What the - ?

[NKUSigEp]

In those two years I've been practicing as well
I think that started when I changed my strings.

Clarify - is it sort of a vibrating sound? If it is, that on top of the fact you say it happened after you changed your strings and it happens on open notes leads me to think that you just need to put a few more windings on your A-string next time.

It's a problem pretty common to all Fenders - where there's not enough downward pressure on the nut from being so high up on the tuning peg, which causes the string to vibrate in the seat.

 

[tZer]

If he has only changed the strings once in 2 years it may be safe to assume he has also not had the instrument set up properly. The 'fuss' could be anything from loose hardware to fret buzz to some sort of electronic hum.

I think we need more description of the 'fuss'. Do you hear it when you are not playing at all (is it electronic in nature?)?

Do you hear it when you play any other string? Are you sure it's coming from the A string and not the saddle or the tuning machines?

I'd mute.

 

[NKUSigEp]

If he has only changed the strings once in 2 years it may be safe to assume he has also not had the instrument set up properly. The 'fuss' could be anything from loose hardware to fret buzz to some sort of electronic hum.

I think we need more description of the 'fuss'. Do you hear it when you are not playing at all (is it electronic in nature?)?

Do you hear it when you play any other string? Are you sure it's coming from the A string and not the saddle or the tuning machines?

+1 - Start learning the definitions and usages of words like buzz, hum, thud, clang, and other onomonopaeia as such.

 

[Rumblin' Man]

+1 - Start learning the definitions and usages of words like buzz, hum, thud, clang, and other onomonopaeia as such.

Do you mean onomatopoeia?

 

[Matthew Bryson]

And I'm sure I'm not the only bass player that doesn't mute the strings.

I remember when I had just learned to play a bit, and I was having some sort of tone problem and posted a thread about it here at TB. It came to light that I had to learn to mute. It was kind of a new concept to me and I was actually bit upset - it sounded hard and I didn't want to learn yet another thing. I'd just learned so much. I was in denial and thought "surely not all bass players are muting all of the strings that are not being played…" I eventually came to realize that I had to learn to mute. Yes, everybody else is muting the strings that aren't being played. It's not that hard. Everybody mutes - you just can't tell by watching them. Learn to mute. You'll be glad you did.

 

[NKUSigEp]

I remember when I had just learned to play a bit, and I was having some sort of tone problem and posted a thread about it here at TB. It came to light that I had to learn to mute. It was kind of a new concept to me and I was actually bit upset - it sounded hard and I didn't want to learn yet another thing. I'd just learned so much. I was in denial and thought "surely not all bass players are muting all of the strings that are not being played…" I eventually came to realize that I had to learn to mute. Yes, everybody else is muting the strings that aren't being played. It's not that hard. Everybody mutes - you just can't tell by watching them. Learn to mute. You'll be glad you did.

It's like "Everybody Poops"!!!!

Do you mean onomatopoeia?

Yup...thanks for the correction! For the past 12 years or however long it has been, I have been saying and spelling that incorrectly - the sad thing is NO ONE has ever pointed it out to me so I guess they got it wrong too! LOL

 

[shostkontrabass]

Do I sense this turning into the "I think you should just replace the battery" thread? (as in: try muting your strings. I think muting would be good. Don't listen to these other guys, just mute your strings, et cetera.....)

 

[Marcury]

When you changed strings, did the guages change. it could be your nut.

 

[embellisher]

You said it was right after you changed the strings. Bingo.

Your new strings, being new, produce much more high frequency content, therefore allowing the harmonic induced on the A string to be much more audible.

Solution is still the same --> mute the unused strings.

Exactly. New strings produce more high frequency content. This is a technique issue. Muting needs to become an intuitive thing, second nature.

I used to wonder how other players played slap so cleanly, when all I got was a bunch of noise.

One day I was watching a friend of mine play a cool slap line. I stopped him and said 'Jeff, where did you learn to mute like that?' and he said 'Like what?' It came naturally to him, and he didn't even think about it.

It took me a couple of years, but eventually muting became 'automatic' for me as well, and my playing became much cleaner.

 

[JimmyM]

Clarify - is it sort of a vibrating sound? If it is, that on top of the fact you say it happened after you changed your strings and it happens on open notes leads me to think that you just need to put a few more windings on your A-string next time.

It's a problem pretty common to all Fenders - where there's not enough downward pressure on the nut from being so high up on the tuning peg, which causes the string to vibrate in the seat.

If that's the case, then we solved two problems for him...put extra windings on the A so there's more downward pressure, and mute the dang strings!

 

[ehque]

Actually the 3rd harmonic of the E string is a B. None of the harmonics produced by the E string is an A. However the 3rd harmonic of the A string is E, so perhaps the fundamental of the E string is exciting the A string that way, but I really don't think that's going to be a very powerful connection.

The 2nd harmonic of the E string is the same pitch as the 3rd harmonic of the A string, i think that's where its coming from.

To the OP - Try one of those scrunchies if you dont want to learn muting, but you really should.

 

[Reverie]

The question:

I know what the problem is. The question is: Why did the S.V. climb at such high volume level all of a sudden?

If it happened right after changing strings, could be that the new strings are considerably more "live" and therefore are producing more harmonics. If that's the case, the problem may disappear as the strings age.

You said it was right after you changed the strings. Bingo.

Your new strings, being new, produce much more high frequency content, therefore allowing the harmonic induced on the A string to be much more audible.

Solution is still the same --> mute the unused strings.

When you changed strings, did the guages change. it could be your nut.

Clarify - is it sort of a vibrating sound? If it is, that on top of the fact you say it happened after you changed your strings and it happens on open notes leads me to think that you just need to put a few more windings on your A-string next time.

It's a problem pretty common to all Fenders - where there's not enough downward pressure on the nut from being so high up on the tuning peg, which causes the string to vibrate in the seat.

and about a thousand "learn to mute or else you will die" posts.
....

If he has only changed the strings once in 2 years it may be safe to assume he has also not had the instrument set up properly. The 'fuss' could be anything from loose hardware to fret buzz to some sort of electronic hum.

I think we need more description of the 'fuss'. Do you hear it when you are not playing at all (is it electronic in nature?)?

Do you hear it when you play any other string? Are you sure it's coming from the A string and not the saddle or the tuning machines?

I'd mute.

I'm changing my Elixirs every month, you might be correct about the setup though. There aren't any technicians here where I live. Fret buzz? Electronic hum? I'm not that unfamiliar (or infamiliar? ) with the instrument
As for the fuss, I apologise, I'm not a native English speaker that's the best description I can give. Actually, I used "fuss" because the harmonic note produced by the A string was making the notes of the E string sound very muddy. And what do you mean "it might be coming from the saddles or the tuning machines"? I think you are asking the same thing I am.

I repeat, I never mute (until now at least, I've started practicing it), and I've never experienced this phenomenum before.

Anyway, thanks for the help.

 

[embellisher]

Does the muting make the buzz go away?

 

[Reverie]

Not yet. I need hours of practice hehe

...and a good setup!
(i insist )