Not sure if he played a MM on it, but Flea's tone on 'By The Way' is full of buzz - to the point it sounds like overdrive. Great sound.
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Is it a good thing to like fret buzz?
- Thread starter WilliamSandoval
- Start date
Not sure if he played a MM on it, but Flea's tone on 'By The Way' is full of buzz - to the point it sounds like overdrive. Great sound.
I remember the first time after a gig some dude I didn't know approached me afterwards to compliment my playing but he also had a criticism he said you have allot of string noise and fret buzz. I thought about it and worried that maybe it was just me that thought my sounds were cool. That was in 1993. I spent way too much time wondering whether I was wrong - I know now from many years of anxious meditation on the matter of buzz and rattle that I wasn't wrong. I still dig a little rattle, just a little.. Lets them know you're alive. I always salute the buzz with a widening of the eyes and an imperceptible jiggle of the head.
Now Buzz off pal... no I mean buzz on buddy!
Now Buzz off pal... no I mean buzz on buddy!
I also keep my necks mostly straight and my actions rather low. I play with a gentle touch and even Slap somewhat gently. I found I can make transitions faster, the less I am using strength to depress a string. This is simply my opinion based only my playing style. I enjoy a low action & enjoy a fairly involved warmup prior to playing however.
Quite frankly my strings don't buzz unless I want them to. When plucked in a diagonal line I can turn that effect on or off. I am also talking about in an amplified state. I have had an friend come over and play one of my EBMM & say that it buzzed, yet he played it un-amplified and attempted to get volume from that condition. He was also not used to that low of an action nor a neck with very, very little relief (actually none). After we played for awhile and the coffee got cold, he played the same Bass and saw that it simply required a different touch. This (IMO) is common. Different stuff has a different feel.
Quite frankly my strings don't buzz unless I want them to. When plucked in a diagonal line I can turn that effect on or off. I am also talking about in an amplified state. I have had an friend come over and play one of my EBMM & say that it buzzed, yet he played it un-amplified and attempted to get volume from that condition. He was also not used to that low of an action nor a neck with very, very little relief (actually none). After we played for awhile and the coffee got cold, he played the same Bass and saw that it simply required a different touch. This (IMO) is common. Different stuff has a different feel.
@WilliamSandoval: It's a good thing to like what you like. It can never hurt to check in with more experienced players to determine what "convention" dictates, but don't then let that change your opinion. If you like fret buzz then it's a good thing!
If everybody liked the same thing bass players would be pretty boring - and we all know that couldn't be further from the truth!!!
If everybody liked the same thing bass players would be pretty boring - and we all know that couldn't be further from the truth!!!
I got to play Jeff Berlin's dean once (handed to me by Tal Wilkenfeld) and every note buzzed equally, but at the same time was very clear. I had never played a bass with that low of action in my life! Everyone who picked it up said "wow..."
That's how I like my basses set up. Tough to keep it like that with a wood neck though. My Steinberger doesn't have a problem, but the rest need attention periodically.
