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Post subject: "Clicking" sound from jazz bass
Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 2:08 pm
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Location: Lehigh Valley, PA
I have an American Deluxe Jazz Bass.
About a month or so old.
I have searched other forums for this question and have been told by a friend that is a guitar tech it is the nature of the beast.

When playing my jazz bass, I notice a clicking sound at times. Not all the time and it is most noticeable when I am playing on the D string.

I realize that technique is an issue and a lighter touch may help and I usually play a bit more aggressive .

So what I am asking is, is the clicking sound the nature of the beast?
How can I tone this down besides using a lighter touch? Which I am working on.

Also, it is more noticeable at home with lower volume settings. I have not really noticed this when playing out. Of course it possible that I was just having a day and striking the strings too hard.

I use flat wounds, pluck with my fingers and on occasion use a pick, but, that is rare.

Any suggestions would be appreciated......

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Post subject: Re: "Clicking" sound from jazz bass
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 4:47 am
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Location: Lehigh Valley, PA
Thanks for the reply.
I appreciate it.
The Jazz Bass is new. Within the past month or two.
Set up was great and right on. Nothing has been adjusted.
The sound is definitely the pick up.
I had this problem with the Japan made Fender 24 I had about 5 years ago or so.
Was told it was the nature of the beast and my technique.
When my friend at the shop where I bought it played it, no noise. But the same "click" as I am getting now.
I am placing my bets on pick up height and my technique.

I appreciate your response.
I am just looking for others advice as to avoid this issue or if somebody else has had this issue and knew how to remedy it.

Thanks much..........

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Post subject: Re: "Clicking" sound from jazz bass
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 5:51 am
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Location: Stillwater, MN
Try touching your pickguard or dragging your finger across it. You said that you are sure it's from the pickups??? Very well could be a static charge is building up in your plastic pickguard and that is what is "clicking". I always remove all of the plastic pickguards from my Fenders for this very purpose.

I'm a die-hard Fender man, but I play my Tele with NO pickguard (simply take it off and it still looks cool as hell - very rough and old school looking) and on my Pawn Shop Mustang Special I bought a wood pickguard because the "clicking" was just out of hand.

Here's a picture of what the wood pickguard looks like.

Image

I bought the pickguard from www.woodguarden.com and couldn't be happier. The owners name is George and he's a great guy and does GREAT work.

Hope that helps.

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Post subject: Re: "Clicking" sound from jazz bass
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 6:09 am
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I will check that out....
Thanks much..
I would have never thought of that..
I will try touching the pick guard later and dragging my finger across it....
Yes the sound is definitely from the pick up.
I will also check out the site you sent to me......

Thanks again..
I hope this works....
We have a CD release party tonight.........

Take care..

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Post subject: Re: "Clicking" sound from jazz bass
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 6:26 am
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And if it is the static make to run out and get some basic static guard spray and wipe down that pickguard until it goes away. It will come back again, but that should at least hold you over for the show. I used to do it before I left for the gig, before sound check and between sets.

It's a bit of a pain in the as, but it always worked. The best long term solution those was NO pickguard or wood pickguard.

Hope that helps. Not everyone has this problem, but it has plagued me for years. My house builds up an insane amount of static, and so I just decided that the above to solutions were best for me. And they both have worked great.

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Post subject: Re: "Clicking" sound from jazz bass
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 7:56 am
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Dave,
I just played the Jazz Bass and there was not more "clicking."
I believe you hit the nail on the head.
The sound both my wife and I heard, and she has been a musician almost all her life, was different than the normal sound of a jazz bass.
Our home is getting dryer with the colder weather and we do have a bit of static electricity around the house.
So, placing the bass back in the case or just allowing it to sit overnight must have done the trick.
I would never had thought about static electricity...Go figure......
For now I will simply rub my fingers along the pick guard or get some spray until I can get a wood pick guard. Which I did check out and they are very, vert nice. I may check one out for my P-bass as well.....

Thanks for the info and help..

It is greatly appreciated....


Craig

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Post subject: Re: "Clicking" sound from jazz bass
Posted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 8:13 am
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Glad it helped. It took me YEARS to figure that one out! I always thought the problem was either in my amp, pickups or electronics, but it was that static build up. Unreal :!:

All my best to ya, and just glad you didn't end up throwing money into something that wasn't going to get you where you really needed to be.

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Post subject: Re: "Clicking" sound from jazz bass
Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2012 5:33 pm
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Thanks for the compliment on the looks of my guitar, and yes, assuming we have the same problems mine was solved by ditching the plastic pickguards. I did the same thing to my Tele after having my Tele in 3 time for the same pops and clicks. And all of the pops and clicks were gone after getting rid of the plastic pickguards.

The amount of static charge that builds up on my pickguards is worse in this house than any I've ever seen, but neither of them have that problem anymore :)

Hope that helps.

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Post subject: Re: "Clicking" sound from jazz bass
Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 6:57 pm
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There are several reasons why you are hearing clicking. The most common reason is that you are boosting the mids and highs. My advice is to walk out front of the mix and listen to how you sound when the band is playing. Many bass players make the mistake of setting the EQ when playing by themself and then they get lost in the mix. If you listen to how it sounds with the entire band and then listen to how its sounds by yourself, you will hear a huge difference. I set my EQ brighter when playing with a band than I do when playing alone. It cuts through the mix and sounds great. The clicking you are hearing is probably a combination of your style and your EQ settings. If you can't hear the clicking when playing with the band and the tone is what you want, don't worry about it. If you want to have less clicking when playing by yourself, back off on the mids and highs. It might help to write down your settings so you can make adjustments according to where you are playing.


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Post subject: Re: "Clicking" sound from jazz bass
Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 11:12 pm
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I hate to rain on anyone who has an american deluxe. however, i have heard from many different sources that the active pickups in the deluxe J bass and P bass are pretty faulty. One of the huge reasons i got the American Standard J bass. I hear thats about as solid as they get from the fender american made. I did a lot of research before spending so much money on a bass. And the results seem to ring true.

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