G# on the E string sounds dull and has no resonance.

[Old Garage-Bander]

Typical on a Fender - sell it and buy a good brand .

Ibanez Sr300E and Daddario nickel wound rounds 100. 80. 65. 45. strings

 

[grillman]

Do you have the same issue at the octave ?

 

[Stefan Verbeeck]

I also did an experiment, i dropped the tuning to D checked the sound of the 4th fret. It wasn't dull, but when i checked 6th fret then (which is the G# again) it sounded like on the normal E tuning, dull and dead.

This pretty much proves it's an issue with the string, as a dead spot on the neck wouldn't suddenly move 7 cm down only by changing the tuning of that string. Just buy a new pack and try again.

 

[grillman]

This pretty much proves it's an issue with the string, as a dead spot on the neck wouldn't suddenly move 7 cm down only by changing the tuning of that string. Just buy a new pack and try again.

I might be wrong but wouldn’t it be the opposite? It seems to be a frequency problem as the string does not sound dead on the same spot.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

Interesting - I've only heard of the Fender headstock shape (all four tuners on one side) having this issue. I've also heard it only affects "standard" scale instruments and not medium or short scales...

You can consider both of those pieces of information absolutely incorrect. Every instrument (pretty much every solid object) has a resonant frequency. If that resonant frequency falls within the range of frequencies a stringed instrument can produce, it usually results in a dead spot (or spots). It's not a rare occurrence on upright basses, which have neither of the characteristics you mention. Fender doesn't have the market on dead spots.....

 

[davelowell2]

You can consider both of those pieces of information absolutely incorrect. Every instrument (pretty much every solid object) has a resonant frequency. If that resonant frequency falls within the range of frequencies a stringed instrument can produce, it usually results in a dead spot (or spots). It's not a rare occurrence on upright basses, which have neither of the characteristics you mention. Fender doesn't have the market on dead spots.....

Very well said. And restrained. You are an asset to this forum.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

You can consider both of those pieces of information absolutely incorrect. Every instrument (pretty much every solid object) has a resonant frequency. If that resonant frequency falls within the range of frequencies a stringed instrument can produce, it usually results in a dead spot (or spots). It's not a rare occurrence on upright basses, which have neither of the characteristics you mention. Fender doesn't have the market on dead spots.....

Well said Tim. Resonance is tricky stuff.

Had a dead spot -with- (notice I said with, not on) my Squier VM Jag SS. It was not in the usual location as sometimes experienced with with FMI basses. Build consistency between these basses is questionable as denoted by some having neck dive and some not. There could be other build quality factors at play that are not immediately noticeable. So it could have been the instrument. It could have been the string. It may even have been a combination of the two.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

This pretty much proves it's an issue with the string, as a dead spot on the neck wouldn't suddenly move 7 cm down only by changing the tuning of that string. Just buy a new pack and try again.

The dead spot is related to the frequency of the note, not necessarily the location of the note. Basses that have a distinct dead note will often have a dead spot everywhere that note (or a harmonic of the note) can be played. That's not a hard rule, because dead spots are usually related to the resonant frequency of the neck, so a note that is dead in the lower frets may be perfectly fine above the 12th fret where much of the neck is "out of play" (not vibrating).

 

[Tim Skaggs]

Hello. Ive noticed some issue regarding my Low E string. The 4th fret (G#) sounds dead and weak in comparison to anywhere else on the string. I've tried raising the pickup height, rewinding the string to make sure it's not twisted. Tried different eq settings on the amp etc..
I also did an experiment, i dropped the tuning to D checked the sound of the 4th fret. It wasn't dull, but when i checked 6th fret then (which is the G# again) it sounded like on the normal E tuning, dull and dead.
Is this a problem with my string? Or maybe dead spots on the bass? Or is it just the G# which is less defined by nature?

Dead spot on the bass is most likely. There is no 100% sure cure for a dead spot, (well, maybe a new graphite neck), but there are many things that can be done to minimize or move the dead spot. Most of the "solutions" have been mentioned on this thread. If a bass has a dead spot, G# is not the worst frequency for it to exist. It could have been at G or A natural, coinciding with notes in a lot of popular music.

 

[ImHereToAsk]

Do you have the same issue at the octave ?

ill try it out

 

[ImHereToAsk]

(long boring answer that ends in "nope. Live with it and build a collection of basses that all have dead spots somewhere on their neck, some to lesser degrees. learn to use those dead spots musically")

It's only when the note is held long and needs to resonate for a long time that its a problem. Most of the time its a passing note, so i just need the initial note and not really the ring.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

Typical on a Fender - sell it and buy a good brand .

It's not so common on the E string. But I'd certainly look at tweaking the truss rod. It might be binding, or be loose.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

It's only when the note is held long and needs to resonate for a long time that its a problem. Most of the time its a passing note, so i just need the initial note and not really the ring.

For G string dead spots, you can alleviate it to some extent by adding an octave below. Tricky in this situation to do the same unless the higher frequencies are being robbed out and adding an octave above helps. Worth a try to see what it does, a bit annoying to have to do it when playing. I'm still searching for a suitable headstock solution for G string dead spots that's cheaper than a fathead, fatfinger, or similar

 

[-Asdfgh-]

Hello. Ive noticed some issue regarding my Low E string. The 4th fret (G#) sounds dead and weak in comparison to anywhere else on the string. I've tried raising the pickup height, rewinding the string to make sure it's not twisted. Tried different eq settings on the amp etc..
I also did an experiment, i dropped the tuning to D checked the sound of the 4th fret. It wasn't dull, but when i checked 6th fret then (which is the G# again) it sounded like on the normal E tuning, dull and dead.
Is this a problem with my string? Or maybe dead spots on the bass? Or is it just the G# which is less defined by nature?

Just be glad it's only G#. I never use that, just Ab.