pick or finger setup?

[Masashi is God]

Having just changed from flats to rounds on a fender jaguar bass, where fret buzz wasn't really an issue, i'm left with a question...

I've set it up again and it plays quite nicely finger style, but it's really buzzy with a pick.. . Do you guys compromise on setup and leave it a little high, if you tend to swap between pick and finger?

 

[Ric5]

The setup for pick and finger styles should really be the same.

You should anaylze your styles of playing and see why one is buzzing more than the other.

You are probably picking harder than you pluck.

One way I check for fret buzz is I play finger style very aggressively.

 

[Masashi is God]

I play guitar too, so I pick pretty much like that... defers a little bit harder than finger wise

 

[darkstorm]

Is the buzz affecting the tone? In a good way? As long as the notes are not fretting out some fret rattle is fine. Actually I find basses sound better with some rattle. Judging fret rattle unplugged is poor way to do it. Play plugged in with whatever effects you normally use. A good part of what your hearing though is the extra tone etc of rounds compared to flats imo. Have you checked neck relief? Most flats are higher tension then rounds so your neck may be a little too straight after the switch to rounds as well.

 

[Masashi is God]

Imho fret buzz always affects tone, It's just not as punchy and pure... i've made a slight alteration to my technique though and managed to get the action down, to where I had it for finger style...

Many thanks

 

[Jay2U]

Coming from flats to rounds means less tension. Less tension may (but doesn't have to) result in a little less neck bow, leaving less space for the strings to resonate. Some truss rod adjustment might be required. Less tension also makes the stings vibrate a little more if the same force is applied by picking. Adjusting your picking technique may help.