New bass. probs with G and E strings

shtopthelights

Hi guys,

I bought a new bass less than a week ago (I'm a beginner) and have two problems with it.

First, once I took it home, I noticed that it's impossible to get a non-buzzy note on the first fret of the E string..the string also looks different to the other three strings, in that the thread(?) around that nut is frayed, unlike the others.

The (business) seller had given me a 'free' (looks to me like it comes free with the bass in question, SX, as it's marked not for re-sale and is produced by that co.) tutorial dvd, which I returned yesterday, as he said I could, to get €10 off one that was worth a damn 9he had no knowledge of what the 'free' one covered)...the original was fine the first night, but I finished it and mastered it that very night, so it wasn't too taxing! I was in a hurry and forgot to mention the E string buzziness.

Then, today I began the new dvd and was playing an exercise on the G string, which involved playing an open string, the first fret, second and so on...when doing this, I noticed that the first fret and second fret of the G string sound identical and there's a buzziness on the first fret, which I don't think was there before, though it's not as bad as on the E string.

What the story?! Nothing has happened to the guitar whatsoever, but it's not how you'd expect a new guitar to play..and it's not because I'm a beginner, as I have no problem getting clear notes from any other strings. I wasn't going to buy it the day I did, but the guy seemed to know what he was talking about and said it was basically a cheap but effective rip-off of a fender and sound-wise very good... which I reckoned would be fine for a beginner.

Needless to say, with 50% of the strings buzzing on the first fret, I don't agree! -Does anyone know what the problem might be? Can I demand a refund if he can't fix it? Seems far too early to have any kind of problem with it, I've had it less than a week!

Thoughts/advice very welcome, cheers!

18AD

He should definitely be able to fix it.

It's either the curvature of the neck or the height of the saddle/bridge.

If you choose to do it yourself these may be helpful:

Bridge: http://www.mulhern.com/Zon2004/bits_and_pieces/online_userguide/adjustments.htm
If you're doing this tune the strings you're adjusting down slightly, so there's more give in them. Then make the necessary adjustments to the saddle height of the strings in question. then tune up and see if the buzzing is gone.

Neck: http://www.garywillis.com/pages/bass/bassmanual/trussrod.html
This is risky. If you choose to do it follow the instructions carefully and don't overdo it. It'll take a while for the 1/4 turn of the rod to physically change the neck. You can crack the neck if you push it too much and expect an immediate correction.

Either way, these things are a pain in the ass. If you aren't sure, bring it in to the shop for a fix. It shouldn't cost much.

Good luck.
AD

Rigsby

18AD wrote: »

If you aren't sure, bring it in to the shop for a fix. It shouldn't cost much.

For a beginner who knows nothing about the workings of a bass, I think this advice is the best. IMO, it should not cost you anything. I'd say all that is required is a good set up. The SX is a good beginner bass. It was my first one. As 18AD says, you could do it yourself, but see what the shop says/does first. If you want to go the DIY route, here is another useful and detailed link. Follow it carefully step by step, and as 18AD also says, be careful with the truss rod. If all this seems too much, and you get no joy from the shop, then you will probably have to bring it elsewhere for a set up.

Good luck and let us know how things turn out.

Set Up Link :

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?2067718-Kindness’s-Bass-Setup-Thread&highlight=kindness%20set%20up

shtopthelights

Hi,

Sorry for the delay in responding, I haven't visited the site in an age...

Yeah, the shop sorted the bass, no hassle, he got a musician friend of his who's 'handy' to sort out the neck and it's fine again.

Rigsby

That's good news. Glad you got it sorted.