I guess I'm just unlucky...

[melvin7822]

I want to preface this thread with the fact that I love Music Man basses and will continue to be loyal to them (I have my third on order and am planning to order at least two more). I just wish to express how bummed I am about dead spots (which is something that no luthier can control and I would never discredit a luthier for).

I got my first Music Man last August and have come to terms with a bad dead spot on the 7th and 8th frets on the G-string. I was pretty bummed at first, but decided my Big Al was too awesome to give up for that.

Well, I recently received my Roasted Bongo 5 HH figuring there's no way I could have a dead spot worse than that on my Big Al. At first I thought I was right, there was a dead spot on the 4th and 5th frets of the G-string which makes the bass more usable as I would normally play those notes on the 9th and 10th frets of the D-string. Well, at band rehearsal last night, I found out I was wrong. The 9th and 10th frets on the D-string are affected as well. Bummer.

Again, Music Man is a wonderful company, it's physics that's not on my side currently. I'm holding out hope that a professional setup might at least make the dead spots on the D-string more useable. Cross your fingers for me.

 

[RaginRog]

I think I've had dead spots on about 1/2 of the basses I've owned (about 60 different basses since 2005). I'm a standard, hold the low end down, type of player, so the occasional dead spot hasn't really phased me much. I know one usually expects perfection when receiving a new bass, but have you had a fresh pair of eyes/luthier look at it?

 

[supadave]

Obviously this is just me, but I would find that many dead spots on a new guitar to be unacceptable. I suggest speaking to whoever you bought it from, be it direct from EB or a retailer, and telling them that if you want a guitar with only some of the guitar working properly, you should only be paying some of the price. Thats just my opinion though bro and I have never played a Music Man with that problem so I'm not speaking from experience. I know you sometimes have issues like this with some fretless basses but I woud not be happy if it was my guitar.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

I think it's just the nature of the beast. I find it's especially prominent on fretless when the notes should normally sing but just die. The G-string between the 4th and 8th fret always tends to be the worst area, and that is not limited to Music Man basses either; I am talking in general. I have a few basses without any noticeable dead spots, but they are of another variety. For the others that have them, it's just part of the character of those instruments.

 

[melvin7822]

It's true, it is the nature of the beast. I was just cursing my luck because I had two in a row. At any rate, I'm confident that everything will work out. The dead spots aren't devastating, they're just... there.

 

[bovinehost]

It's true, it is the nature of the beast....The dead spots aren't devastating, they're just... there.

In all my years (decades) of playing the electric bass and in all my years (decades!) of being active in the online bass community, I have come to certain conclusions. Some might be wrong and I'm willing to listen to argument about those, but I think I'm probably right. (And if I have doubts, I keep my mouth shut and try to learn before leaping in.)

If we're talking bolt-on necks with a headstock, then deadspots are a feature, not a bug. They are there, to some extent, on each and every model with the aforementioned features. Sometimes they are more noticeable and sometimes they are less noticeable, but they ARE there, even on graphite necked basses. (Trust me, been there, got the t-shirt.)

I suspect there are many factors that determine the severity of a deadspot. Neck wood, stiffness, headstock weight in conjunction with tuners/hardware - and perhaps, to some extent, strings and maybe even fret wire size. But mostly not strings or fretwire. I've had Fenders with horrific deadspots. Two Laklands that had - well, not horrific, but more than what I was used to.

My Music Man basses? Sure, on some of them, the "C" on the G string (thereabouts) does not ring forever and ever, amen. As I've said before, I'm a bassist - how long do I really want that note to sustain? A whole measure? That's not an issue, then. (Of course, I was also told, "I want my note to sustain until I tell them to stop." To which I say: fair enough.)

But I have fewer issues with EBMM basses than with any other basses I've ever owned, and lo they are many.

I suppose what I would say is that - well, what I've already said. If, as you say, they aren't "devastating", then you have what I would probably call a normal instrument. Deadspots are WAY overemphasized as some horrific design flaw, and having read extensively (Roger Sadowsky, et al) on the "issue", it just is what it is. If you're leaning into your amp, listening critically under non-performance conditions and you hear it, don't go all Talkbass on us. Play the bass at performance levels with a band and - well, my guess is that it won't crush your muse.

I'm not an engineer or a designer or anything at all other than a guy who plays bass. Remember that my opinion is worth every penny you paid for it.....but I do get around.

Jack

 

[slickbass3]

I've been following this site for almost two years and your particular thread finally got me to register. My first Stingray had a dead spot at the 5th fret on the G string but over time as the neck has fully settled the dead spot is virtually gone. I picked up my MM Stingray in a pawn shop about 20 years ago for $500 and love it!

Don't lose the faith, just be patient!

Good Luck

 

[melvin7822]

I've been following this site for almost two years and your particular thread finally got me to register. My first Stingray had a dead spot at the 5th fret on the G string but over time as the neck has fully settled the dead spot is virtually gone. I picked up my MM Stingray in a pawn shop about 20 years ago for $500 and love it!

Don't lose the faith, just be patient!

Good Luck

That is a pretty sweet story. Thanks for sharing.

 

[slave]

I remember seeing a thread somewhere about a way to shift the deadspot by applying weights to the headstock of "said" bass.
The guy recorded it so we could see how the "caterpllar" .wav sound file looked like.
The deaspot was effectively moved a couple frets closer to the nut, but not gotten rid of.
From memory it was a few small magnets/lead blocks or something small and heavy that he drilled into small holes hidden by the tuners on the back of the headstock.

 

[syciprider]

@ the 7th fret of the G string, all but one of my EBMMs don't ring out as clear as the rest of the notes on the neck. But it is a design bug of the bolt on neck so I just hit it a bit harder. As the guy who does most of the embellishments and fills (aka wanking) for my band and really spends a lot of time in the upper registers, I never notice it live except maybe during quiet passages during which it is more powerful to play a lower D anyway..

 

[laneline]

have you tried a fat finger ? FENDER CHROME FAT FINGER NATURAL SUSTAINER FOR BASS | eBay

Not a big investment and might help. I don't use them as I don't feel the need on my basses.

 

[Big Poppa]

thank you jack

 

[DTG]

Am I a bad bass player that I have never noticed a dead spot ? Maybe I spend too much time thinking about what I am playing and the overall sound.

If I buy a bass and love how it feels, plays and sounds then I keep it. I am sure there is dead spots on most basses ( only because Jack says so) but I am fvcked if I ever noticed.

 

[Holdsg]

I am with DTG on this one. Its an instrument for heaven sakes, Made of wood, metal, sweat, wire, and Dudley magic. Each has variations due to all of the above factors, plus the skill/attack/hygene of the bass player. I guess if I had a note that I needed that did not play at all, I'd be bummed, but a note that doesn't sustain, well I'm kinda with Syci on that one, just play it harder.

 

[KoreyD]

Am I a bad bass player that I have never noticed a dead spot ? Maybe I spend too much time thinking about what I am playing and the overall sound.

If I buy a bass and love how it feels, plays and sounds then I keep it. I am sure there is dead spots on most basses ( only because Jack says so) but I am fvcked if I ever noticed.

Hehe, I'm with you! what are these mysterious dead spots?! I'm either real lucky, play a certain way, or ignorance is bliss!

 

[melvin7822]

Am I a bad bass player that I have never noticed a dead spot ? Maybe I spend too much time thinking about what I am playing and the overall sound.

If I buy a bass and love how it feels, plays and sounds then I keep it. I am sure there is dead spots on most basses ( only because Jack says so) but I am fvcked if I ever noticed.

We all play differently. If you never play in the area of a dead spot or never sustain the note where the dead spot exists, then it's no problem. I always play the Big Al with my original band, but the other night I had my new Roasted Bongo 5 HH and only noticed the dead spot because there were a few songs I had to play all over it. I feel like everyone is ganging up on me now, but I never condemned or cast blame on EBMM. I mean I practically even paraphrased what Jack said in my original post.

 

[bovinehost]

I feel like everyone is ganging up on me now, but I never condemned or cast blame on EBMM. I mean I practically even paraphrased what Jack said in my original post.

Well, I'm not part of any gang. Just trying to make sure we understand what it is and what it isn't.

 

[DTG]

Nobody is ganging up on you for crying out loud. I ask a question about my own ability or playing if anything.

 

[JayDawg]

I must be a blessed individual because I have very little dead spots on any of my basses. I have ran into a few on a few acoustic basses that I have played but all of my electric basses do pretty good. If they are there then they are barely noticeable or I am simply not holding the note long enough to have the dead spot cause the note to drop off.

As I was typing this, a question just popped into my head. With the Roasted neck basses MM is making, will that also help the dead spots? I am still yet to find one on my Bongo Roasted neck and I have been playing that thing quite a bit lately.

 

[melvin7822]

I must be a blessed individual because I have very little dead spots on any of my basses. I have ran into a few on a few acoustic basses that I have played but all of my electric basses do pretty good. If they are there then they are barely noticeable or I am simply not holding the note long enough to have the dead spot cause the note to drop off.

As I was typing this, a question just popped into my head. With the Roasted neck basses MM is making, will that also help the dead spots? I am still yet to find one on my Bongo Roasted neck and I have been playing that thing quite a bit lately.

Well, that's the thing. My Roasted Bongo 5 HH just happens to have the worst dead spot because the same frequencies that are affected on the G-string are affected on the D-string. I would've been pretty happy if only the B and C on the G-string were affected, because I play those on the D-string 90% of the time.

I'm also not sure if the Roasted Bongo is for me anyways. It seems darker sounding then the Bongo sound I'm used to.