help needed

[METALHEAD]

ok i belive this belongs here if not move it.

the last time i used my 6 string was about 5 mounths ago and it was tuned down half a step.

today i picked it and went to play it and im getting noise (where the string when played open is reverberating of the first fret) how do i fix this.

it didn't do this before and i was hopeing to sell it soon. but not if it sounds like rubbish.

do i need to re-string (these are practicly unplayed strings)
or is this an issue with the nut. if it is what would you recomend i do about it??????

[BurningSkies]

I would suggest you start by checking the relief in the neck. I bet you'll find that climate conditions and the slightly less pull on the neck of the downtuning has pulled your bass' neck back a bit and you need to make some adjustments.

[METALHEAD]

do you mean check the truss, cos im not even sure how to do it on this bass. its only the first fret its toucing i belive.

the nut looks awful anyway, if i wnated to replace it where can i buy a six string nut or is it easyer to make one. snd if its easyer to make one what should it be made of, hard plastic, metal or wood. any sugestions??????

[Mudfuzz]

Originally Posted by METALHEAD

do you mean check the truss, cos im not even sure how to do it on this bass. its only the first fret its toucing i belive.

Sounds like the trussrod to me. If if it is buzzing on a OPEN string it might be the nut but I would still check the trussrod first. If it is buzzing then the trussrod is a little on the tight side.

[METALHEAD]

Thanks ill check this out tonight. if im still having probs is it the nut.?????

[BurningSkies]

Originally Posted by METALHEAD

Thanks ill check this out tonight. if im still having probs is it the nut.?????

The nut isn't usually the problem, again, unless you're getting buzzing on the open strings. Any time you fret a string, you take the nut out of the equation.

If you don't know how to check your neck's relief, or know how to properly and safely adjust your trussrod you should spend some time reading the stickies at the top of the setup forum that show you what you need to know.

I would suggest that if you do decide to get a different nut for your bass, you have someone do it for you. Choice of materials is up to you, but I'd think plastic or phenolic, or graphite would work.