Musicman Sterling fret noises

[grunz7]

Hi - I posted that already on talkbass but I figured I'll ask the musicman community too ...

So I am at a gig with my musicman sterling and having this weird fret sound issue when my right hand doesn't plug a note but "dampens" the string mainly at two and four (like playing a right handed ghost note) ... this creates some kind of right hand "slap" sound but actually a very annoying one - very sharp sound somehow as if the string is touching the pole piece of the pickup (which it isn't).

Now the same right hand technique on my other basses "enhances" the rhythmical bass lines by just produces something like a ghost note and that actually drives the line nicely - but on the sterling it just annoys me, the band and the audience.

Any one having a similar issue and some advice (other than completely changing my right hand technique)? Should I get rid of the sterling?

Cheers
Edit/Delete Message

 

[Golem]

`

I wouldn't get rid of the Sterling .... just the frets !

OK, for real here .... you detailed your technique, but
not you setup. I'm having trouble even picturing your
technique, but I'll assume thaz just me. I do a lotta
muting/ghosting on many various basses and haven't
found the MMs to be a particular problem. So I'm left
wondering about your setup, and maybe your EQ.

Full disclosure: I am so intolerant of fret noise that I
usually do play FL, but my habit of muting/ghosting
doesn't disappear if I hafta play frets, and as I said,
my MMs are not any special problem ... BUT... in my
mixed bag of Sterlings and Rays, FLs and toofies, I
long ago decided that Rays could be FL or toofie but
Sterlings would by FL only. IOW, I do find that the
native Sterling tone emphasizes the things that led
me to shun frets. Still, I'm only talking about klanky
fret noises/effects ... nothing so shocking that it can
be compared to a string hitting a pole slug, as you
describe concerning your problem.

`

 

[grunz7]

Thanks Golem for the response,

the setup is of course he huge factor here - playing at home with my head phone amplifier (korg pandora) the described issue is not a problem - at gigs or rehearsal via a eden wtx 500 and a schroeder 15 ich cab the "clack" really "come out" - so much that after todays rehearsal I seriously considering getting rid of the sterling - my bass sitting at the rehearsal room is an old peavey fury (a p bass copy) that doesn't have the issue of the "clacky" sound - today I did a real A /B comparison and the sterling was really a problem ...

I already lowered the MM pickup, raised the string (old roundwounds), still same annoying clacking noise ...

any ideas?

 

[Golem]

`

Acoarst you wanna be sure you have a reasonable relief
bow to your fingerboard. Raising the strings, if you did it
at the bridge, would not cure the problem if it's a relief
issue. If your old Peavey P-type is typical of all the other
basses you play that do NOT produce the problem, it just
may be your technique. I confess to that myself. I found
it easier to shun frets than to conquer them. And when I
do hafta play frets, I do find [as mentioned before] that
if the frets are on a Sterling, I gots troubles.

Assuming that there are some things you really dig about
the Sterling, maybe try some flatwounds ? I think that
Chromes are the brightest readily available flats. Klank is
more pronounced with RWs. I play mostly flats. The few
RWs I use are on FLs. IOW, I avoid RWs on frets. Forget
any attitude or experience or advice you've encountered
about flats, IF that attitude, experience or advice wasn't
specifically about flats on a STERLING. Yeah, I know, we
both know lotsa peeps happily playing RWs on Sterlings
[that would include all the zillions of ceramic SR5s], but
maybe it's not for you [like it's not for me]. I can always
sooth my ego concerning my right hand "failures" just by
reminding myself that I'm left handed but play a normal
ax. Find your own rationalization and try some flats. It's
cheaper that trading out of your current ax. If you don't
like them, just CAREFULLY remove them and send them
to me ;-)

 

[73jbass]

Does your cab have a tweeter? If so, turn it off.

 

[Golem]

`

So I just tried to duplicate your results in my lab, like good science
requires. The poor science is that all my ceramic MMs are FL. Given
that variable, I plowed ahead anywaze, bleebing that I'd be able to
recognize when I was really close to your results, IOW only the lack
of frets was softening the effect, but I'd be ALMOST there.

I played only the bridge single coil, and dimed the mids knob [other
knobs at center click]. I palm and thumb muted, I yanked the string,
I played all areas of the neck. I don't think I came really close to an
explosive pop or crack or snap noise muted-by-FL. IOW nothing that
woulda been disturbing if frets HAD been involved.

OTOH, while I didn't come REALLY close, I was often on that path. I
also played the same style but without the insane PU-and-EQ setting.
With the EQ knobs centered except for a slight treble trim, and with
the full humbugger engaged, I wasn't even leaning toward results
like yours. I really should have asked in the earlier reply if you were
playing the bridge SC on the Sterling. It's pretty much a "Special FX"
PU setting, compared to most of the "normal bass guitar" spectrum,
as we hear it from various players and basses.

Even my alnico SR5 HS sounds reasonably close to "normal" when I
solo the bridge SC. I know the ceramic SC effect only by memory
now, but it's a VERY distinct memory, cuz it's such a very distinct
sound ... very distinctly "abnormal" as bass tones go :-0 Anywho,
IF you're soloing the bridge SC ... well, just DON'T !

`

 

[grunz7]

new test results ...

So I went to my local music store to investigate the issue further and as it turns out it is a combination of the sterling and my bass amp - I am using an eden wtx-500 over a schroeder 15+L (and the tweeter is half turned on). It seems that the eden is an extremely bright sounding amp accentuating the "clack" - same bass setting run through a markbass - eq settings flat - gives me the kind of "ghost note" sound without the extreme clacky noise.

Interestingly using my other 4 strings through the eden works fine - probably because they are passive?

I'll experiment a little more with the amp settings, but I guess I'll try to swap it against an aguilar tonehammer or markbass in the near future.

Thanks all for the replys ...

 

[Golem]

`

I just bought the essence of MarkBass tone for $84, on
clearance at GC. It's their clean boost pedal which also
provides the VPF and VLE filters. Those two filters are
the essence of MB tone and should tame your Eden for
use with your Sterling.

The boost pedal is also a DI. I know those filters well,
as I have five MB amps. But I also have a coupla Eden
amps and an Ampeg, so I figgered I couldn't resist the
bargain on the pedal, just to get the filters

Go to the MB site and check the freq charts for those
filters and I think you'll recognize them as targeting
your problem head on.

 

[five7]

I have one and it works great where ever I am playing and what ever rig I am using.

 

[Golem]

I have one and it works great where ever I am playing and what ever rig I am using.

Do you play a fret klanking Sterling ?

 

[rutgart]

Have a quick look at the EQ settings on your Bass as well, you stated your other basses are passive, so if you were to be running the treble,Middle and Bass controls at maximum or full on you'd be boosting a lot of high's you wouldn;t be used to hearing with your passive basses.

 

[grunz7]

So yesterday I did record 3 new songs in the studio and was using the sterling (with a set of brand new round wound strings) via the eden wtx-500 and - surprise - no clacking noises with my right hand technique anymore.

Reason seems simple: on the bass only a slight bass boost and mid cut - treble in the middle and on the eden no eq settings just slight treble cut. As soon as I turned the treble to neutral on the eden the clacks showed up again ... so it seems that the eden is already with neutral eq settings a very bright sounding amp.

Thanks to all the helpful replies here.

Cheers

 

[five7]

Do you play a fret klanking Sterling ?

I wish I could find another used sterling 5, for now just my bongo.

 

[Rick Auricchio]

The Eden EQ is very powerful. Just a little move makes a big difference.

Eden amps will also bring out any noises or weak technique: when I had an Eden WT550 I had to clean up my playing technique!

Boosting EQ on the instrument has a huge effect. I keep the tone controls of my 1992 Stingray at the detent always, only rarely bumping or cutting about 10% from that midpoint. (When practicing alone, I like to reduce the treble most of the way, but I generally bring it back near the detent for performances.)

A better man might practice with the treble at the detent and clean up the playing, of course...

 

[1954bassman]

Getting rid of you Eden should not even be a consideration.