Title sums it up. I'm a total noob when it comes to lutherie. I have no idea how to do this. I have no money to spare and cannot do anything big. The string keeps sliding off.
Step away from the stripper with your bass - OK, no, not that G-string. Sounds like "new nut" time, at a rough guess before pictures. Unless it's falling off the bottom end only, in which case it might be more move the bridge time. But New Nut will be my position until I see pictures indicating otherwise. Or you take the strings off and the nut turns out to be loose (and the E string is way in from the edge) in which case it might just need a dab of glue.
It kind of looks to me like the strings are evenly spaced edge-to-edge, instead of center-to-center like they usually are. Does anyone else agree? If that's the case, I'd get a new nut with corrected spacing that pulls in the string spacing towards the B and gives you an extra millimeter or two at the other end to keep your G away from the edge.
So is it from a reputable manufacturer / authorized dealer? At less than a year old I'd expect it to be a "fix under warranty" issue - which would be better for your expressed lack of experience with such stuff, but should not involve more money. Unless it's "new, from eBay, may take 6-10 weeks to ship from somewhere far away..." And I think @RyFi is correct
Let me guess: its like that at the heel too. But the E side is okay? Common issue. Loosen the neck screws and push the neck over to the E side and align the strings on the neck. Tighten the screws. Scratch that...., that nut does look like it's cut wrong.
unless requested otherwise, I typically cut a nut so that the outer strings have 1/8" from the edge of the fretboard to the outer edge of the string. closer to the body, I like to keep the same spacing along the edge of the neck or increase the gap slightly so there's a bit more side-side play before the string drops off the side of the neck. a lot depends on player preference as to how much room is enough up high on the neck
Loosen the four screws holding the neck on. Shift the neck slightly at the top to re-align the strings. Tighten the screws. Done, and problem solved.
Right that usually takes care of it but take another look at that pic of the nut. It's cut too close to the edge for comfort.
The nut needs to be replaced as already mentioned. You can change the bridge to a narrower model to gain more room, or shift the neck as described, but both will only address the issue in the upper registers of the neck, not in the lower area, where you ,play most of the time. Id take it to a luthier, tell him what the problem is, and have a new nut cut to the bass.
If you bought it new, take it to a Fender certified tech. They will likely be able to replace it properly for free. That nut was not cut properly.
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