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John Myung Bongo 4

Setup fix for Ray-5 g-string slippage?

stretch80

stretch80

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 1, 2004
Messages
358
Location
massachusetts
Hi there Stingray players,

I'm a new convert, having fallen in love with a beauty golden Stingray 5 on a trip to "just play a few basses" at my local guitar shop. My Ray has displaced my (also great) Peavey Cirrus 5 -- it just sounds better! Punchy, solid, even from low B up through it's range without losing it's "bass-ness"

One problem: The g-string is so close to the edge of the fretboard that I keep accidentally pushing it off the frets. Anyone got any setup ideas on how this might be fixed? Any thoughts or suggestions will be appreciated. I LOVE the sound, but the g-string is driving me nuts!

thanks!
 
Sounds like it might be more of a technique problem than a set up issue.If you are bending the G string so it rolls off the edge of the fretboard you are altering the pitch of the note. If you are intentionally bending the string try pushing it up towards the D string rather than down off the edge of the fretboard.I would think that over time the problem should disappear.
 
Morrow said:
Sounds like it might be more of a technique problem than a set up issue.If you are bending the G string so it rolls off the edge of the fretboard you are altering the pitch of the note. If you are intentionally bending the string try pushing it up towards the D string rather than down off the edge of the fretboard.I would think that over time the problem should disappear.
Click to expand...

I agree that this is technique problem from the standpoint that the only way to correct it is to adjust one's technique. However, many people have complained about this, and I have noticed that it affects my own playing when pulling out the big five. I had a couple of SR5s in the early 90s that I played for several years -- before venturing into Spector, Modulas, Ken Smith territory -- and I don't remember having this problem on them. My current, and only, SR5 is a late 99 model, and I too am bothered by the g-string/edge of fretboard placement. I wonder what EB's official response is to this complaint.
 
Morrow said:
If you are intentionally bending the string try pushing it up towards the D string rather than down off the edge of the fretboard.I would think that over time the problem should disappear.
Click to expand...


No problem there, but I have noticed that the g-string will sometime slip just from aggressive contact, or from up/down vibrato.
 
" over time the problem should disappear" ......I was thinking that muscle memory would correct the problem.
 
This is a problem you will have to correct with your technique. On my Tobias, the "B" and "G" strings are inset a bit more from the edge of the neck, so it is not an issue...I can bend up and down with no problem. But, with the StingRay, those strings are closer to the edge of the fingerboard, so if you bend down on the "G" you will slip off. I run into this same issue w/ my Alembic as the strings are also close to the edge of the fingerboard, so I have to adjust accordingly on those 2 instruments.

Mikey/
 
G String problem :)

I've owned my Stingray5 for almost 10 years, and I've had the string slip maybe three times. So it might very well be technique. Or it might also be how they cut the nut. It might be that the notch on your particular bass was cut a micrometer too close to the edge. I've also seen a pic online of an SR5 where the nut spacing of the D and G strings was slightly disproportionately wider than the spacing of the other strings. You might want to check for that.
 
Dito - check the nut, it might have been replaced with a nut that is not original string spacing. Do you know the history of the instrument?
 
Thanks all...
I'll check spacing at nut. It's a used bass; I don't think it's been tweaked, but I'll check. The string does look correctly centered over the pickup pole.

My problem comes less from bendings strings than just pressing them down, esp. when chording. It may be that I will just learn to naturally be more careful Had a long rehearsal last night, and only slipped off 2-3 times.

I think I'm going to take it to my ace setup tech, and have him do a good general setup, and give his advice on the string spacing. I'm sure bridge could be tweaked by grinding the saddle etc.

Anyone ever replace the bridge on their Ray. That's even more radical...
 
I believe this issue is inherent to the SR5 (or @ least mine). Sure, it can be eliminated w/proper technique but I'm not ready to change mine. It happens to me only occasionally but has never occurred on any other bass I've owned. I deal with it cuz I love the bass. P.P., mine's a 2001
 
I'll report back on what my setup luthier says..

thanks all for sugestions.

I'll see an old friend of mine who is a luthier over xmas, and I'll ask him what he thinks and report .
 
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