New strings 'clack' on contact with fret?

[StringCanvas]

Turn the treble control down on your amp. If you have the treble set above flat (noon), that will definitely give you clank and string noise with round wound strings.

While I think the biggest thing is what was mentioned earlier (stainless steel accentuating the problem and perhaps an adjustment to technique, with a setup helping out), you can also roll off some of that top end. If you can get a tone you like without having the treble up too far, you'll probably find it easier to get what you're looking for.

 

[LowEndSoul]

I have a similar issue on my Sire with "modern" pickups, and on my ubass with piezo. As others have said, turn the treble down until you can't hear it anymore, or until it isn't annoying. My Sire has a super bright eq by default (everything halfway). I have to roll the treble way down on that one.

 

[Fender_Bender]

Technique issue. The longer you play the more you will naturally figure out how to get around the instrument without making unwanted noises and learn how to press down on the strings more smoothly and with more control.

 

[LeighOnSea]

Thanks for all replies!
I really think its not fret buzz, at least as my understanding of that is, its a one time single contact noise
I am also already managing to reduce it by not pressing so hard and fast
I think I should also be fretting closer to the fret than I am, and not so hard
Its far worse on the Chromes
Reducing the treble cuts it out / reduces it, but not sure if this is a good idea as it hides my poor technique. The Sire Preamp works around 10Hz for that knob
I am now looking at technique videos

Thanks again!

 

[HueyFreeman]

This is normal with inexperience.
Keep practicing and you'll get better.

 

[900se]

Out of interest, how close to the fret have you been pressing? You should be virtually on the fret. To test if this has been an issue, fret right on the top of the fret. You'll deaden the note somewhat, but if if stops the clack, you could be on to it. Also, when you do this, keep your fretting finger almost on the string before you fret the note - so there's as little finger movement as possible - avoid 'flying fingers', keep them as loose and close to the strings as you can - movement to a minimum when you fret.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Out of interest, how close to the fret have you been pressing? You should be virtually on the fret. To test if this has been an issue, fret right on the top of the fret. You'll deaden the note somewhat, but if if stops the clack, you could be on to it. Also, when you do this, keep your fretting finger almost on the string before you fret the note - so there's as little finger movement as possible - avoid 'flying fingers', keep them as loose and close to the strings as you can - movement to a minimum when you fret.

Economy of motion.

Thread 'Economy of motion...overrated?'

Oct 29, 2007

OK, that was an attention grabbing thread title. I have to say that I'm not totally against economy of motion. I use it all the time. I am, however, against it being the main goal of a lot of bassists. It seems to be the big catch phrase these days.

A lot of people will buy 6-string basses and claim that they only play them in order to reduce the amount of position shifts that they do, and claim economy of motion as the main goal. First off, how lazy do you have to be where you don't want to move your hand a couple inches? Second, how will you ever get really good at position...

• JimmyM
• Replies: 100
• Forum: Technique [BG]

Tips:

https://onlinebasscourses.com/turning-pro/7-bass-tips-in-under-12-minutes/

 

[Dust2Dust]

I have the same problem. The only way to make it go away was to slow down and softly fret the notes as if I was afraid I was going to break the damn neck or something

I went back to playing normal and turned down the presence knob on my preamp pedal and turned down the treble a little as well when I was still getting too much rawkus.

It still sounds like the drummer is doing rim shots sometimes but I've learned to live with that

 

[LeighOnSea]

This is normal with inexperience.
Keep practicing and you'll get better.

Out of interest, how close to the fret have you been pressing? You should be virtually on the fret. To test if this has been an issue, fret right on the top of the fret. You'll deaden the note somewhat, but if if stops the clack, you could be on to it. Also, when you do this, keep your fretting finger almost on the string before you fret the note - so there's as little finger movement as possible - avoid 'flying fingers', keep them as loose and close to the strings as you can - movement to a minimum when you fret.

I have now identified the following issues, with your collective help - Thanks!
1. Fretting in middle of inter-frettal distance ( whatever the distance between frets is called) instead of close to 'the' fret
2. Pressing too hard on frets
3. Pressing to quickly on fret
4. Pressing too early on fret (as I pluck is best)

(EDIT: saying I have identified them doesnt mean I have rectified them yet!)

Most of this was from ignorance of how hard and exactly where and when to fret, and being able to get to a stage where I was fast enough for this to happen.
Time to dial back the speed and try to slightly relearn my fretting.
I can get rid of most of this if I dial down the treble, but wont use this so as not to band-aid my fretting technique

And, definitely, this is much more critical on the V3 Jazz with the SS Chromes (flats) (and it depends on what fret and what pickup blend and what string - E by far the worst) than on the P7 with the Pressurewounds

I also found a lot of videos via everyone's posts and realise I am now at a level where these will help me a lot with my technique

However, every so often I will also put the Dead Kennedys on and bang out Police Truck together with all the clacking noises and my other mistakes even at half speed every so often just because I believe that having fun is just as important as improving!

Thanks you very much, all of you.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

I have now identified the following issues, with your collective help - Thanks!
1. Fretting in middle of inter-frettal distance ( whatever the distance between frets is called) instead of close to 'the' fret
2. Pressing too hard on frets
3. Pressing to quickly on fret
4. Pressing too early on fret (as I pluck is best)

(EDIT: saying I have identified them doesnt mean I have rectified them yet!)

Most of this was from ignorance of how hard and exactly where and when to fret, and being able to get to a stage where I was fast enough for this to happen.
Time to dial back the speed and try to slightly relearn my fretting.
I can get rid of most of this if I dial down the treble, but wont use this so as not to band-aid my fretting technique

And, definitely, this is much more critical on the V3 Jazz with the SS Chromes (flats) (and it depends on what fret and what pickup blend and what string - E by far the worst) than on the P7 with the Pressurewounds

I also found a lot of videos via everyone's posts and realise I am now at a level where these will help me a lot with my technique

However, every so often I will also put the Dead Kennedys on and bang out Police Truck together with all the clacking noises and my other mistakes even at half speed every so often just because I believe that having fun is just as important as improving!

Thanks you very much, all of you.

Dog bite is a long time fave
Kepone factory

Or lean into the flatwound (Rotodound 77 monel) clack

 

[LeighOnSea]

Dog bite is a long time fave
Kepone factory

Or lean into the flatwound (Rotodound 77 monel) clack

DK are very like The Beatles for me - not a single song I dont like
Police Truck was my first DK vinyl - Holiday in Cambodia 12" B-side in 1980, so a special track for me, and I feel GREAT when I destroy it at a slow speed

 

[/\/\3phist0]

DK are very like The Beatles for me - not a single song I dont like
Police Truck was my first DK vinyl - Holiday in Cambodia 12" B-side in 1980, so a special track for me, and I feel GREAT when I destroy it at a slow speed

I like in dog bite, Jello says “wait, hold it: Too slow!”

 

[LeighOnSea]

I like in dog bite, Jello says “wait, hold it: Too slow!”

I love these vids:

Just having fun

 

[LeighOnSea]

I am getting there
Timing (fretting before 'plucking' - I prefer 'stroking') is my big one, especially as I am trying faster things, and I can see how technique helps here
Then I was also fretting WAY too hard
And also not near enough to fret
I also now see that string and bass selection, and pickup and especially tone settings worsen or smooth out this Clack (actually its more of a Click)

The other method is to play along with the video and turn up the video, Like fixing a car noise by turning up the radio

 

[LeighOnSea]

Well, I have got it much better, but I re-measured my nut heights (at 1st fret with feeler gauges) and on the E-string it is 1.0 mm (40 thou for you people 'over there').
The others aren't much below that

I just looked up and Music Nomad suggest half that!
So maybe this isnt helping as I get this problem worst at the lower frets on the E string?
Its a long way to press down?

I have the relief set at 0.3 mm @ 8th fret, capo at 1st and finger at 17th as per Sire Manual (0.3 to 0.5 mm)
The action is 2.45, 2.30, 2.15, 2.00 mm for E, A, D, G as per Fender
All measured with feeler gauges.
All strings tuned

I'm not trying to excuse my terrible technique, by the way!

 

[BassicJazzy]

I don't mean to badger the point but I went so very long before I discovered what a difference having a really skilled pro do a set-up on your bass can make. I started at 18, didn't get a set-up until a year ago, at 70. I kick myself now for how much better my basses could have been playing for all those years in between. It is so much more than just using a feeler gauge, it's adjustments to bridge saddle position and neck truss rod, to get perfect low action and perfect intonation at all frets. Find a highly skilled luthier and spend the $70 or 80 to get it done right, and a lot of your "clank" will go away. Of course, proper technique matters too.

 

[LeighOnSea]

I don't mean to badger the point but I went so very long before I discovered what a difference having a really skilled pro do a set-up on your bass can make. I started at 18, didn't get a set-up until a year ago, at 70. I kick myself now for how much better my basses could have been playing for all those years in between. It is so much more than just using a feeler gauge, it's adjustments to bridge saddle position and neck truss rod, to get perfect low action and perfect intonation at all frets. Find a highly skilled luthier and spend the $70 or 80 to get it done right, and a lot of your "clank" will go away. Of course, proper technique matters too.

Thanks for the advice and that makes absolute sense and probably is the sensible way forward, but ....
I am a mechanic's son , and I love to tinker and work things out, it part of the fun for me
Also, in Portugal it wont be $70 or 80 and it will be a lottery finding someone good.
If I buger it up, then I will try to find a luthier

I used all the other nut action (I like that term) measurement techniques I could find, and in both cases my height was also double recommended:
- 3 thou at 1st with Capo 2nd or 3rd fret (a strange one for me as it will change if capo on 2nd or 3rd)
- Open 1st fret should be similar to measurement at 2nd with capo at 1st fret

I am very tempted to very extremely carefully, incrementally lower the nut action by following the John Carruthers vid
I also have the same thing on my 2 Sire P basses (P7 & P5R) as on this V3 PJ jazz
I will buy proper tools (another mechanic's son thing )

 

[BassicJazzy]

Yeah, I understand about trying to fix it yourself. I just went through something similar with my amp, a 1994 SWR Baby Blue 2. It started getting weird and I tried things I found either on talkies or YouTube with others who tried to do self-repair. One of our members, aged horse, pleaded with me to just take it to a qualified technician for proper troubleshooting, but I persisted in just replacing things, or trying fixes, on my own. You can view the thread in the amp section. Fyi, that amp got worse and worse and is going in the trash today, a new Fender Rumble will replace it this weekend. Time and money I spent trying to fix its were a waste. My point is this - - watch out for instructional videos and NEVER do surgery on your equipment unless you have been specifically trained and are qualified to do so. Don't tinker or you will make it worse. Never touch the nut. Many pros are experienced at doing their own set-ups, but it is as much of an art form as it is a science. Try to find a really good luthier and let him or her make the adjustments. No matter what costs, you will save yourself from frustration, damaged equipment, and will be able to put that time into playing a more enjoyable instrument.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Yeah, I understand about trying to fix it yourself. I just went through something similar with my amp, a 1994 SWR Baby Blue 2. It started getting weird and I tried things I found either on talkies or YouTube with others who tried to do self-repair. One of our members, aged horse, pleaded with me to just take it to a qualified technician for proper troubleshooting, but I persisted in just replacing things, or trying fixes, on my own. You can view the thread in the amp section. Fyi, that amp got worse and worse and is going in the trash today, a new Fender Rumble will replace it this weekend. Time and money I spent trying to fix its were a waste. My point is this - - watch out for instructional videos and NEVER do surgery on your equipment unless you have been specifically trained and are qualified to do so. Don't tinker or you will make it worse. Never touch the nut. Many pros are experienced at doing their own set-ups, but it is as much of an art form as it is a science. Try to find a really good luthier and let him or her make the adjustments. No matter what costs, you will save yourself from frustration, damaged equipment, and will be able to put that time into playing a more enjoyable instrument.

That is a fallacious comparison.
An amp is even labeled “ no user repairable components inside”

I mean no disrespect: but you did not take advise from an expert.
This places you in no position to give advice.
Also you seem to not comprehend that there is no easy access to luthiers where the OP is located!
Could a luthier do a better job? POSSIBLY.
This is not black magic: it’s mechanical fitment with documented tolerance and methods: MOST of the vids CONCUR on these aspects.

I AM an expert. I have built thousands of instruments. Setup many more than that.
I am a really good luthier, with more than 4 decades experience.


Nut filing is easy peasy when going slow and measuring carefully.

GOOD CHOICE to get the right tools: being a mechanic’s offspring it’s like removing a nut can be achieved using pliers, but a correctly sized spanner, box end, or socket is far better.

Replacing a nut is only slightly more difficult. ( if you botch it) and in a pinch, there is a well documented CA glue and baking soda trick to fill the slot back up.

From the factory nuts are almost always cut too shallow (too high from the fret)
As the “factory action” ( relief and saddle height) is almost always likewise too high.

Key takeaway!
Go slow and when it is ALMOST LOW ENOUGH, STOP!
That one extra stroke could likely be too much, and the nut is toast.

Hand cut brass nut: for one example. (Needed a polish, this was the test assembly and it had not been glued in place needed to be jogged toward the treble side a smidge) zoom in on the below pic: after you get the slot to depth, shave the TOP of the nut so that the string stands proud of the top of the nut a bit.

The rest of that bass

started as a Squier D5 with a snapped headstock. Replaced the neck with a flamed maple neck, canarywood fretboard.
Treated the maple shaft with AquaFortis (traditional chemical staining that uses heat to react with the tannins in the wood rather than pigments)

 

[BassicJazzy]

That is a fallacious comparison.
An amp is even labeled “ no user repairable components inside”

I mean no disrespect: but you did not take advise from an expert.
This places you in no position to give advice.
Also you seem to not comprehend that there is no easy access to luthiers where the OP is located!
Could a luthier do a better job? POSSIBLY.
This is not black magic: it’s mechanical fitment with documented tolerance and methods: MOST of the vids CONCUR on these aspects.

I AM an expert. I have built thousands of instruments. Setup many more than that.
I am a really good luthier, with more than 4 decades experience.


Nut filing is easy peasy when going slow and measuring carefully.

GOOD CHOICE to get the right tools: being a mechanic’s offspring it’s like removing a nut can be achieved using pliers, but a correctly sized spanner, box end, or socket is far better.

Replacing a nut is only slightly more difficult. ( if you botch it) and in a pinch, there is a well documented CA glue and baking soda trick to fill the slot back up.

From the factory nuts are almost always cut too shallow (too high from the fret)
As the “factory action” ( relief and saddle height) is almost always likewise too high.

Key takeaway!
Go slow and when it is ALMOST LOW ENOUGH, STOP!
That one extra stroke could likely be too much, and the nut is toast.

Hand cut brass nut: for one example. (Needed a polish, this was the test assembly) zoom in on the below pic: after you get the slot to depth, shave the TOP of the nut so that the string stands proud of the top of the nut a bit.
View attachment 7204643
The rest of that bass
View attachment 7204646
started as a Squier D5 with a snapped headstock. Replaced the neck with a flamed maple neck, canarywood fretboard.
Treated the maple shaft with AquaFortis (traditional chemical staining that uses heat to react with the tannins in the wood rather than pigments)
View attachment 7204648

Point well taken. You are correct, I should not have gone outside my lane and messed with the amp, and it is not a fair comparison. I guess I'm still bleeding from the experience. There is a reason why experts earn their money in matters like this, and I just hope this individual can find one to get his bass set-up to perfection.