Dead Spots on Fenders..Huh?

[Lackey]

Had a MIM jazz from 14 to 18, even as a newish player I could tell a fret on the g string was bunk. Notes above and below went "DAAaaaahhhhh", note on the one fret went "DAh".

If my 15 year old report relayed on an internet board doesn't serve as conclusive emperical evidence then nothing will my friend.

 

[BassHouston]

I've owned a 75 reissue Jazz that had dead spots on the G string 5th-7th frets just didn't ring as well as the other notes.
The problem with Fender is inconsistency with quality. I have been lucky to own amazing Fenders and others that I hated due to different construction issues.

 

[embellisher]

My Geddy Lee has a dead spot at the fifth fret on the G string. The C is noticeably quieter and has much less sustain than the other notes on that string. The B and the C# are also slightly quieter, but not as bad as the C.

My Pedulla Rapture J2 five had a dead spot in the exact same place, but not quite as bad as the Fender.

 

[Stealth Fighter]

My '62 Jazz has the typical dead spot on the G string, while my 95' P has its dead spot on the E string, fourth or fifth fret. I'm not sure if the P has the carbon rods or not. I think the reason some people don't hear the dead spots is that in the mix they aren't very noticeable. I would have never noticed the dead spot on Jamerson's bass (clip above) without the isolated track.

 

[joebar]

my fenders seem fine but haven't used them in the real world yet to see.
I did have a bass once (34 scale), that had many dead spots on the neck and I wouldn't have expected that from the type of quality.

 

[king_biscuit]

From reading this forum over the years, it is clear many people mistake fret buzz/fret issues for dead spots. That said, I've never played an electric bass that didn't have one or more true dead spots or hot spots.

 

[Kael]

Stop. Right now stop. Quit looking for them. Every bolt on wooden necked bass has them to some extent, although some of them, a very small minority, are extremely minor. Once you notice them they are annoying. If you haven't noticed them already, don't go looking for them.

 

[David Jayne]

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.

Not a setup issue. Play whole notes on the G string, slowly. Let the notes ring for a few seconds each. See if you notice the effect at around C or C#, possibly D. If not, you are lucky!
Or, don't look. That works too. : D

 

[JMacBass65]

My '83 AVRI Jazz has a dead spot, most pronounced @ the 7th fret, G string.

 

[mongo2]

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 but installing low tension strings.

Now that is very interesting. As I said before, I've noticed that shortscale and medium scale basses are better at controlling dead and hot spots and are generally more even in their response. One characteristic of the short/medium scale is that the same gauge strings as used on long scales are lower tension when tuned to pitch on a short/medium scale. Perhaps that's why they're more even sounding.

 

[Eric66]

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

There it is!
I never owned a bass without a dead spot.
I own two american standards, the both have dead spots on the G-string. Minimal, but they are there. The precision on the c. The jazz on the D.
I owned a MIM fretless jazz. It had a dead spot on the D.
I previously owned 4 squiers. They were even worse. Some of them had complete dead zones of three or four positions on a row. Another one had a dead C on every string!

 

[Pocket4]

If you don't have a dead spot, fine. Paraphrasing a post from a very long time ago, it's not a problem, it's a feature. At least you don't hit those notes as a root in most playing styles (not sure about slapping/plucking the octave, I don't use that technique). I would guess that the headstock with 4 in-line tuning pegs has a lot to do with it. A working theory is that each of the strings pulls in a way so that there's a subtle twist that results in a cancelling resonance on the G-string from 4th to 7th fret. A 'good' neck has less of the internal twist (maybe, maybe not). I'm a Fender fan, but I really like the 2+2 configuration of the tuners on the headstock. I'm pretty sure my Gretsch short scale with 2+2 would not have a dead spot, once I get it back in working order after a refinish and rewiring, etc. It's all good.

 

[Temcat]

My fretless Yamaha BB-404F has a (noticeable to me) dead spot from 5th to 7th fret on the G string. The bass is 34", has a 2+2 tuner config, and is strung with regular tensioned D'Addario roundwounds (45...100).

 

[LakeEffect]

Yes, they have dead spots. No, I can't support it with video because I sold the bass, because it had dead spots.

 

[rmars]

Every Fender style bass I've owned has had them, graphite reinforcements or not. Sometimes they are really pronounced/dead but on many of my basses it's been like the fundamental dies but there are still harmonics/overtones so it's really hard to notice; played staccato I don't hear them at all. An analog octave pedal is great at finding them and will cause you to play around them when using that effect.

 

[MoeTown1986]

I've owned a few Fender P's and P/J's. I actually have a mid 80's MIJ P that I kept because it feels/sounds great, and has no dead spots that my ears can pick up. All the others did. Somewhere between 4-7 on the G string.

 

[elBandito]

If that was the case, balanced tension strings would get rid of them. Which they do not. My 2+2 warwick neck still had a deadspot.

If you don't have a dead spot, fine. Paraphrasing a post from a very long time ago, it's not a problem, it's a feature. At least you don't hit those notes as a root in most playing styles (not sure about slapping/plucking the octave, I don't use that technique). I would guess that the headstock with 4 in-line tuning pegs has a lot to do with it. A working theory is that each of the strings pulls in a way so that there's a subtle twist that results in a cancelling resonance on the G-string from 4th to 7th fret. A 'good' neck has less of the internal twist (maybe, maybe not). I'm a Fender fan, but I really like the 2+2 configuration of the tuners on the headstock. I'm pretty sure my Gretsch short scale with 2+2 would not have a dead spot, once I get it back in working order after a refinish and rewiring, etc. It's all good.

 

[metron]

Never had a bass without one.

 

[Ewo]

I've owned a bagful of Fenders over the years, including a '57 P and an early 60s J (the two that I kept), and they all had dead spots on the G string, in the fret 4 to 6 range. As someone mentioned above, I could feel a different resonance in the body when playing those notes. And as a couple other folks said, the irritating characteristic of a dead spot is that the fundamental dies off very rapidly. It frustrated me enough that I started looking to other builders.

I now own several Jazz-type basses (Carvin SB 5000, a couple Sadowsky Vintage Metro models). While I do notice--listening _very critically_ in a quiet room--those notes seem just a wee bit "thinner," the fundamental rings almost as long as other notes. I'm happy with these basses.

Hey--don't get me wrong. I absolutely love the sound of Fender Ps and Js. And maybe the more recent basses aren't as plagued by dead spots as the ones built before 1990.

 

[mark roberts]

I have owned a USA '76 fretless P, USA 90's Jazz, USA vintage Telecaster bass, Musicman '80 Stngray and currently have a Bongo HH 4. My conclusion is the Fender and Fender-related products seem to have lousy necks. ALWAYS need adjusting, ALWAYS a dead spot in the usual place. I really like the electronics package on the Bongo. I'm thinking of having a custom 4 built by my favorite luthier using the guts of the Bongo.