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setting up a Fender with Micro Tilt.


Prime_BASS
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I have been given a 1992 Fender Jazz bass with a badass bridge to setup for a friend. It also has the 'micro-tilt' neck adjustment.

The action was major high and before I get new strings on it I wanted to give a pre-setup, pickup heights, truss rod etc.

I've dropped the string saddles as low as they'll go and gave the truss rod a quick tighten. Already. Much better, however the badass's string saddles have not been filed so the strings sit flat, and against the fenders radius finger board the low E and high G sit a bit higher than the middle two.

Now the micro tilt. however im unsure how it will react with other changes, such as truss rod relief, and saddle hieght.

Th aim is to get the action as low as possible across all strings obviously.

I know I could file the saddle but I cba with that since I'm on not getting paid for this.

Edit: minor alteration to apparantly make it less confusing.

Edited by Prime_BASS
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[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1370092454' post='2096365']
Th aim is to get the action as low as possible across all strings obviously.
[/quote]
Not neccesarily - are you taking the owners playing technique into account?

Also, I can't see how adjusting the micro tilt is going to solve the problem you mention - the strings will still be higher than the others if you adjust it.

The only way you'll deal with it is to set the saddles to match the fingerboard radius.

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You should do the steps of a setup, including the micro tilt adjustment, in a particular order as one step affects the next. Fender's setup guide [url="http://www.fender.com/en-GB/support/articles/bass-guitar-setup-guide/"]here[/url] is a good starting point if you're at all new to this.

As Rhys said above, the micro tilt won't affect the relative string heights. Thats what the saddle adjustment step is for.

HTH

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[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1370095650' post='2096405']

Not neccesarily - are you taking the owners playing technique into account?

Also, I can't see how adjusting the micro tilt is going to solve the problem you mention - the strings will still be higher than the others if you adjust it.

The only way you'll deal with it is to set the saddles to match the fingerboard radius.
[/quote]

I have set them now like this (following the radius), they each have just shy of 3mm gap at the last fret, with the high G not being able to get any lower( compensating for how much it vibrates compared to the lower and ticker strings. On my own bass I have the lowest at aroud 3mm clearance and then they get closer as the strings get higher, down to around 2mm clearance. So that is pretty much what I'm aiming for with this since I find mine a piece of piss to play.

So now, compared to defo they are all too high.
So from what I have googled(I will go through that fender link though) if the strings are still too high I can adjust te micro tilt?

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[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1370106167' post='2096540']
I have set them now like this (following the radius), they each have just shy of 3mm gap at the last fret, with the high G not being able to get any lower( compensating for how much it vibrates compared to the lower and ticker strings. On my own bass I have the lowest at aroud 3mm clearance and then they get closer as the strings get higher, down to around 2mm clearance. So that is pretty much what I'm aiming for with this since I find mine a piece of piss to play.

So now, compared to defo they are all too high.
So from what I have googled(I will go through that fender link though) if the strings are still too high I can adjust te micro tilt?
[/quote]

Yes, the micro tilt should now do what you want, but to be honest a 3mm action would be classed as low by the majority of players.

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[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1370115176' post='2096672']

I too would call 3mm low.
[/quote]

Personally I would too, but I have my bass setup with the low E at just under 3mm and the high G at 2.5mm, and I feel the action can across all strings.

I trust neck relief will be the same once this micro tilt thing is changed

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My local luthier detests the micro-tilt operation. Given the chance he will add a shim rather than use The micro-tilt.

I must admit that I saw a '76 recently with a neck that wobbled all over the show. The luthier took the neck off. Set the micro so it wasn't working and shimmed the neck. Transformed the action and playability and the neck is really solid now.

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[quote name='molan' timestamp='1370120723' post='2096752']
My local luthier detests the micro-tilt operation. Given the chance he will add a shim rather than use The micro-tilt.

I must admit that I saw a '76 recently with a neck that wobbled all over the show. The luthier took the neck off. Set the micro so it wasn't working and shimmed the neck. Transformed the action and playability and the neck is really solid now.
[/quote]

Wobbled? How so?

Edited by Prime_BASS
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Unless you're putting on another set of exactly the same type/gauge of strings that are on there already, doing any setup prior to the string change could be a waste of time as you might have to start from scratch once the new ones are on.

I don't follow what the problem is. The saddles are each adjustable for height individually aren't they?

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[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1370141304' post='2096927']


Wobbled? How so?
[/quote]

The amount of micro-tilt adjustment was so extreme that it seemed the whole neck was 'balancing' on the one point.

Any sort of aggressive playing would make the neck move in the pocket, in both vertical and horizontal planes :(

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[quote name='Junkyard Rocket' timestamp='1370147975' post='2096931']
Unless you're putting on another set of exactly the same type/gauge of strings that are on there already, doing any setup prior to the string change could be a waste of time as you might have to start from scratch once the new ones are on.
[/quote]
I wondered about that too, but figured if the OP is able to perform a decent set-up he'd know that.

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1370160423' post='2096983']
The amount of micro-tilt adjustment was so extreme that it seemed the whole neck was 'balancing' on the one point.

Any sort of aggressive playing would make the neck move in the pocket, in both vertical and horizontal planes :(
[/quote]
This is correct, and as far as I know is why Fender stopped using the micro tilt system.

Edited by RhysP
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[quote name='molan' timestamp='1370160423' post='2096983']
The amount of micro-tilt adjustment was so extreme that it seemed the whole neck was 'balancing' on the one point.

Any sort of aggressive playing would make the neck move in the pocket, in both vertical and horizontal planes :(
[/quote]

Well in that case I may not bother with it. Ive done the best I can with it.

My only other thought would be a bridge change. Ages ago I had a badass on a fender and it made getting the action low a bit troublesome, maybe cuase it's baseplate is so thick?

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[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1370118508' post='2096719']
I trust neck relief will be the same once this micro tilt thing is changed
[/quote]

Adjusting the microtilt will not affect the neck's relief as such (ie from nut to neck end). But the relief may need adjusting a touch after you adjust the microtilt as you will have changed the geometry between the neck, the string and the saddle.

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1370176076' post='2097208']
Ages ago I had a badass on a fender and it made getting the action low a bit troublesome, maybe cuase it's baseplate is so thick?
[/quote]

Which is why the general approach to badasses is to shim the neck if this problem is encountered. In the case of your friend's bass, adjusting the microtilt removes the need to file saddles etc.

Like ET, I'm surprised that a 92 is sporting a microtilt. But, hey...

Edited by skankdelvar
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I think once the new strings are on if I still feel its too high ill give the micro tilt ago, as I can always set it back if it does wobble, which is bad if it is even a little.

To my eye the neck is straight, and the truss rod relief is set so my '12' just slides under the low E. Not got anything to compare how inset the neck is, but on most of my other basses setting the saddles to their lowest makes the strings essentially rest against the f'board. With this the two outermst strings have more than 3mm clearance and the innermost have around 2mm clearance. In my mind its either high or really high.

I don't think there would be a problem at all if the finger board didn't have such a convex-ed f'board.

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