I listen back to our recordings (live type recording using one mic in room), the A note on the E string on my MIM Fender Jazz is hardly audible. I don't really notice it when I'm in the room but hard to say since it can get a bit loud. The guitarist said "you need new strings my friend" but I'm not so sure of that.

They are about 1 year old and have been played about once per week. That sounds about nice and worn in doesn't it?

Could it just be the mic not picking up that frequency in that room?

eedo · #2 05-15-2009, 04:10 PM

If it's the room'n'mic issue you don't have to worry. Just move the cab further away from the wall (make sure it's not parallel to the wall, and don't put it in the corner).
If the problem is with the bass, new strings won't help. I had a severe dead spot on the 3rd fret of the 4th string. I changed to flats from rounds, then from very low action to pretty high one - and things were no better.
Tuning a whole step down helped a lot though.
Good luck.

bass12 · #3 05-15-2009, 04:19 PM

Plug in your bass while you're alone and check that note. If the fundamental (the low note that sounds as A) dies a lot more quickly than its neighboring notes then you have a dead spot. It could very well be, however, that another instrument is "cancelling out" that particular note on the recording. This happens sometimes and it has nothing to do with your bass. If the bass sounds good on its own, don't worry - it isn't your instrument.

walknbluez · #4 05-15-2009, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bass12

Plug in your bass while you're alone and check that note. If the fundamental (the low note that sounds as A) dies a lot more quickly than its neighboring notes then you have a dead spot. It could very well be, however, that another instrument is "cancelling out" that particular note on the recording. This happens sometimes and it has nothing to do with your bass. If the bass sounds good on its own, don't worry - it isn't your instrument.

Good info on the possibility of the other guitar "cancelling out" that note. I told the guitar player that I thought it might just be a frequency the mic wasn't picking up and he said "then why is it picking up my G?". This could be the answer.

eedo · #5 05-15-2009, 04:33 PM

But keep in mind in may be your cab position too.

walknbluez · #6 05-15-2009, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eedo

But keep in mind in may be your cab position too.

I don't think so because it is well away from the wall and not in a corner.

elBandito · #7 05-15-2009, 05:50 PM

I was having some phasing issues and I thought I had some new deadspots...

bass12 · #8 05-15-2009, 06:36 PM

I actually had this problem on one of the albums I recorded. The bass I was using was very consistent across the fingerboard. No dead spots whatsoever. After listening back to the album, I realized that one particular note wasn't sounding on one of the songs. It just disappeared. I never noticed the canceling of that note when we played live and the note was clear on the demo version of the song. I suspect it was one of the two guitars just eating up the frequency (and an engineer who didn't notice) and that was that.

EagleMoon · #9 05-15-2009, 07:04 PM

Try the new strings and see. Also check to make sure you haven't twisted the string when you put it on. That can do all sorts of weird things to the tone of different notes.

walknbluez · #10 05-15-2009, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EagleMoon

Try the new strings and see. Also check to make sure you haven't twisted the string when you put it on. That can do all sorts of weird things to the tone of different notes.

They were put on by a tech, I think it looks ok. Is there a way to tell if flatwounds are worn out and need to be changed or if they are "worn in". They look pretty good but they don't look like the worn out roundwounds I changed, they still look pretty good. I just wouldn't want to change out nice "worn in" for new if "worn in" gives a better sound.

EagleMoon · #11 05-15-2009, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walknbluez

They were put on by a tech, I think it looks ok.

You can't tell by looking because they get twisted lengthwise. And I've had more strings twisted by people I thought should know better than I can count. Just loosen the string and pull it out of the tuner slot. If it flips around when you pull it out, it's twisted.