E string rumble + fret and bridge buzz on SBMM Ray34

[HeyBigZam]

A few days ago, I picked up a used SBMM Ray34. I wanted to play the instrument beforehand, but the area where we made the exchange had no socket to plug an amp into. Gave it a quick once over and decided the guy seemed nice enough, so I bought it. Fast forward a couple of days and now I'm getting a noticeable low rumble on the E string whenever I turn the onboard bass eq past flat and play even slightly hard, and rattling and buzzing from both the low frets and bridge. Aside from very slight bridge rattling on the A string, the E string is the only one with any issues. I am inexperienced in bass repair, so I am not sure how to fix this. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Badwater]

If the problem just started, it could be that your bass's neck is getting adjusted to it's new atmosphere. If you have a new 9v battery replace the old one. If there's a problem with the bridge buzzing or rattling with the low E string, check to see if your bridge saddles are down flat against the bridge plate. And check to see if the neck is straight or with a slight concave. If your neck looks good, it's likely the saddle rattle/buzz is coming from the saddles resting flat on the bridge plate. loosen all the strings, then tighten the screws on the hardware (Bridge plate, neck plate, and tuners) to make sure they're snug. Don't over tighten (common sense goes a long way) and avoid stripping out any screws. Then tune back to pitch.

If you still have the bridge buzz/rattle, and your saddles are down flat with no adjustment to lower them, you'll need to shim the neck a little. There're a lot of youtube tutorials on neck shimming. If you don't feel comfortable doing a neck shim, have the local guitar repair people quote you a price.

Congratulations on a fine bass.

 

[HeyBigZam]

Testing it on a friend's amp, it seems the rumble was my amp giving up the ghost. On the bright side, good excuse for an upgrade, I suppose. Amp was cheap anyway. And it looks like the bridge is pretty badly maladjusted, so I'll take care of that issue at home. Looks like nothing major. Thank you for the advice, Badwater.

 

[Badwater]

Testing it on a friend's amp, it seems the rumble was my amp giving up the ghost. On the bright side, good excuse for an upgrade, I suppose. Amp was cheap anyway. And it looks like the bridge is pretty badly maladjusted, so I'll take care of that issue at home. Looks like nothing major. Thank you for the advice, Badwater.

I'm glad you isolated the issue. Too bad the amp was bad. But on the bright side, you've got a great bass.