USA pbass E string quiet

[Ralph Nimbin]

Hi, just updated to a USA pbass from my squier pbass and not seeing much improvement. In fact the Squier (with a vintage usa pup fitted) seems to have a more consistent tone, although the usa pbass does have some very satisfying sweet spots.

The main issue is on the E string. It lacks punch and volume. Have tried different strings and pickup heights without much success. Strangely, there seems to be a tonal deadspot when i fret A on the fifth fret, the note is quiet and muffled. Its not fret buzz or string height, no matter what i try the A is always quiet.

Still loving the Squier, not sure what to try next with the USA pbass. Any advice / comments would be very welcome.

 

[wvbass]

IMO, the P-bass is a pretty basic design. A good P bass is a good P bass, regardless of brand/price. Some P basses do sound a little dead/quieter on the E string, and I am not sure why. If there is going to be a dead spot on the E string, I have found that the fifth fret is where it will happen.

Try a minor truss rod adjustment. Just a little one; you don't want to wreck the playability. I have found that, unlike D and G string dead spots, I can pretty much correct an E string dead spot with a little truss rod tweak. Maybe you will have the same luck I did.

 

[Perfessor]

The neck and body wood are absorbing the tones in those frequencies instead of resonating them. It's owing to the 34" string length and other factors like where the headstock hardware is and the density of the wood. It's unusual to have a dead spot on the E string. They are usually on the G string at the 5th fret. Leo Fender said that if you put 3oz. of weight on the headstock it eliminates the lack of resonance at certain frequencies. Try putting one of those headstock mounted tuners on and see if that makes a difference.

 

[SirMjac28]

I use a fat finger for dead spots and what strings are you using?

 

[klokker]

My Fender USA Pbass doesn't have that issue. But I did have a 5 string bass that had a similar problem with the low B string. It's true that a truss rod adjustment can change things a bit. I couldn't make the head stock weight thing work, although you see players that use weights and it works for them. What worked the best for me was a couple of things. The first was going to a tapered string. That cleared things up right away. The other thing that helped was making sure that my neck bolts weren't too tight. Bolt them so the head stock is secure to the body with no spaces anywhere and no more. Just snug and no more.