Fender Standard Precision Bass Dead spots

[gurensan]

My 74 Tele had one at C on the G string. My Warwick fretless has a slightly dead place on E on the G string.

My old Washburn 6-string had none, and neither did my old Carlo Robelli acoustic.

My Squier TB has sustain for days everywhere on the neck. Not all Fenders or Fender designs have that problem.

 

[petrus61]

Actually just took delivery of a Fender Fatfinger today to use on my P-Bass. Used it at rehearsal and yes, it works. My P had a dead spot that hovered over the 6th and 7th frets of the neck, with the worst being at the 7th fret G string. I affixed the fatfinger and not only did it remove the deadspot from that position, it also kind of brought the life out of the neck. Yes, all it did was move the deadspot to another place (5th fret C), but that area of resonance wasn't anywhere close to as bad as it was on the 7th fret. So yeah, it did the job and then some. I'll admit I was skeptical, but thought it was worth a shot.

So yes, there are things people can do to alleviate the issue of a deadspot instead of just accepting them as some unfortunate baggage.

 

[EvilPaul2112]

+1 for the Fatfinger .....It does move the dead spots on some of my axes (P-basses) .....it makes them feel more "alive" too.

 

[Grissle]

I have 3 with no dead spots and I've played many at stores and rarely found them. So I guess mathematically its possible cause you've been really unlucky.

 

[Mastermold]

I have 3 with no dead spots and I've played many at stores and rarely found them. So I guess mathematically its possible cause you've been really unlucky.

They all have dead spots, some (like yours) just less so.

 

[Bongolation]

been playing P's for decades, if my basses have dead spots, I haven't noticed them and if they do, I don't care.

I've worked on Fender basses for over forty years and I've never seen one yet that didn't have dead spots.

NOT ONE.

Can they be controlled and/or minimized? Sometimes.

Conventional neck, low-mass bridge and flats usually equal pretty prominent dead spots.

 

[Stealth Fighter]

As said earlier, dead spots and wolf notes can and do happen on all stringed instruments.

<snip>BTW, this is not a Fender problem.... this can be a problem with any stringed instrument. Double bassists, cellos... can all have dead spots or "Wolf Tones". They also deal with it by attaching weigh to change the mass and resonance of the instrument.</snip>

Hence, there's no need for unnecessary Fender bashing.

I've worked on Fender basses for over forty years and I've never seen one yet that didn't have dead spots.

NOT ONE.

Can they be controlled and/or minimized? Sometimes.

Conventional neck, low-mass bridge and flats usually equal pretty prominent dead spots.

 

[exidor]

I have a 2009 Geddy lee & a 2012 p special no dead spots on ether.well maybe not dead but a little quieter on the tenth fret on the D string but far from dead, that's why I play as many as I can before I buy. I've owned basses with dead spots & that's something I try to avoid the best I can.

 

[petrus61]

I've worked on Fender basses for over forty years and I've never seen one yet that didn't have dead spots.

NOT ONE.

Can they be controlled and/or minimized? Sometimes.

Conventional neck, low-mass bridge and flats usually equal pretty prominent dead spots.

It happens. But I've played a few Fenders that were deadspot free. All but one had conventional necks, low mass bridges and flats. I can understand the neck and string contributions to deadspots, but IME bridges don't seem to really play a part in the equation.

For example, I'm using a Geddy Lee as a loaner (probably the biggest POS that I've ever had the misfortune to play...not all Geddy's, but this particular one). It had a deadspot in the usual location. I have a standard bent plate bridge that I keep around for basses that come my way with BAII bridges (hate em) and I have tried both flat and round with both bridges. The deadspot remains. Doesn't move. I actually timed the duration of the notes until they reached the overtone, and the results were the same on both bridges. The only factor that made a difference (a VERY small one) was strings. Yes, deadspots are more pronounced with certain flats.

There were a few other basses I've owned with high mass bridges. The only difference in affecting the deadspot on those was that they seemed to make the following overtones (the sound after the dull "click") more off pitch. In essence, those notes rang "out of tune".

Obviously, lots of variables.

 

[Bongolation]

It happens. But I've played a few Fenders that were deadspot free.

I don't believe it, but I believe that they may not have been noticeable to you.

I also believe that if you did some controlled DI test recording or better yet some oscilloscope viewing, you'd be convinced.

Notes just blow up. The closer you scrutinize basses and their designs, the more amazed you become that they ever work at all.

IME bridges don't seem to really play a part in the equation.

Nearly everything plays a part in it.

Bridge mass does quite a bit -- at least indirectly -- but not consistently. The more mass in a bridge, the more inertia, which retains more string vibration without passing it into the body through the bridge. This is the physical principle on which the high mass bridge concept works. The more string vibration you can retain and the more the string is isolated from the body, the less apparent the dead spot.

The problem with the GL you mention is probably mostly to do with a whippy, conventional neck and probably its poor seating relative to the pocket. If that's bad, it's going to be tough to hide a dead spot.

But there are so many things that contribute to dead spots because they are so vibrationally complex that it's hard to really tell exactly what the prime culprits are. Technique can even make a huge difference, and it's a good thing as there may be nothing else that's going to do much good.

Having a dense body, a well-seated graphite-reinforced neck, plinky roundwounds and a high-mass bridge will usually minimize and mask a predictable dead spot to an untrained ear, but it's not the sound I'm after.

Obviously, lots of variables.

Yes, and to make it worse, they're not obvious. CLF was convinced he'd screwed up the headstock design by putting the G where it was, so placed it in the MM 3+1 location to reduce its apparent dead spots. I think it works to some extent.

Of course, when Fender basses had foam mutes under the bridge covers, none of this was as apparent anyway.

 

[Bill Whitehurst]

I have a dead spot at the 5th-7th frets o the E of my 66 P bass.
My 5 string Squier doesn't seem to have any dead spots
(at least noticable ones).
This makes me think that maybe a wider and/or fatter neck helps.

 

[petrus61]

I don't believe it, but I believe that they may not have been noticeable to you.

I also believe that if you did some controlled DI test recording or better yet some oscilloscope viewing, you'd be convinced.

Notes just blow up. The closer you scrutinize basses and their designs, the more amazed you become that they ever work at all.


Nearly everything plays a part in it.

Bridge mass does quite a bit -- at least indirectly -- but not consistently. The more mass in a bridge, the more inertia, which retains more string vibration without passing it into the body through the bridge. This is the physical principle on which the high mass bridge concept works. The more string vibration you can retain and the more the string is isolated from the body, the less apparent the dead spot.

The problem with the GL you mention is probably mostly to do with a whippy, conventional neck and probably its poor seating relative to the pocket. If that's bad, it's going to be tough to hide a dead spot.

But there are so many things that contribute to dead spots because they are so vibrationally complex that it's hard to really tell exactly what the prime culprits are. Technique can even make a huge difference, and it's a good thing as there may be nothing else that's going to do much good.

Having a dense body, a well-seated graphite-reinforced neck, plinky roundwounds and a high-mass bridge will usually minimize and mask a predictable dead spot to an untrained ear, but it's not the sound I'm after.



Yes, and to make it worse, they're not obvious. CLF was convinced he'd screwed up the headstock design by putting the G where it was, so placed it in the MM 3+1 location to reduce its apparent dead spots. I think it works to some extent.

Of course, when Fender basses had foam mutes under the bridge covers, none of this was as apparent anyway.

When I say "dead spot free", I mean to the extent that is audibly and physically possible in my analysis. Bottom line being, I know what a deadspot is. I either heard and felt it, or I didn't. My bar being set at what my fingers feel and my ears hear. If they were there, they were in a spot on the neck where the resonance just played out differently, hence no "audible" deadspot. Now, I am taking into account the fact that wolf tones were present but for arguments sake, I'm discounting the fact.

I'm sure you've come across just about every quirk imaginable in your 40 yrs, but in my experience and estimation, the instruments I mentioned for all intents and purposes, were deadspot (in the strict interpretation of the symptom) free.

My observations are not concrete. But I am very confident (just as you are in yours) of my judgement and points of reference. For the record, the Geddy I'm borrowing has an exceptionally tight neck pocket and both sides are flush with the heel. As we both agree on, there are things not visually apparent that play a tremendous role. If you are aware of a fail proof build method regarding deadspot elimination, do share.

 

[bassfart]

Double pene... ah wait, that's something else.

^^^
Lol

 

[BillyRay]

I've yet to meet a bass that was absolutely free of any deadspots/wolf tones, even ones with graphite necks, but in a lot of basses, in a band setting, with judicious compression, it's completly fine.

My squier p has a lot of horrible ones, starting at the 4th fret and ending at the 9th on the G string, but once amplified in a band setting, it's not noticeable enough for me to care (plus I change my fingerings to work around them). Now the neck is starting to twist toward the treble side and the truss rod is maxed, so it's not like it has a healthy neck, so I'd wager you would be fine. I wouldn't record with it though.

 

[two fingers]

Even my Roscoe Beck Sig V Fender has a dead spot 5th fret G string.

 

[Bongolation]

I wouldn't record with it though.

Yeah, there y'go.

There was a great post from some guy here who began recording his band practices, much to his singer's chagrin.

The singer's "problem" was that the junk recorder and mic made it sound like he was singing flat, and he never sang flat.

Yeah, right.

Great story, huh?

People would be amazed at what they discover on their isolated clean DI bass track when they're listening instead of playing.

 

[BillyRay]

Usually, the DI track doesn't lie, wether it comes to pitch, deadspots, intonation or... rythmn .

The band leader when I was playing trombone in high school would record all of our practices. We got the message to start practicing our scales and rytmn exercises with a metronome after a few weeks.

Back to the topic, for most applications, dead spots are a non ssue unless they result in catastrophic volume/tone loss (the dreaded "plonk" or rubber band sound).

 

[Stealth Fighter]

<snip>I also believe that if you did some controlled DI test recording or better yet some oscilloscope viewing, you'd be convinced.</snip>

When people start showing up at gigs with o'scops under their arms, I might start worrying about it.

 

[niceguyhomer]

My 2012 Am Std P has the usual dead spot plus something strange happening on the 9th fret of the G string (overtone). The E string also sounds dull all throughout it's length. I went up a gauge to 50-110 Status Hotwires and that improved things a bit but still the E string was dull. So, I bought 2 fat fingers to try - a Fender and a Groove Tubes and they did help a bit but I couldn't live with this ugly chunk of metal on my beautiful bass.

Finally, I went to down to 40-100 (Ernie Balls) and something weird happened, my dead spots disappeared. The E string is still a bit dull but at least now, when I'm playing the bass, I'm not hearing dead spots or strange overtones.