Dead spots.........

[Stealth]

That's the one.

 

[Saxn]

This thread cleared up something I've been meaning to ask about but was a little afraid to ask!

I had been reading about dead spots lately because I noticed three of the 'G' notes on my Yammy would die out more quickly than others but I was under the impression that a dead spot should be one note at one spot on the neck... so I thought I was hallucinating.

Thanks TB!

 

[Bongolation]

I was under the impression that a dead spot should be one note at one spot on the neck... so I thought I was hallucinating.

I wish!

Some "nationally known NYC studio bassist and instructor" (who shall remain nameless) produced a book and CD, a copy of which came through here a year or two ago.

In it, this meatstick made more unsubstantiated, ridiculous statements about gear than I have ever heard from a single source. :scowl:

He also was boasting and braying about his "personal line of basses," which were just unusually ugly Precision mutants. He was using one of these junkers on the instructional CD and I have never heard more dead spots on any three basses in my life. He had some really dead flats on it, which made it worse.

About every third note was a dead spot. It was absolutely incredible...

Ping...ping...THUD...ping...ping...ping...THUNK!....

 

[Ric5]

Fat finger?

+1

 

[Bongolation]

The Fat Finger (and similar devices) can only do so much.

On some basses with pretty tight and minimal dead spots, they work reasonably OK. On most basses they're not that hot.

It's chance, mostly. [shrug]

 

[FretlessMainly]

There are two simple approaches to (possibly) removing or relocating a dead spot. Both of these have worked, to varying degrees, for me.

1. Redistribution of mass; headstock vs. body. This is the more effective remedy. My 4003FL had the typical 9th/10th fret D string dead spot. I replaced the tuners with lighter hipshot replacements and the dead spot is 90% reduced.

2. Tweaking truss rod(s). Can't hurt, but it only helped a bit in one case for me. I'm talking 1/8 of a turn or less. This might work best on a Rick or other bass with dual truss rods since you can actully change the configuration of the neck ever so slightly with dual rods.

 

[Mike M.]

When people talk about necks having dead spots, are some notes on the neck just a bit quiter than others, or do they seem to be practically non-excistant?

If it's the latter then I must have lucked out with my basses. While some area's may not thump out quite as well as others areas I wouldn't go so far as to say it was a dead spot.

Or is it?

 

[elgecko]

When people talk about necks having dead spots, are some notes on the neck just a bit quiter than others, or do they seem to be practically non-excistant?

If it's the latter then I must have lucked out with my basses. While some area's may not thump out quite as well as others areas I wouldn't go so far as to say it was a dead spot.

Or is it?

That's the thing...it's an entire spectrum ranging between the two end members you describe. Also, the same one could really jump out at one person while another person might not even notice.

 

[Bongolation]

Or is it?

Yes.

 

[FretlessMainly]

My take on dead spots is that they become an issue of volume due to a lack of sustain. The ear may perceive this as a lack of volume, but the initial attack of the note is very similar in volume to other notes on the neck, but, in some cases, it decays very rapidly. I say this because my compressor has a row of output LEDs and I've checked my dead spots out with the output LEDs.

 

[M.R. Ogle]

Dead spots don't exist. All the sound and sustain and everything is created by the pickups, the wood has no bearing on anything. Change the pickups to some that have more sustain.


(I'm kidding.)

 

[G2K]

My take on dead spots is that they become an issue of volume due to a lack of sustain. The ear may perceive this as a lack of volume, but the initial attack of the note is very similar in volume to other notes on the neck, but, in some cases, it decays very rapidly. I say this because my compressor has a row of output LEDs and I've checked my dead spots out with the output LEDs.[/QUOTE

I do not have a compressor but this is exactly how I would explain it. This is exactly what happens when I play an A (5th fret) on my E string. So far I have no other spots like this.