| Author | Message | ||
| evilgus
Junior Username: evilgus Post Number: 41 Registered: 7-2005 |
Hi folks, Just received that mint-condition Ziricote-topped Rogue 5 in the post and whilst it is a gorgeous and great-sounding bass, has one minor issue I'd like to get sorted out quickly. The low B sounds really dull and has no clarity to it, regardless of what string I put on the bass. (New or old.) I've checked out the bridge saddle and it's quite loose on the spindle, even to the point that you can wobble it with the string at full pitch/tension. Might not be related, but each of the string grooves in the tailpiece also has a fair bit of string thread grooving, maybe that could cause a bit of binding. I did a forum search for bridge rattle and found people saying to try loctite 242 on the intonation screws, plus tighten the nut to keep it under tension. Are these things likely to fix the problem? The weird thing is the D and G string saddles are also slightly loose, but that doesn't result in dull sounding strings in either case. Cheers, EG | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 8143 Registered: 5-2002 |
A few things that come to mind. Is the string sitting properly and cleanly in the nut? No wrapping thread on the nut? Is there any bow in the string between the tuner and the nut? How many wraps around the tuner? Are you using taper would strings? Is the fully body of the string sitting on the saddle? Is the ball end of the string sitting securely in the tailpiece? | ||
| evilgus
Junior Username: evilgus Post Number: 43 Registered: 7-2005 |
A quick followup - I found a suitable socket for the bridge saddle rods (5/32" or 4mm) and tightened them all up, made all the difference! Whilst I had the strings off, I also oiled the fretboard with lemon oil, to let the neck/board adjust and settle after shipping across the world and ending up in a different climate. All up, the low B sounds much better and the neck adjusted nicely, so I'm really happy!  Thanks Dave, I did first check the seating of the strings, plus for excessive bridge wear and the neck relief in general, it was all good. The neck has just a hint of curve towards the headstock, but generally flat. FAST! I'm still using the green-wrap Alembic strings with full wrap low B, might start using taper-core B if I can get a replacement bridge saddle with higher seating position. I've got the pickups in a great spot for most of the strings, but the low B is just a touch too loud, so maybe taper-core would even the volume and give me a touch more focus. It's been a while since I've had an Alembic fiver, so the increase in harmonic content from the B is pretty noticeable! Funny to hear that the pups don't sound tooooo different to the crusty old drop-shoulder Barts in my pre-Gib Tobias, however! Both get top marks for content and warmth, what else could you ask for!!! Cheers, EG | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 6156 Registered: 6-2000 |
Yay! Glad to hear that adjusting the bridge properly made all the difference. You might try slightly raising the bridge on the B string side or slightly tipping the pickups away from the B string to reduce the volume from that string. It's certainly worth trying a variety of full taper strings that are available to you to see if you prefer a different string. If you change to taper core, you will need to order a replacement saddle that is uncut, and you'll need to slot it locally. Glad you are enjoying the bass - but don't attribute everything to the pickups! If the two instruments yield a similar sound, I'd bet that it's the sum of the two basses that sound similar, and not specific parts. Also, don't forget to turn the filter control away from the maximum position on the Rogue bass - it will certainly yield more than one sound. Thanks for the update. (this thread will be moved to the troubleshooting section) | ||
| evilgus
Junior Username: evilgus Post Number: 44 Registered: 7-2005 |
Cool, thanks for chiming in, Mica! I will try raising the action on the low side, it won't hurt to be a touch higher and that should even the volume nicely. Probably no great reason to try taper-core, apart from curiosity and seeing what strings I like best on the bass. If Jeff Mallia here in Sydney happens to have any blank saddles, I might try some taper-cores sometime, but certainly not urgent. I've certainly been having fun comparing the Rogue to my existing Tobias Classic and MTD 535 basses, they are all quite different in some ways and similar in others. The Classic has roughly similar woods/construction to the Rogue and I can get it to sound *vaguely* similar, but only with the bass-heavy NTMB pre-amp defeated. But there's certainly no comparison as far as sustain and overall clarity goes, the Rogue has at least twice as much! Lots of fun to be had! Cheers, EG |
