New Bass, Not sure whats acceptable buzzzzzz

[gemini8026]

Hey all, got myself a new Musicman Sterling Bass. Got a good deal, and jumped on it.....

The guy who owned it, doesnt know shit about basses. IT came from across the country, and the setup was garbage. I pulled out my Dan Erlewine book, and my feeler!

Anyhow, Ive got the #'s matching up to what they should be. Neck looks straight with a lil relief, string heights are fairly close, etc.

Im getting buzz down low from the 10th fret up. I play with a pick, im "fairly" aggressive, but it's buzzing.

Im aware basses are a different beast, but how different in terms of acceptable buzz. IS there anyone out there who can have a bass set up without any buzz, or is this "as good as it gets"

Im likely gonna take it to a shop. I jsut hate spending lots of $$$ on a setup that ive already done (but im NO expert, and just go by a book, not experience)!!!!!!!!!!

[Newc]

I'd say "too much" is when the buzzing interferes with note definition and causes a tuner to lose focus on that note.

Other than that, you will not like a buzzless bass because the action will be incredibly high.

[gemini8026]

I sent you this clip Newc.

http://www.jeffwizniak.com/mp3/NEWCBASS.mp3

It's me picking away, have a listen, let me know if it detracts from the sound.

IM NEW TO BASS, so my technique sucks, and I need to learn, so its an ongoing process

[Newc]

Downloading now.

[Newc]

Sounds normal to me. Once you EQ it to give it some low-end and cut the highs (so the buzz isn't as pronounced), as well as get it into a full band context, you won't notice it.

You can hear it on some Iron Maiden tracks like Wratchild where the bass is by itself, and it has that "Tone rolled back" sound.
In other tracks you can hear the frets loud and clear (Where Eagles Dare, for one).

Bass string, being fatter, are always going to have some buzz, whether picked or fingered, if you want playable action. You can raise it to eliminate the buzz, but you'll also lose a lot of tone and end up sounding like a cello.

[Endrik]

A LOT of players want some buzz, no matter if they play funk or heavy rock. The sound of strings hitting against the fretboard is very common.
Many fusion players who prefer crystal clear sound, use a pretty high action, but it's not that hard to play a bass with a high action as the string tension is a lot looser than on a guitar.

Then there's the playing technique. Playing with a pick there's naturally more buzz and clicky tone.
With fingers it depends how and where you pick. Close to the bridge, it's more mellow. Closer to the neck the tone tends to be sharper, more buzzy and picky. Steve Harris prefers that, that's why Maiden has a pretty sharp bass tone.

[gemini8026]

Ahh, good to see Endrik here as well. I have a copy of the post you write a while back on good Bass tone. Truthfully, it should be stickied!!!!

Here's the bass in context with a song...

http://www.jeffwizniak.com/mp3/EdgeOfSanity.mp3

Not perfect, but im experimenting.

[Endrik]

if you don't like buzz but in the mix you can't hear it then it doesn't matter how the bass sounds alone... all the dirt, buzz and whatever often helps to lift the bass in the mix and you just hear the bass tone

[Newc]

Exactly.

And yes, the strings would be frettable due to the string tension, but fast runs would be difficult, and for a guitarist moving to bass, high action can cause wrist problems down the road as you're using more force to move a fatter bass string much further than a guitar string.

[Newc]

Cool song

The bass has a definite Steve Harris thing going tonewise, so I'd say it's got the perfect amount of buzz.

[warlok]

I just picked up a bass that has the strings coming through the intonation screw holes in the bridge and the screws through the string holes.. You're in a much better starting place than me so stop whining!!
Seriously though, I love the maiden bass sounds so I like having some dirtier buzzing and clicking sound. I agree that for me, playability (lower action) is more important.