Twigman Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 I answered a thread the other day in which I had expressed my dislike for the Gotoh 201 bridge as I found it impossible to get a nice action without shimming the neck. Some bright spark 'joked' that my action must be something like 1mm at the first fret, obviously thinking 1mm at the first was stupidly low. To me that seems sky high. Am I wrong? I generally setup as follows: Nut cut to fret height plus 0.1mm Relief (capo on 1 finger on 20 - yes I know I should use 16) a tad under 0.5mm at the 7th/8th Action 2mm at the 17th What setup measurements do you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Relief; capo on fret 1, finger on fret 20/24 and tap on the string on fret 7 to make sure there's next to no gap. Put a 2.5mm or 3mm allen key under each of the strings at the bottom fret and make sure the string rises no more than a gnat's as I push it under. I then use a 4/5mm allen key on the top of the pups to get the right height for those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigman Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 Feeler gauges work better than allen keys IMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 I do it all by feel but I like a straight neck with very little relief. I don't have a truss rod so luckily it's right for me but being graphite it hasn't moved since 1988. I like the action as low as possible so it clanks slightly when I dig in. [url=https://flic.kr/p/dsv2Tp][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/dsv2Tp]Vigier Passion GK[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/chiscocks/]Christopher Hiscocks[/url], on Flickr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ras52 Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 This works for me: http://www2.fender.com/en-GB/support/articles/bass-guitar-setup-guide/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom skool Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 I lower the bridge till it just starts to buzz. If the buzzing is at the bridge end, tighten the truss rod If its at the nut end, loosen. If its evenly spread, job done. Then raise the bridge again to lose the buzz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 I like a straight neck. I then raise the action until it scares the life out of some bassists. (Fretted and Fretless). Also means Bassists don't borrow my Basses very often. if at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyder Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 [quote name='tom skool' timestamp='1444670241' post='2884965'] I lower the bridge till it just starts to buzz. If the buzzing is at the bridge end, tighten the truss rod If its at the nut end, loosen. If its evenly spread, job done. Then raise the bridge again to lose the buzz. [/quote] My too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Approx 3mm at 12th fret, slight relief in the neck. All done by eyesight/feel as I don`t have measuring tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 I do it by touch...I'd say it was very low. I can't or wont play many basses. What that equates to in mm...no idea. I'll set up the neck to choke if laying back comfortably on the setee so the weight of the strings cause the choke.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonestar Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 I use feeler gauges and an engineers rule. Generally i just use fender specs us/imperial measurements: Neck relief 12 thou at 8th fret with capo on fret 1 and finger on the last fret 3/32" from bottom of string at 14th fret. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telebass Posted October 13, 2015 Share Posted October 13, 2015 [quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1444670705' post='2884968'] I like a straight neck. I then raise the action until it scares the life out of some bassists. (Fretted and Fretless). Also means Bassists don't borrow my Basses very often. if at all. [/quote] Obviously in this context, you don't live up to your user name! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyJohnson Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Straight neck, action low enough to get a bit of rattle/buzz when string fretted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verb Posted October 14, 2015 Share Posted October 14, 2015 Fret at 1st and 12th with string just clearing the 8th fret for relief, 1.5-2.0 mm clearance on G string at 12th fret and 2.0-2.5 mm on E string. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lo-E Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 On a fretted bass, capo on 1 and finger on 13, relief from 6th fret to string anywhere from .125 to .2mm Action at 12th fret usually around 1.6mm for the G working up to 2.4mm for the E. At the nut, I cut the slots so that when I fret between 2 and 3 I can tap the string over the first fret and just barely hear a click. I've never measured it precisely. On a fretless bass I tend to go just a bit lower and flatter if the neck will allow it. These numbers were converted from inches, so my apologies if the mm measurements don't fall conveniently on available feeler gauges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 I lower the string height until when I am playing normally it doesn't rattle but if I dig in it does. No idea what that translates to in actual distance between strings and frets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 [quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1444667145' post='2884923'] Feeler gauges work better than allen keys IMHO [/quote] Isn't this what this thread is about? I have feeler gauges, and would use them if I were setting up a bass for someone else, but I read this thread as being about "how accurate do you measure yours?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franzbassist Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 (edited) My initial settings are always: Relief: capo at first fret, press string at end fret, aim for .25 to .3mm at 9th fret String height: capo at first fret, 2.25mm on the E/B and 1.5mm on the G at the 12th fret for fretted basses, slighly lower for fretless Then I tweak to taste on each bass... Edited July 18, 2016 by walbassist Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigman Posted October 19, 2015 Author Share Posted October 19, 2015 [quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1445240140' post='2889740'] Isn't this what this thread is about? I have feeler gauges, and would use them if I were setting up a bass for someone else, but I read this thread as being about "how accurate do you measure yours?" [/quote] yeah I suppose so...I started this thread because someone had joked in another thread that my action must be 'only' like 1mm at the 1st fret, as if that was uncommonly low....which of course it isn't. I was curious as to how high some people's action might be set as I couldn't even play a bass that had 1mm at the 1st - imagine what it's like at the 12th!!! So it wasn't so much how accurately it's set up but which measurements you employ that I was interested in. It seems the chap who feels 1mm at the 1st is low hasn't turned up to this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevB Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 (edited) I think people get too hung up on numbers, like if their own isn't the same mm at fret x as someone else's there's something wrong. Different players play in different ways and there are different approaches for different genres. Relief? well if the intonation is good/accurate and the neck plays comfortably for you then it's probably 'right' for you. Action is a personal thing, how much fretboard buzz can you live with, how hard do you dig in etc etc. Jamerson's action was notoriously high by modern standards but he'd been a DB player, probably felt fine to him. Edited October 19, 2015 by KevB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 All these basses with very low action here. I don't see them in shops and I don't see people playing them on gigs. I'd say1mm at the 1st is very low indeed... that is slightly slimmer than a credit card. If you are anywhere near that at the 12th.... I'd be surprised and would say 2mm at the 12th is low. For me, it is a feel thing..and if it felt good and right I wouldn't be interested in how much it measured, myself Obviously, bass action here isn't typical.. In fact, is anything here typical..?? or do we just post for an audience..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franzbassist Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1445258635' post='2889971'] For me, it is a feel thing..and if it felt good and right I wouldn't be interested in how much it measured, myself [/quote] +1. I have a standard starting point (see my earlier post) as a reference, but basses can move some way from it according to many different factors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 (edited) [quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1445243383' post='2889777'] yeah I suppose so...I started this thread because someone had joked in another thread that my action must be 'only' like 1mm at the 1st fret, as if that was uncommonly low....which of course it isn't. I was curious as to how high some people's action might be set as I couldn't even play a bass that had 1mm at the 1st - imagine what it's like at the 12th!!! So it wasn't so much how accurately it's set up but which measurements you employ that I was interested in. It seems the chap who feels 1mm at the 1st is low hasn't turned up to this thread. [/quote] It does, of course, matter HOW you measure the action at the first fret. If you take Warwick's recommended method, you measure with a business card having fretted the string at the 3rd fret. [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NEXH61OCJY"]http://www.youtube....h?v=-NEXH61OCJY[/url] But if you're measuring without fretting at the 3rd, then a business card height will be seriously low. But if you are, and it suits you, then fair play to you Bro. It's your bass. Edited October 19, 2015 by Grangur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 I lay mine down & line it up with this... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted October 19, 2015 Share Posted October 19, 2015 [quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1445270561' post='2890117'] I lay mine down & line it up with this... [/quote] Just as well you don't live in Wales then,,, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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