D string sustain non-existent

[JPrinos]

Hello all,

I own a Peavey Milestone BXP 5 string. I realize that it isn't a very high end bass but I have an issue.

Recently, I've noticed that:
1) I have a dead spot which is roughly centered around the 7th fret of the G string

And after changing strings to Dean Markley medium-light round wounds:
2) The D string octave harmonic diminishes very quickly compared to the other strings. I don't remember what the open string sustain is like.

I understand that the dead spot on the neck is somewhat typical and fixed by using a weight like a fat-finger somewhere on the headstock (are there any other ways to fix this). But what about the D string? Is there anything structural on the bass I should check?

Thanks in advance.

[Slowgypsy]

The "dead spot" you describe is very, very typical. On some bass guitars it's more pronounced than on others. And to the best of my knowledge, a "dead spot" is not something that can be "fixed" as it's inherent to the design of a 34" scale bass guitar. However, a Fat Finger can sometimes move a "dead spot" up or down the fretboard depending on where it's placed. While not exactly "fixing" the problem, sometimes moving a "dead spot" to a less used portion of the fretboard is considered a fix.

The other issue you have with your D string seems as though it happened after you just changed strings. If that's the case I'd venture a guess that the string you just put on is not a good one. Getting a bad string does happen every now and then...

[JPrinos]

So I finally got fed up with the neck the way it was so I went to my local Home Depot and bought the biggest/heaviest piece of metal that would fit behind the headstock without being seen from the front. I'd previously experimented with lighter weights attached to binder clips and found that the tip of the headstock seemed to give the best results.

I used silicon sealant to attach the nut.

pics:

Front:


Back:


The D string octave harmonic and G string 7th fret note's sustain is fixed. The G string 5th fret is better but not completely fixed.

[JasonLamb]

yikes!

[Hugh Jass]

Thats nuts!



I would try some trussrod tweaks and new strings before going to that extent. Sometimes tweaking your action can get rid of or move dead spots.

So now that you have fixed that, hows the neckdive?

[EagleMoon]

Sorry, but I LOL'd.

I would imagine you could try something a bit smaller.

[Jaco who?]

Holy neck dive, Batman!

[mongo2]

Originally Posted by JPrinos

So I finally got fed up with the neck the way it was so I went to my local Home Depot and bought the biggest/heaviest piece of metal that would fit behind the headstock without being seen from the front. I'd previously experimented with lighter weights attached to binder clips and found that the tip of the headstock seemed to give the best results.

I used silicon sealant to attach the nut.

Back:


The D string octave harmonic and G string 7th fret note's sustain is fixed. The G string 5th fret is better but not completely fixed.

Interesting solution. Just as an excercise, a bolt could be put in there to increase the weight, or even see if screwing the bolt in and out changes the effect. Some sealant or loctite would prevent rattling if a sweet spot is found.

[Munjibunga]

I gotta get me one of those!

[All_¥our_Bass]

Hehehehehe!!

Ingenious solution, but I can't help but laugh.