Problems with new SG bass

[HSandborg]

Hi. I just bought a brand new SG bass. Like the sound and feel a lot. BUT:  1. A static electricity buzz appears. It seems to react with my shirt if I even slightly move the bass and it is getting rubbed with the shirt. Is this familiar to you and what to do? It affects my show a lot 😀 2.  SG seems very sensitive to banging. I know that part of the problem comes from my fingers, because I am not very experienced player and I am not yet technically good enough. So sometimes the strings might touch the pickup. But I suppose that is not the only explanation. Especially using the pick seems very difficult, almost impossible. I tried to learn funk bass too, but it is also hard because of the  banging. It works if played very carefully, but  ... I would like to use power, too. The pickups feel very effective and strong, but lowing the volume affects negatively to the sound. So don´t know what to do. In the papers that came with the bass it was said that the setup is well arranged in the factory - so no changes should be necessary. But still - should I  do something?

[PrairieDog]

Hi and welcome!  Some amps just are noisier/buzzier than others, and it matters a whole lot where you have everything set and the quality of your cables, etc.  are you using cheap cables, or shielded, for example.  The techie guys here will have more detailed, helpful answers.  

Re the banging, that sounds like maybe try to slow down a bit and work on your technique.  You will find the sweet spot for how hard you need to hit the strings and at what angle to avoid extraneous noise.  

Finally, what you are finding with the volume sounds completely normal for an amp, and likely nothing to do with the bass.  Especially if you are running a tube amp.  Volume not only affects the loudness, but will also affect the tone. Turning down the volume limits the signal getting to the speaker, like applying a choke.  Depending on how the amp is built, it can change how the speaker reacts to the lower input.  Most amps sound best cranked up to where everything has a enough power and signal to fully breathe and react, for a lack of a better metaphor.  That is why some amps come with switches that let you cut how many watts you are driving, so you can crank up the knob (open up the gas) just utilizing fewer watts (less power=less decibels).  This means you can play quieter, but still get a somewhat fully cranked tone.  

 

Edited July 24 by PrairieDog

[Grog]

These flat wound chrome bass strings came new on one of my Gibson basses. I have bought them for three others. They kind of tame some of the string noise.

 

[HSandborg]

Thank you for your answers and tips. 1. Buzz: I used a spray to reduce the antistatic effect. That worked, but the varnish of the bass didn´t like it. I used it with my shirt and that seemed to work. Still - this seems a bit odd way to handle the problem. Maybe something to do with the grounding? 2. Banging: I have used Markbass, Hartke and EBS amps. And also with sound engineers in charge.  Definitely it is, at least partly or mostly, a matter of my technique. Still, I wonder how the rock/heavy players seem sometimes to hit the strings with a very strong power. And also the thumb-funk players.

EDIT: I will try the warm/mellow flat wound strings for sure!

Edited July 25 by HSandborg

[HSandborg]

Noticed, that the banging does NOT come from the strings touching the Pickup. It comes when the strings touch the closest fret I am pressing. The curve of the neck?  The hight of the bridge? Something to do with the nut?

The static electricity problem seems to be known ...