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Warwick - Dead spots and dense woods??

F

FireBug

Sep 18, 2005
625
2
39
Houston
#1
I recently bought a Corvette Standard Fretless and only after playing it for a couple of days did I realize that there may be a dead spot around the 11th fret G string area. The note just seems to diminish faster than all the others...even the ones in the higher register. Is this just the nature of that note on a fretless or could there be a dead spot? The woods on the neck (ovangkol and ebony fingerboard) are very dense and I was wondering how often one sees deadspots on woods as dense as these. How should I go about fixing the problem? It's not too late to take the bass back.
 
#2
Hello,

Honestly can't help you on your problem but I can say that I've got two Warwick, a Streamer jazzman V and a Corvette Hotrod LTD 5 and none of them have dead spot.
My Streamer (ovangkal neck and wenge fb) has the moste stable neck I've meet. That thing can stay perfectly set up for years without being adjusted...

Sheers
 
#3
FireBug said:
I recently bought a Corvette Standard Fretless and only after playing it for a couple of days did I realize that there may be a dead spot around the 11th fret G string area. The note just seems to diminish faster than all the others...even the ones in the higher register. Is this just the nature of that note on a fretless or could there be a dead spot? The woods on the neck (ovangkol and ebony fingerboard) are very dense and I was wondering how often one sees deadspots on woods as dense as these. How should I go about fixing the problem? It's not too late to take the bass back.
Click to expand...
Hey Firebug,
Every instrument with a neck and strings has dead spots, though usually not as severely as your instrument. It has nothing to do with the woods and it can be 'bettered' (there will still be dead spots somewere on the neck) by adjusting the neck and possibly a light sanding of the fingerboard. Though not a usual procedure, you should be able to find a luthier who can do this.
Or we could 'just' be talking about a warped neck and the Warwick product guarantee should (I think they still have one) cover it. Or we'll pay them a visit and bring our friends, the baseball bats;)
 
#6
vene-nemesis said:
Theres no luthier in the world that can fix a fender bass deadspot! however you can allways buy a groove tools fatfinger.
Click to expand...

+1.... deadspots can occur on any wood necked bass, regardless of the quality of the instrument or the type of wood, etc. I have never heard of a neck adjustment or any other 'set-up' tweak that impacts a dead spot in any way, although I have heard some people have luck with the 'fat finger' sort of headstock weight/

The first thing I do when I evaluate a bass for potential purchase is playe long, ringing notes up the G string from the 2nd or 3rd fret to around the 6th fret or so. There will almost always be some sort of inconsistency in the sustain of the fundamental note, but usually it's very minor. If it is serious, I will not purchase the instrument.
 
#7
Very import to determine if this is indeed a dead spot or the note is not ringing because of an uneven finger board. If the finger board is not completely even, notes will choke and die. Fretless is especially sensative to this. That's different than an area where there is no resonance in the wood. The uneven fingerboard can be fixed that later can not. If it's new, ditch it. Bring it back and get a different bass. If it's used, get a luthier to determine what's going on and replane the fingerboard if it's uneven.

I would be surprised to hear an instrument the quality of a Warwick had that bad a dead spot. 1976 Fender...happenend all the time. But anything is possible.
 
#8
KJung said:
The first thing I do when I evaluate a bass for potential purchase is playe long, ringing notes up the G string from the 2nd or 3rd fret to around the 6th fret or so. There will almost always be some sort of inconsistency in the sustain of the fundamental note, but usually it's very minor. If it is serious, I will not purchase the instrument.
Click to expand...

very good approach mate. and yes it's usually always on the G between the 3rd and 9th fret.. although I played a CIJ P-Bass with a nasty one on the F# (second fret on the E string!!!)..

best actually test the entire neck.. only takes a minute longer!
 
#9
KJung said:
+1.... deadspots can occur on any wood necked bass, regardless of the quality of the instrument or the type of wood, etc. I have never heard of a neck adjustment or any other 'set-up' tweak that impacts a dead spot in any way, although I have heard some people have luck with the 'fat finger' sort of headstock weight/

The first thing I do when I evaluate a bass for potential purchase is playe long, ringing notes up the G string from the 2nd or 3rd fret to around the 6th fret or so. There will almost always be some sort of inconsistency in the sustain of the fundamental note, but usually it's very minor. If it is serious, I will not purchase the instrument.
Click to expand...

+1. Every instrument (except MAYBE graphites) have deadspots. The only question is how severe and if you can hear it.

I've never heard of a setup getting rid of one either. That can alleviate a note "fretting out" but it won't take away a dead spot.

Fat Fingers don't get rid of them either....just move them around depending on where you place it and how hard you clamp it.

Every bass I buy I play un-plugged for this very reason.
 
#10
I have an Alembic Spoiler bass that has a very irritating C anywhere on the neck. It dies much more quickly that any other note. But I only notice it while I'm playing alone and playing long, sustained notes. I generally forget about it any time I'm playing any gigs..., it's just never an issue. Maybe it's not as bad as what you're refering too? But for all around playing I really don't notice it. Sometimes just knowing it's there bothers me though! :/
 
#12
I only really notice it on my sealed box/no tweeter practice amp. The note just doesn't lat as long as the others, but it does seem to last longer on my Goliath III. It is still noticeable though. I guess just go back to Guitar Center and have them order in a new bass? I spent a lot of time checking out this one and I'll definitely spend more time checking out th next one. I guess I didn't notice it at GC because the setup on it was "none-too-good" to say the least. I did a complete setup and only then noticed it. By the way, Tribal, your site is awesome!
 
#13
I agree that likely the problem can be sorted out by a luthier, but if he works on your bass and doesn't fix your problem you may not be able to take it back (voided warranty if the luthier sands or plans the fretboard?). I'm not sure so definitely ask Guitar Center first. I would take simply it back, personally. The return policy is one of the few good reasons to shop at GC, right? Plus, in my mind it's better to be patient and get a better bass.

Good luck!
 
#16
Dead spots are common it seems, especially on the G string. My Fender Jazz had one, guess every bass I've owned had one somewhere. Bass players always talk about them, but no one has ever explained to me what causes a dead spot.

Seems to me if bass manufacturers knew the cause, they'd do somethiing about it. Well, maybe they don't care.
 
#17
Someone can correct me if they can explain it better, but here goes: a dead spot is caused by the differing non uniform densities in the wood of a neck. You'll find a note on a neck that doesn't resonate as well / sound as loudly as others due to a 'dead spot' where the non uniform density doesn't transfer the sound down / across the neck, and thusly chokes the note. The reason graphite necks have no dead spots is that they are engineered to be uniform in density on the entire neck.
 

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