Options to eliminate pickup induced fret buzz

[BurningSkies]

This is the relief at the 5th, 6th and 7th fret. Keep in mind, with the pickups out, there is no issue. View attachment 3416300

To those that haven't read the previous post, lowering the pickups does help, but even bottomed out the issue is there.

Adding relief has very marginal affect. I have to more than double it to get a noticable change in results. This also raises the action quite a bit. Doing to puts me with an action of 4 to 5 mm.

Theres no way there is a measurable affect on the static string with 30 plus pounds of tension.
It has to be the magnetic field working with the elliptical movement of the string while it's in motion.

The Barts cannot pick up a single e string. The Nords have no problem holding full sets. There is definitely a substantial difference.View attachment 3416299

This is a mind bender for me...your neck at the 12th fret has more bow than it does at the 5/6th range.

In all the basses and guitars I've owned and worked with over the years, I've never seen that.

 

[BurningSkies]

Also, if you're dead set on these pickups, and indeed you can't drop them far enough, your next move would be to shim the neck which would allow you to lower the action on the neck but raise the bridge pieces/strings off the pickups further.

 

[MotorCityMinion]

"This is a mind bender for me...your neck at the 12th fret has more bow than it does at the 5/6th range. "

IDK, that seems normal to me. You would think that the relief would get shorter as you get closer to the nut.

 

[chadds]

I'm batpoopie crazy and have more blonde moments than I care to admit so I guess I'm both. Doesnt make me wrong!

My good friend used to say, “If you disagree with me you’re wrong.”

 

[BAG]

From the video it certainly does appear to be the pull of the pickups that causes the fret buzz and choking of the note. OP has also explained that the pickup has a much higher magnetic pull than the old pickup simply by the way it can hold strings that the old one's couldn't.

I'm interested to hear what Nordstrand has to say about this. Is it a feature of their pickups that they have a much higher magnetic pull, is it just this model of pickup or is it just that this particular one?

 

[Drop1]

I'm not sure Nordstrand will even answer. I mean, if they've never experienced it first, hand they may be inclined to think Im a lunatic.

 

[PJsaure]

Adding relief has very marginal affect. I have to more than double it to get a noticable change in results. This also raises the action quite a bit. Doing to puts me with an action of 4 to 5 mm.

It does look like the pickups are pulling on the strings. But wow, with a 4mm action I would have to dig in so hard to have any fret buzz that I have trouble understanding how the pickup could pull that hard on the string.
But the warbling sound (I have not yet watched your video, I am trusting TBers ears here) indicates the pickup is still too high, so again, your theory looks like more than just a theory.

Theres no way there is a measurable affect on the static string with 30 plus pounds of tension.
It has to be the magnetic field working with the elliptical movement of the string while it's in motion.

I thought about that after my first post here. The magnetic field could indeed influence the string movements and not so much its static position. That’s still impressive with so much distance between the strings and the pickups though.

The only two things that comes to my mind now, like others have said, are:
- contacting Nordstrand about this,
- shiming the neck to allow even greater clearance (or routing the pickup cavities deeper)

Good luck with all this. I hope I won’t have so much trouble with mine.

 

[PJsaure]

I'm not sure Nordstrand will even answer. I mean, if they've never experienced it first, hand they may be inclined to think Im a lunatic.

I am pretty sure they will. They do seem to be very helpful and to be listening to their customers.

 

[Drop1]

It does look like the pickups are pulling on the strings. But wow, with a 4mm action I would have to dig in so hard to have any fret buzz that I have trouble understanding how the pickup could pull that hard on the string.
But the warbling sound (I have not yet watched your video, I am trusting TBers ears here) indicates the pickup is still too high, so again, your theory looks like more than just a theory.


I thought about that after my first post here. The magnetic field could indeed influence the string movements and not so much its static position. That’s still impressive with so much distance between the strings and the pickups though.

The only two things that comes to my mind now, like others have said, are:
- contacting Nordstrand about this,
- shiming the neck to allow even greater clearance (or routing the pickup cavities deeper)

Good luck with all this. I hope I won’t have so much trouble with mine.

I'm out of luck apparently. Every step I take to try to improve the sound of this bass session like 2 steps backwards. That weird warble and wold tones are driving me nuts.

 

[FunkHead]

I'm out of luck apparently. Every step I take to try to improve the sound of this bass session like 2 steps backwards. That weird warble and wold tones are driving me nuts.

All you can do is lower the pickups, try different strings/gauges, or simply give up on these pickups. They obviously have extremely strong magnets.
If you can get them low enough to stop buzzing and still sound good then great.
Just watch out you don’t pop the screws through the back of bass body.

 

[Drop1]

All you can do is lower the pickups, try different strings/gauges, or simply give up on these pickups. They obviously have extremely strong magnets.
If you can get them low enough to stop buzzing and still sound good then great.
Just watch out you don’t pop the screws through the back of bass body.

Im talking about something different. My E string sounds like trash when slapped and I don't know why. Was the same with barts. Sound ok otherwise.

 

[BAG]

But the warbling sound (I have not yet watched your video, I am trusting TBers ears here) indicates the pickup is still too high, so again, your theory looks like more than just a theory.

Watch and listen to the video (skip the whole minutes that he loosens the strings and puts the pickup back in)...... it's not a warble, it is the strings buzzing on the frets.

 

[FunkHead]

Im talking about something different. My E string sounds like trash when slapped and I don't know why. Was the same with barts. Sound ok otherwise.

So then even with the buzzing fixed, you will not be happy with this bass. Maybe it’s time to put it back to stock and sell it. Or get a second bass for slap work?

 

[StayLow]

Let's get real.

Yes there's a very pronounced "warble" heard in the video, and if an Ibanez doesn't sound good slapped (and only one string is at issue) then the bass isn't likely to be the problem.

OP, can you offer something more descriptive than "sound like trash"?

Impossible to tell from the video if you can play well. Have you heard that same bass played by a skilled slap player?

 

[Drop1]

Let's get real.

Yes there's a very pronounced "warble" heard in the video, and if an Ibanez doesn't sound good slapped (and only one string is at issue) then the bass isn't likely to be the problem.

OP, can you offer something more descriptive than "sound like trash"?

Impossible to tell from the video if you can play well. Have you heard that same bass played by a skilled slap player?

I'm complaining about the sound of the open E only. Literally every other note sounds great. Theres just some funny acoustics resonating on that open E when you open it up. I don't want to get into a whole other deal right now. It's far too soon lol. I'm having my luthier put some switches in in a few weeks. I'll let him tell me what he thinks.

 

[MattZilla]

Eight pages and no straightedge on a string to show it having relief as a shutup to the naysayers? Bummed.

It is a shame that a set of pickups would be incompatable with regular light gauge strings.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

These were my suggestions with the first one being a way to test if the magnetic pull could be reduced to an acceptable level using a non-ferrous metal wound string, with only the core being subject to the magnetic pull. The second suggestion was a guaranteed solution based on information provided by the OP.

Options to eliminate pickup induced fret buzz

Options to eliminate pickup induced fret buzz

 

[Drop1]

Eight pages and no straightedge on a string to show it having relief as a shutup to the naysayers? Bummed.

It is a shame that a set of pickups would be incompatable with regular light gauge strings.

I dont think magnets are pulling the static string downward. Only when the string is in motions

These were my suggestions with the first one being a way to test if the magnetic pull could be reduced to an acceptable level using a non-ferrous metal wound string, with only the core being subject to the magnetic pull. The second suggestion was a guaranteed solution based on information provided by the OP.

Options to eliminate pickup induced fret buzz

Options to eliminate pickup induced fret buzz

I did swap back to the originals. I didnt want to have to because they are much darker than I'd like, but its playable.

 

[Turnaround]

Try some pure nickel strings. The winding is more or less non-ferrous, so the magnetic pull of the pup mags is limited to the core.

Nickel is ferro-magnetic.

 

[Turnaround]

So is stainless more or less Ferromagnetic than nickel ?

There are different kinds of stainless steel. Some are magnetic, some aren't.