iamcatwarrior
Well-known member
Maybe a guitar tech guy in here could help me out on this one.
After several routine setups and string and 9V battery changes on my 1997 SR4 H, the overall tone of the bass seems to be a bit hollow and tinny. I contrast this with my fretless 2001 Sterling H, whose tone seems to be fully defined.
In the 10+ years I've owned this instrument, honestly, I haven't quite given it the care I currently do in the early years. Whereas I now fully set the bass up on a regular basis, including oiling the neck and fretboard and changing the strings, something is still definitely wrong. Regardless of how much curvature is in the neck, fret buzz is everywhere. The bass possesses nearly no sustain if notes are fretted. While the punch you should expect from a MM bass is there, the tone is still very strange and rather undesirable.
I had once brought this to the attention of Mr. Dan McPherson (the tech who also, I think, verifies the dates of manufacture on our basses). I agreed to get a setup and then things felt a bit better (as far as neck relief), but the tone was still very weird.
I was thinking about the age of the bass and, more specifically, the neck and the pickup. Over time, is it possible that either or both could go bad for any reason? I have heard stories of Fender bass necks going "dead," which I suppose is a result of drying out/warping/something else (?). I have also heard of pickups that may need new magnets. These sorts of things are unfamiliar to me.
Does anyone here know of a way to deal with this? Some ideas would be appreciated. The one thing I do know is that it definitely doesn't sound like new.
After several routine setups and string and 9V battery changes on my 1997 SR4 H, the overall tone of the bass seems to be a bit hollow and tinny. I contrast this with my fretless 2001 Sterling H, whose tone seems to be fully defined.
In the 10+ years I've owned this instrument, honestly, I haven't quite given it the care I currently do in the early years. Whereas I now fully set the bass up on a regular basis, including oiling the neck and fretboard and changing the strings, something is still definitely wrong. Regardless of how much curvature is in the neck, fret buzz is everywhere. The bass possesses nearly no sustain if notes are fretted. While the punch you should expect from a MM bass is there, the tone is still very strange and rather undesirable.
I had once brought this to the attention of Mr. Dan McPherson (the tech who also, I think, verifies the dates of manufacture on our basses). I agreed to get a setup and then things felt a bit better (as far as neck relief), but the tone was still very weird.
I was thinking about the age of the bass and, more specifically, the neck and the pickup. Over time, is it possible that either or both could go bad for any reason? I have heard stories of Fender bass necks going "dead," which I suppose is a result of drying out/warping/something else (?). I have also heard of pickups that may need new magnets. These sorts of things are unfamiliar to me.
Does anyone here know of a way to deal with this? Some ideas would be appreciated. The one thing I do know is that it definitely doesn't sound like new.
