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Bass fart.

Felken

Felken

Jun 28, 2016
1,622
2,087
26
Ottawa, CAN
#1
First off, I'm not sure if this is in the right category (luthier's corner), but I'm looking for fixes, so I'm putting it here.

So... My bass is farting.

It's an issue I had since I recieved it. I don't mind it much, but it gets in the way sometimes. I'm a hard-hitting plucker, and my P bass will often do this repulsive farty, buzzy sound.

Here's a sound sample, you might here the buzzing:
Bass fart.mp3

It's an active P bass, the American deluxe series.

Where do I start looking for this problem? What could it be?

Much appreciated.
 

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#3
Felken said:
First off, I'm not sure of this is in the right category, but I'm looking for fixes, so I'm putting it here.

So... My bass is farting.

It's an issue I had since I recieved it. I don't mind it much, but it gets in the way sometimes. I'm a hard-hitting plucker, and my P bass will often do this repulsive farty, buzzy sound.

Here's a sound sample, you might here the buzzing:
Bass fart.mp3

It's an active P bass, the American deluxe series.

Where do I start looking for this problem? What could it be?

Much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Sounds like something is overdriving, if it does it on more then one amp/cab and at all volume levels on those amps/cabs I would first replace the battery(s), then look at the preamp.
 
#7
Remyd said:
That sounds like a speaker noise - what rig are you using?
Click to expand...
image.jpg

It's not the amp. It buzzes at low volumes, my other basses don't, even at high volumes.
 
#9
Felken said:
It's not the amp. It buzzes at low volumes, my other basses don't, even at high volumes.
Click to expand...
So, not a speaker noise then. That cab could blow the windows out of my practice room. :bassist:

Have you checked all the usual suspects? Switching cables/channels/jacks/batteries or cables that crosses at right angles? Something's screwy electrically. Does the problem go away or come back when you change the pots? Is there anything on the amp that makes the sound start or go away?

I'm probably going to lay back and let smarter people than I answer. I had this exact same problem with a beater and ended up pulling everything out and rewiring. I wanna know what makes that happen.
 
#11
Sounds like a bit of input overdrive to me. I would check:

1) Input gain on the amp (if you are going high gain low master you may want to reverse it, high master and low/control volume with gain)

2) inside the bass on the preamp board(s) there may be trim pots for output level. I don't know what preamp you have installed, but I know the John East that is in my jazz bass is dialed ALL the way back on the trim pots because otherwise it'll overdrive everything I plug into. Hard.

Edit: Also, thanks for uploading an audio clip. Most of these threads are like "I hear a squirrel in my tone. What is?" with nothing to reference, followed by a slew of unfounded suggestions and the occasional "you should probably buy a Fender Rumble" plug. :)
 
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#13
Is the fart isolated to one string/fret/note?

Edit: ok I listened, it sounds like a combination of not enough neck relief, too low of action, and too hard of plucking. The pickups height could cause a similar sound as well.
 
Last edited:
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#15
I've had that sound on a single string.

It was the E. All the other strings sounded great except the E which was farty and croaky.

I switched out the E string for a couple of different ones until it sounded o.k.again.

( Also sometimes if the string isn't sitting in the nut slot correctly it will do that. (String is not seated well..there is air underneath it).

But it sounds like all strings do it on yours.....so the mystery continues.
 
#16
Even out the treble and ease up on the plucking if you want that sound to disapate. Keep in mind too, that the sound it makes may sound like a night after eating mexican food farts by itself however in a live mix, that fart will rip through and sit in nicely.
 
#17
Sometimes I like a nice farty bass sound but yours definitely isn't the kind which pleases me. :D

My fretted Stingray currently has a similar thing going on with both the E and A strings. And it only started happening after I took a year off from playing fretted basses to exclusively play fretless. I almost suspect part of my own problem is how I learned to attack the string differently on fretless. Which is with a much deeper and broader pluck of the fingers.
 
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#19
Felken said:
First off, I'm not sure if this is in the right category (luthier's corner), but I'm looking for fixes, so I'm putting it here.

So... My bass is farting.

It's an issue I had since I recieved it. I don't mind it much, but it gets in the way sometimes. I'm a hard-hitting plucker, and my P bass will often do this repulsive farty, buzzy sound.

Here's a sound sample, you might here the buzzing:
Bass fart.mp3

It's an active P bass, the American deluxe series.

Where do I start looking for this problem? What could it be?

Much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Hard hitting plucker?
Maybe the problem mite be you're plucking just a bit to hard! (?)
(Just maybe..)
 
#20
Felken said:
First off, I'm not sure if this is in the right category (luthier's corner), but I'm looking for fixes, so I'm putting it here.

So... My bass is farting.

It's an issue I had since I recieved it. I don't mind it much, but it gets in the way sometimes. I'm a hard-hitting plucker, and my P bass will often do this repulsive farty, buzzy sound.

Here's a sound sample, you might here the buzzing:
Bass fart.mp3

It's an active P bass, the American deluxe series.

Where do I start looking for this problem? What could it be?

Much appreciated.
Click to expand...

I don't hear any farting ... if anything it is too clean ...

I like this kind of bass track

 
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