My bass sucks

[TelePaul]

It does. It really does.I'm having a problem with the action...it buzzes like a sono'bitch at the 8th fret on the E string. The other frets and strings seem fine, though I've raised the action a bit because I thought this was causing the problem. It's like, 4/5 years old, and the strings havn't been changed in 2 years +.

And it doesn't have a truss rod that is adjustable by allen key, you have to use a torc wrench (I think that's what it is).

But any ideas what's causing the buzzing?

[Nakatira]

First of I would try changing the strings, jsut so that it is done.

Then I would try locating the buzz as you have done, use som fine sand paper and "brush" the fret below the the buzz.
They have certain tools for this, but I`ve used sandpaper as it was in hand.

Btw try adjustin the brigde, maybe you could highten it seperatly.


Thats my 2cents anyway

[TelePaul]

Originally Posted by Nakatira

First of I would try changing the strings, jsut so that it is done.

Then I would try locating the buzz as you have done, use som fine sand paper and "brush" the fret below the the buzz.
They have certain tools for this, but I`ve used sandpaper as it was in hand.

Btw try adjustin the brigde, maybe you could highten it seperatly.


Thats my 2cents anyway

UGH I hate basses!! Yeah you're right about new strings. I'll muck about with raising or lowering the strings at the bridge then.

[travelin travis]

have you checked the neck relief? maybe a fret is just a bit high/low. do you have something to check electrical continuity with? there's cool trick for finding a buzzing fret using a continuity tester.

[TelePaul]

Originally Posted by TravisinFlorida

have you checked the neck relief? maybe a fret is just a bit high/low. do you have something to check electrical continuity with? there's cool trick for finding a buzzing fret using a continuity tester.

No I don't really have anything like that.....see I don't think it's an action problem because its one fret on one string. It was a cheap bass to start so I'm reluctant to spend much money on a fix.

[lbanks]

What kind is it?

[sajs]

Originally Posted by TravisinFlorida

have you checked the neck relief? maybe a fret is just a bit high/low. do you have something to check electrical continuity with? there's cool trick for finding a buzzing fret using a continuity tester.

Please explain.

[TelePaul]

Originally Posted by lbanks

What kind is it?

It's a Tansen.

[cephus]

No, my bass sucks. It's a no-name short scale jazz bass copy. A couple polepieces dropped out of one of the pickups. It had been hiding in the crawl space and I got it out to record something a while back. It was buzzing super bad. I took off the cover plate and the thing had no ground wire to the output jack. Not that it had come disconnected. It was not there. It either was never there or it evaporated. I have no idea if guitar electronics would even work like that. Maybe it was all suuposed to be grounded to the control plate.

While I was digging through pieces parts looking for things for my floyd guitar, I found the chrome pickup cover things for the jizz bass. I am going to throw $75 at it and get a bridge and pickups maybe and see if I can get it to work again.

By the way, who the hell replaces bass strings? I thought they lasted the lifetime of the guitar?

[lbanks]

Not familiar with the brand... dump it!

Bass strings, ah, a sticky subject. If the bass get a a lot of play, strings may last from 2-6 months, if roundwounds. Flats last until they break. Of course I may be wrong...

[travelin travis]

Originally Posted by sajs

Please explain.

I think I read it at frets.com. I tried it and it works well. Take a continuity tester and attach an alligator clip to one of the leads. Place the alligator clip on the end of the suspect fret but out of the way and not touching any of the strings. Attach the other lead of the continuity tester to one of the guitar's metal saddles. Play the string at the problem area. If the string is buzzing on the fret that you have the alligator lead on, the tester will light up or buzz, depending on your tester. My vom emits a tone when continuity is made. I haven't tried it on an acoustic but I'm sure you could just attach the alligator clip to the string. If continuity isn't made, move up or down a fret.

[muttley600]

If its buzzing on only one string at one fret you have one of two problems. A low fret, in this case the eighth fret or a high fret above that most likely the ninth or tenth fret. You can check a few things very easily before you play with the truss rod or bridge setup.

Take a small 6" steel rule or similar short straight edge and rest it on the suspected fret it will rock on any high spots and from that you can identify which fret is high. To find a low spot on the fret you do the same thing but sight under the ruler for any signs of a gap. In you case a rest the straight edge from the seventh fret up to the ninth and tenth fret. A credit card is good for this as a longer ruler will show the neck relief not the low fret. I use a cabinet scraper but any short straight edge will do even a Stanley blade if it spans three frets. Whatever you use make sure its dead level. Keep checking around the suspected area until you have a good picture in your mind of which frets are low and where

Once you have identified your problem let us know and we'll talk about the best way to fix it. With any luck its a high fret as this is much easier to fix. The fret has either risen from its slot or needs a bit of dressing to get it level either way you can do it with some simple tools and a bit of care. low frets need a bit more attention depending on how many and how severe.

[tarnationsauce2]

How to set up a bass: http://www.weedhopper.org/Bass_Guitar_Setup.asp

[32-20-Blues]

Originally Posted by lbanks

Not familiar with the brand... dump it!

They're a European 'copy' brand (although the bass in question appears to be an original design); they're fairly widespread in Ireland at least.

The problem with this bass is that it has the most goddamn ridiculous method of truss rod adjustment I have ever seen. Furthermore, no tool is supplied with the bass to adjust it. Therefore, it needs a torque wrench that a mechanic might use to fix neck relief, whatever.

I dropped it into a local guitar shop about two years ago, and they couldn't do anything with it, not having an appropriate tool to adjust the neck. Furthermore, they changed the strings, tuned the thing, and then tried to bill me for a full set-up.

Fuck them, I decided, and I took my bass home. I performed a basic set up, and the thing did play quite well. (My 'set up' involved locating a tool that could be used to adjust the truss rod, intonating the instrument, saddle height, etc - very basic, nothing fancy, but after a couple of careful hours, the thing did play).

Now, I should probably point out at this stage that neither myself or TelePaul have much experience with the bass as an instrment. Furthermore, I fully believe that a bass, like an acoustic, will never have the same action as an electric - obviously. And I should also point out that buzzing can depend, to an extent, on the touch of the player; suffice to say (and TelePaul may not like me for this) the bass doesn't buzz when I play it.

In short, I'm not gonna dump this guitar - it's a fine bass for what we use it for; although it is admittedly poorly designed, it does, with due attention, play well. I'm going to have a look at the frets tonight.

On a related note, Muttley, does it piss you off no-end when people expect their acoustics to play like electrics? Now I could be wrong, but I have always believed that an acoustic guitar, in order to strike the optimum balance between sound quality and playability, will have an action that requires a reasonable amount of 'work' to play on. Ditto the bass - it's never gonna be an shredding machine.

[travelin travis]

Originally Posted by 32-20-Blues

I have always believed that an acoustic guitar, in order to strike the optimum balance between sound quality and playability, will have an action that requires a reasonable amount of 'work' to play on. Ditto the bass - it's never gonna be an shredding machine.

i've played a few basses and acoustic guitars with pretty low action. i think it depends on the instrument and the player. i like slightly high action on all my guitars.

[notCardio]

Is it an SX?

If so, I might be interested in it.

What color?

[muttley600]

Originally Posted by 32-20-Blues

They're a European 'copy' brand (although the bass in question appears to be an original design); they're fairly widespread in Ireland at least.

The problem with this bass is that it has the most goddamn ridiculous method of truss rod adjustment I have ever seen. Furthermore, no tool is supplied with the bass to adjust it. Therefore, it needs a torque wrench that a mechanic might use to fix neck relief, whatever.

I dropped it into a local guitar shop about two years ago, and they couldn't do anything with it, not having an appropriate tool to adjust the neck. Furthermore, they changed the strings, tuned the thing, and then tried to bill me for a full set-up.

Fuck them, I decided, and I took my bass home. I performed a basic set up, and the thing did play quite well. (My 'set up' involved locating a tool that could be used to adjust the truss rod, intonating the instrument, saddle height, etc - very basic, nothing fancy, but after a couple of careful hours, the thing did play).

Now, I should probably point out at this stage that neither myself or TelePaul have much experience with the bass as an instrment. Furthermore, I fully believe that a bass, like an acoustic, will never have the same action as an electric - obviously. And I should also point out that buzzing can depend, to an extent, on the touch of the player; suffice to say (and TelePaul may not like me for this) the bass doesn't buzz when I play it.

In short, I'm not gonna dump this guitar - it's a fine bass for what we use it for; although it is admittedly poorly designed, it does, with due attention, play well. I'm going to have a look at the frets tonight.

On a related note, Muttley, does it piss you off no-end when people expect their acoustics to play like electrics? Now I could be wrong, but I have always believed that an acoustic guitar, in order to strike the optimum balance between sound quality and playability, will have an action that requires a reasonable amount of 'work' to play on. Ditto the bass - it's never gonna be an shredding machine.

I think Tansen are Indian in origin, could be wrong but they used to be. They used to do OEM work for quite a few big names as well. Others may be better informed on that one.

As to the buzzing. You most likely have a lighter touch than Telepaul if it works for you. None the less it is most likely fixable especially if you can play it without buzzing it means it aint that bad.

As to guys who want an electric setup on an acoustic I show em the door Two entirely different beasts. Yes you do need heavier strings and higher action on an acoustic to get the best from it. Its all about how the sound is produced. An electric you hear the output from the pick up which only detects the vibration of the string. The nature of the vibration is coloured by everything from the timber to the type and position of the pickup. But in basic terms you only hear the string. With an acoustic you hear the sound from the belly of the instrument as the string passes energy to the bridge and pumps air from the top. You need a lot more string energy to move the bridge on an acoustic. slinky strings on an acoustic and there aint enough energy in them to do the guitar justice. Acoustically acoustics are way more complex than electrics and electrics are complex enough. They both have there challenges but are really not the same thing regarding the way they produce a good sound.

[TelePaul]

Had a look at it...it buzzes for 32-20 as well. I tried your thing muttley but couldn't see any discernible difference in fret height - granted, the ruler I used was a plastic one I use for cutting paper straight

However, from looking carefully at the bass, it seemed the string was making contact with the fifth fret when you fret and play the eight fret.

[muttley600]

Originally Posted by TelePaul

Had a look at it...it buzzes for 32-20 as well. I tried your thing muttley but couldn't see any discernible difference in fret height - granted, the ruler I used was a plastic one I use for cutting paper straight

However, from looking carefully at the bass, it seemed the string was making contact with the fifth fret when you fret and play the eight fret.

OK try fretting the eighth fret and the fifth fret at the same time, does it still buzz? If the fifth fret is the cause then you have a sympathetic resonance setting the string into motion behind the eight fret. You can check this by detuning it by a whole tone and the buzz should stop. Somehow I doubt it but its worth a try. Still think you have a high fret Other possible causes would be the break angle at the bridge, unlikely or another form of sympathetic resonance such as a loose truss rod pickup cover or any other fitting for that matter. These if they are loose can start vibrating once the string vibrates at a certain frequency. You literally have to put your finger on it to find it.

Does the buzz sound like its coming from the fret? Hard to describe a buzz I know and they can be hard to pin down sometimes. If you have ruled out the frets start by making it buzz and press on each fitting to try and pin down something that could be rattleing or buzzing.

[travelin travis]

Originally Posted by TelePaul

Had a look at it...it buzzes for 32-20 as well. I tried your thing muttley but couldn't see any discernible difference in fret height - granted, the ruler I used was a plastic one I use for cutting paper straight

However, from looking carefully at the bass, it seemed the string was making contact with the fifth fret when you fret and play the eight fret.

Use a continuity tester (they're cheap to buy or easy to make yourself).

[TelePaul]

Originally Posted by TravisinFlorida

Use a continuity tester (they're cheap to buy or easy to make yourself).

What is it? Like...a fret-height tester or some such?