Strange Sounding Strings

[DougP]

After having used standard Carvin strings on my LB-76 for three years, i decided to venture out. I replaced them with a set of DR's of a slightly lighter gauge. after having spent about two weeks, micro-tuning the intonation, the action and the neck relief, i have gotten the strings to be playable much like the Carvin strings were. i use a pretty low action, since i am mostly a finger-player. with that said, i DO get some string buzz when i dig in to the strings, but all in all they dont buzz. the problem is: now when i play higher up the fretboard, between the 15th and 24th frets, there seem to be multiple tones coming from the strings when i play a note. In other words, i'll play a note and it sounds like the note is being sounded with two or more dissonant notes. The higher up the fretboard i go the worse it gets; even on the 24th fret. Because it does this on the 24th fret also, i pretty much ruled out fret buzz. i have even played the note and reached up with my picking hand to the 12th fret to stop the string from vibrating between the nut and the fretted note. but i still get the strange overtones.

Any thoughts?

 

[Groovecenter]

If it's happening on all strings above a certain fret, especially higher on the fingerboard it sounds like your pickups might be a little too close to the strings. The other thing that is possible is a bad set of strings, but with the fact that it only happens after a certain fret and on all strings that seems unlikely. Best advice I could give is to lower your pickups, and that failing buy a new set of strings and replace those DR's to see if that was the problem. If it was contact DR and they might replace them for you.

 

[DougP]

is it possible that some basses just dont like some sets or brands of strings? i know that sounds funny but i have had nothing but a headache trying to get these to the proper intonation.

thanks for the suggestion. i have about 1/2" of space between the strings and the pickups, that doesnt sound too terribly close to me, but i'll lower them just to see.

 

[bryan bailey]

If it's happening on all strings above a certain fret, especially higher on the fingerboard it sounds like your pickups might be a little too close to the strings..

bingo.

my bass does that.

 

[DougP]

do the pickups react to the nickel strings differently than stainless?

 

[Robman]

try lowering one or both of your pickups. my jazz bass did the same thing from 15th fret on up. i lowered the neck pickup, each screw about 1/2 a turn and leveled the pickup afterwards - no problems since!

 

[Matthew Bryson]

I've had the same problem ever sense I put DR Longnecks on. I'll have to try the pick up adjustment too.

 

[DougP]

I changed out to some Dean Markleys. no more problems.
after doing a couple of hours of reading here at TB, it seems that the taper-wounds are prone to causing the effect that i encountered. Especially DRs because the taper on those started almost directly above my bridge pickup. The Dean Markleys taper starts right before the string enters the saddle. i still get a little bit of this phenomenon on my 5th and 6th string right at about the 20-24 frets. i dont play much there so i am not sweating it.
i dont have a grasp on the scientific reason for this except that the tapers wounds arent a solid mass the entire length of the string.