50th Anniversay Thunderbird sighting!

[TBird1958]

 Well that reminds me of a joke................

I'll keep it to myself tho 

[exiledarchangel]

I've seen threads on other forums where guys talked about adding weights to the headstock to eliminate dead spots. They claimed it was successful. Here's a couple weighty ones that I'm sure don't have dead spots 

I like the way you're thinking, gotta tell you this...

[uwe]

Dead spots is something the basses from that other brand fom Planet Boltonia have ...

[Pilgrim]

Oh, holy crud.

Use the camera for good, not for evil!

A possible antidote...

[Dave W]

Dead spots is something the basses from that other brand fom Planet Boltonia have ...

You're kidding, right? It can happen with any bass. My EB-0L had dead spots in the usual G string frets and some hot spots on the E. I've had a couple of Ricks with multiple dead spots.

A respected acoustic guitar builder has said that one of the factors is placing the bridge near the end of the body which creates antinodes that affect notes in certain locations. Not that it's the only factor, and of course with a long scale bass, most common body designs make it hard to place the bridge well away from the end.

Adding a fat finger or other weight to the headstock isn't voodoo. It may shift the "dead" frequency enough to where the note blooms again, but sometimes it doesn't have any effect at all.

[uwe]

I find dead spots relatively seldom on Gibsons, maybe maho isn't as dead spot-prone. I've had it on Rics too. Sometimes, even changing (to another brand of) strings helps.

[patman]

My piezo basses all have a serious dead spot..."A"s on the Guild..."Eb"s on the Pace

[lowend1]

As far as I'm concerned, all Gibson has to do is clone Uwe's CS "Buchholz" Bird. It remains, for me, the coolest "reissue" I've seen.

[Dave W]

I find dead spots relatively seldom on Gibsons, maybe maho isn't as dead spot-prone. I've had it on Rics too. Sometimes, even changing (to another brand of) strings helps.

Mahogany may not be as prone. Short scales may not be as prone. Changing strings may give you a frequency curve that's different enough to make the dead spot less noticeable.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

Changing strings may give you a frequency curve that's different enough to make the dead spot less noticeable.

More likely is that different strings will have a different tension distribution across the neck and body and physically move the node points that create dead spots.

[Barklessdog]

I always thought it was a bolt on neck thing???

[Dave W]

More likely is that different strings will have a different tension distribution across the neck and body and physically move the node points that create dead spots.

That's quite possible too, at least in some cases.

I always thought it was a bolt on neck thing???

No. It may be more common with bolt ons, but set necks and neck thrus have them too.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

It's also a case where through-bridge or through-body stringing could make a difference as well. I've "fixed" dead spots with trussrod tweaks and action adjustments, too. They're more common on the "G" because a 34" scale is the proper length for the vibration period of G, which means that nodes are going to be larger, too. In Rics and other neck-through basses, the rules change because the headstock and bridge are both interacting on the same piece of wood, where on a bolt-on, the difference in headstock pitch is a larger factor. On a set-neck, everything depends entirely on the quality of the joint and the length of the tenon.

[uwe]

More likely is that different strings will have a different tension distribution across the neck and body and physically move the node points that create dead spots.

That's what I meant. Not new set vs old set but set from a different brand or at least a different gauge. I always attributed it to variations in tensions.

But the wood must be a factor too - I only have dead spots on maple neck basses though even among those there is not a really severe case. It's a piece of wood after all, don't expect eyery area to sound the same. In fact, I always find playing my Status Stealth II with its one piece body and neck where every darn note played anywhere has pretty much the exact same sonic quality and texture as the notes around it kind of disturbing. Feels weird, as if you were playing an electronic keyboard and only triggering a sound. OTOH, if I played only that bass for a year or so, I'd probably be spoiled for life for any wooden bass! Ain't gonna happen though, it's just too assertive for the way I play. I'm already assertive enough (my bandmates say!) on tame basses.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

But the wood must be a factor too 

Absolutely. Wood varies in density and vibration transmission, but most most dead spots, especially like those on Jazz Basses have more to do with how that wood is put together than what kind it is. I don't know of any J-Bass copies with 'hog necks, but I have played an old Schecter US made fretless Jazz copy that had a solid rosewood neck and a walnut body, and while it was tonally all together another animal, it played and responded exactly like a 'normal' Jazz.