• Ernie Ball
  • MusicMan
  • Sterling by MusicMan

tkarter

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I would be seriously looking at the bridge saddle for the E string. What you describe is not typical of the SR5 IMHO.

tk
 

strummer

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Gruven said:
Just checked it (center to center) with machinist's scale and it's an illusion due to the different string guages. It just seems more noticeable on this bass.


Thanks for your input. There has to be something happening differently here. I've never had this problem with any other instrument, and I've owned bunch.

You seem awfully sure of yourself, Strummer. Proud of that Bongo, are you?

I was right about the nut, so maybe I have a reason to be sure of myself;)
Wait, wait! I play a Bongo, so of course I am sure of myself:D

You are welcome to my input, but somehow I think you would rather like it to be something wrong with the specific bass model. And I just can't see how that could be. EB Musicmans are, IMHO, the best factory made instruments ever.

I have also owned a bass or two, and I have never had this problem at all. But then, after deliberately twisting an e-string, I found out just why there is a right way to string your bass.
And yes, I twisted the others as well, and while I have a feeling they too died prematurely, the e-string is where it's noticeable more or less right away.

Why, yes I am proud of my Bongo. I'm proud of some of my other basses too.
 

Bera

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Feb 19, 2005
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São Paulo - Brazil
Sometime ago the guitar player of my band had the same problem with his Gibson Les Paul... His A or E string - I don't remember which - went "dead" very quickly, usually breaking after one or two weeks. He took his guitar to a repair shop, and I remember it was some issue with the bridge regulation of his guitar.

Not too sure if it applies to your bass, but anyway, that's my (wild) guess. I have a StingRay5, too, and never had this problem.

Good luck!
 

Gruven

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Nov 30, 2005
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Bera said:
Sometime ago the guitar player of my band had the same problem with his Gibson Les Paul... His A or E string - I don't remember which - went "dead" very quickly, usually breaking after one or two weeks. He took his guitar to a repair shop, and I remember it was some issue with the bridge regulation of his guitar.

Not too sure if it applies to your bass, but anyway, that's my (wild) guess. I have a StingRay5, too, and never had this problem.

Good luck!
Well... New set of strings, same issue.

I contacted an old friend that I used to work with for a short while, Mike Koonts of Koonts Guitar Repair in Ferndale, Mi. Some might know his name from the book "Guitar Player Repair Guide" by Dan Erlewine.

Mike is, without a doubt, the 'go to' guitar guy around here. He suggested that I bring it in for him to look at. He said it could be a few different things, and seemed to believe it was nut or bridge related. He also said that it could be a result of the pickup being too close to the strings (which I honestly can't see as the problem here).

Either way, it IS a problem with the bass and not my string replacement technique.

I'll be taking the bass to him on Monday. I'll keep you all informed.

Thanks for the input.

P.S. Strummer, I love my SR5 and I think that the Bongos are great also. In general, any MM bass is a sure bet for monster tone. That doesn't mean that all of them are perfect. Everyone makes a dud, now and again.
 

strummer

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Gruven said:
Either way, it IS a problem with the bass and not my string replacement technique.

I'll be taking the bass to him on Monday. I'll keep you all informed.

Thanks for the input.

P.S. Strummer, I love my SR5 and I think that the Bongos are great also. In general, any MM bass is a sure bet for monster tone. That doesn't mean that all of them are perfect. Everyone makes a dud, now and again.

I hear you. Sorry if I came off as rude or something earlier. It'll be interesting to see if the problem is found, and if it's not resolved just call me and I'll buy the defective bass;)
 

Rayan

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EEEEzzzduzit

Gruven said:
OK, but I'll need some practice first. Hand over your bass, 6itch...
~ hey Gruven
you seem angry ~ we was jist funnin' ~

- matter of fact, I sorta understand your frustration - years ago I had a brand spankin' new F^%der J5 with a string hole poorly finished (not deburred after drilling)
- everything on the B string sounded deader than a fart - I even tried different strings like you - eventually I came to accept that F^%der J5s were expected to have muddy sounding Bs
- one day I took it to a really good bass tech for adjustments - he found the cause of the dead B string while restringing; the string wasn't seating properly onto the bridge at the ball; the bridge on that model wasn't the traditional sort where you could easily see the drilling; he fixed it in a minute with a rattail file
- as a bonus, because the bass was still under F^%der warranty, I ended up only paying for the strings and the warranty claim was approved by my F^%der dealer
- I learned that I can always learn something, and that authorized dealers and really good bass techs are worth the $$$ ...
~

BP seems like a regular good chap you know = "if" there would be a materials or manufacturing issue with a new MM instrument that perchance made it past the quality control and setup folks over in SLO, and if your MM dealer didn't catch it for whatever reason, I'm sure BP would want to know about it real quick

good luck with your problem

/R
 

Gruven

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Nov 30, 2005
Messages
10
~ hey Gruven
you seem angry ~ we was jist funnin' ~


Politely, removes himself to the smoking section for a break. Upon returning, apologises for being a hot head and hangs his head in shame... Thinks to himself: A little less coffee, maybe? ;)
 
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