ugg...what happened

[anonymous38457747]

So I just got my bass back from getting set up by a very respectable tech here in Chicago. This was my first time getting my DB professionally set up. We spoke at length about what I wanted/ what he was able to do. I was very happy with the basses sound and playablility before the set up, but now it seems like more work to play, and just sounds dead.

2 things. The strings are new so they are not broken in, and the string height has not changed.

The strings feel like they are 3-4 times the tension that they were before, and they just don't project at all when plucked. When bowed they sound ok but not like it did.

I called the tech and we agree he did exactly what I asked. I don't know what my next move should be. Different strings? I put D'addario helicore hybrids on it.

I am open to anyones ideas.

thanks

[Jake deVilliers]

Why don't you tell us the whole story so that we can make some useful responses?

What kind of bass, what mensure, what kind of strings before, what you asked him to do, what he did.........

[anonymous38457747]

ok
the bass is an Engelhardt EC1 with a fully arched spruce top and maple back, hard maple neck and fingerboard. Not the most expensive bass in the world but I like it. The bridge is fixed so I asked him to simply "dress the fingerboard" to eliminate one high spot and one "dead spot" where the neck meets the body on the high side of the board. Then, because the fingerboard is maple and painted black, I had him sand the paint off and seal the fingerboard, I am not certain what specific product he used but it is a satin finish that feels quite smooth. Then he was going to change the strings and set the intonation.

That was it. Repair the fingerboard and a general set up of the bass.

Like I said before. I liked the feel and sound of the bass prior. The strings felt flexible and had a nice deep tone when plucked and were very mellow when bowed. I got the bass with those strings on and this was the first new set I put on the bass. I chose the Helicore Hybrids based on a recomendation of friend in town, and I did try them on his instrument before I bought them.

But on my bass they feel quite stiff, they require more effort from my left hand and they just sound dead to me. The roundness in the tone is gone, and the volume is cut by at least a 1/3.

does that help

[RCWilliams]

if you still have your old strings put them on and see what happens. then you can determin where to go from there.

[anonymous38457747]

funny you mention that about the old strings. I just called him to get them back.

[bejoyous]

My bass first came with Helicores. I didn't like them at all. Like your bass, the pizz was very low volume as was the arco (nice sound to them though). They took a lot of work to play them

I next put on Obbligatos and it made a world of difference for the better. Then used Dominants. Didn't roll like the Obi's but were too scratchy sounding if I didn't bow them just right. I now use Evah's and they're the best string I've ever played on. Great tone, respond under the bow instantly, pizz have a nice thud & sustain, easy on the hands, the sound is deeper and brighter at the same time, plus they are loud.

[vejesse]

My guess is that your fingerboard has more relief now. Same strings height but the bass is much harder to play. Maybe the nut is higher now too. Who did you take it to?

[MingusAmongUs]

Helicores have been known to have some QC issues. Maybe you got a bad set. I'd be curious to see if putting the old ones on will improve the sound.

As for the tension, is it possible that your overstand has increased (and thus there is more tension in the strings)? Was the bridge replaced?

Another possibility is that the sound post was moved to a not-so-good spot. Moving that around a little can make a world of difference. But I wouldn't do that myself. If it's not too far a drive, I'd go back and have him move it a little bit at a time and let you try each spot.

As for the sealed maple fingerboard, well, I suppose that could be part of the problem, depending on what was used. But I wouldn't think it would change much if it's the same piece of wood.

[John Sprague]

I know the luthier scene around Chicago pretty well, and I think I can safely say that there isn't a single one there who wouldn't do everything they could to get it sounding right for you. I would recommend you get in touch with the person who did the set-up and get it fixed. Trying things yourself, no offense, will likely only cost you time and money without progress.

If it sounded good, then sounded worse after the setup, the problem is the setup.

[anonymous38457747]

Just got back from the shop...First we tried moving the bridge, as it turns out the sound post is off a little from where he measured the bridge was supposed to be. This improved the volume quite a bit.

We put the old D and G strings back on and it played better then it did before he worked on it. So I now believe that the strings are the issue.

He did recomend that I swap the bridge out for an adjustable bridge.

What if any advantage will this give me.

Sorry for the newbie question

THanks for the input.

Matt

[hdiddy]

Remember also that it takes a couple days for physical changes to a bass to settle in. It might sound better next week. Give it some time too.

Which reminds me... my soundpost is not in the right position since I realized that I put it back up in the wrong spot.... could also be why my E is kinda deadish.

[shadygrove]

Originally Posted by schillzilla

...He did recomend that I swap the bridge out for an adjustable bridge. What if any advantage will this give me...

With an adjustable bridge you can vary your string height and optimize for different playing styles and situations i.e. you might lower the height when playing jazz amplified to get around faster, but raise it for an acoustic jam or orchestra work to get more volume.

[anonymous38457747]

Originally Posted by shadygrove

With an adjustable bridge you can vary your string height and optimize for different playing styles and situations i.e. you might lower the height when playing jazz amplified to get around faster, but raise it for an acoustic jam or orchestra work to get more volume.

thanks