Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I have had brand new string sets that had "dead" E strings. I called the string manufacturer, told them my problem, they sent me another string free of charge and it was perfect! Dead strings in a new set is not terribly uncommon. I have changed thousands of sets over the years of all brands, all gauges, all types of instruments, it happens...

BTW, you haven't lived until you re-string a Sitar!



Jim

I used to get dead sets of roto's all the time. Which really sucked back before the internet, and your only source for music gear was an overpriced shop some 30 miles away. I bought my first set of D'Adarrio XL-170's somewhere around the mid 80's and honestly never had a bad string to this day.

DR high beams are a very good set as well. A little more pricey, but they sound really good on Ricks.

Lots of good advice here.

cassius987 wrote:The slot itself may be less than ideal and/or the break angle on either end could be too shallow.

A suggestion I saw on another forum (I think) was related to this. It suggested that lack of a good witness point was a possible cause of a string not ringing well, and that it helped to press down on the speaking length of the string right next to the bridge saddle and the nut to help bend the string at the right point.

I haven't put new strings on my 4001 since reading that, but I tried it anyway on my old E string, and it seemed to help a bit.

And it's quick, easy, and inexpensive to try.

songdog wrote:

cassius987 wrote:The slot itself may be less than ideal and/or the break angle on either end could be too shallow.

A suggestion I saw on another forum (I think) was related to this. It suggested that lack of a good witness point was a possible cause of a string not ringing well, and that it helped to press down on the speaking length of the string right next to the bridge saddle and the nut to help bend the string at the right point.

I haven't put new strings on my 4001 since reading that, but I tried it anyway on my old E string, and it seemed to help a bit.

And it's quick, easy, and inexpensive to try.

I always slightly bend the strings at those points when I put new ones on, if not, the strings usually arc a bit causing higher action. I think I learned this from Rick Turner a long time ago.

so is it normal for the e-string to be somewhat plain versus the other that have an open ringing sustain?

No, the E string should have a similar tonal quality to the other strings, in the same family, so to speak.

Hi Robert

Do you get the same problem with a different e-string? As has been mentioned, a possible reason is that the string could be dead from new or has somehow got twisted during re-stringing. If so, try a new e-string.

As Joshua mentioned, check to see if the fit between string and nut is poor - if the slot is a little too wide for the string, it can vibrate slightly and lose a lot of its natural energy that way. This can happen if you decide to change to a lighter string gauge than previously used. To check if this is the cause, try placing a very thin piece of plastic into the nut slot to create a tighter fit, as a temporary measure, and see if the sustain and tone improves. If so, it's time to get the nut replaced.

Ash.

Roberthathaway wrote:so is it normal for the e-string to be somewhat plain versus the other that have an open ringing sustain?

It really depends on the strings as well as the setup of the instrument (and we've already been discussing setup so I'll stick to strings). There is a majority of string sets out there that use a second or even third wrap around the core for the E string and this can really muffle the tone in some cases. Just watch videos of bassists and notice how the timbre changes on so many of them when they go to the lowest string. I also feel like raising the pickup too close to big strings can cause this to happen so I tend to back my pickups off a little on the E/B string side.

I've found stainless steel Rotos to be very guilty of the muffled low E in the past, but Chris Squire uses them and doesn't have the problem so it may be something on my end (or else I'm getting duff strings every time). Generally if you can deal with smaller gauges you will get further and further away from this issue. (Think 40-55-75-95; the .095'' string may still have two wraps but the wraps combined won't be as thick around the core.) I think it's one reason why string manufacturers like to use smaller gauges on the bottom end than the set's average tension would suggest they should be doing.

I don't think the E string sounds out of place relative to the others in this video; the strings are Circle K rounds (BS106 if I recall correctly).

cassius987 wrote:

Roberthathaway wrote:so is it normal for the e-string to be somewhat plain versus the other that have an open ringing sustain?

I also feel like raising the pickup too close to big strings can cause this to happen so I tend to back my pickups off a little on the E/B string side.

+1

cassius987 wrote: Generally if you can deal with smaller gauges you will get further and further away from this issue. (Think 40-55-75-95; the .095'' string may still have two wraps but the wraps combined won't be as thick around the core.) I think it's one reason why string manufacturers like to use smaller gauges on the bottom end than the set's average tension would suggest they should be doing.

Also +1
Since moving to light gauge strings, I've managed to obtain a much better balance between tension, playability, evenness of output, tone and sustain, and the need to look after the necks on my relatively old basses.

Ash

I had this issue with a few rics, just ensure that the tailpiece screws are fully tightened, i had a terrible sounding E and found the screws were loose on the tailpiece, tightened them up and perfect.