how to deal with to much bottom end?

[hockeyfan]

is there a way a person deal with an acoustic having too buch bass or bottom end.? is there thing like string change or aging or is the guitar destined to stay bassy forever.?

[thesedaze]

You could use brighter strings. Are you speaking entirely from an acoustic sound perspective, and not plugged in? You could also try brass bridgepins.

[m4tt]

try a sharp&hard guitar pick?

[Old Tele man]

...LIGHTER-gauge BASS strings and HEAVIER-guage TREBLE strings.

[riffmeister]

too much bottom?

diet & exercize!

[Den]

Originally Posted by Old Tele man

...LIGHTER-gauge BASS strings and HEAVIER-guage TREBLE strings.

That's the trick.


You might also experiment with different alloy strings ... that can have a major impact depending on the guitar.

One other thought ... you can pick and strum closer to the bridge for a brighter, less bassy tone as well.

[Old Tele man]

exactly! I use:

...D'Addario EFT "Flat-Top" ground-wound strings for RHTYHM (more bassy tones)

...SIT "Silencer" roller-wounds for LEAD (more bright tones).

[Brownie]

Originally Posted by hockeyfan

is there a way a person deal with an acoustic having too buch bass or bottom end.? is there thing like string change or aging or is the guitar destined to stay bassy forever.?

I'm wondering if what you're hearing is a lack of top end, as opposed to too much bottom. What's the guitar made of? What material makes up the nut and bridge?

I have a Taylor 810 that I bought new in 1988. Being a rosewood guitar, it has always had a nice warm sound. The wood that was used to build it was air-dried, and at least 25 years old at the time. In the nearly 20 years since I've owned it, it has aged and mellowed. It has a great bottom, but I've noticed the top end seemed to lack sparkle and the guitar didn't have a good balance, tonally. The nut and bridge were made or Tusq, or whatever synthetic stuff Taylor was using at the time. I took the guitar to John Levan here in Nashville, who knows Taylors better than anyone I know. He recommended a bone nut and bridge and felt that this would restore the balance. John feels that bone is the best choice, over ivory or any other natural or synthetic material. He was absolutely right, as this guitar sounds just incredible now. The warm bottom is still there, but the high end and mids are in perfect balance with it. It was a HUGE difference in tone. I generally use medium phosphor-bronze strings, D'addarios or DR (my favorites on this guitar).

Maybe some experimenting with strings will get the job done for you, but if you still feel something is missing, take a look at the materials that make up your guitar

[r9player]

Brighter strings big plus one there. I'd go with something like elixers or martin sps of lighter string gauge then the other strings.

[KLB]

If using a pick, pick closer to the bridge and use a lighter gauge pick.

If fingerstyle, grow some nails if you don't already have them.

Try keeping your forearm on top of the upper bout of the guitar.
This will mute some of the bass spectrum.

Put a plug in the soundhole and amplify it with a pickup.

[Brett Valentine]

Brass bridge pins only on the lower 2 or 3 strings, maybe the G string as well if the sound difference is too great.

Brett