Question G string thinness

[mjlefty]

I have, (I believe it is an '02) Stingray 4 fretless (E32852). Lefty, pau ferro. Beautiful in every way except the g string has kind of a 'tinny' sound. There is absolutely no fingerboard buzz. I am using chromes, and have tried a bigger gauge 'g' string that I had laying around, and it helps a little, but not much. I have also raised the action a bit thinking it may resonate better. It is not extreme. Kind of subtle. I notice the finger board extends above the nut. So the string comes off the tuning post and lays on the fingerboard before going over the nut. Actually all 4 strings do this. But the 'g' is the only one that I feel has the issue. The groove of the nut for the 'g' seems, if anything a little wide and deep.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, mjlefty

 

[cd_david]

Ive heard this mentioned before but out of the 9 rays ive owned and 7 i still do i have never had this problem.

Have you tried raising the pickup a touch under the G and lowering it under the E to achieve a better balance?

 

[bradfordws]

I had one of these too - a Stingray from around 1995, but had the problem with other basses too - it's the usual dead spot issue, which happens. I heard that graphite necks minimize this and/or basses with 5 piece or more lams in them. All one can do is try out several basses at the store at the same time. You buy online or from ebay and you run the risk of getting a bass with a dead spot - no matter who made it - IMO of course.

 

[maddog]

The nut is the breakpoint. As long as the string is making proper contact at the nut, any string contact made between the nut and tuners is fine. You may want to have a luthier check over the contact point at the nut.

Otherwise, I'd suggest doing a setup to the specs listed in the FAQ, paying attention to the recommended pickup height.

 

[mjlefty]

Thanks

Thanks for the replies. I'll try raising the pickup under the g.

 

[Lynottfan]

Your bass needs to visit to a pro mate, it will be money well spent in the end, as it sound to me like it has not been set up "properly" for a while?

 

[adouglas]

Chromes?

Well, there's part of your answer right there. Those are very bright strings, no?

 

[five7]

Do you play slap style?

 

[Double Agent]

Chromes?

Well, there's part of your answer right there. Those are very bright strings, no?

Chromes are flats...they are pretty bright for flats, but I still would not describe them as bright compared to ANY roundwound string I've played. They are actually pretty similar to the EB flats, though the EB flats are not quite as bright IMO/IME.

Pickup tilt/height is usually the culprit here IME, but I would have a good tech check out the nut and make sure everything is OK there.

 

[Aussie Mark]

Chromes are flats...They are actually pretty similar to the EB flats

None more similar.

 

[mjlefty]

Pickup height

I tried pickup height but didn't make much difference. The chromes are fairly bright but I tried a couple of other strings on the 'g' and didn't really change it much. I think I'll take it to a pro for recommendation/setup. Thanks for all the replies.

Mark.

 

[Movielife]

Hi Mark

Ive heard about this, but never owned a Ray that did it.

Personally, I think if people can hear it, its a frequency/EQ thing, not a design issue.

Jazz bass - the D and G strings sound thin on a Jazz!

Hope you can get it sorted to how you like it.

 

[Psycho Ward]

Welcome fellow lefty to the Kingdom of Lefthanzia!

I agree with everyone that suggest a pro setup, that has cured every issue I've ever had with a bass, EBMM or not.

Just curious about the serial number of your bass, on all of my lefty's the number starts with the letter "L", every single one of them.

Again welcome to the forum and to the Kingdom!

 

[mjlefty]

Serial number

The serial number database on this site has more 'E' numbers than anything else.

 

[Psycho Ward]

There are far more right handed instruments. No big deal, I've just never seen a lefty with an "E" in the serial number.

 

[Moondog]

Every StingRay I've ever owned had weak G string . .. in fact, most bass brands I've owned as well. I'm convinced very few of us can hear this
Usually somewhere between 4th & 8th fret notes do not ring true or decay faster than others. Nothing has worked 4me - strings, gauge, pup height, pro set-up, adjustments...I don't think I've ever played a Ray anywhere & thought "Wow, this is a potent G!"
Still my Favorite bass in the world right now, nothing close.

It's me I guess . . .my ears are effed . . . hear supernatural stuff as well

 

[Jim C]

I think 2 items are being talked about at once.

It seems many basses have a dead spot on the G string, of the 6 Fenders I have it's either the C# or D on the G string; of the 3 Stingrays I've owned/played this is much less of an issue presumably do to the tuner on the other side of the peg head.

The issue of the G string and a thinner tone can be minimized by pup height adjustment as well as amp EQ. Extreme amp EQ can make this problem worse; thankfully the active EQ of the bass allows another layer of adjustment. My current set up (83' Ray, SVT, Berg) with the amp set flat allows me a very even tonality throughout the fret board.

I've yet to play a bass that was perfect in regards to note volume and fullness; it's the kind of thing you resolve with right hand position and technique.

 

[Shane]

This is a common problem with all Fender style necks. It is a love hate feeling with me - love the Stingray sound - hate the weak G string. Any have experience with a roasted neck? G string tone improvement with it?

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

I've yet to play a bass that was perfect in regards to note volume and fullness...

I have.

 

[syciprider]

This topic comes up once in awhile and it always made me wonder what exactly a weak G meant.

When I was dabbling with a P bass a couple of weeks ago I noted that the G was warmer than on both my 2 band SR's but not on my 3 bander with a little EQ. It did not bother me in a band context because I like to "hear" rather than "feel" my high notes.
If this is the oft discussed weak G then I say it is not a flaw but was just another one of Leo's design quirks. Like J bass 60 Hz hum, 20 fret necks and other things Leo "built in" to his basses that make some of us scratch our heads. It is what it is and you live with it or move on.
It will not be a good marketing move by EBMM to engineer it out when the target market is steeped in tradition.