Dead spots on G string - Why??

[Jefff]

Every bass I have ever owned has had some notes that don't ring out as well as the rest.

I have never owned a bass that had a really dead spot. At present I am down to a late 60's EBO that is a tad dull at G on the D string and a 95 P bass that has the same slight reduction of sustain at D on the G string. My 70 Rick 4001 had the same thing on the same note.

None have ever been bad enough to affect playability or note choice.

 

[bass12]

neck through basses dont have that issue. The reason for deadspots is probably a neck/body resonance mismatch...

Wrong!

 

[grendle]

Never had a dead spot on any of my spectors 34 or 35" scale. Stuart figured that out long ago with the build. Did have a minor one on my fav ibanez at about the 16h fret. The 4-7'th fret dead spot on fenders is common knowledge though. It's more due to the one piece neck/scale and bolt on construction.

 

[bass12]

Never had a dead spot on any of my spectors 34 or 35" scale. Stuart figured that out long ago with the build.

A luthier figured out how to consistently make dead spot free basses? Wait until the rest of the industry finds out!

 

[Mr. Sound]

neck through basses dont have that issue. The reason for deadspots is probably a neck/body resonance mismatch...

Or...maybe the way the surfaces interact...
My Fenders don't seem to have dead spots...lucky me!
A friend had a dead spot on his American Standard, where his Ric. 4000 does not.
He was advised by an un-named guitar legend that it was the finish on the neck heal and the neck pocket causing the loss of resonance... Gasp... they took to it with files ect, and now he swears the dead spot is gone!!

 

[bassbenj]

Or...maybe the way the surfaces interact...
My Fenders don't seem to have dead spots...lucky me!
A friend had a dead spot on his American Standard, where his Ric. 4000 does not.
He was advised by an un-named guitar legend that it was the finish on the neck heal and the neck pocket causing the loss of resonance... Gasp... they took to it with files ect, and now he swears the dead spot is gone!!

Files to the American Standard neck? <gasp> is right! Personally in my experience trusting a gutiarist, legend or not, for this kind of advice isn't a good idea.

However, along those lines, let me raise the issue of changing neck dimensions. But I'm thinking the OTHER way. In my experience, I agree that neck-through does not cure dead spots.

But I now wonder if anyone here has had any experience with what wishbassers term a "lobe" bass. These are those where the upper horn isn't cut but actually resides along the upper side of the neck and is part of it. This in essence moves the neck pocket (beyond which the neck can freely "twang") out to maybe the 12th fret. It seems to me that this design should have a HUGE effect on dead spots and maybe eliminate them altogether but without going to something super stiff like a graphite neck.

Anyone?

 

[Doug Parent]

Warmoth necks that have steel rods, they sound better and exhibit far far less dead spots and drop offs sustain wise.