advice needed!

[delaney viscose]

Hi. I currently play a Mexican made Fender Jazz and I've been having a couple of issues with the pickups.

At first I thought it was just down to poor technique (which is no doubt true to a certain extent - I'm working on it!) but I get really bad clicking noises when I play, which a couple of people have suggested may be attributed to

a) my pickups being microphonic (not totally sure what this means or what to do about it) and/or
b) my strings being too thin - I use the ones that came with the bass about 6 months ago and have particular problems when dropping the E string to D - the tone difference between the top and bottom strings is massive!

i have the technical mind of a four-year-old so I probably look dumb as hell but worth a shot, I'm hope someone out there can help me play smoother!

cheers

 

[groovenut57]

Did you buy the MIM Jazz new? Are you talking about the factory strings?

If so, I think they're 45-65-80-100 (medium-light gauge). My suggestion is to try 45-65-85-105 (medium gauge) instead. I started out with 45-100 and found E and A too floppy compared to G and D. By firming up on the E and A, you will get better balance from top to bottom.

 

[delaney viscose]

Thanks for that dude.

Yes I did by it new so yeah it is the factory strings, I'll give the medium guage ones a try. Any thoughts on the microphonic pickups thing?!

cheers

 

[squashedOpossum]

As far as the clicking noise - check the pickup height. If your strings are coming in contact with the exposed poles of the pickups, you'll get a loud click when they touch. This can happen especially when playing slap style.

 

[delaney viscose]

thanks for the tip, i'll check that out.

nice one

 

[MIJ-VI]

Hi D.V.

"ALL BASIC SETUP QUESTIONS ANSWERED HERE"

 

[Jimmy Bones]

Could also have something to do with your treble being piped too high on your amp. I get the same issue with my amp if I let someone fiddle with the controls and don't change them back.

 

[sixway]

Too much treble will highlight the clicking sound that comes from usually two things - first, digging in to the strings too hard when you play, and two, string action might be too low.

Also, your angle of string attack might be too steep, and that can cause the string to hit and rebound off the neck,creating the clicking noise. One last thing comes to mind, how long are your fingernails? The reason I ask is, I have a friend who tends to play with his fingernails more than the pads of his fingers, and that will definitely cause a clicking sound.

Learning to play with a lighter touch will probably help, and will increase your speed as well. Good luck....