• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Thunderbird Club

#208,862
Nothing like some live music on a Saturday, especially if the bassist is slapping the upright.

ABE1124E-1FFC-4BD6-ACB2-DC2C584EC6E6.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: MCF, Engle, PillO and 2 others
#208,863
Gaolee said:
That is exactly the spot. C or C#. It has notably less sustain than the notes around it. It can be dialed out up to a point.
Click to expand...
It’s pretty typical and from my experience much more pronounced in the Fender world, to the point that they even have an accessory called a “fat finger” that helps compensate for it…
Fender Fatfinger Guitar Sustain Enhancer

You could put one on a bird but there is something you can try first to see if you have the same issue.

On a Gibson Tbird - put several layers of masking or painters tape on the front and back of your headstock to protect the finish. Then clamp a small C clamp (one that weighs less than a quarter pound) to your headstock. Now play the same note. The weak note should have shifted to a different fret or maybe even went away. If it went away then the solution would be to add or remove weight to the neck permanently with either a fat finger or weights or possibly one or more heavier tuners.

Or do like most people and just live with it. Unless you have a solo using that spot on the neck you’ll never hear the difference in a mix.

on a related note - this brings up an evil thought that I’ve had in the past. If I had the talent to write music I’d come up with a bass line solo that calls for loud sustained notes but relies heavily on the typical fender dead spot area of the neck. Imagine the frustration it would cause in the Fender world if they couldn’t play the song. Pure evil.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: MCF, RedVee, PillO and 1 other person
#208,866
GBassNorth said:
I’ve yet to find a 34” scale bass that doesn’t have at least one weak spot, usually on the G string around the 5th fret. I’d call it a weak spot if the fundamental note doesn’t sustain as long as the other notes one or two frets up and down from that note.

That said, I’ve run into a couple of Fender basses where it’s beyond weak, the fundamental note drops out in less than a second, I’d call that a dead spot. I don’t recall any of my Tbirds having that problem, although I don’t recall testing the BlingBird for it and it does have a Fender neck. I’ll have to check that one today.

I also haven’t noticed any weak or dead spots on my short scale basses FWIW.
Click to expand...
Update: just checked out the BlingBird (recall it has a Fender P bass neck). I guess I got lucky, no noticeable dead spots and nothing too weak either. Wonder if it’s because I reshaped the headstock, or used ultralight tuners or possibly the Hipshot string tree. In any case I’m happy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MCF, RedVee, Miles_ONeal and 4 others

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back