Did I mention that the Cort Action PJ is passive? And did I say that, within the limits of what you can get from a passive bass, I can get it to sound the way I want it to sound without touching amp or pedal settings?
And did I say that I paid 20 euros for it?
(Admittedly, when I got it, the setup was screwed and the strings were shot, but still. Five euros for a set of strings, and a couple hours work to get it set up to what it is now. It’s a steal.)
One thing that puzzles me is that you find it heavier than you like. The body is poplar, and it’s quite thinnish. My Gregg Bennett Jazz is about a metric ton heavier. The Cort is the lightest bass I’ve owned, with the possible exception of the Hondo Mistake short scale I bought when I was 15, but I’ve succeeded to forget that bass. The balance, due to the tiny head stock and the thin neck, is excellent. It’s definitely in Ibanez territory in terms of weight and balance.
Yes. I liked the thin body. It’s probably because I am not used to the better quality basses. This was the first solid wood bass I had in my hands so it makes sense that it’s heavier than I’m used to even though it’s a sleek design.
How heavy are we talking here? Anything under 4kgs is light, IMO. I saw one person say it was 3.3kg, which is very light, even lighter than my Warwick (though barely).
Thanks for elaborating on this, @Gio! This is something I have been “annoyed” by as well, and I am still not sure what exactly to do about it. There are situations when this “clacking” seems to be almost unavoidable, like when you switch from the open E to, say, the C# or D or so higher up on the E string (9th, 10th, and so on fret). If it is a slow change (in a slow tempo), I can mitigate the effect, but when you have to switch fast between open and fretted notes, like on might have to do when playing the Hysteria line, as far as I understand it, then it becomes almost impossible to avoid. Or???
Hm, if the sound is produced by the string hitting the fret (what I would call a non-intended hammer-on), how can you soften or dampen that sound by muting the string? It seems to me the clanking happens irrespective of whether the string vibrates or not!?!
Here is a short video, where I attempt to slightly alter the way my finger comes down/presses down (even going on top of the fret) to see whether I can reduce the clanking. (My other fingers are “flying” here to not interfere with this “experiment”):
Apart from the fact that I do have a slight setup issue on this bass (and the action is too high), are there other ways to attack this issue? Or, is this really basically un-avoidable in some situations?
Thanks!
PS: sorry, @juli0r, if I somewhat hi-jacked your thread here
Hi @joergkutter,
I watched your video, and I think you have answered the question yourself, it looks like you need to work on the set up to reduce the travel.
Reduce the height reduces the clang.
Cheers Brian
Hi @joergkutter,
After I responded to you I grabbed the 2 basses I have out, one is set a bit higher than the other and I still got the same noise as you got but the lower set up definitely reduced the fret noise.
Cheers Brian
It’s all good. It just might be a topic that could deserve it’s own thread in technique.
Weird that this isn’t something that’s listed in the specifications of online shops. I think it’s a fact about the bass that might change buying decisions.
So I don’t know. I also don’t know how much my bass weighs because I don’t even have the possibility of weighing. I don’t have a person scale. Just some for the kitchen and… cough just some for the kitchen.
@joergkutter - I just did the same thing on my perfectly set up, lowest action, smooth as a cadillac in butter Modulus and it does the same thing.
I tried a few things - playing with middle and ring finger (so my other fingers could mute behind the fret)
Playing lighter, adjusting timing, etc.
But.
When you play that way on a bass - open string to fretted, over and over, you make that sound. Acoustically.
I had no issues plugged in. And, if I wrack my brain looking for instances where I want to play with this style (open string, to same string, fretted or tapped, then off again) I can only think of tapped or more agressive pieces where the sound of the fret is part and parcel to the sound and vibe of the piece.
After you two (@joergkutter and @juli0r) have demonstrated this and I’ve duplicated it, I see it as a problem that is not a problem: a clacky sound that can be made, but would never be made in a context where it wouldn’t sound appropriate.
I said somewhere that it wasn’t a sound I heard through the amp. So I agree. It is probably a non-issue and was just irritating me because of the difference I noticed.
Fully. And I very much appreciate your precision and clarity in all the posts.
When I’m responding, I’m responding to the particulars of the post, but also trying to explain and detail it for anyone not directly involved that might be reading.
I know that this is a thing that a lot of people have dealt with/will deal with.
When we’re looking for new instruments, it can be easy to find weird things that we don’t like. (see my post about my Rumble 500 where I geeked out about a distorted note, returned the amp, then realized it didn’t matter at all: Resonance or Cracked Speaker? - #6 by Gio)
We should make a flow chart:
GIO’S FLOWCHART FOR WHEN YOU WANT TO GET SOMETHING BUT IT MAKES A WEIRD NOISE™:
Does it sound annoying: yes/no
If no, hooray. Maybe get it.
If yes, will you ever notice it when playing? yes/no
If no, fantastic. Maybe get it.
If yes, will you ever notice it when playing amplified in a recording/performance scenario? yes/no/ITDOESN’TMATTERICAN’TSTANDITATALLEVER
If no - it’s not a problem Maybe get it.
If yes - it’s a problem. Don’t get it.
If it doesn’t matter, you can’t stand it at all ever… don’t get it.
One compliment retour, please!
Thanks and same to you
That’s why I hang on any of your posts about technique and gear!
I also don’t think it’s “my thread” and am happy when someone else could resolve wondering about some issue or another. So I’m happy that @joergkutter joined in. Also because it’s nice to know that I’m not the only one who is annoyed/irritated by the sound.
Thanks again for taking your time and talking me through this. As I said I guess it was an internal blockage and I got to experience it. I’m glad I got my hands on a 3 band EQ active because I wouldn’t be as happy with a 2 Band but with this in my hand I understand. Fully!
