C sharp through E buzz on the A string
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Chris Grzesik
- Posts:1
- Joined:Wed May 27, 2009 10:22 am
- Location:New Jersey
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I have a 70's jazz bass that was converted to fretless back then by putting a very old piece of ebony off of a cello. The bass has a buzz on the A string between the C sharp and the E. I have tried different strings, don't see any bumps in the neck, and the relief bend is minor in the neck. Any ideas out there?
Chris, the dimensions of wood can change with variations in humidity and temperature. Time and stress play their part also.
Starting with the obvious, is the A string lower than the rest ?
There are a couple of things you can do to check the relief and find problems. Fit a capo near the nut, and press the G string at the octave. Now check the amount of relief you have at the mid point between capo and octave. You can use auto feeler gauges for this - then write down the clearance. Work across all strings.
It is important that the bass is in the playing position while you measure relief.
To check for irregularities across the full length of the board, you need a very accurate straight edge (a long steel ruler is not accurate enough).
I use a machined straight edge that I keep just for this purpose - I never use it for anything else.
With strings removed, lay the bass down onto a stable surface and carefully rest the straight edge across the board. Move the edge across the board to different positions and note the variations. Adjust the truss rod in small amounts to bring the board as straight as possible. When you make a small truss rod adjustment, wait for a while before checking again - some necks need a little time to settle.
An important point is to use the sun as a natural backlight - so I work looking towards a bright window. Obviously, avoid direct sun on the bass.
Artificial light is simply not good / accurate enough.
This allows you to locate problem areas. After leveling, re-string, measure relief and adjust string height.
Hope this is of some help.
Starting with the obvious, is the A string lower than the rest ?
There are a couple of things you can do to check the relief and find problems. Fit a capo near the nut, and press the G string at the octave. Now check the amount of relief you have at the mid point between capo and octave. You can use auto feeler gauges for this - then write down the clearance. Work across all strings.
It is important that the bass is in the playing position while you measure relief.
To check for irregularities across the full length of the board, you need a very accurate straight edge (a long steel ruler is not accurate enough).
I use a machined straight edge that I keep just for this purpose - I never use it for anything else.
With strings removed, lay the bass down onto a stable surface and carefully rest the straight edge across the board. Move the edge across the board to different positions and note the variations. Adjust the truss rod in small amounts to bring the board as straight as possible. When you make a small truss rod adjustment, wait for a while before checking again - some necks need a little time to settle.
An important point is to use the sun as a natural backlight - so I work looking towards a bright window. Obviously, avoid direct sun on the bass.
Artificial light is simply not good / accurate enough.
This allows you to locate problem areas. After leveling, re-string, measure relief and adjust string height.
Hope this is of some help.