Poorly bass

[AztecViking]

Hi Shoyu and welcome to Talkbass. So when you mention "playing Rent" do you have an actual paying bass gig playing live music to accompany a theatrical production? Just curious.

 

[Shoyu]

Hi Shoyu and welcome to Talkbass. So when you mention "playing Rent" do you have an actual paying bass gig playing live music to accompany a theatrical production? Just curious.

Yes

 

[Shoyu]

Trying to think of things that can cause "suddenly dreadful intonation". There aren't a lot of things that could suddenly change to do that (all strings suddenly have bad intonation? Or just one string?). Are you sure the intonation was good before and then suddenly changed? Or are you just now starting to play high up on the neck? Anyway, here are the things I can think of that could cause intonation to suddenly go wonky:

Bad strings (You said you changed the strings already so not this)

Bridge saddle screw come loose and change position? (you said you adjusted the saddles - are you sure you did it right?)

Did one or more pickups adjustment screw pop loose and pickup height is too close to strings? (magnets pull the strings affecting intonation)

Did the neck angle change so strings are very high?

The action is as it ever was (although my worry is that something has gone wrong with the neck). I didn’t check the pickups, didn’t think to.

The saddles were all at the extreme point of the screws. The screws seem quite short compared to those on the Aria Pro II I have borrowed.

It’s in the hands of the repair chap now. Thank you for your suggestions though.

 

[SirMjac28]

Hi Shoyu and welcome

 

[Deleted member 165050]

Hi, new here. I’m a “sometimes” bass player. I’m really a woodwind player but I learned bass when I was 16 and I get a little work on bass here and there.

I have a lovely Bass Collection bass. It is light, responsive, great action, quite petite and just what I need. Sadly it has decided it would like a trip to bass hospital instead of playing Rent this weekend (the part is evil, it has a point). I did what I could think of to solve the problem of suddenly dreadful intonation (adjust the saddles and change the strings) but it wasn’t enough. Here’s hoping it can be sorted as the bass I have borrowed has made me appreciate mine all the more.

They are nice basses, I had one for a while. Hope they sort it out!

 

[Maxdusty]

Hello Shoyu,

Did you check the nut position? If you have not touched the saddles, and the bass suddenly lost intonation, to the extent that you describe, I might first check that the nut has not come loose and shifted to an angled position whereby the scale length has increased, especially on the G.

This may occur when restringing the bass, or when tuning up the bass after loosening them for storage, and re-tightening. If you start by tightening On the G (G > D > A > E), a loose nut may initially slip back or tilt back towards the headstock on the first string you bring to tension, thereby throwing off your intonation across the fretboard. (or it might have been knocked at just the right spot to move the nut.)

The SGC Nanyo Bass Collection basses are indeed Japanese made (I think they made some Korean ones in the mid-90's before they sold off the brand). They set up very well and are great players. Good luck getting this sorted out!

That's what I'm thinking too, I remember reading something about the "witness point" and how intonation can be affected at the point of contact at 1) the bridge saddle or 2) the nut.
Being that it sounds like that it changed all of a sudden on the op's bass, makes me wonder if the saddle or nut got knocked off-kilter a bit.

Here's a thread about it.
Does tuner post witness point affect intonation?

 

[Solarmist]

Changing to different type string/gauges can definitely have an affect on intonation.

 

[retslock]

Changing to different type string/gauges can definitely have an affect on intonation.

First time I’ve come across such a radical and sudden change in intonation. Particularly since it’s not on all strings. I have a bass that has a bow on one side only of the neck. One side (B) is almost completely straight, the other (G) has a major bow yet it still has good intonation. This to me, is quite an enigma. I would love to hear what your luthier has to say and how it turns out. Good luck. I hope it comes good.