Embrace the BUZZ!

[brumshine]

A few weeks ago I adjusted the truss rod on my squier p bass to much much flatter than I've typically played. I get a good amount of buzz but it is significantly easier to play (specifically hammer ons) None of the fret buzz comes through the amp. As far as I can tell, I'm not losing much sustain either.

I play out occasionally with my band at little dive bars around the city. I'm not in a recording studio situation.


I really wish I would have set up my basses like this years ago... I just wanted to pass this tip on in case someone else tries it and it helps them out.

Thanks,
BRUMSHINE

 

[eyeballkid]

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=980432

 

[Epitaph04]

Ha!

 

[InternetAlias]

I laughed really hard now! Either we have completely different tastes or it's because we get some 'high' from a sudden change like this

 

[eyeballkid]

I think these two threads we're being typed simultaneously!

 

[InternetAlias]

Wow, just looked at the time, this thread is one minute older... I am just baffled.

 

[Duckwater]

All of my fret buzz comes through my amp/whatever I'm using

 

[InternetAlias]

All of my fret buzz comes through my amp/whatever I'm using

This really depends on which part of the string buzzes, your tone and your rig. If you have a pretty dark tone and frets are buzzing on the 'nut' side of the fretted note, it's likely you won't hear much buzz if any, especially in a band context.

 

[walterw]

or, with a good bass, well-set up, you could skip both the buzzing and the high action

 

[InternetAlias]

or, with a good bass, well-set up, you could skip both the buzzing and the high action

Not exactly. You're forgetting the biggest factor of all - how you teach your hands to mine. I dig in so deep that a boutique 4000$ bass doesn't really help, but then again, I can't get MY tone by just touching the strings so that's where it goes.

 

[jmclearnon]

You can't play fast moving chords on high action

 

[obimark]

It has to do with HOW HARD you play!

I beleive it was Entwistle who had very LOW action, but he played with a LIGHT touch.

If you play like that you can have low action, if you whack a mole like Geddy does, you can't or it will deaden out.

Beleive it or not Steve Harris plays lightly as well (he has to or he wouldn't make it through a 2 hour set of fast gallop beats)

 

[walterw]

or, with a good bass, well-set up, you could skip both the buzzing and the high action

Not exactly. You're forgetting the biggest factor of all - how you teach your hands to mine. I dig in so deep that a boutique 4000$ bass doesn't really help, but then again, I can't get MY tone by just touching the strings so that's where it goes.

well, i bang on mine like a chimp most of the time (using a heavy pick) and it's plenty clean, with low action. (i use a P-bass into a sansamp set for an SVT-ish mild grit).

i'd call myself an OK to decent bass player at best, but i've learned there are ways of hitting the string to get the attack and energy without unduly pulling the string out of place or using too much force.

i've seen drum instructors and upright instructors talking about the same thing, how you use speed rather than force to make the more energetic hit. you get the stick, finger, or pick moving faster, but keep it relaxed, as opposed to pushing it harder into what you're hitting.

this also saves damage to sticks, heads, strings, and tendons.

there's also a thing where you pluck the string parallel to the fret instead of perpendicular, so it doesn't move up and down (smacking into the board) as much.

 

[Stilettoprefer]

Flea practices using ridiculously low action on his basses. It's all sorts of buzzing and clanking without the band and an awesome recording engineer covering it all up.

 

[walterw]

listen to this clacky racket! they shoulda got duck dunn to overdub his parts, there's no way this would cut it on a real hit record

chris squire's bass track on "roundabout"

 

[ReiPsaeg]

Hah, good observation, Eyeballkid.

 

[morgansterne]

my fender jazz bass (sold now) would not tolerate any string buzz. Whatever you heard unplugged, you'd hear thru the amp. My peavey grind bass buzzes like crazy when you play it unplugged -- plug into an amp and the buzz does not come through., no matter what your amp settings are. (the awesome tone of my fender jazz doesn't either, sadly).

 

[Oren Hudson]

listen to this clacky racket! they shoulda got duck dunn to overdub his parts, there's no way this would cut it on a real hit record

chris squire's bass track on "roundabout"

WOW - now that is a big bunch of buzz! I love low action, but could never tolerate that much buzz. I've had basses that sounded like that. I'll work real hard, and in some cases, take to a guitar tech to work real hard on getting the buzz out. On some basses, it just won't make a nice union. So, those basses will get sold or traded. Price and quality build are not always in play. I have several $100-$300 basses that I have the action super low with no fret outs or buzzes. Hard to figure, but that's real life.

 

[AngelCrusher]

They distorted Squire's bass as well. You know that right? It really is not a lot of buzz if you take the drive off.

People should pay attention to this tone. it is why many people say a bass tone that realy cuts sounds kind of weird soloed. A ton of bass players get their tone from what they hear soloed, and so when they hear an isolated track, they think it is too buzzy.

 

[darkstorm]

I diff prefer the sound of low action with some musical fret buzz. As long as notes arent fretting out is good stuff imo.