Hello!

I just recently got a hold of a Hagstrom HIIBN bass. I just love the neck and the medium scale.

But I have a little concern as well. The bass is from the mid 70s, and according to the dings on the body, it has actually been played during these years. Because this is my first vintage bass guitar, I am quite ignorant when it comes to what to expect sound wise from vintage guitars. I recognized after the purchase that the E-string sounded a bit more "dull" the the rest of the strings. The open E-string is quite similar to the others, but for instance the 5th fret and up sound more dull than for example the 2nd fret. By dull, I don't mean "dead", but rather not as clear as the other frets.

I changed the strings after I bought the bass, so that's not the reason. Could it be that the frets are just simply worn and that the sound therefore is affected? Anyone else who has experienced the same thing? Any other thoughts?

Thanks