Dead "A" String! Help!

Lagaupia · #1 10-06-2008, 11:54 AM

Hello,

I have a set of Clef Guts installed on a Czech bass.

The "A" String has very little tone and I have trouble tuning it to pitch. The other strings sound great.

The bass has been setup fully by Upton recently and the strings were installed there also.

Anyone have any suggestions? Could it be the soundpost?

Thanks in advance!

uprightben · #2 10-09-2008, 11:40 AM

Sounds like a dud string, has it ever sounded good, or did it come out of the pack that way?

Lagaupia · #3 10-09-2008, 12:29 PM

never sounded good. =(

MIKMAN · #4 10-10-2008, 01:03 AM

Chuck Traeger's suggestion is to check the soundpost. If it is longer than needed it stiffens the top plate and affects mostly the A string. It happened to one of my basses when i changed the soundpost, starting with a slightly longer than the old one. When i found the proper length the A string found its lost sound.

Jake deVilliers · #5 10-10-2008, 01:39 AM

"The bass has been setup fully by Upton recently and the strings were installed there also."

Why don't you give Upton a call? I'm sure they'd want to help.

Lagaupia · #6 10-10-2008, 09:51 AM

thanks for all of your input!

jschall84 · #7 10-11-2008, 04:24 PM

i had the same problem. apparently, i didnt file the nut wide enough on the a string and it was choking the string. 30 seconds with a rat tail file and all better.

jarva · #8 12-13-2008, 06:42 AM

Cant help, but agree - the A-string is a mystery.

I tested an old very big cello-shaped bass in Hamburg a couple of years ago.
I started testing the A-string. Marvelous - like a church organ! :-)

But the other three strings were dead ...