Ringing on the A string

[MinorPentatonic]

OK people please be gentle I ain't been playing very long......my jazz bass has a terrible ringing on the open A string, even a novice like me can tell it's not in tune. though I chromaticlly tune and use a digital tuner too. Am I mad? r can you help? Any suggestions welcome

[BurningSkies]

Sounds like maybe a problem at the nut to me?

Since it's only happening when the string is open, not fretted...the two viable things that come to my mind is that your nut isn't cut right for your strings and the string is rattling around in its' 'lil notch, OR that you're not getting enough downward pressure on the string as it breaks over the nut, causing it to vibrate. This could be fixed by making sure you have enough windings on the tuning post, or with a string tree.

[MustangBob]

Here is a suggestion I used to test a string once at the nut. I took a piece of electrical wire and cut about 1/4 inch of the insulation off. I then split the insulation. Loosen the string and slip the insulation around the string where it rest on the nut. Then retune and see if the ringing is still there.
Bob

[*Munkeh*]

Happens to me sometimes too when i play acoustically, it goes away by itself for me.

[vindy500]

my brothers bass was like this on the d string, have u changed the string since you bought the bass? if not try changing thew string, factory strings are sometimes like this