bass string clicking

  • Thread starter Thread starter philcan
  • Start date Start date
I raised the sadles on those strings a little & the clicking went away. 2 turns on the B & one on the E thanks for the help.
 
dubs duces said:
I've been playing bass for 7 years and I happen to play a 6-string
Click to expand...

That's two too many strings. The OP has one too many strings. The optimum number of strings for a bass guitar is 4. Every string over that number is one more too many.

Back to the question at hand. The problem is an ever-so-slight backward bow on the neck that holds one too many strings. Don't ask me how I know this, I just do. You need relief, my friend.
 
You might be playing too hard. Let the equipment do the volume for you.

If you can hear your bass when it's unplugged, you're whacking it too hard.

You're also probably plucking the strings in a way that propels them toward the fretboard. Instead of hitting them vertically, hit them horizontally.

Play it differently. You don't need to raise the action or mess with the bridge. These guys are fickin crazy.

Play softly and turn it up.
 
I still want to say this.....

These dudes obviously never heard of Stu Hamm, Flea, the bassist of Primus or a style called "slapping" in general...:cool:
Maybe these belong to the above mentioned "new bassists playing too hard" group??.. They tend to have clicking there up to percussive levels. In anycase, I differ from opinions here.

The bass, just as a guitar is ment to be a resonant instrument, and to be played so that the mother gets it!.. If you're gonna pet the strings with your pinky and let the amplifier do the job, You could put the strings on any plank of wood, iron or plastic with a pickup.
If you're gonna get the body and neck to count for shit in the sound, you pluck it so that they vibrate.
What is it you want to give out?..
The man and the bass, or the amplifier???:confused:


end rant.:o
 
Another way I've found to reduce clicking is playing closer to the bridge, or of course with a pick.
 
Supercreep said:
Deal in absolutes much? :p

It can be a matter of taste, IMNSHO, and isn't always an indicator of a shitty player.

For instance, if you removed all the click and string noise from an acoustic double bass track, you wouldn't have much left.

For the types of dirty nasty proggy bass sounds I prefer (with prefer being the operative word here), string buzz and clicking are a big part of the sound.

In fact, we sometimes mic the strings on an electric bass just to get some of those sounds back in. I like my bass to sound like there's a human playing it, after all.

Just my $.02
Click to expand...

Agreed 100%. The click of the string in precise alighnment with the attack of the note and the attack of the kick drum can all add up to a very good punchy, full sound and can realy help define the low end in the mix. The actual "noise" of a well played bassline is a good thing. I personally see no need and no reason to play a bass so lightly that the string barely moves.

BUT...if the strings click if you want then to or not, then it's your set up. Get it fixed.:D
 
Hi,if it is a new guitar the frets may still have a sharp edge,the only way round this is to play it...lots.... same with new strings let them play in, check also that there is a good ground contact under the bridge as any metal to metal contact will produce electical noise, failing that buy flat or ground wound strings:)
 
In one of his videos Billy Sheehan said that his bass always has a bit of buzz and rattle.
Ya know, some like him some don't but he surely knows what he's talking about
 
click-stop

a real remedy is to raise the bridge just a little bit.
 
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