Bass guitar - Clicking sound?

Question:I keep getting this awful loud clicking sound when I fret (not buzz just a metallic clunky noise on impact). Its definately from the strings touching the frets and not the pickup. Ive checked the truss rods and raised the action and the strings are the correct height of the neck, but still getting it.
Is it my technique, should I try playing softer and should I use tips or pads of fingers? Thanks for any help.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I keep getting this awful loud clicking sound when I fret (not buzz just a metallic clunky noise on impact). Its definately from the strings touching the frets and not the pickup. Ive checked the truss rods and raised the action and the strings are the correct height of the neck, but still getting it.
Is it my technique, should I try playing softer and should I use tips or pads of fingers? Thanks for any help.

Hmm,

If you have raised the action so every fret is clear of the next one, and tightened the neck up to avoid curvature, then I feel it is your method of playing.
I play at the lower end of a fret, as I have had nasty noises by playing nearer the top end.

I have tried a fretless job, which requires a bit of thought, nice sliding sounds, but no buzzing, twanging of unwanted notes.

Bob

not sure rich, does it sound like an electrical noise (could be a bad earth)
also are you tuned to concert pitch because being lower could cause this due to the strings being looser

The most likely cause of a "Click" sound, is that your strings are too close to the pickups. When the strings make contact with the pickups, the electrical field caused by the wires wrapped around the magnets, basically kind of shorts out.. The click is the amplified sound that the magnet makes when it makes contact with the secondary piece of metal. (your string) You may need to do one or more of the following:

1. Have the neck adjusted. The truss rod may be tightened too far or the neck nut or bridge saddle (sometimes individual saddles) may be too low. This is best done by a luthier of course.

2. Adjust your playing style. You may be holding your right hand directly over the pickup, or over the fingerboard. You may actually be pushing the string into the pickup, or the style of playing you employ may be pushing the string into the pickup. Try playing between the frets and the bridge. Pick a spot that has a clear space between the strings and the body of the guitar.

3. You may need a fret job. This is the least likely cause, since a poorly aligned fret will generally cause a buzz, not a click. Anything is possible however and the remedy is the same. Get your neck aligned by a competent luthier.

Hope this helps.

It is possible to overdo the string height at the nut. I recently replaced the bridge and nut on my OLP MM3, and I found a need to further slot my replacement nut, which I fabricated from aluminum (the stock nut was polycarbonate and wore out rather quickly on me)--I estimate that the ideal action height is two to four times the fret height, depending on the loaded flatness of the fingerboard and the height of the bridge saddles above the plane of the fingerboard.

Different wrap materials for the strings may be a fine-tuning factor in this regard; stainless steel, nickel and in some cases bronze are common. I'm partial to J. D'Addario & Co.'s XL ProSteels, spec. the EPS170-5, but stainlesswounds may not be up your alley.