good morning Posted April 1, 2001 Share Posted April 1, 2001 I don't know... seems my bass does. This is the second set of DRs I put on and, once again, certain frets just lose some sound. I'm still experimenting with different strings, and here's my experience: 1. Original Yamaha -- no dead frets, just rather blah-sound strings overall. Sounded "two dimensional," if that makes any sense. After a few months, I switched to DR Hi-Beams. 2. DR Hi-Beams -- Nice growl, and the bass came alive. Sound was much fuller but, at the same time, certain frets lost volume. Tweaking the setup didn't help. 3. La Bella Deep Talkin' Bass -- Wow! These talk. All fret problems disappeared. After a few months though, my E started sounding bad, so I got a set of... 4. DR Lo-Riders -- Fret problems re-appeared! Different frets though. I'm still breaking these in, but the volume drops at different frets are noticeable. Except for the La Bella, all strings have been 45-65-85-105. La Bella had a 106 E-string, with slightly smaller other strings. Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornbread_medhotmail.com Posted April 1, 2001 Share Posted April 1, 2001 Maybe the frets need dressing. But, I have found that different strings sound better, but not so much brands as different sizes and different cores, like a round core, hex core or octagonal core. Also, taperwound on strings-through the body don't sound as good as regular strings. Also, flatwounds and groundwounds sound completely different from each other as well as roundwounds. I really like the Lo-riders on my Stingray, but they lose some depth on my Zon. I like the Trace taper wounds on my Zon, but I cannot find them anymore, so I have to keep looking. When I go drop-D I like the GHS Boomers with a .115 E on both basses. But, I just picked up a set of the new Rotosounds and tried them on my Stingray and they sound great. They're stainless but they have a nickel feel and sound. I'm going to try some on my Zon next week and I'll let you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Friedland Posted April 2, 2001 Share Posted April 2, 2001 Well, if the LaBella's gave you a few months before the E went dead, I'd say that's pretty good! Why not stick with them? I typically use LaBella Hard Rocking Steels, but I just tried a set of DR Fat Beams (Marcus Miller Strings) on my Jazz, and it loves them. They have a nice loose feel for popping even above the 12th fret. I think I'm going to have to stick with those on the Jazz. So far, I haven't found the exact right set for my MM "Stingcision". I have some Labella HRS on and they are good, but the factory strings had a nicer sound, they were just too stiff for my taste. ------------------ www.edfriedland.com www.edfriedland.com The Bass Whisperer Bass Whisperer TV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
good morning Posted April 2, 2001 Author Share Posted April 2, 2001 Thanks, cornbread and Ed. I feel better about what I'm experiencing. Ed, you answered another question I hadn't articulated: string life. (I know there are variables to that.) On the whole though, I really liked La Bella. For steels, they were very quiet, no comparison with the DRs. The only thing odd about them was relative size. E was bigger, A-D-G were smaller, and I'd grown accustomed to a 45-65-85-105 relationship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Wise Man Posted April 3, 2001 Share Posted April 3, 2001 If you're playing daily, four months is very long string life. This message has been edited by Mr. Wise Man on 04-03-2001 at 06:19 AM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyripphotmail.com Posted April 4, 2001 Share Posted April 4, 2001 Y'all, My Sadowsky doesn't really care what strings I put on it, although I prefer DR Sunbeams (har har)... I have noticed that certain strings will cause an imbalance from the E&A to the D&G (the D&G are much weaker and just don't cut the same as the E&A). Maybe it's the preamp? Anyone else noticed this on your bass? What did you do to correct it? Thanks! ------------------ Rob Miller Philadelphia, PA www.JimmyRipp.com Rob Miller Philadelphia, PA www.JimmyRipp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
good morning Posted April 4, 2001 Author Share Posted April 4, 2001 jimmyripp -- Yeah, that's another problem. My only solutions were to raise the pickup height on the D & G side and lower those strings a bit. The preamp could be a culprit though. Do hear anything else with those strings? I had to get a new preamp soon after buying my bass because of a grungy, gurgling sound as the string volume died. (Plug for Yamaha: great customer service! They sent me a new preamp without any hassle.) The rest of the difference in "oomph" must be string diameter? That's the only sense I can make of it, and that's partly why I switched to DRs again after the La Bellas -- fatter D and G strings, and not such a drop in diameter going from E to G. I also get a more even response (except for those pesky volume drops on E and A at certain frets...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyripphotmail.com Posted April 4, 2001 Share Posted April 4, 2001 Hmmm, Does the Yamaha have a graphite reinforced neck? If not, the dead spots may be caused by the resonant frequency of the bass matching or cancelling those notes (or something like that. I know Old Fenders are famous for this...) Try this test.. Get yourself a towel and a 'C' clamp. Put the towel around the headstock (to protect the finish), and put on the clamp. Play. If the notes at those frets are still dead, I bet it's the fretwork.. If not, maybe you are a victim of the above scenario.. Disclaimer: Any of you TBL guys know if this is right? I'm probably the least technical bassist on this forum. Please feel free to correct me as I'm not even sure if this makes sense. Thanks! ------------------ Rob Miller Philadelphia, PA www.JimmyRipp.com Rob Miller Philadelphia, PA www.JimmyRipp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraigLeyhFrameBand.com Posted April 4, 2001 Share Posted April 4, 2001 Originally posted by jimmyripp@hotmail.com: Hmmm, Does the Yamaha have a graphite reinforced neck? If not, the dead spots may be caused by the resonant frequency of the bass matching or cancelling those notes (or something like that. I know Old Fenders are famous for this...) Try this test.. Get yourself a towel and a 'C' clamp. Put the towel around the headstock (to protect the finish), and put on the clamp. Play. If the notes at those frets are still dead, I bet it's the fretwork.. If not, maybe you are a victim of the above scenario.. Disclaimer: Any of you TBL guys know if this is right? I'm probably the least technical bassist on this forum. Please feel free to correct me as I'm not even sure if this makes sense. Thanks! Jim Rip I have seen this before. ------------------ Thank you, Craig S. Leyh CraigLeyh@FrameBand.com Thank you, Craig S. Leyh CraigLeyh@NVSMedia.com Keep It Low! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Friedland Posted April 5, 2001 Share Posted April 5, 2001 LaBella does make sets in the standard 45-105 gauges, the M45 set of Hard Rockin' Steels is a great set. As far as the dead spots, they have a thing called a Fat Finger that clamps on to the headstock to eliminate deadspots. I don't know where to get it, but I'm sure you can find one. I believe it's from the people that made Fat Heads, a brass plate that fits under the tuners on the back of a headstock. I still have one for a Fender. I've used it on and off over the years. It does move the dead spot off the neck, but I find it smooths out the attack of the bass to where it doesn't sound like a Fender anymore. I like the anomalies of a Fender, and neutralizing them takes away something I want to keep. A Badass bridge is about the only structural mod I want on a Fender. ------------------ www.edfriedland.com www.edfriedland.com The Bass Whisperer Bass Whisperer TV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
good morning Posted April 5, 2001 Author Share Posted April 5, 2001 Soon as I saw "c clamp," I thought Fat Finger. I will have to try that; I've been curious, anyway. What puzzles me though, is why this happens (so far) only with DRs. The "bad" frets aren't so much dead as simply lacking a little vigor. The Lo-Riders bring out a slightly dampened B and C on the A string (2nd and 3rd fret - I almost never go higher than the 7th). It's barely perceptible. The Hi Beams made lots of near-zombies and walking-wounded. Please forgive the morbid analogy! The term "dead fret" evokes that kind of imagery for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lug Posted April 5, 2001 Share Posted April 5, 2001 I've had the same problem with DR's on my precision about 3 times but not on my T-40 or G&L. This might just be coincidence but after 3 times I now string the P bass with D'Addario's and haven't had the problem since. I really liked the DR sound on the P-bass but can't risk buying a bad set due to being the POOREST MAN ON EARTH! You can stop now -jeremyc STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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