"Sub-resonate." What a great term! I nominate it for inclusion into the standard TB Lexicon.
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Dead spots
- Thread starter rlsuarezv
- Start date
"Sub-resonate." What a great term! I nominate it for inclusion into the standard TB Lexicon.
I found the dead spots on my new 1998 Tobias Growler from the Gibson era by transposing songs. At that time I was new to bass and I had no clue what a dead spot was. All I knew is that my bass did not sound like the song when I played the 7th fret on the G string. The note died in like 1 second.
That bass had tons of other mechanical issues and I just got them all fixed under warranty and then sold it.
That bass had tons of other mechanical issues and I just got them all fixed under warranty and then sold it.
Any bass with a wood neck has a dead spot to some degree. It’s due to the physical properties of wood, and there is no way to avoid it.
To eliminate a dead spot, the resonance freq of the neck material must be much higher than wood. Graphite necks don’t have a dead spot because their reso freq is very high.
To eliminate a dead spot, the resonance freq of the neck material must be much higher than wood. Graphite necks don’t have a dead spot because their reso freq is very high.
Something else you can try is lowering the pole piece or the whole pickup under the offending string. If the anti-node of the played note ends up being directly over the pickup, the magnetic pull could dampen that particular note.
None of my basses have dead spots.
In the old days I had a 72 p bass that had the standard fender dead spots on the g sting somewhere between c# and f.
My graphite rods won't focus the dead spots correctly, so I have double the number.
- Aug 25, 2004
- 939
- 1,337
- Disclosures
- Builder: Martin Keith Guitars
You can alleviate (or move) dead spots by reducing headpiece weight, as well as adding it.
Any change in the neck/head system will affect the neck's modes of vibration.
I like to put lighter tuners on rather than weights, since it improves the balance rather than making it worse.
The Gotoh GB350s are the lightest I know of.
Simplifying a bit: these approaches both work for essentially the same reason. The mass of the tuners is a big part of
determining the speed at which the neck oscillates in space. Adding mass (like a FatFinger or c-clamp) adds inertia, which damps the oscillation.
However, reducing mass (like putting lighter tuners) raises the natural frequency of the dead spot.
You can think of the neck like a pendulum - it will swing faster with less weight on it.
A significant reduction in mass can raise it to an area where it is not troublesome. This is one reason why headless basses typically don't
have very major dead spots.
If your bass has a big dead spot, you can try this fun experiment - press the headpiece firmly against the wall while playing.
In many cases this will reduce or even eliminate the dead spot by preventing the neck from vibrating as it usually does.
(I know this is not a practical solution...it's more just a fun illustration of the mechanics of the phenomenon.)
Ultimately, the best way to avoid dead spots is to build a rigid neck. This will increase sustain overall, as the neck dissipates less energy,
and the offending resonant frequencies will be higher and less likely to be audible.
If dead spots are something you want to avoid, seek out instruments with extra-rigid necks (wenge, carbon fiber, etc.).
These are more likely to have smaller and fewer dead spots.
Any change in the neck/head system will affect the neck's modes of vibration.
I like to put lighter tuners on rather than weights, since it improves the balance rather than making it worse.
The Gotoh GB350s are the lightest I know of.
Simplifying a bit: these approaches both work for essentially the same reason. The mass of the tuners is a big part of
determining the speed at which the neck oscillates in space. Adding mass (like a FatFinger or c-clamp) adds inertia, which damps the oscillation.
However, reducing mass (like putting lighter tuners) raises the natural frequency of the dead spot.
You can think of the neck like a pendulum - it will swing faster with less weight on it.
A significant reduction in mass can raise it to an area where it is not troublesome. This is one reason why headless basses typically don't
have very major dead spots.
If your bass has a big dead spot, you can try this fun experiment - press the headpiece firmly against the wall while playing.
In many cases this will reduce or even eliminate the dead spot by preventing the neck from vibrating as it usually does.
(I know this is not a practical solution...it's more just a fun illustration of the mechanics of the phenomenon.)
Ultimately, the best way to avoid dead spots is to build a rigid neck. This will increase sustain overall, as the neck dissipates less energy,
and the offending resonant frequencies will be higher and less likely to be audible.
If dead spots are something you want to avoid, seek out instruments with extra-rigid necks (wenge, carbon fiber, etc.).
These are more likely to have smaller and fewer dead spots.
What about when someone puts on lets say a hipshot bass extender. The weight being greater therefore the dampening effect will be noticeable?
- Aug 25, 2004
- 939
- 1,337
- Disclosures
- Builder: Martin Keith Guitars
Whether or not it's noticeable depends on a lot, but as a (possibly over-simplified) rule, I'd say that the effect of added weight will be most noticeable on a more flexible neck.
I realize this thread is ancient but I just came across this and you said neck stiffness is a factor. Then I started thinking... The bass I have with almost no dead spots just happens to be the only bass I own with high tension strings (which in turn makes the neck itself stiffer). Could high tension strings be a remedy for a couple of my other basses that suffer from dead spots?
The thread is indeed ancient (in an internet sense), but the Physics hasn't changed. Strings add tension to a neck, but don't change the underlying stiffness of the structure. A mass rigidly coupled to the structure (strings aren't rigidly coupled to the neck) will reduce the resonant frequency - one cure often tried on necks is a "Fatfinger", which is added mass. Another cure (what works better in my case) is less mass on the end - lithe weight tuners. My necks (which are roasted (lighter), have graphite rods (more stiffening), and have Hipshot Ultrailte tuners. All of those things move the dead spot up the neck. Those necks typically have the reduced sustain area moved to about the 8th fret, and in addition it's far less noticeable than on most Fenders - most folks wouldn't call lit a "dead spot", although technically if you go looking for it, you can demonstrate that there is an area with a bit less sustain.
Another thing to try on a neck with a noticeable dead spot: Try D standard tuning. That often makes the dead spot less noticeable - the reasons are rather technical and tough to explain, but often it works. The flip side of that is you should always tune an instrument in a store before trying it - if it's not tuned to standard tuning, you can easily be fooled into thinking the neck has no dead spots, when....it does.
You're welcome. Also, although it's not always true, thicker necks tend to have less noticeable dead spots. My 5'ers are even smoother in that regard than my 4's.
