Too Much Mwah :-(

[LeonD]

I played my new to me, fretless Zon Sonus Special 5 for the first time last night. Things went well except when I played an E or Eb on the D string.

There was way too much mwah; it was too loud and uncontrollable.

So I'm wondering what's the best way to tame the mwah? I was thinking I'd raise the action at the bridge a bit. Will that do it?

Any other ideas?

Thanks,
LeonD

[bocasfx]

Raising the action and using flatwound strings would help.

[202dy]

Is this like too skinny or too rich?

When you say "too much mwah" you also say that it is too loud. Are you saying that E/Eb are louder than the other notes? Or are you saying that the mwah itself is too loud and the fundamental note underneath has the proper amount of energy and volume? They are two very different things that are caused and remedied by different methods. If the fundamental note is louder that indicates that the resonant frequency of the guitar is right around those two notes. If there is an excess of mwah it could be a setup issue or an anomaly in the fingerboard.

[LeonD]

Thanks for the replies.

The initial volume is fine. It's just the mwah that's too loud; the fundamental is good.

And it's only the E/Eb on the D string. If I grab the E/Eb on the A string, all is fine.

LeonD

[202dy]

That makes sense. Graphite/phenolic is a great combination of materials that do not usually cause problems and Joe Zon is an excellent builder. More than likely the problem is not one of setup but it would be ridiculous to ignore it. Check out the relief, string height, intonation, and string radius. They will probably be spot on but anything is possible. If it is not a setup issue then the problem is most likely in the fingerboard. Straight edges should then be used to determine if there are any deviations in the fingerboard that are not consistent with the relief. Using a long straight edge would also be instructive to get a general idea of the condition of the fingerboard. Short tools will show any small dips or humps that might be present.

[clink]

You might need some relief in the neck.

[Lesfunk]

Originally Posted by clink

You might need some relief in the neck.

ditto

[LeonD]

The only problem is that the bass has a graphite neck with no truss rod.

I raised the string a bit and it seemed to help. I'll need to hear in the same context as the other night (i.e. same amp, with band, etc.).

Thanks for the help,
LeonD

[202dy]

Originally Posted by Joshua

How used was the bass? Is there fingerboard wear at that point?

^^

[sethlow3]

mwah? you can never have too much mwah. but if you'd rather not, then flats or a higher action would help.

[Human Bass]

Originally Posted by sethlow3

mwah? you can never have too much mwah

agree

[bassteban]

I have an old Hohnberger that I did a nasty-but-functional defret job on. It has absolutely insane mwah- it's actually hard to control on any sustaining note, pretty much anywhere on the bass. It would be a bit funky to have that 'issue' in one spot on an ax, though.

[LeonD]

The fretboard is in excellent condition but I'll check specifically at that spot. And the strings are brand new.

Don't get me wrong, mwah is a good thing but these two notes just drove me crazy. It was almost like a resonate / feedback thing. When I played the note, it started off normal, then got louder, then got obnoxious.

LeonD

[onlyclave]

Sounds like a possible wolf tone. The happens all of the time with double bass on G# (especially on the D string). You are dealing with natural resonances of the string and the instrument. I bet you can get that same response be moving your finger slightly sharp or flat on Eb on the E string or A string.