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Thin-sounding G-string...any cure?

adouglas

adouglas

Jun 23, 2003
555
3
Bridgeport, CT
www.recumbents.com
#1
Every bass I've ever played had a wimpy, thin-sounding G string. It's not so bad in the upper registers, but down low it really annoys me.

Anybody have any suggestions for getting a beefier tone? Perhaps using a heavier-than-normal string for the G? I know guitar players often make up their own sets using non-standard gauges.
 
#2
adouglas said:
Every bass I've ever played had a wimpy, thin-sounding G string. It's not so bad in the upper registers, but down low it really annoys me.

Anybody have any suggestions for getting a beefier tone? Perhaps using a heavier-than-normal string for the G? I know guitar players often make up their own sets using non-standard gauges.
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I use Rotosound FM66'ers (30-90) on my warwick, and they don't sound thin at all. I think it has to do with your pickups and wood. I had an Ibanez EDB600 previously, and the G and D sounded so thin, twangy, and just plain bad.
 
#4
Personally, I don't find a "beefy" G on any bass. You can buy a set of flatwounds in large gauge and add the flatwound G to your roundwounds. Plus, lowering your pup(s) towards the G can round it out some.

Passive pickups are a nice way to go. I used to have a pre-CBS Precision that had a very full-sounding pup at the G end. But when slap came around and became so popular, people loved the brilliance of a roundwound G.

A fine graphic equalizer could help a lot.
 
#5
Whafrodamus said:
I use Rotosound FM66'ers (30-90) on my warwick, and they don't sound thin at all. I think it has to do with your pickups and wood.
Click to expand...

Steinberger XL2: Thin and wimpy, no matter which strings (LaBellas, SITs, etc.). EMG pickups.
Carvin LB75A, stock pups and electronics: Thin and wimpy.
Same bass, with Bartolinis and an Aguilar OBP-3: Thin and wimpy.

This seems to be a universal characteristic as far as I can tell. I can't imagine that those basses and electronics, as different as they are, share the same trait by random chance.

When I say "thin and wimpy" I mean specifically that the tone when playing, say, an A at the 2nd fret on the G string is much thinner and more trebly than playing the same note on the D string (7th fret) or the 12-th fret octave on the A string. Do you not find this to be the case?
 
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#8
A lot of shop setup their basses (or dont in the case of many) ...necks and stuff like that but one thing they forget to do is.. once uve alterned the neck and things you have to alter the pickup height as this is also a fundemental part of the basses tone...if its to0o far from the strings you will lose attack and clarity..

If you G String is sounding thing i suggest it probably down to (just a lilttel) the pickups height..

or maybe what i said is all cobblers..!! :P
 
#11
IME, thin tone from the G string is often a result of scooping mids to get a clear tone from the low strings (note that some bass amps/pedals/etc are scooped even when set "flat"). Restoring/boosting mids somewhere in the 150-300Hz range should provide punch and phatness to the G string.

Use gentle boost if possible... and if you have a full parametric, don't use too narrow of a Q... or else frequency response in the lower register might become uneven.
 
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#15
mgood said:
Or just play higher up the neck so that G through about C are played on the D string. I avoid the far end of the fretboard anyway because I'm basically lazy and don't like the stretches. Got a five-string so I can move everything up a few frets and over one string. :smug:
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You can do this without having a fifth string: tune yer four-banger B-E-A-D!
 
#17
I have a 57 P reissue and bought Fatfinger because the G seemed to disappear (my teacher calls frettign the string the Dead C).
I think it works. I didnt A-B it, really. But it seems to work through the amp, even with out it. Maybe it's pyschological but im keeping it.
 
#20
Schwinn said:
Use heavy gauge strings. That helps cure the problem for me. Lately though, heavy gauge G strings are not really good for popping...I like a thin trebly string for bite when I pop.
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Funny you should mention that. I use 40 - 95's on my 4 banger and the G string is so strong and loud. Especially when slapping/pooping or whatever you wanna call it. Maybe I just got lucky, you know, good pick ups, killer bass, etc...
 

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