Dude! You will always find trolls on social media. They are a sorry lot of bottom-feeders. You shouldn't sweat it. Your lessons are very informative and appreciated. I really like the informal and impromptu. Keep on doing what you're doing and pay no attention to the static! :D
This is very interesting, including the different opinions in the comments. I'm fairly new to bass, been having some major issues with fret buzz and can't seem to get rid of it, no matter what I try to adjust. Good to know some people appreciate it and will have a go at being less critical myself - maybe that will solve the problem!
Guitar since 1966, picked up a Bass and play it like a guitar love it, working on my technique to reduce the rattle, not fret buzz just noise from my attack, you helped immensely plus the great comments, thank you!
This was really really interesting. Thanks for clearing that up….I personally find that buzz is a articulation that adds character and personality to your playing
One way to deal with unwanted noises during recording is to record only the bass live, then rerecording the vocals at a later time. That allows a clean bass recording and clean vocals as well.
I'm a pick player, and have been for years and the fret buzz is something I've gotten used to, altho it isn't always there juring a live show, but when we play the last song I would dig in , but I also have an easy touch as well playing slow ballet's with my fingers, and taking it easy juring a live, I try to be professional putting on a good show and play to the best of my abilities, but being in a rock band playing the last song of the night is when I really dig in, if I brake a string so be it because I enjoy having fun playing and letting go
Bang on James, a brilliant overview of a bassists nightmare👍 I play a lot of acoustic bass, on my basses while I’m learning a song. After I feel satisfied I’ve got it under the fingers, so to speak, I plug it in and amend, fill or whatever from that point. Just the way I work I suppose. So acoustically loads of buzz, plugged in a little buzz, put some foam under the strings at the bridge ( thank you Mr Jamerson) and I find very little or hardly noticeable string buzz. That bit of foam may help other bassists, give it try, seems to work.
I like a little buzz now and then. Same thing with the clacking of the frets. I like that also (Steve Harris). It’s all about taste and preference. I’ve never seen/heard a video of you that irritated me over buzzing. It’s all about the content and that is good for years. Keep up the good work James, you’re doing well!
Thanks for making this video! As someone who tends to practice playing bass acoustically a lot, I can get obsessive about trying to take fret buzz out, to the point where it’s easy to lose confidence in what I’m playing. But as you say, in a live setting, the drums cut out or mask the buzz anyway. Thank you James! You’re giving permission for bass players to focus on time and feel, and on locking in with the rest of the band. Proper order!
Great video James! I love your explanations/demonstrations of the uses of buzz, and how you let viewers know that this is all down to personal preference. My preference is to setup my bass to get some buzz when I dig in or slap/pop, but little or no buzz when I use a lighter touch. I like being able to get this contrast in tone and dynamics. To accomplish this I use a very small amount of neck relief, then I play each string up and down the neck with varying amounts of force and techniques and adjust the string height until I get the amount of buzz that I like and only when I want it. It’s sometimes tedious to keep my basses set up this way since my climate requires that I make somewhat frequent tweaks. But this is one of the factors in how I get “my” tone, and it’s worth the effort to me to have my own distinct way of playing. I think that every bassist should experiment and decide what “they” like best.
Hey Mister Buzz. James, i really enjoyed this video today. Thanks for being so gentlemanly about our discussions, all fair comment. I do agree with what you say in a lot of respects, playing hard and digging in makes for a nice aggressive rock bass part desirable in some cases. Mind you a lighter touch can give you more speed and accuracy, useful also in some applications. It wouldn't be me if i wasn't critical about sonething, so here i go. You do say that you instruct your students to play just behind the fret for the best sound and i could not agree more with you. The problem for me is i look very closely at your fretting hand and the worst of the buzzing occurs when you play directly over the fret. That's the buzzing that i dislike so much. Well done on this video James No doubt we will have future skirmishes, all in the best possible taste.
Hey John Thanks for your gentlemanly reply. I think the thing with all of this stuff is how one approaches it. I’m quite a unique animal because working online for this amount of time I’ve developed quite a thick skin. However many musos know wouldn’t take your critical approach in the same way. Many would find it quite offensive. For why? The reality is that any decent muso that has longevity and been at it a whole has thought very deeply about their sound and how they approach what they do. Chances are they’ve been though a few different incarnations of how they do things. Before branding someone as having poor technique for instance it’s worth trying to really understand where they are coming from and what they want to achieve musically. In my case I’m totally open to the odd in perfection in what I do and I’m mindful of what you say. I know I don’t have poor technique otherwise I simply wouldn’t be able to do what I do… I sense we appreciate different things in a bass sound and that’s totally cool. Being respectful is always the key in my view.
Hi James. Great video as always. Please please... How low (or high) is the action on your basses (I mean the distance between the frets and the strings)? It would be great to see these measures in millimiters. Thanks a lot. Fausto from Brazil.
Hi James I’ve got to be honest, I commented on your buzz in the past, I thought it was ur set up,or your technique, I do apologise, am not a hater, I think ur a phenomenal bassist 👌🏽🤙🏽🎸🏴
Hey James! If you want to stop the lav mic from affecting your bass sound, run your microphone feed through a noise gate and use the D.I. bass signal to trigger that gate. That way, anytime you play a note on your bass, the gate will temporarily mute the mic signal. Then, as the D.I. signal fades, the mic will automatically unmute.
I love digging in i thought your example sounded great. I come from metal bass playing mostly tech death and my main principle has always been...destroy the bass with my hands hahahaha
eBass likes a little fret buzz. Scotts Bass lessons - likes a little fret buzz (th-cam.com/video/bGtjMNtr4Nk/w-d-xo.html 10 minutes in). Yet, in the comments it's said to be bad technique - do they have 30k or 1 million subscribers? Maybe more buzz in their life would knock them off their high horse so they could enjoy others preferences too. I like a hint of buzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
I play in a Punk Band so it's normal for me to dig in and hammer the strings. I own a Warwick Corvette bass and you can actually hammer that bass with complete confidence
I like what you said about evolution. Between about 2003 and 2015 i set my basses up for zero fret buzz, higher action and a light touch. My ear has changed and now I prefer a more lively raspy buzz in my playing.
For me, depends on the setting, the songs, which bass I choose to play, and the mood of the band. Sometimes I EQ the high frequency noises out, sometimes I do not.
I Despise any Buzz. I like each note to Ring-True. I spend hours on my guitars and bass ( doing set-up and intonation ) so it's basically non-existent. I frequently hear people play Acoustic - with insane fret Buzz. Drives me Crazy !!! I could never enjoy my instrument.
Macca and JPJ sounded way differently from what you dшв. They have way less treble in the tone, which makes some of the buzz go away. plus most of the buazz you hear is amp distortion. on low notes. The main idea is to avoid the kind of noise that irritates the sound man. Some players sound like they always have the lavalier on and it is not so great
I love how you play you are a great bass teacher😎 Opinions are usually from the anal and most of the time smell like and are 🐂💩 so I take them like a grain of salt just keep it funky fret buzz and all 😎 you give me the hope that I to will be a great bassist this is why I check your channel...💣🎯
Geddy Lee and countless others use fret buzz as part of their sound. There are funk records I’ve listened to where every single note buzzes. It just makes it sound mean. Definitely not appropriate for every musical style or player.
@@NeungView it’s a joke. It’s a variation on: “If you’re looking you’re not cooking!” I guess. I’m not sure of course. But I’d thought of that one immediately and it made me laugh.
Dude! You will always find trolls on social media. They are a sorry lot of bottom-feeders. You shouldn't sweat it. Your lessons are very informative and appreciated. I really like the informal and impromptu. Keep on doing what you're doing and pay no attention to the static! :D
Thanks for pointing that out! Glad you like it. Cheers!
This is very interesting, including the different opinions in the comments. I'm fairly new to bass, been having some major issues with fret buzz and can't seem to get rid of it, no matter what I try to adjust. Good to know some people appreciate it and will have a go at being less critical myself - maybe that will solve the problem!
Guitar since 1966, picked up a Bass and play it like a guitar love it, working on my technique to reduce the rattle, not fret buzz just noise from my attack, you helped immensely plus the great comments, thank you!
This was really really interesting. Thanks for clearing that up….I personally find that buzz is a articulation that adds character and personality to your playing
I agree
Glad you like it! The pleasure's mine!
One way to deal with unwanted noises during recording is to record only the bass live, then rerecording the vocals at a later time. That allows a clean bass recording and clean vocals as well.
I'm a pick player, and have been for years and the fret buzz is something I've gotten used to, altho it isn't always there juring a live show, but when we play the last song I would dig in , but I also have an easy touch as well playing slow ballet's with my fingers, and taking it easy juring a live, I try to be professional putting on a good show and play to the best of my abilities, but being in a rock band playing the last song of the night is when I really dig in, if I brake a string so be it because I enjoy having fun playing and letting go
Love your sound. Play Hard and Relax Hard. Keep it up James.
Glad you enjoy it! All the best!
Bang on James, a brilliant overview of a bassists nightmare👍
I play a lot of acoustic bass, on my basses while I’m learning a song. After I feel satisfied I’ve got it under the fingers, so to speak, I plug it in and amend, fill or whatever from that point. Just the way I work I suppose. So acoustically loads of buzz, plugged in a little buzz, put some foam under the strings at the bridge ( thank you Mr Jamerson) and I find very little or hardly noticeable string buzz. That bit of foam may help other bassists, give it try, seems to work.
I’ve never really used the foam under the bridge - you’ve inspired me to buy some!
I like a little buzz now and then. Same thing with the clacking of the frets. I like that also (Steve Harris). It’s all about taste and preference. I’ve never seen/heard a video of you that irritated me over buzzing. It’s all about the content and that is good for years. Keep up the good work James, you’re doing well!
Thanks Pat! I agree it’s all about taste and personal preference!
Thanks for supporting the channel:-)
I think that a certain amount of buzz or rattle is integral to bass, especially upright and P-bass. Some players lower their action to achieve it.
I agree :-)
Thanks for making this video! As someone who tends to practice playing bass acoustically a lot, I can get obsessive about trying to take fret buzz out, to the point where it’s easy to lose confidence in what I’m playing. But as you say, in a live setting, the drums cut out or mask the buzz anyway.
Thank you James! You’re giving permission for bass players to focus on time and feel, and on locking in with the rest of the band. Proper order!
Great stuff, agreed 100%.
I wanted that video. Thanks
Great video James! I love your explanations/demonstrations of the uses of buzz, and how you let viewers know that this is all down to personal preference. My preference is to setup my bass to get some buzz when I dig in or slap/pop, but little or no buzz when I use a lighter touch. I like being able to get this contrast in tone and dynamics. To accomplish this I use a very small amount of neck relief, then I play each string up and down the neck with varying amounts of force and techniques and adjust the string height until I get the amount of buzz that I like and only when I want it. It’s sometimes tedious to keep my basses set up this way since my climate requires that I make somewhat frequent tweaks. But this is one of the factors in how I get “my” tone, and it’s worth the effort to me to have my own distinct way of playing. I think that every bassist should experiment and decide what “they” like best.
Glad you like it! Thanks for sharing that thought! Can't agree more. Cheers!
The lesson material you provide is so good I am not even paying attention to fret buzz.
Glad you like it! Cheers!
Hey Mister Buzz.
James, i really enjoyed this video today. Thanks for being so gentlemanly about our discussions, all fair comment.
I do agree with what you say in a lot of respects, playing hard and digging in makes for a nice aggressive rock bass part desirable in some cases. Mind you a lighter touch can give you more speed and accuracy, useful also in some applications. It wouldn't be me if i wasn't critical about sonething, so here i go. You do say that you instruct your students to play just behind the fret for the best sound and i could not agree more with you. The problem for me is i look very closely at your fretting hand and the worst of the buzzing occurs when you play directly over the fret. That's the buzzing that i dislike so much.
Well done on this video James
No doubt we will have future skirmishes, all in the best possible taste.
Hey John
Thanks for your gentlemanly reply.
I think the thing with all of this stuff is how one approaches it. I’m quite a unique animal because working online for this amount of time I’ve developed quite a thick skin.
However many musos know wouldn’t take your critical approach in the same way. Many would find it quite offensive.
For why? The reality is that any decent muso that has longevity and been at it a whole has thought very deeply about their sound and how they approach what they do. Chances are they’ve been though a few different incarnations of how they do things.
Before branding someone as having poor technique for instance it’s worth trying to really understand where they are coming from and what they want to achieve musically.
In my case I’m totally open to the odd in perfection in what I do and I’m mindful of what you say. I know I don’t have poor technique otherwise I simply wouldn’t be able to do what I do…
I sense we appreciate different things in a bass sound and that’s totally cool.
Being respectful is always the key in my view.
Hi James. Great video as always. Please please... How low (or high) is the action on your basses (I mean the distance between the frets and the strings)? It would be great to see these measures in millimiters. Thanks a lot. Fausto from Brazil.
Hi James I’ve got to be honest, I commented on your buzz in the past, I thought it was ur set up,or your technique, I do apologise, am not a hater, I think ur a phenomenal bassist 👌🏽🤙🏽🎸🏴
No offence taken rossco… thanks for the kind words :-)
Hey James! If you want to stop the lav mic from affecting your bass sound, run your microphone feed through a noise gate and use the D.I. bass signal to trigger that gate. That way, anytime you play a note on your bass, the gate will temporarily mute the mic signal. Then, as the D.I. signal fades, the mic will automatically unmute.
Good idea!
Fretbuzz and electric bass have been married since the 50's and still get along together.
I love digging in i thought your example sounded great. I come from metal bass playing mostly tech death and my main principle has always been...destroy the bass with my hands hahahaha
eBass likes a little fret buzz. Scotts Bass lessons - likes a little fret buzz (th-cam.com/video/bGtjMNtr4Nk/w-d-xo.html 10 minutes in). Yet, in the comments it's said to be bad technique - do they have 30k or 1 million subscribers? Maybe more buzz in their life would knock them off their high horse so they could enjoy others preferences too. I like a hint of buzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Yeah man - I love the rasp!
I play in a Punk Band so it's normal for me to dig in and hammer the strings. I own a Warwick Corvette bass and you can actually hammer that bass with complete confidence
Clank is great in punk music!
I like what you said about evolution. Between about 2003 and 2015 i set my basses up for zero fret buzz, higher action and a light touch. My ear has changed and now I prefer a more lively raspy buzz in my playing.
For me, depends on the setting, the songs, which bass I choose to play, and the mood of the band. Sometimes I EQ the high frequency noises out, sometimes I do not.
Eq can definitely play a part in it too..:
I Despise any Buzz. I like each note to Ring-True. I spend hours on my guitars and bass ( doing set-up and intonation ) so it's basically non-existent. I frequently hear people play Acoustic - with insane fret Buzz. Drives me Crazy !!! I could never enjoy my instrument.
Makes sense michael… :-)
Macca and JPJ sounded way differently from what you dшв. They have way less treble in the tone, which makes some of the buzz go away. plus most of the buazz you hear is amp distortion. on low notes. The main idea is to avoid the kind of noise that irritates the sound man. Some players sound like they always have the lavalier on and it is not so great
I love how you play you are a great bass teacher😎 Opinions are usually from the anal and most of the time smell like and are 🐂💩 so I take them like a grain of salt just keep it funky fret buzz and all 😎 you give me the hope that I to will be a great bassist this is why I check your channel...💣🎯
We know John now, lol!
Haha!
FRET BUZZ IS GOOD
Love it!
Geddy Lee and countless others use fret buzz as part of their sound. There are funk records I’ve listened to where every single note buzzes. It just makes it sound mean. Definitely not appropriate for every musical style or player.
If you’re not buzzing you’re not playing…physics…
@@NeungView it’s a joke. It’s a variation on: “If you’re looking you’re not cooking!” I guess. I’m not sure of course. But I’d thought of that one immediately and it made me laugh.
@@NeungView it’s called string vibration. Ever play live?
Think I can see what you’re saying!