I’m sure this is a topic that’s come up before, but I’ve been struggling a lot with doing my own home setup recently and it’s gotten me thinking about my technique.
Currently I have two bases, a Fender Player II active jazz bass that was set up by the tech at the store after purchase, and an Ibanez SR405 that I bought online and set up myself. I’ve noticed that on the Fender, I get fret buzz roughly around the 7th-10th fret mark when playing finger style, and higher up the neck when playing slap. The Ibanez that I setup myself is similar, no matter which guide or method I follow I either get fret buzz up high, down low, or sometimes both. The only way I’ve mitigated this is by raising the action beyond what I find comfortable.
It’s gotten me thinking about technique. I’m originally self taught, and never considered how hard I’n hitting the string, and when playing (what I would consider) very softly I can make the buzz go away for the most part, although when slapping it always feels like it’s there. It feels almost too soft, as I can’t imagine playing something with more weight to it like rock or metal with that soft of a pluck.
My question would be, how light is too light? Are there any decent measures for if you’re playing too softly or too hard? I feel like until I can answer that question any setup I attempt will leave me disappointed.
Apologies for the vague question but I’m a bit disheartened that I can’t get these basses sounding nice and feel a bit lost with it all. Thanks in advance for any responses!
A lot of basses have these inconsistent spots, especially Fender ones, where the intonation is off on certain parts of the fretboard, even if setup properly. If the bass is used, the chances are even higher, as it has experienced more wear and tear over time (frets, fretboard, truss rod, neck and wood warping). The more of these issues, the more the action needs to be raised (at the neck & bridge) to prevent buzzing.
Based on what you said, I will just assume your bass is setup properly and thoroughly, but this is where I would start if you’re not sure. Especially checking the frets at those locations where you mentioned you are hearing more buzz.
For technique, MVP and muting become a big factor as well in fret buzz. Especially if you are trying to play to a time you are not comfortable with, and are missing the timing to hammer on/pull off/pluck at the same time to get the note desired, while also trying to mute the other strings. This is where practice dynamics and MVP exercise can help, and learning songs in a slow tempo where you aren’t hearing buzzing or issues. Only move up in tempo once you are comfortable and happy with what you hear! Speed and more force (slap) will just exacerbate everything if your technique is not spot on.
I’ll also mention, that with learning technique (especially self taught) you can develop bad habits that are hard to unlearn or you might not be aware you are doing. I would suggest recording yourself with video for a closer look!
You may need to check your neck relief and adjust the truss rod. It seems like you may have a back bow on the neck. It’s quite common as the weather and temperature change the wood move, I do that a few times a year.
Those spots exist even on a fretless Portamento with a neck-through (frets 1 and 2).
I just avoid those areas or change the tuning so that stuff gets shifted down/up the fretboard where there is no buzz whatsoever. It is possible to somewhat mitigate this with technique but the margin of error for these frets is so slim that there is no point to bother.
After reading through them, I’ve tried experimenting with reducing my plucking force and have found that it does help to a degree.
The Ibanez sounds a lot better but still not quite there, so in that regard it might still be a setup issue. I’m debating throwing in the towel and paying someone to do it but I’m not giving up just yet!
The Fender sounds much better with a lighter touch, and even with slap I’m finding that I’m able to reduce the force I’m applying a good amount to minimise the buzzing. I think there may be a bit of seasonal adjustment needed on it still but for now it’s doing ok.
It still feels very weird to be plucking the strings so lightly but I’ve always struggled with my arm getting tired in faster songs or extended periods of rapid plucking so it seems like I’ve just been overdoing it this whole time.
In future I might make a follow-up post with a video like @PicklePete suggested to get more insight on this, but for now I’ve got something to work on, as well as some optimism that my bases aren’t just broken! Now I just have to undo 15 years of poor technique, should be easy right?
No worries, we are all learning here at different points in our bass journey! I’m glad you were able to figure some stuff out with the advice provided!
