Dead Spots

[Sayed]

After searching a couple of the other bass forums, I've come to learn that Fender basses tend to have a dead spot on the "G" String between the 4th & 7th fret. Do SR5's tend to have dead spots anyplace on the neck that I should look for scoping one out for possible purchase?

Thanks

 

[Aragorn35016]

I personally have never found a dead spot on any of the SR5's Ive ever played.

 

[Rano Bass]

It's possible but very rare to find a musicman with a dead spot, they are much more common on f**ders.

 

[Oh! Henry]

I might sound like a newbie, but what is a DEAD SPOT? I've never played a Bass that had one, of course I am a new owner of a SR5 so I'm not about to hear it either!!! What does it sound like? What causes this?

Thanks
Henry

 

[Kirby]

You will know a dead spot when you hit the note and it sounds muffled or there is no sustain on the note despite playing it with identical touch as other notes on your bass. Once struck, the note literally dies. I don't know if this helps or not, but trust me when you hear one, you will recognize it.

I cannot say that I have ever found a dead spot on an EB I have played, but the law of averages says there are bound to be some out there. I agree, I have found them on other basses though.

 

[AnthonyD]

"Tend to have dead spots?"



Now come on...

 

[Psycho Ward]

Almost all basses sound a little different in that 5th fret area.... to me. (disclamer- I have ear damage).

Balls are the best in that area and that's one of the reasons I own more Ball's than other basses. I think it's the nature of the beast... at 34'' scale anyway.

 

[GassieBall]

Before I came to the EBMM family, I was considering an American Jazz by that other company. The more I searched on talkbass, the more I learned about quality control inconsistencies and the dead spot kept popping up. After I read those threads, when I went to the stores, indeed they were there on several. It was weird - I could pick up 5 of the "same" basses and I only think I liked 1 or 2.

On the other hand, I have not yet picked up an EBMM with that problem. I have played horribly set up SRs, Sterlings, and Bongos and many with dead strings at stores, but I get this spidey sense that I can fix it with a better set up and new strings. But with some of the others, I sort of thunk that there was no way I could tweak it to sound right. And on the other hand, I would pick up one random particular F*nd*r Jazz and it would play like magic.

 

[cdb]

I defense of F#nders, I have owned several over many years of playing. None of them had dead spots. I still own a pbass with no dead spots. I have a jbass with a hofner J-copy neck. That one, of course, has no dead spots either. But having said that, I have played several in stores with dead spots on the d and g strings ... so ya gotta be careful with those f#nders.

 

[GassieBall]

I think you've hit it right on the mark, cdb. It's the consistency that is the issue.