Dead e string.

[kyral210]

My E sounds dead and muted compared to the other four strings. Kind of sound hollow and plummy compared to the others. In my years of playing I’ve never experienced this.

My bass is a partscaster, but with a Fender Deluxe bridge, string through construction, Black TUSQ nut, going to Fender Deluxe tuners with a Hipshot detuner taken from a Fender Deluxe bass. Neck relief is 0.25mm, action is 5/64, strings are rotosound, and pickups are EMG Geezer Butler. Decent parts.

The neck is shimmed with a 0.5 degree nearly-full-pocket (maple) shim.

 

[Code Brown]

Are you saying all the E strings you've put on sound dead? Or is your current dead E string the only one you've ever had on the bass?

 

[kyral210]

Are you saying all the E strings you've put on sound dead? Or is your current dead E string the only one you've ever had on the bass?

It’s a new bass, so I’ve only had one set of strings. I’ve got a new string set on their way

 

[Code Brown]

Ok, probably just a dead string. Sounds like you got a lot of nice parts on the bass. I bet it's pretty awesome with the new strings You probably already have - but I'd check that the E string is sitting properly down in the nut slot. Maybe set some witness points after the new strings are on and you should be ready to rock

 

[FearNoEvil65]

The E strings on all my basses are the always first to lose their tone, not sure why but it's consistent. Hopefully yours just died down from age.
New strings always fixes it for me, good luck!

 

[Steve Cullen]

Appropos of the opposite: I can never get rid of a pingy G string. On my five-strings all the other strings sound great but changing tone settings on my basses and amp/cab tweeter, affects the other four strings to the point that the G sounds good but the others not...

 

[nickpc]

Is the E string twisted? Or is the Hipshot detuner not holding? I've seen both do that with a string.

Twisted string - uninstall it and reinstall, being careful to let the string "lay naturally" before bringing it up to tension.

Detuner - I've seen one where it wasn't locked down tightly and would "give" just a bit when the string was plucked, killing the sound. Try the other position on the detuner and see if that changes things. This was in a guitar store so I don't know how they solved it.

 

[kyral210]

Ok, probably just a dead string. Sounds like you got a lot of nice parts on the bass. I bet it's pretty awesome with the new strings You probably already have - but I'd check that the E string is sitting properly down in the nut slot. Maybe set some witness points after the new strings are on and you should be ready to rock

What’s a witness point?

The E strings on all my basses are the always first to lose their tone, not sure why but it's consistent. Hopefully yours just died down from age.
New strings always fixes it for me, good luck!

the strings were about four weeks old. Hopefully just a bad string. If true, Rotosound must improve their QC.

 

[iiipopes]

OK. Because the E string has a larger diameter core, it will not vibrate as freely in partials in order to have consistent tone with the ADG strings. This happens to everybody and on just about every make, model, and gauges of sets of strings. I always purchase an extra E string so if I have two-fer weekend gigs I can play the Friday gig, then change the E string for the Saturday gig. I have done this for over thirty years. This is also why the E string in most conventional sets is of a lesser diameter gauge than the math would otherwise indicate, so the E string can approach the same flexibility, and therefore tone, of the ADG strings.

 

[rockinrayduke]

What’s a witness point?

the strings were about four weeks old. Hopefully just a bad string. If true, Rotosound must improve their QC.

My experience with Rotos is that their QC is light years better than the old days when you always got a deadish E.

 

[kyral210]

My experience with Rotos is that their QC is light years better than the old days when you always got a deadish E.

What brand do you recommend?

 

[rockinrayduke]

Nothing wrong with Rotos now, I use the 95-40 set.