Problem after stringing bass

Kaiser_Sma

Hey got a little problem here. Own a 4 string Ibanez TR series bass guitar. I know it's pretty old but it was in mint condition when i got it a number of months ago.
Anyway i restrung it recently for the first time, the new strings were slightly larger. Now it sounds kinda awfull, metallic ringing or rattling sound from the strings. I know there supposed to sound a bit brighter after you replace them but i don't think this is right.

Anybody know whats up?

unclebill98

Read this...

http://www.tunemybass.com/bass_setup/

Simple guide to your bass setup.

Rigsby

Another site you could try is :

http://www.garywillis.com/pages/bass/bassmanual/setupmanual.html

When you change your strings, especially if the gauge or tension is different you need to set up the bass.

Kaiser_Sma

Thanks alot,
This is probably something i should have looked into before i bought the strings, but i didn't know the original gauge anyway.

Dord

Just out of interest, what gauge did you put on it?

Kaiser_Sma

Reg light top/med bottom

.045 .065 .085 .105

Dord

Seems fine gauge-wise, thats pretty standard. You might need a little truss rod adjustment, but please make sure you read the above links regarding that before you even attempt it! Its that time of year again, it depends, some basses need seasonal adjustments, some don't. I did mine last weekend and they're fine now.

Kaiser_Sma

Yeah, i didn't have a large enough allen key to adjust the truss rod yet. Though i think relief has increased since the new strings where in place (can't be sure, i never really checked it before). Altering intonation etc. was easy enough though.
Decreasing relief would involve tightening the truss rod, something i'm nervous about attempting. Could too much relief effect the sound in such a way?

Rigsby

Kaiser_Sma wrote: »

Decreasing relief would involve tightening the truss rod, something i'm nervous about attempting.

Just remember a little is a lot with the truss rod. I'd advise no more than a quarter turn, then check the relief. Some people then leave it for a few hours to allow the neck to settle. If not right try another quarter turn. Also very important though it may seem obvious is dont force anything.

Dord

Rigsby wrote: »

Just remember a little is a lot with the truss rod. I'd advise no more than a quarter turn, then check the relief. Some people then leave it for a few hours to allow the neck to settle. If not right try another quarter turn. Also very important though it may seem obvious is dont force anything.

Rigsby, its the general concensus that an 1/8th turn at a time is all that should be done.

Too much relief would have the effect that you describe OP. It sounds like its not too bad so a small adjustment could be all thats required.
You can check the relief of the neck by fretting the string at the 1st and the fret where the neck joins the body. It can be different across the neck.

Make an adjustment and leave it a couple of hours or even until the next day. Check it again and see if it has changed, adjust if needs be. Remember that its not the height of the string you're trying to change, its the relief in the neck. The height should be adjusted using the saddles.

Also, to point out very important that you loosen the truss rod a small bit before tightening it, just to ensure that there is some movement and the truss rod nut isn't seized. Otherwise you may end up snapping it if you force it.

Kaiser_Sma

Got the right size allen key, but it doesn't want to turn in either direction, and i don't want to force it.
Think i'm going to have to bring it in to a local music store. At least then they can take responsibility if they break it.
Hopefully they won't charge me too much.

Thanks for the help anyways.

Dord

Kaiser_Sma wrote: »

Got the right size allen key, but it doesn't want to turn in either direction, and i don't want to force it.
Think i'm going to have to bring it in to a local music store. At least then they can take responsibility if they break it.
Hopefully they won't charge me too much.

Thanks for the help anyways.

TBH I wouldn't bring it to any music store here. Useless shower of #*^%## when it comes to setting up guitars and basses.

If you're in Dublin, the best man for the job is Derrick Nelson. You can find his details in the Resources sticky.

Rigsby

Joe Robot wrote: »

Rigsby, its the general concensus that an 1/8th turn at a time is all that should be done.

That may well be so Joe, but most sites I've looked at (including the one I gave in my post above ) say 1/4. Also I did say no more than a 1/4.

Anyway I agree it's no harm to err on the right side.

Kaiser_Sma

Joe Robot wrote: »

TBH I wouldn't bring it to any music store here. Useless shower of #*^%## when it comes to setting up guitars and basses.

If you're in Dublin, the best man for the job is Derrick Nelson. You can find his details in the Resources sticky.

Too late, and i'm in limerick. They didn't do such a bad job tbh. It improved a fair bit.

Though it looks like they solved the stiff struss rod problem by reboring the nut a bit.

The only issue is the awfully loud noise made from rubbing off the strings, but i would have thought that would go away when they start griming up again.

Maybe i'll get half rounds next time.

Rigsby

Kaiser_Sma wrote: »

Maybe i'll get half rounds next time.

..... or flatwounds !! Little or no finger noise with these and they last a long time. Depends on the tone you want.

Glad to hear your bass is back in action.

Kaiser_Sma

Thanks.
Maybe flat wounds would be more what i'm looking for.
Impossible to slap with them though isn't it?

Doctor J

Flea was using flats on his 62 Jazz on their last tour. He seems to slap ok.

Rigsby

Kaiser_Sma wrote: »

Impossible to slap with them though isn't it?

I suppose it depends on the brand you get. I use TI (Thomastik/Infeld) Jazz flats. As flats go they have a brightish tone. I'm not a "slapper" but can get a fairly good slap sound with them. There is a lot of discussion about this on : www.talkbass.com in the "strings" section if you do a search.

EDIT: One thing about the TI's, they have a very low tension which does not suit everyone, especially if you dont have a light touch.

Kaiser_Sma

Well i'm not particularly interested in slapping, just wanted to keep my options open, i'm still learning.

Flats sound like the answer, but i'll probably wait a while. Give my truss rod a rest.

Dord

If you're getting excess string noise and your bass has been setup correctly, you may want to look at your technique. Bad technique can result in a lot of string noise.

Kaiser_Sma

That could easily be the case. Especially since i'm teaching myself, from various secondary sources. The excess string noise didn't occur with my previous strings however. It is also decreasing with these new ones as i use them.
I wish there was an alternative, but the only place i could get lessons in my area, would require driving outside the city (no car).

deed

Take a look at how the string is wound from the tuning head to the bridge, the string should be at the lowest point it can be on the tuning head, which will create a steep angle up to the bridge. If the sting is too high on the tuning peg then the string may not be properly pressing aginst the bridge, causing it to rattle. In otherword the string may be simply sitting over the bridge as oppose to pressing firmly against it. Simply restring it and ensure that the string ends up as low as possible on the tuning peg!!

Kaiser_Sma

well when i strung it, i made sure i got as many winds as possible, so that the strigns where at a low position. When i gave it into the shop to get the truss rod adjusted however, they restrung it, but cut the strings much shorter. They are now quite a bit higher, but theres nothing i can do without buying new ones.
There isn't any rattle now however, it all works pretty fine.

Dord

That sounds fine then. Strings are generally pretty bright when you put them on first and settle down a bit after a few days.

One piece of advice I could give you is to let your amp do the hard work. A lot of other bassists have told me this, some of them pro's and I find it works great. Rather than digging in loads and almost killing yourself playing the bass, which can lead to a lot of string/fret noise, you should take a lighter approach and turn your amp up. It will take some time to keep the levels consistent but I find that it sounds much better. It also means that you're straining your hands less.

Kaiser_Sma

thanks for your help