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Palm muting - why are higher notes more bassy/boomy than lower ones?

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  • Palm muting - why are higher notes more bassy/boomy than lower ones?

    Hello,

    when I'm palm muting with a heavy distortion on my ESP M-II with a SD JB bridge pickup - why are the higher notes more bassy/boomy than lower ones?

    For example, if I play a palm muted low E (open 6th string) it sounds way less bassy/boomy/heavy/brutal/whatever than when I play the B-flat (fingering the 6th fret of the 6th string). A and B sound a lot like open E, regarding "boomyness", but the B-flat booms like crazy.

    Why is that so? I like that boomy sound cause I'm a metalhead but I'd like to know why it's happening, why that exact note?

    Thanx!

  • #2
    Re: Palm muting - why are higher notes more bassy/boomy than lower ones?

    Because of unique factors in the resonance of the wood in the guitar and it's construction. That particular frequency just resonates. Another guitar would sound different in different spots too.
    Originally posted by Bad City
    He's got the crowd on his side and the blue jean lights in his eyes...

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    • #3
      Re: Palm muting - why are higher notes more bassy/boomy than lower ones?

      I've often used medium-high action in the past, and found that fretting higher notes was always louder. Couldn't figure it out until I realized that fretting higher up on the neck drops the height of the string relative to the pickups. Maybe something similar is going on with you?
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      Originally posted by Douglas Adams
      This planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.

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      • #4
        Re: Palm muting - why are higher notes more bassy/boomy than lower ones?

        ^^^^ yes, agreed -the closer you fret to the pickup the string propagation's phase angle changes and distance to the poles changes more dramatically -with heavy relief even more so.

        -also Aceman's answer certainly can make big influence too -especially because when you fret -you change the resonant loop path through the guitar and the modal peaks and troughs change in relation.

        -also -when you palm mute in front of the bring -depending on where exactly and how hard -you can create new overtones accidentally.
        “For me, when everything goes wrong – that’s when adventure starts.” Yvonne Chouinard

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        • #5
          Re: Palm muting - why are higher notes more bassy/boomy than lower ones?

          Could also be a frequency that your cab resonates at.
          Join me in the fight against muscular atrophy!

          Originally posted by Douglas Adams
          This planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper, which is odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.

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          • #6
            Re: Palm muting - why are higher notes more bassy/boomy than lower ones?

            Originally posted by GuitarStv View Post
            Could also be a frequency that your cab resonates at.
            Good point, also and even more so it you are in full band -the fundamental mode of the rehearsal room too.

            I use to HATE rehearsing in small rooms because you knew the bass players F, F#, or G was going to rattle the room like an earthquake, and the adjacent frettings would disappear in the phase haze.
            “For me, when everything goes wrong – that’s when adventure starts.” Yvonne Chouinard

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            • #7
              Re: Palm muting - why are higher notes more bassy/boomy than lower ones?

              Thank you all for your input.

              Is there a way to be able to control this and somehow "know" and "be able" to produce this brutal boomy sound on command? Like, for example, pinch harmonics? I'd love to be able to do that, with other notes too not just B-flat.

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              • #8
                Re: Palm muting - why are higher notes more bassy/boomy than lower ones?

                Originally posted by Bellzemos View Post
                Thank you all for your input.

                Is there a way to be able to control this and somehow "know" and "be able" to produce this brutal boomy sound on command? Like, for example, pinch harmonics? I'd love to be able to do that, with other notes too not just B-flat.
                Just a guess, are you playing in a smallish room through a loud amp?
                “For me, when everything goes wrong – that’s when adventure starts.” Yvonne Chouinard

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                • #9
                  Re: Palm muting - why are higher notes more bassy/boomy than lower ones?

                  Gotta post-amp EQ for a tight bottom.

                  100-300Hz is the spot.

                  125Hz is "cab thump"

                  250Hz is "flub city"

                  I will typically drop 250Hz some dBs to remove the flub and tighten.

                  (and don't forget your high pass)

                  Once appropriately EQd, you can mute/chug anywhere on the neck with no "bassy/boomy" notes.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Palm muting - why are higher notes more bassy/boomy than lower ones?

                    The first step is to trace the source....

                    Room?
                    Cab?
                    Instrument?

                    Then adjust life accordingly, and as mentioned, EQ if you can.
                    Originally posted by Bad City
                    He's got the crowd on his side and the blue jean lights in his eyes...

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                    • #11
                      Re: Palm muting - why are higher notes more bassy/boomy than lower ones?

                      Originally posted by Aceman View Post
                      The first step is to trace the source....

                      Room?
                      Cab?
                      Instrument?

                      Then adjust life accordingly, and as mentioned, EQ if you can.
                      Yeah agree, honestly the room should be the first suspect. a room in the 1200 to 2000 cubic foot size (Bedroom to Living Room) will have lots of sweet notes and lots of dead ones.
                      “For me, when everything goes wrong – that’s when adventure starts.” Yvonne Chouinard

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                      • #12
                        Re: Palm muting - why are higher notes more bassy/boomy than lower ones?

                        Because shortening the strings makes it more boomy even though it's higher notes.
                        Last edited by Clint 55; 09-02-2019, 12:47 PM.
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                        • #13
                          Re: Palm muting - why are higher notes more bassy/boomy than lower ones?

                          It seemsto me usually the first 2-3 frets make that awesome "thump" sound and it lessens and tightens up from there.
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                          • #14
                            Re: Palm muting - why are higher notes more bassy/boomy than lower ones?

                            @ LLL - Thanx, I will try playing with EQ and see what I can get.

                            I play in a medium sized room (8x4 meters), no amp/cab, I play plugged into my soundcard with digital fx and sims in the DAW. So, not loud at all and I can hear that boomy sound when I fret and palm mute the 6th string on the 6th fret. Standard tuning. ESP M-II guitar, SD JB pickup. 9-46 Ernie Balls strings. If I put my finger one fret higher, on the 7th, it's still a bit boomy but the 5th or the 8th not really. And others not at all. Low E is waaaay less boomy/bassy than B-flat.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Palm muting - why are higher notes more bassy/boomy than lower ones?

                              Adjust the muting pressure and position as you play, on a note-for-note basis. Dampening is an art in itself.

                              Also, what Clint said is the main reason (because you are shortening the string length as you climb up the board).
                              Last edited by dave74; 09-03-2019, 03:07 PM.

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