Dead Spots on bass bolt-on neck

[snorkie635]

Yep, it's from the Big F and was bought some time ago second hand. Plays well and looks good, but it does suffer from a dead-spot on the fifth fret on the GString (fnaar!)

 

No doubt there has been a thread on this subject before, but thought I'd do this one to keep it fresh, without references to 'them there new-fangled Precision Eelectric Basses'. This bass is a Jazz btw.

 

I know about the 'Fat Finger' thingy that can be bolted onto the headstock, but understand that this only moves the dead-spot to another place on the neck? Looking to see if anyone has a solution to this problem (and yes, 'sell it', ' don't play a Fender', etc., are all rib-achingly funny).  Anyway, over to you fellow burblers ... ...

[Rayman]

“My original Jazz bass has a couple of dead spots, I just learnt to play around them” - Marcus Miller 

 

You could have a raised fret there somewhere…… is the note choking or buzzing?

[BigRedX]

32 minutes ago, snorkie635 said:

I know about the 'Fat Finger' thingy that can be bolted onto the headstock, but understand that this only moves the dead-spot to another place on the neck? Looking to see if anyone has a solution to this problem (and yes, 'sell it', ' don't play a Fender', etc., are all rib-achingly funny).  Anyway, over to you fellow burblers ... ...

 

For the one time I have had a dead spot on a neck, the Fat Finger worked very well as the dead spot was gone and didn't seem to re-appear anywhere noticeable. You can experiment with different sized G-clamps first to see if it makes a usable difference before shelling out on something more expensive and aesthetically pleasing.

[snorkie635]

1 hour ago, Rayman said:

“My original Jazz bass has a couple of dead spots, I just learnt to play around them” - Marcus Miller 

 

You could have a raised fret there somewhere…… is the note choking or buzzing?

No buzzing. It's just like a complete lack of sustain. That's the only note on the whole neck to suffer in this way. Will check with a straight edge though, ta.

[snorkie635]

Doesn't seem to be a raised fret I'm afraid. Will try the Fatfinger route, although a lump of steel bolted to a headstock, can't help neck-balance? Maybe give Marcus M a shout to see if he gives lessons in 'playing around [dead spots]'. I've certainly played in my fair share them over the years. 😁

[Tobe]

Try shim the heel of the neck, it solved my dead spot. 

[Baloney Balderdash]

That's a classic Fender bass feature, just about that exact spot too.

 

It comes from the neck and body vibrating, that is resonating, at the same frequency as the tone you fret and absorbing the energy from the string, and thereby sound. 

 

Of course there are those people who doesn't believe in resonance, but that doesn't stop it from being a real physical phenomena that influences on the tone of an electrical instrument regardless.

 

 

Edited April 18 by Baloney Balderdash

[Bassfinger]

23 minutes ago, Tobe said:

Try shim the heel of the neck...

Oh my word, that's torn it! 🫣

[Tobe]

2 minutes ago, Bassfinger said:

Oh my word, that's torn it! 🫣

I don't even know what that means. 

But why not quote my whole sentence? or are you calling me a liar? 

[PaulThePlug]

7 minutes ago, Tobe said:

I don't even know what that means. 

But why not quote my whole sentence? or are you calling me a liar? 

I think it was @Bassfinger having a sneaky quip following recent posts on neck shimming ala little bit of something at the back of the pocket v's full pocket wedge shim and the possibility and associated causes of the 'ol Ski Jump neck etc... I don't belive twas a slight to you.

 

For info my Ibby GSR200 does the same...

Edited April 18 by PaulThePlug

[Acebassmusic]

8 minutes ago, Tobe said:

I don't even know what that means. 

But why not quote my whole sentence? or are you calling me a liar? 

 

I second @PaulThePlug and think its a reference to another thread that was discussing the merits (or not) of shimming a neck....it all went a bit "Talkbass" on us 🤣

 

Back on topic (sort of) I vaguely remember a bass company that solved the deadspot problem by milling out the back of the headstock and added a weight of the correct size to eliminate it. Bit drastic but could be a permanent solution. 🤷‍♀️

Edited April 18 by Acebassmusic

[Tobe]

2 minutes ago, PaulThePlug said:

I think it was @Bassfinger having a sneaky quip following recent posts on neck shimming ala little bit of something at the back of the pocket v's full pocket wedge shim and the possibility and associated causes of the 'ol Ski Jump neck etc... I don't belive twas a slight to you.

Ah ok 👍 

 

[Tobe]

1 minute ago, Acebassmusic said:

 

I second @PaulThePlug and think its a reference to another thread that was discussing the merits (or not) of shimming a neck....it all went a bit "Talkbass" on us 🤣

Ah, not seen that one! might be for the best by the sounds of it 😁

[Tobe]

I have a Am Std Jazz that suffered a Eb dead spot, I shimmed for bridge reasons intially, I put the shim directly under the back two screws, so the screws go through the shim rather than right up at the body, and low and behold the dead spot practically disappeared, I did this in 2005 and still no ski jump. 

[Dan Dare]

I had the same issue - dead spot at the 5th/6th fret on the G - on a P bass. I found the problem was a high fret above the octave. I think it was the 14th. The string was just touching it. It wasn't sufficient to cause a buzz, but it did deaden and prevent it sustaining. So the high fret needn't be the one where the dead spot is. The relief of the neck may mean the string is making contact with a fret away from the troublesome note.

[PaulThePlug]

@snorkie635 you checked the neck screws are nice and snug?.. maybe slacken and re-tighten.

[Reggaebass]

I would try pauls suggestion above, and have a close look at the frets snorkie,

I’m guessing it’s something minor, I’ve had so many jazzes and precision’s over the years and none have had any dead spots ,despite what some may say it’s not common in my experience of them 

[snorkie635]

47 minutes ago, PaulThePlug said:

@snorkie635 you checked the neck screws are nice and snug?.. maybe slacken and re-tighten.

Will do that right now. Thanks.

[snorkie635]

22 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

I would try pauls suggestion above, and have a close look at the frets snorkie,

I’m guessing it’s something minor, I’ve had so many jazzes and precision’s over the years and none have had any dead spots ,despite what some may say it’s not common in my experience of them 

Off to find acsuitable toolset as I type Reggae. 😁

[Linus27]

Just don't get a fretless, it's so much more prone and noticeable on a fretless. My fretless Fender Precision and Stingray both have it but my fretless Jazz and maple neck Precision don't. Interesting that the two necks that don't were both custom made necks by Jon Shuker. A fretless Ibanez Musician that I'm borrowing also doesn't.

Edited April 18 by Linus27

[Lfalex v1.1]

I have a FatFinger. It removed the dead-spot on my Fender Jazz (now gone) completely. 

 

They don't have any noticeable effect on some instruments (Vigier Passion ignores it)

 

Some instruments it makes worse. My Warwick Infinity just sounds lifeless with it fitted, and it didn't have any dead-spots to begin with.

 

Yet on my Fortress and NS EUB it firms up the bottom end nicely.

 

Weird.

 

Definitely a try-before-you-buy item.

 

 

[Munurmunuh]

I had a bass that seemed to be without a dead spot. I then tried some completely different strings, and the dead spot suddenly revealed itself. When I went back to the original brand of strings, I could notice the dead spot if I really thought about it. Which usually I didn't. And yeah, 5th fret, G string.

 

(The bass: BB424. The helpful strings: GHS Boomers. The unhelpful strings: Swing Bass)

[Gasman]

My first brand new bass, a F Jazz bought in 1981 had this same problem in the same place. Returned it to the local music shop (remember them?) that I bought it from and demanded that they took it back and got me one that worked properly. I had to wait three months but a new one eventually arrived - it played perfectly. The shop assistant apologised and said it was a known problem on that model of instrument - the 'new' bass they sold me had been returned once before, but the manager had told the staff to re-sell it at full price and hope some idiot never played the G string above C... (well, that's perhaps a lot of us, I guess)

 

To tide me over a mate sold me his Hofner President for £20 (about £100 today), a very nice bass indeed.

[snorkie635]

6 minutes ago, Munurmunuh said:

I had a bass that seemed to be without a dead spot. I then tried some completely different strings, and the dead spot suddenly revealed itself. When I went back to the original brand of strings, I could notice the dead spot if I really thought about it. Which usually I didn't. And yeah, 5th fret, G string.

 

(The bass: BB424. The helpful strings: GHS Boomers. The unhelpful strings: Swing Bass)

Thank you kindly. I have now taken the neck off and refitted it, ensuring the bolts are nice and tight. I also raised the saddle height by two full turns of the saddle screws to be certain that the string 'upwards' of the fifth fret was not being obstructed by a high fret - plus checked clearance across the string whilst being fretted and plucked. Unfortunately, the dead spot is still there, so will now try a set of Boomers as above (current strings are indeed, Swing Bass), and if that doesn't work, I have managed to find a friend with the famous 'Fatfinger'. Thanks to all who contributed thus far. I'll keep you posted as my efforts continue.

[Bassfinger]

13 hours ago, PaulThePlug said:

I think it was @Bassfinger having a sneaky quip following recent posts on neck shimming ala little bit of something at the back of the pocket v's full pocket wedge shim and the possibility and associated causes of the 'ol Ski Jump neck etc... I don't belive twas a slight to you.

Indeed, you're right on the money. T'was a cheeky swipe at the outrage threads about neck shimming can incite.

 

I was most definitely not being unkind to @Tobe in any way.