Fret issues with 1972 Fender Musicmaster bass.

[adammhanna]

Hello all,

I have recently purchased a 1971 Fender Musicmaster on eBay, which looks amazing and I got it for a great price!

However I think there is a problem with the fret, when I play 2nd fret on E the note it plays initially flat then sharpens to the F#.

I have played all the other notes and they all seem okay, which scares me because I believe that if it's not the strings then it would be the fret wouldn't it? And that would obviously devalue the bass whilst setting me back quite a bit.

I haven't changed the strings yet but I will be when I get time.

Thought I'd post on here because I have been trying to google it but as it's quite specific i'm getting nowhere so if anybody knows anything about this i'd really appreciate it.

There is a picture below, not for any reason I want to show how lovely it looks, as it's about all it's got going for itself at the minute. Hope to gig soon with it now!




Go easy on me this is my forum cherry, thanks.

[George Mann]

It is most likely related to the 2-saddle bridge.

[capnjim]

Nice little bass. You might want to try a new string. If it was ever banged, the string can get a little flat dent which will make it buzz. try raising the action at the bridge as well.
Cheers

[JimB52]

Can't help with the mutating F#. Your bass looks great, though. I have a 71 Musicmaster as well, in white, with a changed PU. They have nice necks. Feel like a mini-P bass.

[Spinal Tapper]

just a thought, but check the winding on the E string. make sure it's wound downwards, so that there is downward pressure on the break angle. sometimes if the string isn't wound correctly, it can create funky nuances in the intonation and/or tone of the notes

[adammhanna]

thanks for your comments guys. should of posted after restringjng really but I will order some tonight and let you all know. will have to get it looked at with a techy either way as I'm not so confident with messing around with basses. will keep you posted!

[bassbully]

That's a pretty bass. I have a 74' MM. I have not had issues like you say so my thoughts are the strings, change them, set it up and it should go away.