- Thread starter kitekrazy
- Start date
fulda
Active member
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2006
- Messages
- 28
Well, never heard about strings having to be broken in.. There could be a lot of reasons. Dead spots in the neck, commonly refered to as "Soft Notes" or short notes due to resonance cancelations in the wood. All wood basses have these to some degree. There is an actual study performed and posted online, where a "sound picture" of a Strat guitar was taken at different notes along the neck. You could "see" the dead spots. Was very interesting. Also, how are you setting up your intonation? Please post more information as there are a lot of people that can help you here.
Mobay45
Well-known member
kitekrazy said:
It sounds like the bass needs to be set up.
By adjusting the bridge saddles either forwards or backwards, it causes the string to be in tune no matter where you fret it. See the sticky up top for set up info or do a search.
Or of course you could take it to your local guitar/bass tech and have him do it for you.
phatduckk
Well-known member
kitekrazy said:
from your comment it sounds like you set up the neck and the pup height etc, but I wasnt clear on whether you did the intonation or not ....
in the MusicMan FAQ theres this paragraph:
"For intonation: Check the harmonics to the fretted note on the 12th note on the twelfth fret if you don't play much above that fret. If you do, also check the harmonics at the 19th fret after the 12th fret is set. If the fretted note is sharp, you need to make the string longer by turning the saddle screw counterclockwise, and vice versa. Make sure that the string are coming off of the saddle straight and not in an arch. All measurements must be rechecked after each adjustment."
If you hadnt already tried that then that might be your ticket. If you had, then good luck figuring out what happened buddy. Might wanna call customer service Monday.
maddog
Well-known member
kitekrazy said:
Keep turning the screw until it comes into tune. Setup can be quite tedious or fun depending on your mindset and the status of your favorite beverage.
strummer
Enormous Member
kitekrazy said:
Have you changed strings on your bass? I guess so, since you say it's not time to change them. Anyway, bass strings, especially the thicker ones, need a positive break over the saddles. Detune a couple of steps, press the string down hard just in front of the saddle and tune up.
I don't know if your Sub has the compensated nut, but if it has and you also changed strings you might need a whole lot of turns to intonate. I had 45-135 of another brand on a Bongo for a while, and the saddles were roughly 1 cm further back than with 45-130 Slinkys. That's a lot of turns.
Edit: So I see you haven't changed strings. Change them, unless they changed them for you where you got the bass. And if they changed trings, go back and make them intonate the bass.
Last edited:
strummer
Enormous Member
kitekrazy said:
Take it back, there is no way a bass that was 20 cent off would have left the factory.
maddog
Well-known member
Strummer's right. Could you list step by step instructions in your words to see what may be going wrong?
strummer
Enormous Member
kitekrazy said:
If a bit of a bow means a businesscard slides under the string at fret 7, then no.
And as you said earlier, setup is within specs.
Rod Trussbroken
Moderator
I changed strings recently and had a prob intonating the E. The string kept reading sharp no matter where I adjusted the saddle. I was scratching my head for a while because it's the first time I'd encountered it.
It turned out to be not enough contact with the string on the saddle. I think it's referred to as the "witness point" (?).
After each adjustment of the intonation screw, try pressing down on the string with your thumb, just in front of the saddle (on the pickup side of the saddle). Then retune the string to pitch before checking the reading at the 12th fret. Go through the same procedure with each adjustment (pressing down on the string each time). Sometimes it's easy to forget to retune to pitch after each adjustment.
Also, if you're trying to move the saddle forwards (to make the string sharper), make sure it is in fact moving forwards. With the driver still inserted in the intonation screw, use it to gently push the screw forwards. Be careful and use only a little force otherwise the driver may slip and scratch the finish. Better still, put a rag under the driver shaft.
The tuner could be the problem aswell. Some have an issue in correctly reading the lower strings. My Boss tuner gives crazy readings for the open E. I imagine it would be hopeless with an open B on a five stringer. I invested in a Peterson virtual strobe.
If none of that works, try another string.
It turned out to be not enough contact with the string on the saddle. I think it's referred to as the "witness point" (?).
After each adjustment of the intonation screw, try pressing down on the string with your thumb, just in front of the saddle (on the pickup side of the saddle). Then retune the string to pitch before checking the reading at the 12th fret. Go through the same procedure with each adjustment (pressing down on the string each time). Sometimes it's easy to forget to retune to pitch after each adjustment.
Also, if you're trying to move the saddle forwards (to make the string sharper), make sure it is in fact moving forwards. With the driver still inserted in the intonation screw, use it to gently push the screw forwards. Be careful and use only a little force otherwise the driver may slip and scratch the finish. Better still, put a rag under the driver shaft.
The tuner could be the problem aswell. Some have an issue in correctly reading the lower strings. My Boss tuner gives crazy readings for the open E. I imagine it would be hopeless with an open B on a five stringer. I invested in a Peterson virtual strobe.
If none of that works, try another string.
