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Looking for a fanned fret vs 'normal' sound comparison

Discussion in 'Basses [BG]' started by kcducttaper, Jun 9, 2020.

  1. Jun 9, 2020 #1
    kcducttaper

    kcducttaper

    Jul 1, 2019
    Something I've heard about fanned fret basses is the tone between strings is a lot more consistent than a non-ff bass. That's caught my attention because I've often felt that to get my low strings to sound good, my higher strings sound way too bright. Similarly, when I get a nice sound from my top strings, my low E and B (5 string) sounds muddy and undefined. I haven't been able to find an A B comparison of a set scale vs multi scale bass in this regard, so just wanted to post this real quick to see if anyone else knows of a good sound comparison from this aspect.
     
  2. Jun 9, 2020 #2
    Razman

    Razman

    Feb 10, 2005
    Orange Park, FL
    Can't help you with sound files or anything, but I'll concur that this was one feature I noticed about the Dingwall I owned many years ago, and it was most noticeable on the bottom two strings (E and B). I also feel that you won't notice this much with an Ibanez because the fan (or difference in scale length between strings) isn't great enough. You need that longer scale length and thinner string to minimize the tonal differences.

    Since that time I've started using balanced tension strings and have learned to leverage those normal, parallel fret bass tonal differences to accomplish my musical goals. Eg: if I want a thicker A, I play it on the E string. For a thicker E, I play it on the B, and so forth. The balanced tension helps me play more consistently string to string, which contributes to a more uniform sound (apart from string gauges). Setup, pickup height balancing, etc. also helps to a degree.

    So if you are willing to spend the amount needed to purchase something like a Dingwall I say go for it, I don't think you'll be disappointed. However, there might be other things you can do without making that sizeable of an investment to lessen some of what you are experiencing. Making a lot of assumptions there as you haven't detailed what you have tried, what kind of bass you have, string info, etc.

    Raz