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Disappearing highs

W

WayneS

Apr 9, 2007
873
10
Virginia
#1
I recently switched back from flats to rounds and now there's this annoying problem.

The low notes cut through well but the high notes seem to disappear in the mix. I cant seem to fix this via the EQ. I do alot of octave stuff so this is a real problem for me. This is actually pretty much any note on the D and G strings. Where the E and A are good and boomy, the D and G seem to be thin and tinny.


Any suggestions?
 
#4
ok, try pulling up everything from 125 to 500 up a little. 125 and 250 will add some bigness to it, and 500 will give it a little more mid you can hear, though it can get boxy if you have too much. common problem with rounds. they can sound a little thin on the top if the low mids are too low.
 
#11
I always had issues with my g-string on a specific bass cutting through. I tried tweaking everything in the setup again and again...eq, compression, and getting my cabs up higher. Turns out it was a dead spot on the neck. Whenever I started to climb on that g string, it was between the fifth and seventh frets. Just something to consider (but that would have to be a serious dead spot to affec both strings?).
 
#13
This seems like an odd problem to me. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Rounds are brighter and generally have snappier highs. Flats are more mellow. So shouldn't the D and G strings be brighter and more pronounced on rounds?

What kind of bass are you using? Did you preform a set up after installing the new strings? Are you using any compression?
 
#14
Looks like this is turning to a bass issue, but I'll give you my opinion. Try what Jimmy says... But also.

I always used flats and the first day on my Jazz changed to Chromes. I also lowered the action as I used to play fretless. As I played I realized the 2007 Amer Deluxe had seriously poor neck / fret issues so I had the local luthier Jewell the frets (fret level and micro polish) and then really cook the setup.

About a month later I modified the bass from E-A-D-G to B-E-A-D. I was able to get the strings back to the setup I wanted. But got in all sorts of trouble with strings not having the same volume levels and just not sounding right.

I thought it might be pickups, my preamp, the fact that 810's don't have as much bottom. I was really scratching my head. I had to figure out what was missing; I asked a lot of questions over on Basses and weeded through the info.

All of my issue was the height of the pole pieces verses the strings. You can make a lot of volume changes and match the strings better by adjusting that stuff. I had a what might have been a couple DB drop on the B and E that I was able to cure by tilting the pickups just a tad. *** add: Also carefull adjustment on the height of the strings at the bridge with the curve of the fingerboard. I don't know what you call it. The E is lower than A and D and G is lower, sort of curving. If you flatten out that curve too much the middle strings will ZING and the outers will be dead in comparison. It was very responsive to the adjustment.

Now I love my setup but it was a lot of hard work and education. A long winded version of Woolysock's response.

GOOD LUCK. BOB
 

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