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Fret buzz. Is it me or the bass?
- Thread starter YEET
- Start date
I would say it's the bass if it's only happening on some notes. This could be due to uneven frets, the bow of the neck due to the truss rod, etc.
As an aside, I would just mention that there's nothing wrong with fret buzz, especially if you are playing rock bass. If you isolate a lot of rock bass recordings, you are going to hear a lot of fret buzz, it's actually a desired part of giving the bass a more aggressive sounding tone. So I would say if you play rock bass, don't be frightened of fret buzz, embrace it.
I like a bit of fretbuzz. Gives my sound a bit of fizz.
I tend to use the fretbuzz to accentuate a certain note or a side up or down the neck. And playing over the neck pup, digging in, really sounds great.
Learn how to set up your bass to how you want it to sound and play. It makes such a difference.
I usually set my basses up so that when I play with a light touch there is no buzz, when I dig in it sounds like a pack of wild dogs fighting.
I tend to use the fretbuzz to accentuate a certain note or a side up or down the neck. And playing over the neck pup, digging in, really sounds great.
Learn how to set up your bass to how you want it to sound and play. It makes such a difference.
I usually set my basses up so that when I play with a light touch there is no buzz, when I dig in it sounds like a pack of wild dogs fighting.
I picked up a epi with gibby thunderbird pickups in, sounds great...plays poorly, needs setup. Anything below half a step down and its like bees are hovering above my fretboard.
Thanks for the replies. This is my first time using talkbass and I was really surprised by how quick the replies came! But I can't say I love that fret buzz, it just annoys the heck out of me I just can't stand it. Do you think I could take it in to my local guitar center and have them do a "checkup" and set it up great even though I don't know what exactly I want set up? lol I hear new thunderbirds require a bit of setup before they can be great
Most techs at GC have a "generic" set-up. If you take to a luthier, or someone who really knows what they're doing, you can tell them what you want out of the bass, and they can work magic. You can find these guys at most GCs too. Didn't mean to downplay GC. I love them, but know how some of them can be. Don't be afraid to play it once they've finished and ask for tweaks here and there.
If you're not familiar with setting up a bass yet, I would definitely take it to a pro to set up. Could be one of many things, if the neck is bowed, it will require a truss rod tweak, or perhaps a fret or two needs to be leveled or filed.
