Straightened neck - notes don't sound as good?

[Greggo]

I straightened neck of new bass to get it as straight as possible but after doing so and making adjustments to bridge it didn't sound as good.

Action was low without buzz but strings seemed tighter and sounded dull (and noticeably quieter acoustically) compared to when there was a bit of bow.

Can a neck too straight have this affect?

I have now reverted it and it sounds better again.

Edited May 23, 2013 by Greggo

[Beedster]

[quote name='Greggo' timestamp='1369339770' post='2088157']

Can a neck too straight have this affect?

[/quote]

Yes, if the neck's too straight the strings have less room in which to vibrate so tone is dampened to an extent. Seems to be OK to have a dead straight neck on some basses, in my experience it's down to the quality of the build, materials, frets etc (e.g., OK on a Modulus, less OK on most Fenders).

[Greggo]

Thanks! That principle also explains why another bass of mine sounds a bit "tense" there is not enough relief in neck. Will get my Allen key on that one and see how it sounds.

[3below]

My experience is that even when frets are just so, lowering action results in loss of tone / volume etc. Bass can play ok, no buzzes etc but lacks tone. I find the same with guitars.

[Greggo]

As a rule of thumb is credit card thickness about right for relief at 8th fret when holding down 1st fret and last fret?

[KiOgon]

I'd say it's on the high side of OK, credit cards are usually approx 30 thou, for a flat low action I'd aim for 12 - 15 like a business card.

If it suits your playing that's fine where it is.

Cheerz, John

[Greggo]

Cheers John. It's not quite a credit card width at the moment so didn't know whether would be best to loosen it a tad more. I'll see if it's about a business card width. Notes ring out better anyway now which is good

[iiipopes]

It's not just the string excursion. It's the mechanical impedance of the neck. I have a Gibson J45 which I really enjoy. When I first got it, I was very careful to set it up properly. As I tightened the truss rod to a point of proper relief, it felt really, really good, and it appeared that it could go just a little bit straighter to make the action even better. But that last 1/4 turn of the truss rod damped down the vibration of the entire instrument too much, and the entire instrument lost its resonance. I backed the truss rod back off that 1/4 turn, and all the tone and resonance came back. I left it there, even though the action could, in an abstract sense, be even lower.

[Greggo]

[quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1369712907' post='2091844']
It's not just the string excursion. It's the mechanical impedance of the neck. I have a Gibson J45 which I really enjoy. When I first got it, I was very careful to set it up properly. As I tightened the truss rod to a point of proper relief, it felt really, really good, and it appeared that it could go just a little bit straighter to make the action even better. But that last 1/4 turn of the truss rod damped down the vibration of the entire instrument too much, and the entire instrument lost its resonance. I backed the truss rod back off that 1/4 turn, and all the tone and resonance came back. I left it there, even though the action could, in an abstract sense, be even lower.
[/quote]

Its interesting isn't it how little adjustments can affect the whole instrument. I've backed off the truss rod on both basses now and they sound better, even though as you say, the action could be lower.

[Happy Jack]

Depends why you want the action low. A surprising number of bass players seem to think that the equation is: [color=#008000][b]Low Action = Good[/b][/color] / [color=#ff0000][b]High Action = Bad[/b][/color].

The technical term for this is "bollocks".

The correct equation is: [color=#008000][b]Action that suits your playing style = Good[/b][/color] / [color=#a9a9a9][b]Action that other people tell you to use = Irrelevant[/b][/color].

[Greggo]

I wonder if its a hangover from the guitar world where it gets drummed into you from magazine/forums that you need a straight as an arrow neck and the lowest possible.

Having said that, I never bothered adjusting necks on any of the 6 strings I owned. I dont shred,so low action not essential (but then I do play with 9 guage strings )

On bass Im torn between enjoying the ease of a low action but preferring the tone of slightly higher action. Getting the balance right is certainly a compromise as someone has said. I use 45 - 130 (on a 5 banger), I sometimes wonder if I shoud go down a guage.

[Dave Vader]

[quote name='Greggo' timestamp='1369738001' post='2092067']
I wonder if its a hangover from the guitar world where it gets drummed into you from magazine/forums that you need a straight as an arrow neck and the lowest possible.
[/quote]

Not true there either, bestest tone monsters out there have telephone wire strings and high action (SRV for one)
I tried straightening and lowering out my old Strat, it sounded crap. The SG likes it though.

Low action is pointless for anyone who likes to hit the strings properly rather than tickle them like a girl

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='iiipopes' timestamp='1369712907' post='2091844']
It's not just the string excursion. It's the mechanical impedance of the neck. I have a Gibson J45 which I really enjoy. When I first got it, I was very careful to set it up properly. As I tightened the truss rod to a point of proper relief, it felt really, really good, and it appeared that it could go just a little bit straighter to make the action even better. But that last 1/4 turn of the truss rod damped down the vibration of the entire instrument too much, and the entire instrument lost its resonance. I backed the truss rod back off that 1/4 turn, and all the tone and resonance came back. I left it there, even though the action could, in an abstract sense, be even lower.
[/quote]
This issue seems to matter even on solid bodies but on semis and full acoustics it is crucial.

[Greggo]

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1369738673' post='2092081']
Not true there either, bestest tone monsters out there have telephone wire strings and high action (SRV for one)
I tried straightening and lowering out my old Strat, it sounded crap. The SG likes it though.

Low action is pointless for anyone who likes to hit the strings properly rather than tickle them like a girl
[/quote]

Thats interesting that the SG liked it but Strat didnt - arent SG's shorter scale?

[Dave Vader]

[quote name='Greggo' timestamp='1369740089' post='2092102']
Thats interesting that the SG liked it but Strat didnt - arent SG's shorter scale?
[/quote]

Yeah, but I think it's more to do with the glued in neck construction, and the silly high power humbuckers I've got in it. I've had other SGs that didn't like it either, and the strat I just set up for my friend and neighbour was very happy going super low.
Just not if i was playing it.

No hard and fast rules, if it is nice then it is nice, if it's not, change it.