Dead Spots on Fenders..Huh?

[Classic69]

Surely some Fender basses have dead spots; others-dont!

I think what it is is that some players are very discerning, and listen for and can pick up on flaws like dead spots, fret buzz, weak G-strings, etc.
Others may go about playing the instrument without being as "demanding" of the bass and are satisfied with their sound as is.

No doubt some Fender basses have dead spots, etc. but this needs to be balanced with the seeming willingness to attack Fender basses by some;
as in "FCS prices are ridiculous", etc. YMMV.
FWIW- I have a FCS and a '69 P-Bass, they both are built well and sound great, but I have no doubt certain players could and would find fault
with them if they really wanted to!

 

[Jared Lash]

Dan Atkinson started a thread where he recorded a dead spot sound and while that thread still exists, the sound file no longer plays.

Dead spots are common on many basses with bolt-on necks, not just Fenders.

It's essentially a note that has a very similar frequency to the resonance of the neck. Most of us have experienced that when you practice you hit a note that sets something in the room into heavy vibration. That's because you're matching the natural resonant frequency of that object or objects.

A dead spot is similar. In my experience I find them most often on the 5th or 7th frets of the G string. The note sounds choked and you'll often notice the neck vibrates significantly. The only real cure is to change the weight of the neck, shifting the resonance point. That's the basis for products like the Fat Finger that you clamp on your headstock.

 

[DWBass]

Had one on a 2007 US Jazz. Every time I slapped the A on my E string........thud! Probably needed a fret job though to be honest but it was enough for me to trade her away for something better anyway.

 

[GBassNorth]

Just posted this in a different thread (musical misinformation) but thought it might be insightful here as well...

Dead spots on basses are a real problem. All active basses will eventually develop a dead spot. The dead spot (which is located inside the instrument output jack) can be easily fixed by replacing the battery. The fix for Passive basses isn't as easy but fortunately happens very rarely. It can be corrected by replacing the broken output jack.

Now, lets see, how do I post this on Wikipedia so it will be accepted as a legit fact.

 

[David Jayne]

They all have one, but sometimes it's so slight as to be effectively nonexistent. My Am Std P has it in the traditional C# on the G string but it's barely there. On the other hand there's my G&L SB 1 - it has a huge one at D on the G string, which is a pain, but adjacent notes ring perfectly. It's so bad you have to play around it. I've tried adding weight to the headstock but found that it merely got wider and spread to the C#.
I did have an interesting observation about it--if I don't 'play through' it and rest my finger on the D string as usual, it doesn't die. Rather, the D string vibrates sympathetically with the G string and the note sustains but with a bit of chorus-y effect. I'm thinking hard about how this might be a clue as to how to fix it.

 

[faulknersj]

What's going on by Marvin Gaye has a good one on the 6th fret if you want to hear an example btw!

Jamerson used mutes on that P.

 

[SirMjac28]

Both my Fender J and P have a dead spot that I fixed with a Fat Finger it was years before I even knew the terminology all I knew was that in certain spots on the G string it sounded weird.

 

[faulknersj]

I have looked for these spots on my basses and I just can't find one. Is it possible that these dead notes are a setup issue? I am very meticulous when I set up my basses...I get the action literally as low as it can go with no buzz. I HAVE experienced something similar to what you all are describing when the action was to low.

 

[jd-ns]

Anyone who has never experienced a dead spot and questions their existence either doesn't understand what they are, or has unbelievable luck to have never played a bass with them. I personally have experienced dead spots many times.

 

[Handyman]

Some have them. Some don't. It's not a conspiracy. I've encountered it twice. Once on a Squier cabronita on the 6th fret of the g string and once on an American standard jazz on the 7th.

I disagree - the NSA installs dead spots with Fender's cooperation. Other basses don't have as many dead spots as they demand a court order first.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

Dead spots are not exclusive to Fender or bolt-on basses. They are just more common on bolt-on necks. I have a dead spot on my LB76. It is in the typical spot, 7th fret of the C string.

Not all Fenders have dead spots (that are audible noticeable, all basses have them according to Sadowsky) but many of the ones that do belong to players who use a high action. The amount of players in the wild that use a 3mm+ action would shock most people on this board. You will not notice poor fret work or dead spots with a high action.

 

[harmendebresser]

Yes, can't say it's an original idea (well... mine, that is )

Jamerson used mutes on that P.

 

[Kmonk]

I have owned many MIA Fenders and have never had dead spots on any of them. I have also owned Spector, Alembic, Schecter, Washburn, Carvin and Musicman. The only bass that had a dead spot was the Musicman Stingray.

 

[radioface]

Dead spots on fender basses are as common as liver spots on old people. If your bass has dead spots on it's neck either sell it or get used to it and move on.

 

[Dominic D]

Here's the isolated track for What's Going On. Listen for the high C# about 31 seconds in.



My G&L L2500 has the exact same dead spot, though not as bad.

 

[radmin]

Roger Sadowsky said in an interview once that he thought a lot of "dead sports" were caused by poorly seated frets.
I've never noticed one in my 25 years of playing but I've also never owned a Fender.

 

[wraub]

That Jamerson track is pretty telling...

That said, neither my P or J have a dead spot that I can find.

 

[GBassNorth]

Seriously folks (yes my other post was a joke) I did have some recent success in virtually eliminating dead spots in one of my Alembic basses by installing low tension strings.

 

[Turock]

I have several Fenders. The only time I noticed a dead spot (C#, g-string) was on one of my Jazz basses after I put a set of 50-110 strings on it. I went back to 45-105 or 40-100 and have not noticed a dead spot since.

 

[Pentatonic]

Here's the isolated track for What's Going On. Listen for the high C# about 31 seconds in.

There it is!

All my Fenders have dead spots on the G string, C#-D notes usually. None of my short scale basses have any dead spots . . . .

That is some bassline by Jamerson, I never get tired of hearing it!!!