Help! Stingray 5 Nut Problem

[Markobasso]

I have a Stingray 5 which I recently bought secondhand. I am finding it difficult to lower the action without buzzing in the 7- 9 fret area and on the 13th. I have adjusted the truss rod but nothing seems to work. A friend on mine who had a stingray before, says that the nut is not the original and that is what the problem. I have tried to find a replacement nut online with no luck and I contacted the main distributor for Ernie Ball in Dublin ,Ireland a few times and so far they haven't returned my calls. I understand that it is probably not profitable to spend time on such an issue. Is there any way that I can get the part somewhere else or directly from Ernie Ball ??. As far as I know there may be different nuts on different basses. Mine is serial number E10789 if that helps.

 

[strummer]

Hi
Just take it to a guitar repair guy, he'll make you a new nut fast and cheap.

 

[jlepre]

+1

 

[DrKev]

Howiya MarkoBasso! Nice to have another Dubliner around!

Strings & Things UK are the distributor for EBMM for both UK & Ireland, you should try calling them.
Welcome To Strings and Things Ltd

Post your serial number in the Serial Number thread (HERE) an ask for the Date of Birth of your bass and whether or not it was fitted with a standard nut or a compensated nut. If it was a compensated nut, you'll need to order a new one from EBMM (Strings & Things might help there too).

If your problem is 7-9th fret and 13th, the nut is not your issue (which would only affect the open strings, when you fret a note, the nut is out of the equation). My guess is that it's a set up issue and/or possible high or low fret somewhere. Obviously it's impossible to say without the instrument in front of me. A good guitar tech can sort this out for you. Ask around the music stores for a recommendation, or, even better, ask some pro musicians who they trust. (An old buddy of mine might know someone, I'll give him a call). Again, Strings & Things may have a recommendation too.

Good luck, and by the way, forum rule - your bass doesn't exist without pictures!

 

[tbonesullivan]

like others have said, I would definitely take it in to have it looked at by a pro. it could just have a lot of fret wear in some areas, or possibly some fret sprout. Also could be slightly back bowed.

How does your friend know the nut isn't original?

 

[rutgart]

+1 with what everyone has already said

Get it to a Good repair guy and it all will be sorted

 

[pete bass]

Dont know if this may help you.....Peter

First check relief in the neck by holding the lowest string down on the 2nd fret with your fretting (left) hand. Then, hold the same string down on the 12th fret with your plucking thumb and tap on the string in the middle to see how straight the neck is. There should be no more than the thickness of a business card between the string and the frets. If there is no relief in the neck, a little pressure in the middle of the neck (after adjusting the trussrod wheel) should help.

The standard string gauge is .45-.100 with a .130 on the low "B" for the 5 string at 440 tuning. If you decide to tune down, typically you would increase the gauge for every 1/2 step downward that you tune. This will keep most of the measurements close by having more tension on the neck.

Factory String heights for a 4 string bass are: Bass side 3/32" to 7/64" Treble side: 5/64" to 7/64" from the top of the 12th fret to the bottom of the string. The rest of the strings should have the radius of the fretboard when looking at the top of the string, (with the A string hidden from view by the E string, etc.), rotating the bass at the same time. The "right" string height is, of course, ultimately determined by your playing style.

The same holds true for 5 string basses except the low B is set to 7/64".

For the Bongo 6 set the C string to 2/32".

If you have a single pickup bass set the pickup height to 6/32" from the plastic pickup cover to the bottom of the G string. Adjust the bass side of the pickup to be level with the pickguard.

If you have a dual pickup bass set the bridge pickup to the specs above. Follow the same procedure for the neck pickup except set that to 8/32".

For triple pickup basses you'll set the bridge and neck pickups to the specs above. The middle pickup is set to 7/32".

If fret buzz occurs from the open to the fifth fret, the neck needs more relief. If it buzzes between the 5th fret and the 12th fret, the neck needs to be straighter (turn the wheel slightly clockwise). If it occurs all over the neck, the string height need to increase (by turning the trussrod wheel slightly counter-clockwise).

For intonation: Compare the harmonic to the fretted note at the twelfth fret. If the fretted note is sharp, you need to make the string longer by turning the saddle screw counterclockwise, and vice versa. Make sure that the strings are coming off of the saddle straight and not in an arch. All measurements must be rechecked after each adjustment.