Bloated/muddy low strings

[alex1fly]

Sometimes E and B strings sound woofy, hollow, muddy, and kind of bloated compared to their A D and G counterparts. Like completely different timbre. Other times, the E and B strings share the same timbre as the A D and G strings and it’s seamless going from the low strings to the high. Has anybody else experienced this? What gives? Is it the gauge, the instrument, the age/make of string set, some other piece of the puzzle?

I know on downtuned guitar, larger string sets can have a similar quality. There it’s a function of the low string gauge being too big to sound tight and articulate like the rest of the set. So you compensate with tighter pickups, EQ, or going with lighter strings and a lighter touch.

I’ve played a bunch of 5 string basses in my day and sometimes the low E and B sound like a cohesive part of the string set, but sometimes they sound like they’re a completely different instrument. Just wondering why that might be.

[Chistopher]

First off, it's a bass, they're all low strings


I've never really noticed that myself, but I do tend towards Stingrays, which seem like they wouldn't really ever have that issue. Is it the entire string, even high up the neck?

[Mincer]

I've heard 34" scale B strings sound bad, but not on all basses. I haven't had that experience with E strings (all tune standard). If it was just the B string, I would think it is just the scale. But if it is the E string, too, I'd look at different pickups (and replacing the nut, too).

[ErikH]

I would think the pickup type and placement would have a big affect on this too. You take the pickup in an EB-0 bass and compare it to a Precision split pickup or even a StingRay pickup and those EB-0 humbuckers are meant to have that wooly sound. Doesn't matter where they are mounted.

Different string brands seem to balance out better than others, IME. So far I like Rotosounds 45-105 Swing Set the best. Ernie Ball Slinky's aren't bad either but they don't balance across all 4 strings as well as the Rotosounds. D'Addario's I've used in the past only because they were the cheapest option but I kept breaking them (aggressive pick playing at the time). They were ok but the worst of the bunch, IMO.

[idsnowdog]

Pickup position and type of pickup make a big difference.

[some_dude]

I find it varies by brand. Some brands have a very distinct E string that’s different from the rest.

If you look at an E or B string from the end they typically have an additional wrap. The wrap adds mass, but it also changes the tone of a string with the extra wrap compared to one without it.

[alex1fly]

I find it varies by brand. Some brands have a very distinct E string that’s different from the rest.

If you look at an E or B string from the end they typically have an additional wrap. The wrap adds mass, but it also changes the tone of a string with the extra wrap compared to one without it.

Interesting. This might be worth looking into. What does the extra wrap do?

[some_dude]

Interesting. This might be worth looking into. What does the extra wrap do?

Makes the string thicker.

Instead of putting a single thick wrap on a bass string they’re using multiple smaller wraps to build it up.

[alex1fly]

I mean tonally what does the extra wrap do. If some strings have it and some don't maybe you can tweak the tonal quality by looking for one or the other.

[NegativeEase]

First thing about evaluating low end bass mud issues is changing up the room and position your bass amp is in -the modal build up below low A starts to get wreak havoc on bass tone decision making due to the wavelengths, divisions and harmonics matching up with room dimensions easily -especially bedroom sized areas -and turning them into either speaker boxes or phasers depending on the note on the lower strings.

[Demanic]

First thing about evaluating low end bass mud issues is changing up the room and position your bass amp is in -the modal build up below low A starts to get wreak havoc on bass tone decision making due to the wavelengths, divisions and harmonics matching up with room dimensions easily -especially bedroom sized areas -and turning them into either speaker boxes or phasers depending on the note on the lower strings.

I've got a fairly small music room packed with stuff. When I used to have our three piece playing in it, I would open the door to the walk in about 2". It seemed to allow the closet to act as a bass trap.

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[alex1fly]

Just to circle back I've managed to fix this issue somewhat on my new 5er with some technique adjustment and by blending in a bit of the bridge pickup. With 100% neck pickup the E and B get a little hollow. With 75% neck and 25% bridge this goes away somewhat.