Problem with string Buzzing/Freting on Bass

O.P.H

I play the bass like a guitar, I use a pick and strum chords with alot of open string and I play quiet hard, with that I get alot of buzzing or fretting. I just want to know if a bass can be set up by a professional so that you get little or no buzzing no matter how you play the bass and that it won't take away from the overall performance of the bass(i.e the action being so high that the strings are too far from the pick up for best sound etc).

I use a Thompson bass, its a top of the line job, and I use D'Adarrio strings.

Doctor J

If you play hard, buzzing is a way of life. When you play hard, the string vibrates more, so from the width of actual space it vibrates through is greater. Depending on your action, there is a tiny amount of space, say between the bottom of the string and the top of the third fret when you fret the second fret. When you play soft, the string doesn't vibrate as much and is less likely to have fret buzz than when you play harder and the string vibrates more.

You can set up the bass to be less prone to string buzz -ie- raise the action or increase the relief of the neck, but this will also affect how the bass plays. You could try playing closer to the bridge but again it changes the sound.

If none of that sounds good, the only other thing I can think of is to look at the plek system, which is as good as your fret job could hope to be but the nearest place that provides that service is in London, I think, but playing hard with a plec is just a recipe for buzz, it's just the way it is.

O.P.H

What is "the plek system"?

feylya

http://www.plek.com/

Doctor J

Getting it Plek'd still won't stop the fret buzz, it might ease it some and will most likely just make it a consistant level of buzz across the frets. Just playing with a plec (which pushes the strings down towards the frets) and playing hard is going to create buzz on any instrument, it's the laws of physics.