Fender dead spots, etc.

[EthanTheHeathen]

I have two Fender basses, both of which have dead spots around the 3rd-5th frets on the G string. It's annoying, but I can deal with it.

On my newest Fender (Hoppus P-Bass), I'm having more problems. The E string seems to be especially dead throughout. once you get past the 3rd or 4th fret, it is significantly muddier than the rest of the bass (muddier than usual in this range).

I just put on a new set of Rotosound 45-105 roundwounds. The A and D strings sound especially good, but the E just isn't cutting through like the rest. It seems that more tension might help, but that's getting a little heavy.

I'm wondering if a new bridge might help. After all, the Hoppus just has the crappy Mexican hardware (although it does have an American through-body base). Any recommendations? I was thinking Badass II, but I don't know bridges all that well . . .

I'd like to avoid getting a new neck or having to get rid of the bass. It sounds really good, just needs some evening out. Let me know what y'all think. Thanks!

[remo]

you could try a Fat Finger on the headstock, these change the weight and therefore resonant frequency of the bass and often move the deadspot (though rarely eliminate it). I'd also get a good tech to check the width of the nut where the E string runs through.

I know it's not always possible but it's always best to play a bass and check for any deadspots before you buy it. ymmv but I have NEVER had a dead spot removed through a good setup/string change/bridge change/new nut etc etc... it's in the wood of the bass therefore you need to change the bass to get rid of it...

I bloody hate dead spots!!! I just can't afford a Modulus!

[EthanTheHeathen]

"I have NEVER had a dead spot removed through a good setup/string change/bridge change/new nut etc etc... it's in the wood of the bass therefore you need to change the bass to get rid of it..."

Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. But the majority of the E string? Can that really all be a dead spot? That's one hell of a dead spot if it is.

I'd have loved to try it out. I tried one at my local evil crap guitar store (Music Go Round) that was nice, but $100 more than I ended up paying. Blasted Ebay!! I seem to have bad luck there . . .

I'll try the untwisted string thing. Hopefully that helps.

[RicPlaya]

In the store before I bought my MIA Jazz, I tried to locate all the dead spots on the neck. I found there wasn't any..so I bought the bass. I heard of this quite a bit with Fenders...therefore I would never buy one unless I played it and inspected it first.

[Rodent]

Originally Posted by remo

ymmv but I have NEVER had a dead spot removed through a good setup/string change/bridge change/new nut etc etc... it's in the wood of the bass therefore you need to change the bass to get rid of it...

no, it's not in the wood - it's in the physical design of a 34" scale and the construction methods of a standard Fender neck.

Change the construction methods and you have the opportunity to remove the deadspots ... an example would be to look at what Warmoth did with their licensed fender necks. They added stiffening bars and a little thickness to the contour and presto! no more deadspots.

all the best,

R

[remo]

I think it's a little more cosmic than that.. I had a 35" scale Lakland 55-02 and it was dead as a, well, jazz bass, at the 7th fret "G" string.. then again I played heaps of Fenders (J's and P's) in my local bass shop.. and ALL had dead spots somewhere between the 5th and the 9th fret "G" string EXCEPT a 4 string Marcus Miller that was dead spot free!! I'm a self confessed pro at finding dead spots and this baby rang clear and true on every fret!! and that’s a 34" Fender Jazz style bass... go figure!! (come to think of it I should buy the bloody thing!!)

I don't mean it's IN the wood I mean it comes down to the density and the weight distribution in the body and neck. This is why adding a Fat Finger to the headstock changes dead spots location and severity. This is also why pushing the headstock of your bass up against a wood door architrave will almost totally remove any deadspots when you play the bass!! Try it! Try pushing the headstock up against a wood architrave and play the dead spot note.. then quickly pull the headstock off the architrave, you will feel the entire body and neck vibrate in sympathy with the note you just played and you can actually feel the bass suck the life out of the note.. it really heightens the dead spot experience!

[Rodent]

yes ... and this is exactly why Warmoth adding two steel stiffening bars and a little extra front-back thickness results in no deadspots on their necks. it's all about the design and application

on my own necks, I use graphite bars vs steel (it's every bit as stiff, but noticably lighter) along with threaded inserts for mounting to the body ... and I experience no deadspots on my 34" scale necks

all the best,

R

[Kickin'Fruit]

Try taking it to a music shop to get setup? Maybe you aren't considering all the possibilites for the string not ringing out...

Pickup height?
Relief in the neck?
Not tuned correctly?

[Ale]

Yeah most of the Fenders needs to be taken to a shop for stup , but after that they will most likely kick ass ..

[alembicf1x]

I would be willing to bet it is a bad string, highly unlikely for a dead spot to be that big.

[Bottom Feeder]

I would be willing to bet it is a bad string, highly unlikely for a dead spot to be that big.

Try the string out on your other bass. Same problem=dead string.

Usually the dead spot is on the G as everyone indicated. It would seem strange to have the E be the culprit as usually just the sheer mass of the string keeps the problem from happening. I'm no luthier or expert though.

Yes the Fat Finger worked to some degree for me, though it moved the dead spot up to around the 12th fret on the G string. But, the 5-7 fret on the G gets more of a workout so it IS better.

[JcHc]

My MIM deluxe active had no punch, and the E string also sounded very dead, I added a BAII bridge, and it is wonderfull.
My E string is nice and punchy, and all notes have sustain( there are a few minor dead notes)

[pkr2]

Understand that I'm only addressing the prob with the E string.
Before you make any changes, there may be a couple of easy checks to make that may narrow down the search.
It's pretty unlikely that the whole E string has a classic dead spot. Simply put the end of the neck aginst a wall and pluck the E string. If the string still sounds dead, you can forget the conventional methods for dealing with a dead spot, cause that aint gonna be the prob. If the string still has the dead sound with the neck against the wall, chances are VERY high that there is an electronic prob. The prob could be a weak magnet, reversed polarity magnet or a coil with leakage from turn to turn in the coil winding. The last is remotely possible but stranger things have happened.

A plain old magnetic compass can be used to determine the polarity of the magnet. When you hold the compass as close to each polepiece as possible, the compass will either line up toward the polepiece with the pointer end or the opposite end of the pointer. if the E string polepiece is aligned opposite the other three polepieces, the magnet is reversed in the holder.

It's the same principal as having a 2 speaker cab wired out of phase.

Your problem is VERY unlikely to be a setup issue.

Hope I haven't just added to the confusion.

[EthanTheHeathen]

I haven't taken it to a shop, but I know the basics of setup and have just set it up myself. Pickup height is fine, intonation is good, action is good, E string is just dead the higher up I play. And I'm pretty sure the string isn't bad, as it is brand new and sounds great when played open or lower on the neck. And it couldn't be the nut, because it's only a problem when I play higher up on the neck.

After a little more investigating (the headstock-against-the-doorway test) I've determined that it's definitely not a dead spot on the E string. I'm almost positive that it's the bridge. I wedged a cylindrical socket of a ratchet wrench under the E string right by the bridge to act as a sort of substitute saddle. When I did this, the sustain was better. This leads me to believe that if I get a decent bridge my problems will go away.

It must just be the junky MIM bridge saddle - the string must sit in there just the wrong way so that when I play high up it's at an angle that allows the bridge saddle to suck the life out of the string. JcHc - you seem to have had this same problem, so I think I'll pick up a BAII myself and see what happens. Thanks folks!

-E

[Rattman]

"..pushing the headstock up against a wood architrave and play the dead spot note.."

Sorry? but what exactly is this thing you mentioned? Something made of wood, I can see that,
but what is it?

[steveb98]

I think a lot of what people think are dead spots are bad strings, so don't panic yet. Also people keep saying get a setup, I think what they are implying is getting the bridge and nut checked out. You said it has the MIM type bridge I would dump that ASAP. I put BadAss bridges on my basses and what a difference they make. You said you have dead spots on two Fenders, are both of them MIM. I ask because the MIM basses their headstocks tend to be thinner than USA models making them more prone to dead spots.

[remo]

Originally Posted by Rattman

"..pushing the headstock up against a wood architrave and play the dead spot note.."

Sorry? but what exactly is this thing you mentioned? Something made of wood, I can see that,
but what is it?

the wood that runs arounf the outside of a door is the architrave:



Architraves are used to conceal the gap between the door and the wall.

Architrave

The architrave is a moulding bridging the gap between the door frame and the wall, or between a window frame and the wall. As with other mouldings, a more affluent home would use a larger and more elaborate moulding to match a larger door or window and in more public rooms.

[vindy500]

haha thanks remo

[EthanTheHeathen]

My other Fender is an American Deluxe P-Bass, which also has a smallish headstock. Both of the basses definitely have a dead spot in the 4th-6th fret range on the G string. But I think you're right about replacing the bridge. I'm 99% sure that's the problem.

[twincy]

hmm. guys... i'm not sure if i know what u'r talking about...
actually... can someone record a typical dead spot-sound just for fun?

who knows... might work as a good sample for my long fruityloopz nights. lol.