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Strings for my Fender Jazz

I like strings that feel

  • stiff and tight.

    Votes: 17 31.5%

  • loose and are easily bendable.

    Votes: 13 24.1%

  • loose or tight. I’m only concerned with tone.

    Votes: 13 24.1%

  • loose or tight. I just want to play my bass.

    Votes: 4 7.4%

  • sound and smell like carrots at harvest.

    Votes: 7 13.0%
  • Total voters
    54
  • Poll closed .
#21
Dead spots can also be moved by *removing*, not just adding, mass from the neck system (the neck itself plus whatever is tightly joined, not just hung, to it): lighter-weight tuning machines would achieve this but, as said and implied above, the dead spot may still end up on another note, i.e. not sufficiently out of the way.
 
#22
Cave Puppy said:
Man, I’ve tried TI flat flats at least three separate times in about 5-6 years. Just can’t abide. In fact, I just removed a new set from my Jazz bass. The thinness and that weird A sting issue (where the A sounds brighter than the rest) did me in for the final time. I may put them up for sale on here. ‍♂️
Click to expand...
There’s no best.
 
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#23
Deleted member 271037 said:
Like others have already mentioned: What you are experiencing are dead spots. All basses have them (no matter what some people say) but some basses have worse dead spots than others. The area you are describing is very typical for Fender basses.

Changing the strings won't help with this at all. You can never get rid of dead spots but if the position of the dead spots bother you it's possible to add mass to the headstock and MOVE the deadspots. Fender used to sell something called a "FatFinger" which you would screw onto the headstock to add mass. This would typically move the dead spot 1-2 frets but it will NOT get rid of the dead spot (no matter what silly marketing claims were made about this product).
Click to expand...

ALL basses do not have dead spots. That is a ridiculous statement.

Have you tested every bass?

I have 4 basses with no dead spot .
 
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#24
I have 2 Jazz basses.
One has Ernie Ball Hybrid Slinky Cobalt rounds 45-105- really like these ones.
The other has TI flats—Fantastic as well.
The sounds I get from both basses is outstanding, yet different and am very pleased.
I guess that’s all I have to say about that.
 
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#35
I just put a set of DR sunbeams on a new to me standard jazz and they sound amazing. Also have a set of DR pure blues on another and they sound great as well. I guess I’d change strings before you get to excited about any dead spots. If you do and you can still hear something fishy with those notes even when played acoustically, and assuming the setup is good and there isn’t a high fret anywhere then you can think about addressing the situation. I have another jazz that had a dead spot on the fifth fret on the G string. Turned out the fret above it had come loose and was sitting a little high. Took it in and the fret was fixed and now the note rings out perfectly.
 
#36
Hounddog409 said:
ALL basses do not have dead spots. That is a ridiculous statement.

Have you tested every bass?

I have 4 basses with no dead spot .
Click to expand...

I obviously haven't tested every bass ever made but you can't get around the laws of physics. All basses have dead spots, with one possible exception, see below.

If you think the basses listed in your later post (4003, 4 Fenders, Ray, Gibson Tribute) have no dead spots I think you may be mistaking dead spots for something else. All of these basses have dead spots and no, I don't have to play them to know this. It's basic physics. Lots of people seem to think fret buzz = dead spots. Is this perhaps what you are referring to? Or maybe you've simply not noticed the dead spots yet. Lots of players don't notice dead spots until they suddenly have no sustain on certain notes when playing a gig through a large PA or when notes are "missing" in the mix when recording. Dead spots may be far less conspicuous in rehearsal situations or when playing through smaller amps.

FWIW I work at a guitar workshop and I've played hundreds of basses over the years. All of them have dead spots. Every single one. You simply cannot get around the laws of physics. Some basses have less problematic dead spots than others but they're still there.

I've been told that some headless basses with necks made from other materials than wood are supposed to have no dead spots but I have yet to verify this myself. It could perhaps be possible from a theoretical perspective but I won't believe it until I witness it myself.
 
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#37
Well the original post was about strings, but it mentions a dead area around frets 6-7.

As others mentioned this is not due to the strings, but instead a "dead spot" that is commonly found on Fender basses at that location.

It's also not just an issue for Fender basses - it will happen with other stringed instruments, just maybe not at exactly that same spot. The specific way an instrument is made creates resonances in the neck that cause some notes to die out sooner or sustain longer.

See this article for an absurdly scientific explanation:
Dead Spots of Electric Guitars and Basses
ASA/EAA/DAGA '99 - Dead Spots of Electric Guitars and Basses.
 
#38
Deleted member 271037 said:
I obviously haven't tested every bass ever made but you can't get around the laws of physics. All basses have dead spots, with one possible exception, see below.

If you think the basses listed in your later post (4003, 4 Fenders, Ray, Gibson Tribute) have no dead spots I think you may be mistaking dead spots for something else. All of these basses have dead spots and no, I don't have to play them to know this. It's basic physics. Lots of people seem to think fret buzz = dead spots. Is this perhaps what you are referring to? Or maybe you've simply not noticed the dead spots yet. Lots of players don't notice dead spots until they suddenly have no sustain on certain notes when playing a gig through a large PA or when notes are "missing" in the mix when recording. Dead spots may be far less conspicuous in rehearsal situations or when playing through smaller amps.

FWIW I work at a guitar workshop and I've played hundreds of basses over the years. All of them have dead spots. Every single one. You simply cannot get around the laws of physics. Some basses have less problematic dead spots than others but they're still there.

I've been told that some headless basses with necks made from other materials than wood are supposed to have no dead spots but I have yet to verify this myself. It could perhaps be possible from a theoretical perspective but I won't believe it until I witness it myself.
Click to expand...

I understand perfectly what a dead spot is. I have never heard of fret buss equals dead spot until your post.

All of my basses have been played through a PA at one point or another. I have tried to find a dead spot on each.

I can assure you 100% that none exist.

And what laws of physics are you referring to? Please be specific here.
 

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