paul, the Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 In all my years I've never tackled the seedy undergarments of my main squeeze. Like any self-respecting teenager; I do have some literature to satisfy my curious urges. But I thought it better to discuss among men in the hope that others may benefit. I also welcome anyones' tips/tricks/tools/routines they may want to share. I hope to litter the page with progress pictures if that makes things more interesting. My main concerns: [list] [*]If I take all the strings off; the neck will be seriously unhappy. [*]Adjusting the truss rod result will result in certain destruction. [*]Putting on new strings will require adjustment anyway. [*]I don't trust my eyes. They are devious. [*]Intonation. [*]The bridge. [/list] My situation: I have a 1997 Fender Precision, standard hardware. I picked it up today and it felt bizarre and alien. I took a look at the neck and indeed it had taken a slightly banana like form (concave), presumably due to the changes in temperature. What I need to do: Replace the pickguard. The jack socket has become loose (the nut and plate) so I need to fix that. Straighten the neck so it's comfy again and after all that; set the intonation and action. And anything else I may have forgotten. I'd really appreciate anyones' advice (the simpler the better). Thanking you, paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon1964 Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Have a look at this from Fender's website. Its a pretty good guide to the basics of stting up a bass: [url="http://www.fender.co.uk/support/basses.php"]http://www.fender.co.uk/support/basses.php[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevebasshead Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Tons of excellent info [url="http://www.joeysbassnotes.com/Joeys%20frameset.htm"]here[/url] (covers 99% of basses and also the unique setup procedures for Rickenbacker basses) That site is well worth a read but in terms of your specific worries: If I take all the strings off; the neck will be seriously unhappy. [color="#000080"]Should be OK for short periods, if it's not under tension for any length of time you might need to tweak the trussrods[/color] Adjusting the truss rod result will result in certain destruction. [color="#000080"]Yes. But only if you're brutal Follow the tips in the link above and adjust in 1/8 to 1/4 turns at a time and check to see how the neck has responded and you shouldn't go far wrong[/color] Putting on new strings will require adjustment anyway. [color="#000080"]Not always, only if you change brands/guages/types then possibly your action and intonation will change a bit[/color] I don't trust my eyes. They are devious. [color="#000080"]Mine too, you should see what I've woken up next to *shudder*[/color] Intonation. [color="#000080"]Always slacken the strings before adjusting the intonation otherwise you'll risk stripping the thread of the intonation screw...or ripping the screw head completely off. I know because it happened to m...a friend of mine when he was young and stupid[/color] The bridge. [color="#000080"]See intonation above but in terms of string height adjustments you can't do any damage here.[/color] The main difficulty with a full setup is that it's a combination of 3 main factors - truss rod adjustment to get the correct relief in a neck, the string height adjustment at the bridge and the nut string slot depths. I don't fully understand the best way to get the relationship between all three correct (I need to brush up on my witchcraftery!) so if I have a bass that needs that level of setup I take it to someone who really knows. I'm happy to tweak my trussrods, bridges etc, just not the nut. They're not as scarey as you'd think once you've read through a few web pages of advice! Hope this helps, Steve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nig Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Hi Paul, a bass is an instrument made in an engineering fashion, thus it can be played around with, bearing in mind you have at a subconcious level a personal knowledge of how you like it to feel for you to play at your best, with this in mind you can adjust the truss rod, saddle height and intonation. The luthier stuff like fret dressing and filing the nut wont come into play here. I like, as you look down the neck from the nut with one eye closed, a slight lift from the 12th to 10th fret to the nut with the strings in tension, a friend likes a dead flat neck, if it bows back then the higher up you play it will 'fret out'. The saddle height can be adjusted to suit the radius of the fingerboard, there are specific clearances but I do it by playing and raising or lowering accordingly. The guage of strings will change the neck relief, so try to stay with one guage, also the neck changes if the bass is flat on its back or in the playing position as well (honestly). finally intonation is done by checking with a tuner the tuning of an open string then with the 12th fret depressed and adjust if sharp or flat to lengthen or shorten the 12th fret to bridge length to sort out the tuning, also check the harmonic tuning...whatever you do, remember the point you start from, then if you bugger it up you can go back to where you started from. dont be afraid and have a tweak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonestar Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 All good advice above. I find the Fender specs on their setup guides a really good starting point, eg 12 thou neck relief and 6/64" action, rather than trying to balance the two adjustments together as a pro guitar tech might. If you take your time and stay away from irreversible changes, ie filing frets or nut slots, follow the instructions and make small adjustments you shouldn't get into trouble. it's really satisfying when you get the hang of it. I'd highly recommend this book: [url="http://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Player-Repair-Guide-Erlewine/dp/0879302917/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195161322&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Player-Repair...1322&sr=1-1[/url] Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elom Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 Hi Paul, I understand your trepidation. I'm one of those non-practical blokes who can't fit a plug without a diagram and takes an hour to change a washer. I was too worried to start messing about with my own bass so I bought a [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_mb222t.htm"]cheap HB[/url] (actually mine was a kit and putting it together was an education in itself) and a copy of [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bass-Handbook-Complete-Mastering-Guitar/dp/0879308729/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195164593&sr=8-1"]The Bass Handbook[/url] and just set about it safe in the knowledge that if it all went pear-shaped then there is no great loss. It took a few goes but now I feel reasonably confident to set up my own basses. It really isn't as hard as you'd think. So to sum up, practice on something cheap! elom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted November 15, 2007 Share Posted November 15, 2007 You could do what I did (although not intentionally) which was to get a cheap instrument that was unplayable without truss rod, nut and bridge adjustments. It was either make it playable or sling it and it didn't really matter if I did mess it up... Once you've tried all the techniques out on an instrument that doesn't matter and you've had some possitive results, then you can move on the more precious basses. In my experience when adjusting the truss rod, you have to work quite hard to do any real damage to your instrument. However as always YMMV... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPJ Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 Found these quite helpful. [url="http://www.garywillis.com/pages/bass/bassmanual/setupmanual.html"]http://www.garywillis.com/pages/bass/bassm...etupmanual.html[/url] [url="http://www.tunemybass.com/bass_setup/"]http://www.tunemybass.com/bass_setup/[/url] Cheers, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul, the Posted November 16, 2007 Author Share Posted November 16, 2007 (edited) Thanks for all your advice, guys. I'm going to have a go when I get off't net. edit: that came out wrong. I'll delve through the other posts but keep this one up for aid. Edited November 16, 2007 by paul, the Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Cooke Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 [quote name='BigRedX' post='89180' date='Nov 15 2007, 11:08 PM']You could do what I did (although not intentionally) which was to get a cheap instrument that was unplayable without truss rod, nut and bridge adjustments. It was either make it playable or sling it and it didn't really matter if I did mess it up... Once you've tried all the techniques out on an instrument that doesn't matter and you've had some positive results, then you can move on the more precious basses. In my experience when adjusting the truss rod, you have to work quite hard to do any real damage to your instrument. However as always YMMV...[/quote] I started off fettling my Encore bass to get the hang of it... my only reservation about adjustments on cheap basses is this: The truss rod nuts are too soft and the socket for the Allen key is not deep enough... it's too easy to round out the Allen socket in the head of the truss rod adjuster on an Encore bass... My next task with this learner bass is to learn how to replace the complete truss rod assembly itself. That involves removing the fretboard and is something I've got set aside for later... in the meantime, I stuck lighter gauge strings on it to get the relief right... and since then anyway I've got a new bass to play with... I've found my Squier is very easy to adjust and the Allen key socket head for the truss rod is nice and deep and not soft either... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon1964 Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 [quote name='elom' post='89162' date='Nov 15 2007, 10:15 PM']Hi Paul, I understand your trepidation. I'm one of those non-practical blokes who can't fit a plug without a diagram and takes an hour to change a washer. I was too worried to start messing about with my own bass so I bought a [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_mb222t.htm"]cheap HB[/url] (actually mine was a kit and putting it together was an education in itself) and a copy of [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bass-Handbook-Complete-Mastering-Guitar/dp/0879308729/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195164593&sr=8-1"]The Bass Handbook[/url] and just set about it safe in the knowledge that if it all went pear-shaped then there is no great loss. elom[/quote] Buying one of those cheap kits is excellent advice. I did the same some years ago, and it really does make you realise that there's no great mystery to adjusting a bass to the way you want it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul, the Posted November 16, 2007 Author Share Posted November 16, 2007 [quote name='stevebasshead' post='89023' date='Nov 15 2007, 05:06 PM']Intonation. [color="#000080"]Always slacken the strings before adjusting the intonation otherwise you'll risk stripping the thread of the intonation screw...or ripping the screw head completely off. I know because it happened to m...a friend of mine when he was young and stupid[/color] [/quote] How loose are we talking here? Because I'm going to have to loosen, tune, adjust, loosen, tune adjust... Should take the slowly tender approach or are we talking slacking off a couple of tones? ta, paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul, the Posted November 16, 2007 Author Share Posted November 16, 2007 [quote name='paul, the' post='89475' date='Nov 16 2007, 03:54 PM']How loose are we talking here? Because I'm going to have to loosen, tune, adjust, loosen, tune adjust... Should take the slowly tender approach or are we talking slacking off a couple of tones? ta, paul.[/quote] Done it. It was no problem. Surprisingly quick and easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Cooke Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 [quote name='paul, the' post='89475' date='Nov 16 2007, 03:54 PM']How loose are we talking here? Because I'm going to have to loosen, tune, adjust, loosen, tune adjust... Should take the slowly tender approach or are we talking slacking off a couple of tones? ta, paul.[/quote] you've got to retune anyway every time you turn that screw... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul, the Posted November 16, 2007 Author Share Posted November 16, 2007 DONE. piccers: When the paul raises his arms; wintery appendages are adorned. The Precision in its former demi-glory. Too much up-bow. Boooooo. Of't come knoblers. Click fingers. Pickguard gone! Truss rod key, attack! Found a handy caliper majigger. Decided penis girth is inadequate. VIP card provided greatly needed self-esteem boost. Eyes thwarted by metal. Done. In motion. Not plugged in. Lovely acoustic tone 1997 US P-special (J-neck, J-pup, vintage passive electronics). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon1964 Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 Good work! And that's a very nice looking bass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon1964 Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 [quote name='simon1964' post='89690' date='Nov 16 2007, 10:44 PM']Good work! And that's a very nice looking bass![/quote] PS I would have a go at fitting a Badass for your next project - a real improvement on the Fender Bridge, and IMHO would look great on that bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul, the Posted November 17, 2007 Author Share Posted November 17, 2007 Thanks, Simon. And thank you to everyone else who helped. I used the content and all the links - great stuff! If I make some money at any point I'll go the full hog with TI flats, badass, case, strap etc. That's if I don't want it drilled for covers. Thanks again, guys, paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clauster Posted November 17, 2007 Share Posted November 17, 2007 Man, that's a handsome bass! Congrats on a good find and welcome to the world of fettling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elom Posted November 17, 2007 Share Posted November 17, 2007 [quote name='simon1964' post='89692' date='Nov 16 2007, 10:46 PM']PS I would have a go at fitting a Badass for your next project - a real improvement on the Fender Bridge, and IMHO would look great on that bass[/quote] If you do, let me know and I'll have the Fender Bridge off you - will be miles better than the bit of bent tin on my cheapo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul, the Posted November 17, 2007 Author Share Posted November 17, 2007 [quote name='elom' post='89893' date='Nov 17 2007, 02:48 PM']If you do, let me know and I'll have the Fender Bridge off you - will be miles better than the bit of bent tin on my cheapo![/quote] I'd keep all the original parts. mcgraham has one for sale: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=8653&hl="]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=8653&hl=[/url] --- [quote]Man, that's a handsome bass! Congrats on a good find and welcome to the world of fettling cool.gif[/quote] Ta, clauster. It feels good. No longer scared of my muso. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShergoldSnickers Posted November 19, 2007 Share Posted November 19, 2007 (edited) That really is a luscious bass. I have a thing for black basses... :wub: Couple of tips: Now that it's set up, tighten all the screws on the bridge, including machine head/headstock ones and where the neck joins the body. Don't overtighten though "How do I know when I've gone far enough or too far on the tightening?" When you are using both hands on the screwdriver and you can't get any more grip on the floor - that's too far. Just keep gently nipping the screws a tiny bit at a time until they won't readily budge any more. All this tightening should prevent some of the loss of mechanical energy wasted in flexing loose joints etc, rather than sustaining the note. Get a Badass bridge on it, as Simon1964 suggests. This will further increase the sustain and the ease with which you grin whilst playing. Third tip (alright I can't count...), speak to Andy at [url="http://www.wizardpickups.co.uk/shop.asp?category=Bass"]Wizard Pickups[/url]. Those pickups he sells are just,.... just.... errrr.... thesaurus-worthy. Keep the old stuff so if the need arises you can sell the bass as original. Edit: silly typo Edited November 19, 2007 by ShergoldSnickers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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