Double Bass Bass Feels Tight - What to do????

[pmckee]

I went to a jam the other night and sat in using the house bassist's instrument. Man, it felt great and loose, easy to play without compromising tone. When I play my bass I feel like I have to work twice as hard. Strings eat up my fingers on up tempo tunes. Is this a soundpost issue? I guess I need to take it into the shop.

Thanks!

 

[Huy Nguyen]

Depends on strings and setup. If you haven't blown a bunch of money on string sets and have a drawer full of strings, you prob have more money to spend.

In hindsight, trading in your axe + saving up money is probably the cheaper way to do things IME.

 

[anonymous122511]

Having just bought a pretty stiff feeling bass I was just discussing this with repair guy and TB regular Jake deVilliers. He brought up the idea that attaching the tailpiece with flexible aircraft cable rather than stiff coat hanger type wire allows it to float more and can reduce the rigid feel a lot.

 

[Huy Nguyen]

Using a Marvin Tailpiece/cable will give you the softest feeling in that aspect - but it's still not that drastic of a change IME. Strings make a bigger difference.

 

[swingingoodtime]

Probably a soundpost issue, and the strings may also not be helping if they're choking the bass. Some questions for you:

1) When you look through the G-side F-hole, where is the sound post in vertical-relation to the bridge foot? Directly under it or below it (ie, in the direction of the endpin)? If the latter, by how much?
2) What sort of strings are you using?
3) From your profile, as a DB teacher I'm assuming that you've taken it to a luthier at some point; has it always been like that since you got it, or has it changed over time?

 

[SVT4001]

OP- Did you happen to notice what kind of strings were on the house bassists instrument? What kind of strings do you have on your bass? Despite their actual tension, some strings "feel" more supple than others.

Some folks have posted some good ideas- also consider a taller saddle.

I would definitely have a pro bass luthier look at it...maybe contact the owner of that other bass and see where he gets his work done.

Good luck!

Joe

 

[Bruce Lindfield]

OP- Did you happen to notice what kind of strings were on the house bassists instrument? What kind of strings do you have on your bass? Despite their actual tension, some strings "feel" more supple than others.

That's definitely the case - I started out on Spirocores, as they seemed to be the most popular and used by a lot of Jazz players I admired. But they did feel stiff and tight to me - so after reading a lot of discussions around here on the Strings forum, I changed to Velvet Animas.

What a difference!

Everything was much looser and it felt so much better really pulling through the strings - much more comfortable and I have stayed with them ever since and confirm this choice every time I pick up somebody else's bass - like at Jazz Summerschool.

 

[pmckee]

Probably a soundpost issue, and the strings may also not be helping if they're choking the bass. Some questions for you:

1) When you look through the G-side F-hole, where is the sound post in vertical-relation to the bridge foot? Directly under it or below it (ie, in the direction of the endpin)? If the latter, by how much?
2) What sort of strings are you using?
3) From your profile, as a DB teacher I'm assuming that you've taken it to a luthier at some point; has it always been like that since you got it, or has it changed over time?

1) Soundpost is just south of bridge foot (endpin being south) and maybe just inside of it as well.
2) I use spiros and a mittel E. What might be a better string to switch to? I have a shen willlow 7/8.
3)When i lived back east I had a great luthier who had the ability to set it up with med-high string height yet loose/slinky feel. I have not been able to get as nice a setup since I moved away. Changed a bit over time.

I appreciate all the responses. On behalf of my right index/middle fingers, THANK YOU!

 

[swingingoodtime]

1) Soundpost is just south of bridge foot (endpin being south) and maybe just inside of it as well.
2) I use spiros and a mittel E. What might be a better string to switch to? I have a shen willlow 7/8.
3)When i lived back east I had a great luthier who had the ability to set it up with med-high string height yet loose/slinky feel. I have not been able to get as nice a setup since I moved away. Changed a bit over time.

I appreciate all the responses. On behalf of my right index/middle fingers, THANK YOU!

Your soundpost is the main culprit; to 'loosen' up the feel of your bass, the post needs to be moved south, probably so that there's about one a post-thickness below the bottom edge of the bridge foot and the top edge of the post; if you're not confident to move it yourself, a (good) luthier can work with you to fine tune the exact position.

If your strings are the same as when you had a slinky setup, then (age issues aside) they're probably fine; get the soundpost issue sorted out first and see how you go from there.

 

[robobass]

Have you layed a straight-edge over your fingerboard? Could be your neck has bowed in a bit over time and you are simply dealing with excessive relief.

 

[vejesse]

Have you layed a straight-edge over your fingerboard? Could be your neck has bowed in a bit over time and you are simply dealing with excessive relief.

We have a winner!

 

[anonymous122511]

We have a winner!

Really? It's possible the problem is a combination of any or even all the things suggested thus far.

 

[swingingoodtime]

Have you layed a straight-edge over your fingerboard? Could be your neck has bowed in a bit over time and you are simply dealing with excessive relief.

Heya robobass, not trying to refute this, just seeking understanding: how will the OP know what is relief due to neck bowing vs the luthiered (hmm, is that even a word?) fb scoop? Not to mention even able to interpret excessive vs normal to begin with.

I would have thought that excess relief (or scoop) would result in problems for left hand fingering, but less so for the sense of tightness under the right.

Cheers (& thanks)! : )

 

[aaronallen]

Heres a list of things that have loosened the feel of my bass aside from strings changes:
Raising the tailpiece
Spacing the tailpiece cables closer together over the saddle
Removing a bow quiver
Removing a bridge pickup
Removing anything that attaches to the bridge, string afterlengths, or tailpiece
Using a digital protractor to make sure the bridge is not leaning forward at all.
Using a hose clamp and nylon washer to fix the endpin height so that the endpin screw can be removed when your ready to play. (hard to explain but this makes a big difference.)

 

[robobass]

Heya robobass, not trying to refute this, just seeking understanding: how will the OP know what is relief due to neck bowing vs the luthiered (hmm, is that even a word?) fb scoop? Not to mention even able to interpret excessive vs normal to begin with.

I would have thought that excess relief (or scoop) would result in problems for left hand fingering, but less so for the sense of tightness under the right.

Cheers (& thanks)! : )

Well, lots of things can make for a stiff feeling bass, but we should look for things which might have changed over time, as the OP indicates that his bass didn't always feel this way. Since it's a new ccb then neck warpage seems like a candidate. Of course it may be subjective, and the bass only feels tighter because he has just played a looser bass. Personally, I think a lot of the tightness feel comes down to top graduation and bassbar, which unfortunately are difficult things to adjust. I played a Pöllmann 5'er for a long time which was very stiff. My luthier messed around with the tailpiece, bridge, and soundpost without end. All this had only the most minor effect.

 

[Bruce Lindfield]

1) Soundpost is just south of bridge foot (endpin being south) and maybe just inside of it as well.
2) I use spiros and a mittel E. What might be a better string to switch to? I have a shen willlow 7/8.
3)When i lived back east I had a great luthier who had the ability to set it up with med-high string height yet loose/slinky feel. I have not been able to get as nice a setup since I moved away. Changed a bit over time.

I appreciate all the responses. On behalf of my right index/middle fingers, THANK YOU!

As I said I switched from Spiros to Velvet Animas, with no other changes and it made a huge difference !

My bass went from being stiff and tight - to being much more comfortable and easier to play - it was much easier to pull through the strings!

 

[pmckee]

Have you layed a straight-edge over your fingerboard? Could be your neck has bowed in a bit over time and you are simply dealing with excessive relief.

I'll definitely check this out and mention it to the luthier.

I think it is probably a soundpost issue as I think i still have the same sundpost that was in it when I lived in Boston and now I'm in Southern California. Might be a length issue? I appreciate it.

 

[pmckee]

As I said I switched from Spiros to Velvet Animas, with no other changes and it made a huge difference !

My bass went from being stiff and tight - to being much more comfortable and easier to play - it was much easier to pull through the strings!

I know I am outside the realm of this forum right now, but how do the velvet anima's play sound arco? I have a shen willow. I wonder if these would sound good on a shen.....

Thanks.

 

[Huy Nguyen]

I played a Pöllmann 5'er for a long time which was very stiff. My luthier messed around with the tailpiece, bridge, and soundpost without end. All this had only the most minor effect.

Which is why I said what I did - if you're committed to bass playing, save up your pennies and buy the bass that plays the way you want it to. Had I avoided different tricks and string sets, I would've gotten where I am now much sooner.

When you're starting out, it's fine hanging onto a student instrument but I'm thinking that one shouldn't be afraid to upgrade to a better instrument. I wish I had done it sooner.

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

I'll definitely check this out and mention it to the luthier.

I think it is probably a soundpost issue as I think i still have the same sundpost that was in it when I lived in Boston and now I'm in Southern California. Might be a length issue? I appreciate it.

Good bet. How old is the bass? New basses can adjust in the first few years, further tightening a post. I would check that first.

Animas can work under the bow once they get some time on them but are scratchy when new.

I agree with HeyDiddy. Invest in a good setup in California and see if that helps you. If not, go buy a bass that feels right to you. You can arrange deck chairs until the end of time, but if it's the wrong boat.......