Soft low E and F on P basses

[morebass!]

At rehearsal I noticed that a borrowed P bass I was playing wasn't cutting through at the low E and F. I wouldn't call it a dead spot as the note is definitely there and is "big" but it's lacking definition. The other notes higher on the string are fine so I don't think its a string issue. It's a great bass otherwise so I'm not sure what's going on with it. I have P basses where this isn't an issue but have run into this on other P basses I've encountered. It's the opposite of what I usually hear from a Jazz bass where the low E is very prominent and volume tends to fall off higher up. I'm wondering if this is something inherent in the P pickup design or pickup placement or the wood. Is there a fix for it?

 

[PizzaBall]

Without more detail or pictures , it’s hard to say but assuming this is a Fender P Bass we’re talking about, what series this P Bass belongs to would be that difference you’re noticing (in my opinion.)

Example would be the Pro II uses VMod-II pickups which use a mix of Alnico 2 and 5 magnets, it’s a very low end favoring pickup and not so mid focused like the Vintera series pickup, for example.

 

[BassicJazzy]

Bad E could be nut cut too low but bad F, I've got nothing....

 

[steamthief]

I'd try slightly raising the pickup by one quarter turn of the E string screw if you haven't done so already.

 

[Mastermold]

Never encountered this on any P-bass I’ve ever played. Might be the string is going bad.

 

[Slade N]

Interesting, I have noticed this but on the B, C, and Db on my CV 60s P strung with flats and tuned BEAD, I assumed it was the lacking of the small combos(Rumble 100) that Ive been using lacking

Havent noticed anything with the E or F

 

[Doctor Morbius]

Perhaps it's the room. Room acoustics have a lot to do with how loud/soft certain notes are.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Sure it wasn't the amp?

 

[CMGunther]

Perhaps it's the room. Room acoustics have a lot to do with how loud/soft certain notes are.

Amen to this. I chased a muted low G on a Fender P (EADG) at rehearsal for weeks. Finally realized it's the setup there. Small amp sitting on a carpeted floor and a room that just sucks that frequency out of the air.

The solution to this particular issue is to return the bass to its owner and play one of yours.

 

[pbass2]

Try recording it DI, no processing of any kind and see what ya got. Only way to take all the other factors out of the equation--amp, room, etc etc.

 

[groovaholic]

If just the low-E was indistinct, it suggests an issue at the nut - either a badly cut slot or poorly-defined witness point.

 

[2saddleslab]

Perhaps it's the room. Room acoustics have a lot to do with how loud/soft certain notes are.

I've had this happen before.

 

[Gervais Cote]

I got this problem solved quite often by installing a set of quarter pounder pickups and round wound strings.

Basswood bodies also tend to be bass fat on low notes.

 

[Lobster11]

Just spitballin' here, but given that we're talking about the lowest notes on the bass I wonder if it's just the kind of mud that a high-pass filter would solve. (?)

 

[iTzPrime]

Perhaps it's the room. Room acoustics have a lot to do with how loud/soft certain notes are.

Very likely it is this. As mentioned in another reply already, try to record a DI directly of the bass and see if the issue persists.

I once was in a rehearsal room once where the low G and the C# would be so immensely loud that it took me half a year to train it out of me, as I was avoiding them so much

 

[trothwell]

Not for certain of course, I wouldn't too quickly dismiss the possibility of the strings. I've noticed some string types seem to lack fullness when getting into the lowest notes on the E string.

 

[TDR1138]

I think it’s a combination of things - the bass, the strings, the amp, the room….

I have a P Bass and an SG Bass where I have this issue when I play at home through a 1x10 practice amp. But when I play through a 1x15 amp or somewhere with PA support, it’s not an issue at all.

My other basses don’t have this issue, including other P Basses.

If it’s not your bass, I wouldn’t worry about it.

 

[morebass!]

I should have mentioned that this was all through quality headphones so it's not the amp or room acoustics.

 

[BassicJazzy]

Earwax buildup? Just kidding.

 

[NitroBobby]

I should have mentioned that this was all through quality headphones so it's not the amp or room acoustics.

that does change things.

assuming that the only thing different is the bass (headphones & whatever you're plugged into are the same) then take a look at the setup. string height/pickup height play a big role in the volume of the bass. try raising the pickup? are the pickups the same in the 2 basses? apart from both being P style, are they the same make/model with the same magnet type? same strings? there's a lot that could cause a difference in tone/volume. also could be a hardware issue such as the nut as stated in other posts. is the bass active or passive? is the battery good?