G string ninth position...

stabbicus

stabbicus

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When I fret the G string in the ninth position, it rings out, but fades quickly leaving a harmonic tone. This is the same tone that I get when I play the harmonic over the ninth fret on the G string. Any ideas of what is causing this, and what I can do to remedy this?

Also, when I play in the higher register (frets 21 - 24) on some of the strings, (E, A, and D) it sounds as though the sound is fretted out. I only notice this when I play without amplification.

Thanks,
stabby
 
I dunno bro. The seventh position on my Thumb 5's G is doing basically the same thing but I haven't noticed any odd behaviour any higher than that. Mostly I work around it or incorporate it into what I'm playing, but sometimes it's a little annoying if I forget to hit that D somewhere else... ~M~
 
Hey stabbicus :-)

Sounds like a dead spot, we all have them :-)
It is possible that the fret is worn out, but... honestly that is a classic position for a dead spot...
you can live with it very well, it's like... you learn how to deal with your instrument. For example some better strings like DR, ELIXIRS, EMPs, can help a lot.
A higher action also helps.
Also, some PAN settings sounds better than others...
 
jay said:
Sounds like a dead spot...
Click to expand...

More like a comatose spot :lol: . It's not too bad and has been there since the bass was new. The intonation is fine - I really think it's just a small void under the fretwire that's causing a slight lack of sustain. Not a problem though since as the bass ages and I move around to different climates, the frets will settle in a bit. ~M~
 
Florin said:
Hey stabbicus :-)

Sounds like a dead spot, we all have them :-)
It is possible that the fret is worn out, but... honestly that is a classic position for a dead spot...
you can live with it very well, it's like... you learn how to deal with your instrument. For example some better strings like DR, ELIXIRS, EMPs, can help a lot.
A higher action also helps.
Also, some PAN settings sounds better than others...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions. I've tried raising my action, I already have DRs on, and no amount of pan settings will help. I've heard of dead spots before, but nothing like what I'm experiencing. Most dead spots I've encountered stop ringing after a second or two. This one fizzles out and leaves the harmonic tone that will sustain just as long as a regular note would. :?
 
Look on the bright side... at least you can play with harmonics like Jaco did :-)
Now seriously... I don't know... the pickups are not too close?
 
stabbicus said:
odominguez said:
Try checking the intonation of your bass.
Click to expand...

For both problems?
Click to expand...

Just to see if everything is fine in that department. If you can't hear your bass' fret noise when it plugged in, then I wouldn't consider this a problem. Dead spots happen, for many reasons. It could be a worn out fret or many other things. I had this problem with my first Warwick about 5 years ago. I took it a luthier that I trusted and he fixed the problem for me. What he did was just to make all the fret heights proportionate to their position on the bass. This took him no longer than 30 minutes to get 100% correct, but it was done. I wouldn't trust myself doing it though.
 
I have a dead spot right there on my fretless! It can't be the frets!
 
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