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The Great Dead E String phenomenon

Thundar

Thundar

May 15, 2008
4,516
6,413
Hooterville, Arkansas BR549
#1
Ok Im posting this as a last ditch effort to see if anyone has found a solution for the dead/hollow E string problem..if youve ever had this nightmare, then you know exactly what Im talking about:p.
It has driven me crazy and Im at the desperation point...LOL.
All the other strings ring nicely and sound full, and then you get to the dead THUD of the hollow E string...is this ringing any bells yet?
Ive only encountered this problem on Fender style bridges, but I have read on the Rickenbacker board and the Music Man board of bassists having this same problem..to the point of selling off their bass cause they can't find the solution..and I too have had it happen numerous times, and sold off a couple myself.
First of all, it has nothing to do with the size or brand or type of string Im using cause Ive checked all that a million times...nor does it have to do with pickup height. The only time Ive ever been able to fix it was by buying a new bridge...and really I think that was just coincidence. It has never once happened to any of my Spectors, but continues to haunt me with various Fenders, G&L's, and other assorted basses (think maybe Stuart Spector is sending me a sign?;))
Anyways, Im at a loss and am open for suggestions if ya got any... bridge? saddle? nut? string tree? carrots?
Thanks!
 
#2
I've totally experienced this myself... but in my case, changing strings did help.

Other things to try:
-make sure the string isn't twisted at all from winding it to pitch
-make sure the string has a good break angle over the bridge saddle. I usually tune up and stretch a new set of strings, and then push down hard on the string right in front of the saddle to get a good solid break angle instead of a gentler curve....

Good luck!
 
#3
+1 on the twisted string. I've gotten several used basses with strings so twisted it's a wonder they didn't break or fly off the bass. This is one reason I don't string my basses through the body (when that's an option) because it's very difficult to keep the string perfectly straight. At least for me.
 
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#4
Stereo Joe said:
I've totally experienced this myself... but in my case, changing strings did help.

Other things to try:
-make sure the string isn't twisted at all from winding it to pitch
-make sure the string has a good break angle over the bridge saddle. I usually tune up and stretch a new set of strings, and then push down hard on the string right in front of the saddle to get a good solid break angle instead of a gentler curve....

Good luck!
Click to expand...

+2 (one for each suggestion)...

I always string my basses carefully, making sure that I WIND the string onto the tuning peg and don't' "wrap" it...

and the 2nd suggestion is so important...it makes a LOT of difference in the tone of the string...

My E-strings never sound "thuddy"
 
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#6
I'm convinced it has something to do with the bridge or bridge area- I wonder if it has something to do with the saddle cut or the break angle. Someone said before that if you get some metal tubing and basically extend where the bridge hole is you can make it sound better. Anybody try that?
 
#7
Find an old bridge saddle, widen the slot for low E with a small round file, to make sure that the string is resting on the bottom of the slot and not 'hanging' between the sides of the slot.
Another condition to give the string a good break angle on the bridge and to prevent the energy in the string from leaking away.
 
#8
A couple of things to try.....you can take the bridge off and make sure that it is flat..alot of bridges are warped and don't sit flat on the bass. Also, make sure the saddle screws are both touching the bridge and that the bridge is screwed down tight enough...hope it helps.
 
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#9
Good timing for this thread. I just did a search for dead string because my fairly new E string is dull sounding. I have that affliction where my skin gives off a waxy, oily substance-- contributes to my youthful glow, but it's a string killer on my guitars and basses. But since these strings are fairly new and I've not played on them much, I'll try these techniques.

thanks
 
#10
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#11
So far, the only problem I have ever had with an E string was with the Roto Sounds I had on my Geddy Clone for a short while. The E string wasn't dull or dead, it thundered! Almost 2x as loud as the rest. I lowered the pup and raised the saddle and it helped, but it still was noticeably louder than the rest.

Is it possible I had one good string (the E) and the other 3 were off? I'm sure anything is possible, but changing the strings and redoing the setup to match the new strings solved that issue.

And if ya wanna know, I put on D'Addario half rounds..love them!
 
#13
Actually, if you had read my original post you woud have read that I had tried the new strings/pickup height adjustment "a million times";)...cause thats the stock generic answer everyone always says about this problem. Nonetheless, I did fix the problem THIS time by making sure it had a better break angle as Stereo Joe suggested. Thanks guys for all the tips...I hope this helps others who run into this problem..and no, the last thing I want to do is have to buy another bridge....cause this has been a major pain in the arse for me for years.
Appreciate all the help!
elpezpr said:
Your bass is most likely in need of new strings and pickup height adjustment. But I think you just want us to convince you that you need new bridge. :D
Click to expand...
 
#14
Thundar said:
Ok Im posting this as a last ditch effort to see if anyone has found a solution for the dead/hollow E string problem..if youve ever had this nightmare, then you know exactly what Im talking about:p.
It has driven me crazy and Im at the desperation point...LOL.
All the other strings ring nicely and sound full, and then you get to the dead THUD of the hollow E string...is this ringing any bells yet?
Ive only encountered this problem on Fender style bridges, but I have read on the Rickenbacker board and the Music Man board of bassists having this same problem..to the point of selling off their bass cause they can't find the solution..and I too have had it happen numerous times, and sold off a couple myself.
First of all, it has nothing to do with the size or brand or type of string Im using cause Ive checked all that a million times...nor does it have to do with pickup height. The only time Ive ever been able to fix it was by buying a new bridge...and really I think that was just coincidence. It has never once happened to any of my Spectors, but continues to haunt me with various Fenders, G&L's, and other assorted basses (think maybe Stuart Spector is sending me a sign?;))
Anyways, Im at a loss and am open for suggestions if ya got any... bridge? saddle? nut? string tree? carrots?
Thanks!
Click to expand...

Actually I can cause that effect to happen on every bass I own right now even though it didn't have it to begin with, short or long scale.

It happens when I'm fooling around with various EQ's including parametric.

If I dial out a certain pinpoint level of low mids I can make the E string sound like it's a hollow pipe, devoid of bass tones. And it gets worse as I go up the E string on the neck.

However by adjusting it, I can restore it to it's former nice tone or a better one.

I put a set of SeyDuncs on my Yamaha P/J and the jazz pup in that was the worst offender. And these strings are Chrome flats.

So I think somehow on those Fender P E strings, a combination of factors is dialing out some of the mids. Maybe it's the resonance of the bodywood used, who knows.

Have you tried putting a "Fatfinger" on the headstock?

(Although I'm sure you've already given it another finger at this point...:cool:).
 
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#15
anecdote time

local guy had a Fender Blacktop & found out I had one, so he asked how I fixed the dead notes problem, which is what he named the problem

he went so far as buying a new neck for his bass & still had the problem

finally took it to the local luthier for a setup & the guy explained that the string wasn't wound down the capstan far enough, thus not giving a good break angle prior to the nut
and everyone lived happily ever after
 
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#16
Hi all. Sorry about resurrecting an old post, but I would like to leave my two cents for someone in the future. I had never heard about string twisting until now, and it makes sense. I had a thuddy E and found a solution that worked for me: just twist the string a couple of turns in the direction it is wound. Took me a couple of tries to find the sweet spot but the string came back to life.
My theory is that the "chorus string issue" is the opposite of the thuddy string: it has been twisted too much in the direction of its wound, so a fraction of a twist in the opposite direction should help.
 
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#18
gg69 said:
Hi all. Sorry about resurrecting an old post, but I would like to leave my two cents for someone in the future. I had never heard about string twisting until now, and it makes sense. I had a thuddy E and found a solution that worked for me: just twist the string a couple of turns in the direction it is wound. Took me a couple of tries to find the sweet spot but the string came back to life.
My theory is that the "chorus string issue" is the opposite of the thuddy string: it has been twisted too much in the direction of its wound, so a fraction of a twist in the opposite direction should help.
Click to expand...

Most string issues can be traced to a compromised install as you've pointed out. Few things that may help:

*When "rolling" the string onto the machine head post, make sure the ball-end is allowed to spin freely until it engages the anchor plate. I pull tension at ~1-4 frets.

*Adequate break angles are paramount....set your witness points!

*If unsure, slacken the string and pull the "coil" from the post. If twisted, the coil will spin one way or the other. Re-align the string, re-install, and tune to pitch. Sidenote: I've grown to dislike those bridge designs (Soundgear monorails, for example) that force the ball-end into a fixed orientation.

Riis
 
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#19
Just researching this problem for myself and I think there are a few different things that can cause this.
I am certain in my case it is the E string bridge saddle.

My reasoning;

I have 4 basses. 2 X G&L L2000, 1 X USA Fender J 5 and a Fender Frank Bello signature bass. The Bello Sig is a bit of an oddity but has some specs that appeal to me (J body, PJ pickups and P neck).

I've owned one of these Bello's twice and both have had an E string that even acoustically sounds different to the other 3 strings. Duller with a "ganky" sounding midrange and crappy sustain. And as the strings age this "tone" continues to sound worse.

I've tried different strings - nickel, steel, different gauges etc. Dr Fat Beams sounded the best but I can always hear the inherent problem and I swear it is the Badass III that comes stock on this bass. I'm feeling it may be because the E string (pre slotted by default) isn't filed deep\wide enough for your standard E string.

What are people's thoughts? I realise the Badass bridges are highly lauded, but I'm thinking I might try a different bridge with a more standard bridge saddle set up.

My other 3 basses by the way all have snappy, even sounding E strings with both the Fender USA bridge and the G&L saddle lock bridge.
 
#20
I've had the odd duff string but extremely rare.
I tend to clean strings many times over as i favour a brighter sound and change sets often.
I've had a couple of dull strings from that but a reseat of the string helps.
I think I have probably retired 2 strings over many years and since it wasn't the bass set up, I put it down to a duff string out of the pack.

If I pick up a friends bass, most of them are unplayable to me.
 

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