Can't get a decent low E on my Japanese P-Bass

[Mr. Chuffey]

I'm very happy with my Japanese P-Bass, and my amplification in general. I think the bass is from the late 80s. I use a BBE solid state pre-amp, a big QSC power amp, and Mesa 4x10 cabinet. I can't get a good clean low E on the open string, though. Maybe what I got is what it's supposed to sound like, I'm not sure, but whenever I hit that low e, the sound just seems to get lost, I can't hear anything there (I'm talking about when I'm playing with the band). It's just lost in the sound everybody else is putting out. My low F is fine. What does this mean? Somebody suggested I get new saddles. I'm an experienced guitarist, and have been playing bass for two years in a band, but I'm not knowledgeable at all about how to troubleshoot this issue. Is there a way to get more definition and punch out of my lowest note? Should I replace the pickups? Please advise!

[ctmullins]

One of the design flaws of Fender basses is the straight headstock. The strings need a downward slant past the nut, to keep them firmly anchored at that end. The string retainer on the D and G strings helps do this, but for the A and E strings, you must rely on having enough wraps around the tuning post to give the string the proper downward angle. So check that first.

Second thought would be to check the nut - a poorly-cut slot on the E string can compromise the string's rigidity at this point.

Edit: Additional thoughts - since you posted in the Pickups forum, you must be thinking that this deficiency might be electronically-related. However, since you say your low F is fine, I doubt that your pickup is the problem. A way to double-check this is to play the instrument unamplified, in a quiet room, and evaluate the difference between the low F and low E without any electronics playing a part. If you notice the same problem, then it's physical in nature. If not, let us know!

[Grissle]

+1^ Something is not allowing that strings fundamental ringing true

[elgranluis]

Originally Posted by Mr. Chuffey

I'm very happy with my Japanese P-Bass, and my amplification in general. I think the bass is from the late 80s. I use a BBE solid state pre-amp, a big QSC power amp, and Mesa 4x10 cabinet. I can't get a good clean low E on the open string, though. Maybe what I got is what it's supposed to sound like, I'm not sure, but whenever I hit that low e, the sound just seems to get lost, I can't hear anything there (I'm talking about when I'm playing with the band). It's just lost in the sound everybody else is putting out. My low F is fine. What does this mean? Somebody suggested I get new saddles. I'm an experienced guitarist, and have been playing bass for two years in a band, but I'm not knowledgeable at all about how to troubleshoot this issue. Is there a way to get more definition and punch out of my lowest note? Should I replace the pickups? Please advise!

Tune it to drop D. If the problem persists (the D is quiet) then you can be cartain that the problem lies at the nut or the tuner post like others have mentioned. When tuned to D, try playing the fretted E, confirming the above theory. If The E continues to get lost while tuned to D, then you have a dead spot in one nasty place to have one!

[Grissle]

Can you have dead spot syndrome on an open string? This is a new one to me

[Mr. Chuffey]

I spent some time this week trying to fix this. I played the bass without amplification, and it's very loud and resonant without amplification, including the low E. The winding on the post is done properly, and I looked at how the nut is cut and it looks like it was cut smoothly, and the string fits in nicely. So moving on.....

I was thinking that it is either something wrong with the pickups, or the saddle and bridge somehow doesn't transmit the sound properly. The guitar player in my band has offered to buy an aftermarket bridge and saddle assembly and put it on for me. He's an extremely good guitar techie, builds his own guitars and amps, has done live sound and tech work for big name bands, and knows his stuff. He knows more about gear and electronics than anybody I've ever known. So I'm going to go that direction to start. It shouldn't cost very much to try that. If that doesn't work, I'll try getting a new pickup.

[mophead]

Pickup height needs to be checked?

[ctmullins]

Hmm. If the low E is nice and full unamplified, that means that the bridge and the nut are doing their jobs. Given that, changing the bridge isn't necessarily warranted, but it also probably won't hurt matters either. It's an easy thing to try, at any rate - easier than swapping pickups (but not much).

[Xx: V L F :xX]

I am on my 5th Fender Bass right now, and I have been down the road you are on. For me, I fixed this problem with a couple different things, as it was not just one problem that seemed to create it.

1] Firstly, I tried using the Fender 8250 strings. The low E is a taper-wound .110. This was the single biggest thing that I personally did to my guitar that helped with the low E. You don't have to use the Fenders, but I like them the best of all the string sets I tried with a taper-wound E string. (My second favorite set was the GHS Rene Martinez Taper Core 4-RMB).

2] Secondly, a PROFESSIONAL setup with the strings you are going to use at the tuning you are going to use. I had a guy at Guitar Center do my setup on my first Jazz bass and I know that I could have done a better job myself. I finally broke down and took my bass to guitar guru Joe Glaser here in Nashville. This was a little more expensive but worth twice what I payed for it! The playability/tone/pickup balance/string consistency increase 2 fold, at least.

3] 41.2 Hz is low! I use a Mesa/Boogie 400+ with two 210 TVX cabinets loaded with Eminence BP102s. My amp makes 500 tube powered watts and the speakers are rated down to "40Hz". Even with all this, my cabinets still can't totally recreate the low E. I have read in several books, including "Live Sound Reinforcement" and "Your Brain on Music" that almost no guitar/bass speaker can recreate the fundamentals needed at these frequencies. But, that doesn't exactly matter because the brain "implies" the root thanks to the harmonics that all notes have. I use a compressor and turn my bass frequencies down to get a more even sound at the E string. I played at a show the other day where the sound guy put me direct to the house and put me to their 1700 watt sub under the stage since there was no drummer playing with us at the time. Holy S@%T! My bass is making the low E alright and that subwoofer had no problem recreating it. It takes alot of money and power to buy a amp/cabinet set that is going to accurately recreate everything from 20Hz to 20kHz.

Try the first two things first, and just keep the third thing in mind. Good luck!

[mmbongo]

Been there many times!

Did this just all of a sudden happen, or have you never been able to get a good open E out of it? I went through several high end basses with dead low E's and just had to get rid of them in the end.

[Human Bass]

I dont think its a headstock design problem at all. The E tuner is just after the nut, so the string goes down with a lot of pression even without angle.

[Surly]

Originally Posted by Xx: V L F :xX

1] Firstly, I tried using the Fender 8250 strings. The low E is a taper-wound .110. This was the single biggest thing that I personally did to my guitar that helped with the low E. You don't have to use the Fenders, but I like them the best of all the string sets I tried with a taper-wound E string. (My second favorite set was the GHS Rene Martinez Taper Core 4-RMB).

I noticed that since using these 8250 strings my bass sounded more even in the mix. I thought I just EQ'd a little better. I like the taper-wound E string for sure.

[Twincam]

If you do decide to go with pickups I have love the sound of my '77 P bass with Seymour Duncan "Hot for P" pickups. It has a full sound across the spectrum with no dead spots and none of those pesky scooped mids. Works great for 60s & 70s rock.