Geek99 Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 I have a generic acoustic bass. I think its straight as alreluef at 10th using a capo on fret 1 is about right - credit card thickness - action is still suitable for limbo dancing Strings are phosphor bronze 40- 95 Am I right in think the only thing I can do is file down the saddle ? What action is respectable for an acoustic ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lw. Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 The action on mine is substantially higher than that of my e-basses but not ridiculously so, I assumed that was just how they were. Replacement bridge-saddles look relatively affordable after a quick google; maybe practice your filing on one of those so if anything goes wrong you can easily go back to how it is now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 Higher action is normal on an acoustic. Makes it ring out more because the strings have space to vibrate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apa Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 Height at the Nut has a large influence on action to. I have a Fender Kingman that I just couldn't get right. Took the bridge down to a silly level almost touching the bridge sadle itself. Then I learnt about the nut height. Makes a big difference. Had to take the bridge right back up again!!! A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted December 16, 2014 Author Share Posted December 16, 2014 Could you give me a clue what yours is at ? Hear what you're saying but I think bridge action is a large part of the problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apa Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 Heres a vid of what to do. In theory you should do your nut before you start doing your bridge. It will be a good indication as to what the problem may be by measuring and comparing what it should be at the 1st fret before you do what I did and take off half the bridge. Its not like you can wind the grub screw back up again! [media]http://youtu.be/cI9Y9MsmnEc[/media] If you google nut set up for bass you get quit a lot of stuff. Mine is still relatively high compared to my electrics. Not sure why but it suits it ok. Can't actually measure at the mo sorry but I hope that helps. A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted December 17, 2014 Author Share Posted December 17, 2014 Thanks Understand general nut adjustment principles - looking for a steer on normal values for nut height and action on an acoustic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowieBass Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 The relief on an electric bass should be about .01" at the 8th fret when you fret at the 1st and 17th, that's the thickness of a business card (made of cardboard) not a plastic credit card which is roughly 3 times too thick at about .03". I'm not sure how this translates to a purely acoustic instrument but I think your relief might be rather too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted December 17, 2014 Author Share Posted December 17, 2014 Thanks --and the action ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted December 22, 2014 Author Share Posted December 22, 2014 anyone care to give me a sample value ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowieBass Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 Hi, I've really no idea what action your acoustic bass ought to be but you might as well look at the generic Fender recommendations and see how much difference there is with yours; it's usually 6/64" for the E at the 17th fret and 5/64" for the G at the same position - that's how I set all of my instruments up but you obviously have the luxury of adjustable saddles with an electric. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted December 22, 2014 Author Share Posted December 22, 2014 thanks - those numbers are for an electric ? I read above that acoustics are set higher but since mine has action you can park a bus under, I was wondering whats normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted December 22, 2014 Author Share Posted December 22, 2014 i found this - this sound about right ? http://www.talkbass.com/threads/acoustic-bass-guitar-setup-specifications.1016490/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero9 Posted December 22, 2014 Share Posted December 22, 2014 The action on an acoustic is generally regarded as being higher than an electric, although I did play one at a bash once which had incredibly low action. It all depends on the neck relief / quality and how low you want the action to go. It is down to personal preference and playing style. Because it will involve reducing the saddle height (assuming it's a plastic saddle), just take it down a little bit at a time, until you reach a height which suits your preference. Similarly with the nut, just take it down a fraction at a time until your happy with the action. Whilst the neck may be straight, the join to the body may not, which could give a higher action than expected. Provided there is plenty of saddle height to play with, it's worth lowering the height by filing, although I would recommend getting a second saddle to experiment with and keep the old one just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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