What's this clicking noise?

[Billy Talent]

Hey everybody I am just new here. When ever i play my bass, especially when im hitting the E string i can hear a clicking noise. I'm thinking it is the string actually hitting the neck of the bass, or thats what it sounds like anyways. Am I pulling the string too hard? Should i angle and fingers differently when i hit the strings? Any input would be great. Thanks.

[pstyle]

if ur action is to low, raise it a bit. If u play to hard.. practice more. Also, I't could be that your pickup(s) are set to high and ur actually hitting the pickup... lower the pickup... or it could be a combo of all.

[Billy Talent]

Thanks for the input. I'm actually not even sure what action is , so if you could elaborate on that thanks. How soft should I be playing?

[pstyle]

The action refers to how low the strings are set up. (the distance between the frets and the string) Lower action results in a bass that is easier to play, but introduces frettbuzz and clicking noises if you don't know how to play properly, or if you play with a heavy touch. Higher action means less of that noise but a little tought to play...you just have to play around til you find your right settings. You can adjust the action by adjusting the truss-rod in the neck and/or the bridge saddles. I'm sure if u google it or so a search here u will find a lot of info. It sounds liek you are just starting out.. just keep practicing i'd say.
Good luck!

[Billy Talent]

Thanks

[thlayli]

Alternately, you could consider the click musical and learn to use it.

[BullHorn]

Yeah. I've practiced on removing all noises and clicks so I play pretty lightly, but look at bassists like Tony Choy of Atheist. His fingerpicki ng technique sounds like slapping and popping, yet, he just attacks the strings directly with his middle, index and ring fingers.

Also, the fingerpicking technique on bass is different than on classic guitar. You don't pull the string out-ward or push them inward. You have to slide from the string up and land on the string above, this way you can use the less power, have the less noise and the most speed.

Since we can't really know what is wrong, it might even be your EQ. If your Highs are set to be very high, it might pickup click noises.

[Billy Talent]

Yah, so I looked it up and apparently people called it "Fret Noise" when the action is very low and it causes the strings to hit agianst the other frets. I'm taking my bass into a music store to get the action raised a bit. It's not my EQ because that was the first thing i checked. Even when treble is all the way down, it still makes the noise.

[Disc]

I used to worry about this a ton when I first started playing in november. Here is what to do.

Turn up our amp, allot. Makee it loud. Two things will come from this.
1) You will notice that the clicks are less noticable when coming from a speaker than they are when coming of your fretboard.
2) Because its so damn loud, you will start playing with a softer touch.

Try it out, it worked for me.

[pretaanluxis]

I also get loud click when I try to make ghost/muted-notes the same volume as normal notes; and turning up the amp only makes them louder

[fedebass]

I know this isn't any of my business, but be brave and try to fix the problem yourself.One day you'll need to make some adjustement on your bass and there will be not tech around to do it for you...besides the sooner you get to know your instrument, the better.
Now, I'm gonna try to help out giving some ideas on how to set your bass but if I'm wrong or I'm missing something, please people correct me!
There are 4 basic things you can adjust on your bass and that sooner or later you'll need to do:
adjust the neck relief
adjust the strings height
setting the intonation
setting the pickups height
Let's skip the neck relief for now since it's a little more complicated and you may want to wait to work on that.It sounds like you just started playing bass, but if I sound too pedantic or say things that you know already, please excuse me.

Rising or lowering the action (strings height) is very simple and can be done adjusting the saddle hight at the bridge with the hex screws. You can start with your lower string, checking the open string and all the frets up and down making sure you don't getting any buzz. Once you found the sound (but also the feel!) that you're looking for you can move on to the next strings. You will notice that shape of your fretboard has a slight arc to it. this arc is called fretboard radius, and the height of the saddles (do not measure the top of the string, but the saddles, since strings have different gauges) should pretty much match the curvature of the fretboard.
To do that you can use a radius gauge or eyeball it. The point is that it's gotta feel balanced and natural to play.
Once you've found the right strings height you can move on to setting the intonation.To do this you will have to shorten or lengthen the strings by moving the saddles forward or backward with the screws at the back of the bridge. This is very easy to do with the help of a tuner: tune all your open strings to the correct pitch.Starting again with your lower string fret it at the 12th fret making sure that you're pressing it straight down and not bending it. Check your tuner again and you may find out that your string is flat (b) or sharp (#). If it's flat you'll have to shorten the string moving the saddle forward, if it's sharp you'll have to shorten the string moving the saddle backward.Do the same with your other string, checking that the open strings are still in tune. It's impossible to get all the frets in perfect tune, so you'll have to compromise (if you wanna learn more about this check just intonation and equal temperament, here http://www.phy.mtu.edu/~suits/scales.html for example).
Last but not least you can set your pickup(s) height, this can of course be done tightening or loosening the screws that are at the side of the pickup. Too far from the strings is gonna lower the output of your bass, to close is gonna kill your sustain (due to the magnetism or the pickups), find a compromise. Also remember that the pickup can be set at an angle, so to have a more balanced output from the different strings.

Remember that different strings gauges may work differently with your setup or that simply changing the strings may change the height of the saddles etc. so you'll need to check and adjust it again,

None of this stuff is gonna do any harm to your bass, so experiment and find the setup that works for you; and of course keep practicing and you'll get a more confident and softer touch. And have fun!
I hope this was helpful.


p.s.: small adjustments!

[Rids]

Make sure you are plucking the strings parallel to the bass.

If you are pulling too much toward the bass/pickups the string is gonna swing that way, and click against the last few frets on your fretboard (or against the pickups if they are sitting up that high). I have to consciously think about my fingerstyle when I play in drop D for this reason.

The clicking usually doesn't matter, but there are some times when it's in an awkward spot in the song, and if your playing with alot of treble then it can be annoying.

[kserg]

Originally Posted by Billy Talent

Am I pulling the string too hard?

That's an easy one, try plucking it softer and see if that helps. My bro when he tries to play bass plucks it so hard and at the angle where his finger nails hit the string. When he touches my bass he makes noises similar to what you are talking about. but I never have that problem with the bass and i don't think my auction is too low. (he plays guitar, that's his excuse for sucking. )

Good luck bud, hope you can find the source.

[Depth_Charge]

I didn't see it in the other responses ^^ but when I used to dig right in on my Canora (very low action) the click happens when my string touches the pickup.

When I complained about it during practice I was told they clip it F(ront) O(f) H(ouse). I hope so