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I don't know what I did...


isaac42

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I mean, I know, what I did, but I don't know how or why it had the effect it did.

 

Last week, playing an "unplugged" gig (acoustic guitars, no drums, but everything miked and plugged in), my bass cut out. I figured it was the cord.

 

At rehearsal this week, it happened again, and I noticed that the jack was loose, so yesterday I loosened the strings (actually took them off the tuners, but left the bridge alone), reached inside and pulled the jack out. All the connections looked fine, so put it back. Put the strings back on the tuners correctly. While tuning it back up, I heard a sound, and found that there had been a lock washer on the jack on the inside of the bass. Loosened the strings again, but didn't take them off the tuners this time, put the jack back in with the lock washer in place and tightened it down. Tuned the bass back up.

 

It should be noted that the strings are old. It's an acoustic bass, an Ovation Celebrity. The intonation wasn't very good above the ninth fret. At least, that was the case before my maintenance. After my messing around, the intonation was very good. The tone didn't change, but dyads at the 14th fret that used to sound a bit off sounded good. Used to be they'd be a bit sharp.

 

The bass still needs new strings. I have a set around here somewhere, lost in the pile o'crap. I suppose I should buy another set, but that's hard for me to do, knowing that I already have one. Maybe next month.

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I'd say there's two possibilities there, or a combination of the two.

 

When you slackened the strings, the truss relaxed and straightened out the neck a bit more.

 

The second is you twisted/untwisted the strings end to end putting them back on. The bottom side of the string that was

contacting the frets isn't in the same place any more and any bends at the frets aren't the same any more either.

 

I do suggest you buy the new strings however. I doubt that your restored playability will last very long and if you stretch those strings a bit, you'll be back were you were very quickly.

 

When you do this on an electric bass you usually hear random oscillations on the strings that sound unnatural. On an acoustic, it only picks up from the piezo bridge so you don't hear the abnormal elliptical curve of string vibrations the pickups would encounter reseating strings

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I'd go with WRGKMC's option #2. The strings are probably very worn, and by doing the original remove-&-replace the strings may have twisted a bit differently so there's a "fresh" unworn surface in contact with the frets now. A worn string and/or fret will effectively shorten the distance from the edge of contact to the bridge, so there's your sharp intonation.

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I've had some Flat wounds on my Hofner for about 5 months or so. They don't show any wear but they're beginning to sound sharp in the upper registers (or flat in the lower registers)

 

I may give them a couple of more sessions before I replace them but I'm having to retune when playing in various positions. its not much on a meter, maybe a few cents here and there but its enough to be a distraction from just playing the instrument.

 

I do know its the strings because I spec out all my other settings in great detail. Granted this is a floating bridge with fixed saddles. You set the high and low string moving the entire bridge. The center strings can be off a little but its really not going to be off by much with the right strings.

 

I get those 12th fret correct and get sharp notes above and a little of that's expected. When you're getting sour notes around the 5th and 7th, and above the 12th you know you got some worn strings that don't flex at those frets to sharpen them up or they're bent over the frets and not making contact at the apex of the crown.

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