sound inconsistency

[bassedsouth]

I recently stripped the board on a ply bass I found ( the board was covered with an awful blackish finish ).
The bass sounds and feels good now with one exception!!

On the A string starting on about the first E note going up to about the first G on that string I have quite a change in sound , the sound looses a bit of punch and gains a more 'fretless bass sound' / the sound itself is not a bad one (for jazz) but the inconsistency is annoying .

I'm guessing that this can't be the nut or bridge as that would surely affect the overall string ?

My guess is that perhaps the neck needs to slightly shimmed ?

Any suggestions on how to diagnose this would be great

[robobass]

Originally Posted by bassedsouth

I recently stripped the board on a ply bass I found ( the board was covered with an awful blackish finish ).
The bass sounds and feels good now with one exception!!

On the A string starting on about the first E note going up to about the first G on that string I have quite a change in sound , the sound looses a bit of punch and gains a more 'fretless bass sound' / the sound itself is not a bad one (for jazz) but the inconsistency is annoying .

I'm guessing that this can't be the nut or bridge as that would surely affect the overall string ?

My guess is that perhaps the neck needs to slightly shimmed ?

Any suggestions on how to diagnose this would be great

Hmmm...Let me ask: 1. What kind of wood did you find under that black paint? 2. Does the grain in the area you mention differ from the rest of the board? 3. Does the "fretless" sound you describe involve buzzing? Or, if you lay a straight edge over that spot is there unevenness?

If the wood seems like ebony or rosewood and you answer yes to question #3, then you probably need only a proper dressing.

If the wood seems like maple or boxwood (or whatever), and you answer no to question #3, and especially if you answer yes to question #2, then it is likely that uneven density of the wood is the cause of the problem. If that is the case, the best option is to replace the fingerboard.

If you don't feel like spending $$$ for this (the bass was free, right?), there is possibly a second option. The professional repairers who read this forum will kill me for suggesting this, but you could go the Jaco route and paint the board with boat epoxy! It is messy business, lot's of work, and once you've done it no self respecting luthier will touch your board, but it will even out the response. If you do it right, you might get decades of happy use out it. If you screw it up badly, then you aren't much worse off than you are now, and just need a fingerboard replacement. You can probably get tips on epoxy on the slab bass side of this forum.

Good Luck!

[bassedsouth]

Originally Posted by robobass

Hmmm...Let me ask: 1. What kind of wood did you find under that black paint? 2. Does the grain in the area you mention differ from the rest of the board? 3. Does the "fretless" sound you describe involve buzzing? Or, if you lay a straight edge over that spot is there unevenness?

If the wood seems like ebony or rosewood and you answer yes to question #3, then you probably need only a proper dressing.

If the wood seems like maple or boxwood (or whatever), and you answer no to question #3, and especially if you answer yes to question #2, then it is likely that uneven density of the wood is the cause of the problem. If that is the case, the best option is to replace the fingerboard.

If you don't feel like spending $$$ for this (the bass was free, right?), there is possibly a second option. The professional repairers who read this forum will kill me for suggesting this, but you could go the Jaco route and paint the board with boat epoxy! It is messy business, lot's of work, and once you've done it no self respecting luthier will touch your board, but it will even out the response. If you do it right, you might get decades of happy use out it. If you screw it up badly, then you aren't much worse off than you are now, and just need a fingerboard replacement. You can probably get tips on epoxy on the slab bass side of this forum.

Good Luck!

I think you're right - there seems to be a slight dip in the wood around that the mentioned area when I checked it with a straight edge .
The wood is a definitely a hard wood / not ebony though perhaps Jatoba . What is the process in dressing a board ?

[kurt ratering]

Originally Posted by bassedsouth

I think you're right - there seems to be a slight dip in the wood around that the mentioned area when I checked it with a straight edge .
The wood is a definitely a hard wood / not ebony though perhaps Jatoba . What is the process in dressing a board ?

1-put bass in bag
2-put bagged bass in car
3-take car with bass in bag to luthier...

[zeytoun]

I normally chafe at the "take it to a luthier" recommendations (especially for setup work, on a ply bass). But a FB dressing is something I won't do myself.

[bassedsouth]

Originally Posted by kurt ratering

1-put bass in bag
2-put bagged bass in car
3-take car with bass in bag to luthier...

nuff said !!