Ringing duration

[5str]

I am not sure if this is the right place to post this, because it contains a general question about strings, electronics, pickups, basses, amplifiers and effects.

Well on to the question. I have a Yamaha RBX170 bass guitar, I play Doom Metal too much, and I find that the ringing fades for the notes that last more than 5 beats.
And I am asking wether this is a "problem" (well not exactly described as problem but anyway) of the strings, of the amp I am using, of the electronics and/or pickups, of the bass or if I am going to need a pedal providing a "long note duration" effect.

 

[darkstorm]

No of course not. Simply damp the string at the appropriate time as needed. Extra available sustain is allways a plus in my book. Its a qaulity of superior bass construction and pups imo. Since some pups have lousy sustain curve with jagged and sudden not drop off/fade out. Terrible thing that imo.

 

[guroove]

It sounds like the OP wants more sustain? There are a few ways to get more sustain. One of the cheaper and more effective ways is to use a distortion pedal that has lots of gain, like the MXR El Grande Fuzz. Also a change of strings, or a high-mass bridge might help.

 

[SGD Lutherie]

That has little to do with the pickups, but more about the construction of the bass and the strings.

A rigid neck is what helps create sustain. If parts of the bass flex, they rob energy from the strings. This is why solid body instruments sustain longer than acoustic instruments. It's hard to stimulate the heavy body to vibrate, so the energy stays in the strings. The opposite extreme would be a banjo. Lots of sound from the head, but little sustain. All the strings' energy is being converted to sound.

A heavy bridge might help, but I also get great long sustain on my basses with light aluminum bridges, because the necks are stiff.

So one of the easy things to change are the strings. What brand are they and how old are they? I find some brands get thumpy fast.

 

[walterw]

bigger amps at higher volume, and a touch (or more than a touch) of compression will make those notes ring out longer.

if you need a little bit of an eBow effect, turn around and put your headstock against the speaker cab.

 

[SGD Lutherie]

bigger amps at higher volume, and a touch (or more than a touch) of compression will make those notes ring out longer.

+1

I never play without some compression or limiting. Makes things nice and thick.

if you need a little bit of an eBow effect, turn around and put your headstock against the speaker cab.

Something I have been known to do!

 

[5str]

So what string brands would oyu guys recommend for a longer sustain?

 

[darkstorm]

O, Ok, thought you was asking about long sustaining bann notes that wants shorter. No such thing as strings that sustain longer then others. Thats char of good build and pups whose sustain gives nice slow even note fade out. Some pups dont do that. Make sure neck bolts are tight. Try adjusting pups up and down a little to see if either increases note fade out time. If when you listen close, your haveing fast or jagged nore fade outm then pup replacement is best if adjusting them dont eliminate that.