Dead bass sound on E string

B

branded

New member
Hi.
I have a Yamaha RBX 200 bass. When I put new strings
on it, the E string still sounded dead but the other 3
sounded fine. Iv'e put several sets of strings on it and it's
the same thing, so I think it's somthing to do with the bass
itself. Does anyone know what can be causing this?

Thanks.
 
Branded,it sounds to me like the nut is pinching the E string.
Loosen the string and use an emory board to widen the string
groove thru the nut.Dont go crazy with it,just a little should fix
you up.
 
branded said:
Hi.
I have a Yamaha RBX 200 bass. When I put new strings
on it, the E string still sounded dead but the other 3
sounded fine. Iv'e put several sets of strings on it and it's
the same thing, so I think it's somthing to do with the bass
itself. Does anyone know what can be causing this?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
Pluck the string and look to see if the string is hitting a pickup, fret, or something.
 
Take it to a good repair person. There are about thirty different things which could be causing this problem, and without actually looking at the instrument, NO ONE is going to be able to help you. Do not mess with the nut, or anything else, until you have had it evaluated by some one who knows what they are doing. We can usually find the cause for things like this in just a few minutes, but if you start messing with things (like the nut), we have to fix what you did first.

A nut should never be touched by an emery board. It takes specialized files to adjust a nut properly, if that is even the problem.

Take it to a good repair person.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
lysis said:
the best way to fix it involves a hammer, a saw, and some roofing nails.
Click to expand...

Railroad spikes work better (it only takes one).

:o :o :o :o :D :D :D :D


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Light said:

It takes specialized files to adjust a nut properly, if that is even the problem.

Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
Click to expand...
No it doesnt.I've been doing this to my guits for years,and I
have never damaged one.
 
SHEPPARDB. said:
No it doesnt.I've been doing this to my guits for years,and I
have never damaged one.
Click to expand...

Yes, it does. I have seen what people do to their guitars with the wrong tools, and it always at least doubles the cost of doing the repair right, as we need to fix their mistakes. You can not do nut adjustments properly with out the right tools, period. You will either mess up the spacing, or you will make a V shaped grove, or you will cut the slot too deep.

Nut adjustment is a very particular thing, and very few people seem to be any good at it, from what I have seen. This, more than any other single thing, is what separates a good shop from a mediocre shop. There is not a factory in the world which ships guitars with a properly adjusted nut, and I promise you it is not possible to do it with an emery board. If you doubt me, you have never had your guitar setup by a professional, and you don't know what you are missing.

Contrary to just about everything else on the guitar, there is only one proper nut adjustment. Nut adjustment is a big deal, and getting it wrong will cause either buzzing of the open strings, or poor intonation in the first position. The only exception to this is if you are using a guitar primarily as a slide guitar, in which case it needs to be a bit high.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
And by the way, that dead E string could just as easily be from a nut slot that is too sloppy as one which is too tight. This means that making the slot wider would only make the problem worse. In either case, it would only be an issue on the open note. I got the impression this was not the case.

Take it to a good repair shop.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
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