Im pretty new to playing bass...or any musical instrument for that matter. The bass i got is a Ibanez sr485 with i think esp dx5 pickups. Anyhow my question is my G string is very quiet. On frets 2-5 very very quiet. If i play it open its louder but still much quieter then the other strings? It has a new battery in it. Is it normal for this model? And without spending alot of money is there anything that can be done or should be done? Maybe its only an issue because im playing it in my room with a small practice amp?
Hi there, I'd suggest investing in a new set of strings and seeing if that solves the problem. If not, take your bass to a guitar tech and have him do a setup for you.
the problem could be that the pickups are farther away from that string than the other strings. sounds like it needs a setup like roon said.
It's normal for any bass to need a setup when it's new, when it's been through a climate change or air travel, or when you change to different strings. See if you can find a guitar tech who will not only do the work, but show you the basics of what he's doing to set your bass up properly.
the strings are new, but the g string was always just quieter with the old ones too, this bass belonged to a coworker who said he never played it much for a few years. and looking it up it is a 1999 ish model so maybe it could benefit from having a pro set it up. So i dont get ripped off how much should having it gone over cost roughly? There is only one music store in town so i guess i dont have much choice, but would like a ball park figure.
Ive had the bass for 3 months, and trying to learn on my own from books, and internet videos. Needless to say im not to good with it and dislike going into the store and asking about stuff i dont know anything about. At least here im relatively anonomous
Relax, a setup is something even a pro bassist will sometimes have done by a tech instead of doing it themselves. I feel pretty confident about doing setups myself, but I had a pro do it last time and he found a few things to correct that I hadn't known to look for. A setup is a normal thing to go in for. You can stroll into the shop, hand them the bass, and confidently say "I'd like it set up please. I like medium action*, and please be sure to adjust the pickups as it has some problems with low levels on the G string." *Action refers to how much space is between the strings and the frets.
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