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What causes the ringing?

Jay2U

Jay2U

Not as bad as he lóòks
Dec 7, 2010
5,988
11,569
22 ft below sea level
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#1
For a year now, I play an Ibanez GSR200EX. A beginner's bass, I guess. During a visit at the local music shop I discovered that a standard Fender P-bass suffers substantially less from ringing strings than the Ibanez. Just to make sure, I double checked this with an Ibanez GSR200 which was also available there. It is not a matter of strings, as I tried almost every type of string available: flat- ground, and roundwounds of different make and size. The P-bass is just a lot more silent. Question: Why does one bass ring a lot more than the other?
 
#2
do you mean strings rattling? that can usually be attributed to the bass's setup... string or saddle height possibly, or the neck might need adjustment. it could also mean the fretwork is uneven to the point that a certain fret will always rattle.

if you mean like a high pitched ringing sound, when you play the string unplugged, it can sometime come from the bridge itself. I have an SX precision bass which would, for some reason, cause a high harmonic ringing sound whenever i played. eventually I replaced the bridge and the problem was solved.

if it's something that is happening only when you're plugged into an amp, and does not happen when playing unplugged, it could be related to the pickups or preamp.
 
#3
Thanks "ishouldbeking". It's no rattling. It's always present, also unplugged. The E-string is most affected. Playing a flagiolet above fret 7 on the A-string causes the E-string to ring as loud as the A-string. Playing a flagiolet on the 7 th fret on the D-string doesn't have this dramatic effect on the A-string. Between G and D there is some effect, but not dramatic.
 
#5
Weird, not sure what's causing it. I'd guess either the bridge or the nut, but I could be mistaken. You might try to make it ring, then experiment by damping the string with your finger in various places and see what causes it to stop ranging. For example, play a note and cause the ringing sound, and see if pressing the string down behind the nut (between the nut and tuner) will cause it to stop. Also try pressing down behind the bridge saddles. If you can narrow it down to the source, you can get a better idea of what needs to be fixed or replaced.
 
#8
I'm a bass noob but I think we're talking about "sympathetic vibration". The strings want to vibrate. If you pluck the G string, the other strings will start vibrating too unless you mute them. The unmuted strings can pick up vibration even out of the air and start resonating.
 
#9
Right. And a P bass will do it less, especially if the tone knob is turned to reduce the treble.

Once in a while I get a "string ring" even when I mute the string. But when your playing its unnoticable, especially in a band situation.
 
#10
A little piece of foam down by the bridge will eliminate that . Will take out your sustain too .

I remember back when it was considered a good thing and people would change to a brass nut and a high density bridge .

Almost all of those instruments seem to be stock now ....
 
#11
msb said:
I think Rocky might have it . This might be a technique issue . How hard do you hit the strings when you play ?
Click to expand...

Good call, this could very well be the issue. Usually I mute the strings I'm not playing with my left hand, and depending on the part -- like if it requires me to really dig in on the A string -- i'll even use my thumb to mute the E string. you could work on being more controlled and precised with your picking/plucking hand, and work on your left-hand muting technique. It's all second nature to me now, but it took some getting used to when I was starting out.
 
#12
on some (often inexpensive , but not always) instruments,
the bass itself resonates/rattles with the strings . i've heard
it come from cheapish tuning machines,where everything wasn't put together securely.

truss rods can rattle inside neck cavities , neck joints can
buzz too . even pickguards and pickups must be solidly
fastened or damped . don't forget controls and knobs too!

a stethescope might help to find your demons(sold at auto/tool/hardware stores for isolating engine noises in cars.

good luck.
 
#13
I actually have a problem similar to this (i think)

The low B string on my sr506 is just an absolute pain to mute at times. It seems like whenever I play a note and then mute it a harmonic just always seems to ring out even when i mute the string with both hands.
 
#16
Epitaph04 said:
I actually have a problem similar to this (i think)

The low B string on my sr506 is just an absolute pain to mute at times. It seems like whenever I play a note and then mute it a harmonic just always seems to ring out even when i mute the string with both hands.
Click to expand...

I'm not a super bass player or anything, but I play a lot and that has happened to me a few times. It could be another string resonating as well. I think its just a part of playing bass. As long as you're muting your other strings, it should sound good anyway.
 
#18
klokker said:
I'm not a super bass player or anything, but I play a lot and that has happened to me a few times. It could be another string resonating as well. I think its just a part of playing bass. As long as you're muting your other strings, it should sound good anyway.
Click to expand...

I've actually held both my left and right hands over all 6 strings and I STILL hear it ringing. Blah!
 

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