This sounds like the best option. I would not make waves but I would not let the guy touch it again.
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Just angry...(MIA P Bass content)
- Thread starter jetbike
- Start date
This sounds like the best option. I would not make waves but I would not let the guy touch it again.
Take it somewhere else. This guy sounds like a train wreck. And guess what, there are plenty of guitar teachers out there.
That's the price from a store I frequent and is a very good, honest store. They do generally give the best prices available. So while they'd give you a free couple of setups and checks if you bought an instrument like that, the prices are about as good as we can get here. As someone said above, we get hit pretty heavily with import tax and tariffs, which is ridiculous given no one makes mid level basses here, just high end stuff.
I have an 07 fender jazz that i took in for a set up and the tech said the neck was warped and i needed to buy a new one . I raised the action and just dealt with it for 7 years until a friend offered to take it in to his work (SAM ASH) and look at it . He said the same thing except ha said fender warranties the neck . If its something that is a quality control issue they replace it for free . So definitely get a second opinion .
Agree with everyone else, Get that to a proper tech first. Whichever of those guys are closest to you. If there is an issue with the neck perhaps you can get some help from Fender or Music123. If all else fails I'd find a replacement Fender USA Neck on Ebay. Since it should most likely be well under your 1,000AUS tariff threshold you shouldn't get hit by the taxman too badly.
If the neck does somehow turn out to be beyond redemption, I can vouch for the suitability of the Warmoth neck solution. They are quite excellent and eminently affordable.
I agree... (well not with the good part of the States comment anyway -Greetings from the states (well the good part of the states at least), something about this doesn't add up, if "the truss rod is loose inside the neck" then the neck should have a major noticeable bow, like the Bently I once owned....
) I don't know what the guy means by "loose inside the neck" - if the truss rod is broken, the neck would be bowed and all the strings would buzz not just one particular string. If you stare down the neck of the bass, is the neck straight or bowed?
A thing to try: 1) knock on the neck- do you hear a rattle from the truss rod inside?
It could be something like this, it's fixable but I would highly, highly recommend taking it to an experienced person for a look.
Basically, I think the first guy is feeding you a load of crock.
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If you are comfortable doing this, get a hex wrench on the truss rod adjustment bolt and very gently see if it turns easily one direction or the other, being careful to return it to the original position. If it is rattling about it can't
have any tension on it and therefore ought to turn easily. Get a straight edge (an 18 inch steel ruler works well) lay it on the neck from the first to the 12th fret or so and see if the neck is flat, or is bowed one way or the other.
Instruments can fall off the strap, be dropped, fall out of the stand, and get dinged and damaged any number of ways. Worse than that, I have heard of instruments in for repair being borrowed or loaned out to other
boneheads who manage to carelessly booger them up.
have any tension on it and therefore ought to turn easily. Get a straight edge (an 18 inch steel ruler works well) lay it on the neck from the first to the 12th fret or so and see if the neck is flat, or is bowed one way or the other.
Instruments can fall off the strap, be dropped, fall out of the stand, and get dinged and damaged any number of ways. Worse than that, I have heard of instruments in for repair being borrowed or loaned out to other
boneheads who manage to carelessly booger them up.
It may be the nut went loose only if the neck is still straight due to too much "relief" applied. I once bought a used VM Precision and the nut was showing up the headstock half a centimeter. It took me five minutes to turn it down until it went to its proper place. BTW it was a little rattle when out of place.
Hope this could help a bit.
Hope this could help a bit.
+1 for Javadog's take. If the rod is so loose it is rattling, tightening it just enough to kill the rattle but not to move the neck is the risk-free option for a quick fix.
If dude broke your truss rod, he needs to man up.
If dude broke your truss rod, he needs to man up.
What is the neck relief currently? Do you know what it was before? Sounds like it is less now.
Otto
Otto
Buzz up and down on the A string is not consistent with a rattling truss rod. It would either rattle on everything, or at least at certain frequencies, i.e., it would rattle every time you played a C, but it wouldn't matter what string you played it on. Also, a rattling truss rod should not come through the amp. Sure sounds like fret buzz to me.
Is your action pretty low? A very straight neck with an uneven fret could produce the symptoms you describe. The only other thing I can think of that would result in buzz on one string but not any of the others would be a single bridge saddle set too low, and that should be obvious and easy to fix.
If the truss rod was broken you would have more relief in the neck, which might make it hard to play but should cause less, not more, buzz---an attempt to compensate for that by lowering the bridge could result in buzz on the high frets, but it should only happen up at the high end of the fret board and it should happen across all strings. That would not result in buzz on the A string on the lower frets.
It's not impossible that the neck simply warped---I've seen that. That could have happened over time and might have only manifested when this guy tried to straighten the neck. But I would not expect that to affect only the A string but not the E string too.
In any event, I agree with everybody else that you should have somebody else take a look at it. It sounds like you've gotten several specific suggestions of good techs in your area.
Is your action pretty low? A very straight neck with an uneven fret could produce the symptoms you describe. The only other thing I can think of that would result in buzz on one string but not any of the others would be a single bridge saddle set too low, and that should be obvious and easy to fix.
If the truss rod was broken you would have more relief in the neck, which might make it hard to play but should cause less, not more, buzz---an attempt to compensate for that by lowering the bridge could result in buzz on the high frets, but it should only happen up at the high end of the fret board and it should happen across all strings. That would not result in buzz on the A string on the lower frets.
It's not impossible that the neck simply warped---I've seen that. That could have happened over time and might have only manifested when this guy tried to straighten the neck. But I would not expect that to affect only the A string but not the E string too.
In any event, I agree with everybody else that you should have somebody else take a look at it. It sounds like you've gotten several specific suggestions of good techs in your area.
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All the advice you need is in the thread already (see if it is so loose it buzzes, then tighten a bit; have a PRO look at it) so just want to wish you good luck getting your awesome bass back to awesome
Sounds clearly like your nut slot on the A string is too low. Easy fix with epoxy by a tech or yourself.
If it was the nut slot it would only buzz on the open string. Once fretted the nut is out of the equation.
Too little relief will also cause buzzing up the neck(as will a bridge saddle being too low). I also suggest you go to a REPUTABLE luthier and get it looked at before forming any opinions. I personally do not see how there could be an issue like you mention with a 2010 MIA Standard neck unless its a set up issue. The quality of these basses are terrific and I have personally owned several and played a lot of them. If it really is a truss rod issue I would guess Fender will do whatever they can to help you.
Jetbike(OP) did say he was having trouble, even by his own, "not delicate" standards before the guy worked on the bass.
It had gone from the best bass he'd ever played, to" not being in true."
So he dropped it off for a set up.
Sure, a second opinion is in order. But the neck may have a problem that the tech neither caused, nor could repair.
Since its not working I'd suggest watching a few YouTube videos on set up, and some gentle explorations at home. This isn't voodoo or rocket science.
When you sight down the string from bridge to nut (a straight line reference), what do you see? Is the neck bowed ( sags away from the strings in the 12 th fret area), back bowed ( arches up towards the string), or straight?
Fret buzz on the lowest frets makes me think the neck is back bowed, a sign of an over tight truss rod.
Ideally, the neck should have a slight, consistent bow, known as neck relief. Some folks like a very flat neck.
So, have a beer, take look down the neck, and tell us what you see. Check out a video or two, gather the right wrenches, you'll be a set up pro in no time.
Or it could be broke, but we're not going to jump to conclusions, just yet.
Right, beer, tools, YouTube, let's get to work. Report back.
It had gone from the best bass he'd ever played, to" not being in true."
So he dropped it off for a set up.
Sure, a second opinion is in order. But the neck may have a problem that the tech neither caused, nor could repair.
Since its not working I'd suggest watching a few YouTube videos on set up, and some gentle explorations at home. This isn't voodoo or rocket science.
When you sight down the string from bridge to nut (a straight line reference), what do you see? Is the neck bowed ( sags away from the strings in the 12 th fret area), back bowed ( arches up towards the string), or straight?
Fret buzz on the lowest frets makes me think the neck is back bowed, a sign of an over tight truss rod.
Ideally, the neck should have a slight, consistent bow, known as neck relief. Some folks like a very flat neck.
So, have a beer, take look down the neck, and tell us what you see. Check out a video or two, gather the right wrenches, you'll be a set up pro in no time.
Or it could be broke, but we're not going to jump to conclusions, just yet.
Right, beer, tools, YouTube, let's get to work. Report back.
That part seems totally squirrelly to me. First the buzzing happens only on one string, but on all frets up until the 9th. (By itself, sounds like the nut slot for the A string is cut too low.*) Then it's supposed to be a loose truss rod. (Try a quick experiment to check: Hold the bass vertical, by the neck, with the strings facing away from you. The palm of your hand damps the strings. Tap the back of the neck. Does the rod rattle?**)
My .02 is that the guy isn't so good at setting up basses.
And I sure as heck wouldn't replace the neck based on his advice.
* Or that the neck relief is _just_ enough, but the A string bridge saddle is slightly lower than the other strings.
** Besides, if the truss rod is resonating, how is it doing that over the pitch range of a major 6th (nut to 9th fret on A string), and why doesn't it do that on other strings stopped to make the same pitch?
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I have seen the string rattle behind the fretted note when a nut slot is to low.
Here's the solution: Slap some higher tension strings on it so there is a bit more pressure on the truss rod. I have actually seen this problem with lower tension strings. The neck may be "Holding its' own" and the truss is just loose enough to rattle a bit. Tenser strings should make a positive improvement.
Of course I am not holding the bass in my hands so It could be something else but it sounds exactly like a situation I had once and the strings fixed it.
Of course I am not holding the bass in my hands so It could be something else but it sounds exactly like a situation I had once and the strings fixed it.
