Cort Action DLX Setup

[HowieBass]

You should get the relief correct to begin with. Tune to pitch then measure by using the string as a straight edge (capo at the first and fret the string at the end of the neck, check the gap at the 8th fret). Once this is right set the action. Check the pickup heights then check for intonation. I tend to follow the Fender specs/method, detailed here:

http://intl.fender.com/en-GB/support/articles/bass-guitar-setup-guide/

[wishface]

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1470232096' post='3104318']
You should get the relief correct to begin with. Tune to pitch then measure by using the string as a straight edge (capo at the first and fret the string at the end of the neck, check the gap at the 8th fret). Once this is right set the action. Check the pickup heights then check for intonation. I tend to follow the Fender specs/method, detailed here:

[url="http://intl.fender.com/en-GB/support/articles/bass-guitar-setup-guide/"]http://intl.fender.c...ar-setup-guide/[/url]
[/quote]

Doesn't setting the action after the relief not mean you'd have to reset the relief? What if you find the action still too high? Surely measuring relief is as much dependent on the string height (ie action) as it is the shape of the neck?

[MoonBassAlpha]

No, as per the quote in your post, you fret the string at the first AND last frets to use the string as a straight line. Then you can see the relief properly.

[Grangur]

Here's the first video of a great series that covers how to set up your bass:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te44eWXd9pc


If you still struggle, may I make a suggestion that you take a look at the thread linked below. Find someone close to you and arrange to take your bass over and get an on-the-spot lesson on setting up.

http://basschat.co.uk/topic/277468-bcers-prepared-to-help-fix-a-bass/page__fromsearch__1

[wishface]

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1470253072' post='3104549']
No, as per the quote in your post, you fret the string at the first AND last frets to use the string as a straight line. Then you can see the relief properly.
[/quote]I have tweaked the rod as much as I feel comfortable. I don't care to break it, obviously

I must say i've not noticed any relief. Perhaps it's too minor to notice. BUt i'm not hearing a difference. The buzz is still there on the low E.

If I raise the action enough to take it away, the action is too high.

[wishface]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1470257374' post='3104604']
Here's the first video of a great series that covers how to set up your bass:


If you still struggle, may I make a suggestion that you take a look at the thread linked below. Find someone close to you and arrange to take your bass over and get an on-the-spot lesson on setting up.

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/277468-bcers-prepared-to-help-fix-a-bass/page__fromsearch__1"]http://basschat.co.u...__fromsearch__1[/url]
[/quote]Yeah, I've seen that clip before. I notice that he says that overtweaking the rod can damage it, while the guyd from Fodera says otherwise.

It's not so much that I'm struggling, it's that I'm not really seeing any improvement.

Edited August 3, 2016 by wishface

[HowieBass]

If there's no relief (so the neck is effectively straight or flat) then you need to loosen the truss rod to allow the tension of the strings to pull the neck forward a little - this is what creates the relief. Loosening the truss rod will not damage it. Do not adjust the action to get rid of fret buzz until you have the relief set correctly.

[Grangur]

[quote name='wishface' timestamp='1470260768' post='3104653']
Yeah, I've seen that clip before. I notice that he says that overtweaking the rod can damage it, while the guyd from Fodera says otherwise.

It's not so much that I'm struggling, it's that I'm not really seeing any improvement.
[/quote]

Funny he says that it's impossible to damage the truss rod. In a moment of stupidity I managed to do the impossible once.

But what do I know? You clearly know everything already.

After all you're the Troll.

Edited August 4, 2016 by Grangur

[wishface]

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1470262563' post='3104671']
If there's no relief (so the neck is effectively straight or flat) then you need to loosen the truss rod to allow the tension of the strings to pull the neck forward a little - this is what creates the relief. Loosening the truss rod will not damage it. Do not adjust the action to get rid of fret buzz until you have the relief set correctly.
[/quote]That's what i've been doing. I've turned it a bit so far, i'd say more than a quarter for sure, and it's not really made any difference. The low E still buzzes. If I subsequently raise the action, which i've had to do in the meantime, it gets higher than i would like before there's any resolution. Maybe the instrument is designed to have a high action, I don't know.

[wishface]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1470289381' post='3104719']
Funny he says that it's impossible to damage the truss rod. In a moment of stupidity I managed to do the impossible once.

But what do I know? You clearly know everything already.

After all you're the Troll.
[/quote]What are you talking about? There are two opposing positions put in these videos, both of which are made by experienced technicians, and both have been recommended to me in this very thread. Add to that someone above has just said that loosening the rod will not damage it. Yet here you are claiming that you have damaged yours while interrupting a productive discussion to accuse me of trolling.

[wishface]

This all seems rather chicken and the egg to me. If you adjust the truss rod without setting the action to a comfortable level (buzz or not) then you are surely going to get a false measurement when measuring the amount of relief because you're measuring it to the string. So the relief surely has to be set in the context of the desired string height.

[Grangur]

[quote name='wishface' timestamp='1470297659' post='3104794']
This all seems rather chicken and the egg to me. If you adjust the truss rod without setting the action to a comfortable level (buzz or not) then you are surely going to get a false measurement when measuring the amount of relief because you're measuring it to the string. So the relief surely has to be set in the context of the desired string height.
[/quote]
Yes. So you adjust the relief. Then the action height. Then check the relief. Then the intonation. Then the action and relief again. Sometimes you need to adjust the action in order to set the intonation.

Nothing is really in isolation. But unless you have 4 pairs of hands and tools stuck int everything you can't do it all at the same time.

[Grangur]

[quote name='wishface' timestamp='1470297429' post='3104792']
What are you talking about? There are two opposing positions put in these videos, both of which are made by experienced technicians, and both have been recommended to me in this very thread. Add to that someone above has just said that loosening the rod will not damage it. Yet here you are claiming that you have damaged yours while interrupting a productive discussion to accuse me of trolling.
[/quote]

In the other thread folk gave you advice on buying a bass. Yet nobody's answers were good enough for you. Here the same thing is happening again.

News for you: you are not unique neither is your bass. Advice you are given is the same advice that has been given to us and countless others too. It may not be presented perfectly for you to understand but they are the same pointers that have helped countless others.

What we say is not wrong. Your understanding of the information may however be wrong.

[Manton Customs]

[quote name='wishface' timestamp='1470297659' post='3104794']
This all seems rather chicken and the egg to me. If you adjust the truss rod without setting the action to a comfortable level (buzz or not) then you are surely going to get a false measurement when measuring the amount of relief because you're measuring it to the string. So the relief surely has to be set in the context of the desired string height.
[/quote]

No you're not going to get any false reading. You've already been given the answer to this on the previous page by Moon Bass Alpha. You fret the string at the first and last fret, this remove the bridge height from the equation. You are literally using the string as a straight edge. This must have been covered in the videos which people have helpfully posted.

It may be a very good idea to take the bass to a local tech or luthier.

[BassBus]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8WOHN3IqM8

[wishface]

[quote name='Manton Customs' timestamp='1470300004' post='3104823']
No you're not going to get any false reading. You've already been given the answer to this on the previous page by Moon Bass Alpha. You fret the string at the first and last fret, this remove the bridge height from the equation. You are literally using the string as a straight edge. This must have been covered in the videos which people have helpfully posted.

It may be a very good idea to take the bass to a local tech or luthier.
[/quote]Ok that's great, but i'm interested in being able to address this myself. So i have the relief just past 1/16th of an inche over the 8th fret.

The action at the lowest I can get away with, and it's not perfect there's still some buzz, is the a string height twice that between 12th fret and string.

It still feels high to me. My previous bass isn't setup that high. I can't really work this out. I'm not going to adjust the relief anymore and until I can get to a luthier I'd like to work this out, preferrably without people trolling this thread.

[HowieBass]

The relief ought to be of the order of 0.012" - that's twelve thousandths of an inch and typically the thickness of a business card (card not plastic). It's like, not much at all... whereas a 1/16th of an inch is 0.0625", five times larger than you ought to have. That's too much relief and I'd expect a fair bit of fret buzz at the higher (body end) frets. Get the relief sorted before you try doing anything else.

[Thunderbird]

If you are near to me l don't know where you are as I'm mobile site pop it round and I will set it up for you

[wishface]

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1470320398' post='3105101']
The relief ought to be of the order of 0.012" - that's twelve thousandths of an inch and typically the thickness of a business card (card not plastic). It's like, not much at all... whereas a 1/16th of an inch is 0.0625", five times larger than you ought to have. That's too much relief and I'd expect a fair bit of fret buzz at the higher (body end) frets. Get the relief sorted before you try doing anything else.
[/quote]The relief is much greater than that, about 3/32nds of an inch. This seems to have ended the fret buzz on the E string.

Not sure what I can do if that's too much. If i set it back then won't i just invite the fret buzz I had before without raising the action onerously again.

[wishface]

[quote name='Thunderbird' timestamp='1470333760' post='3105267']
If you are near to me l don't know where you are as I'm mobile site pop it round and I will set it up for you
[/quote]Probably not, north somerset is where I am. Thanks anyway

[HowieBass]

With relief of 3/32" I'd expect the neck to resemble a banana. Either you're not measuring it correctly or there's something badly wrong with the setup. I can't think of any further advice to offer you other than take it to somebody who knows how to set a bass up.

[Thunderbird]

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1470398573' post='3105729']
With relief of 3/32" I'd expect the neck to resemble a banana. Either you're not measuring it correctly or there's something badly wrong with the setup. I can't think of any further advice to offer you other than take it to somebody who knows how to set a bass up.
[/quote] I agree take it for a set up £30 max is better than f***ing up the bass cos something is seriously out with that set up mate sorry I cant be anymore help

[BassBus]

In order to play along I always remember this recorded phone call to a computer help line. Maybe wishface could try this

[i][color=#1A1A1A]Word Perfect Technical support; may I help you?" [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Yes, well, I'm having trouble with WordPerfect." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"What sort of trouble?" [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Well, I was just typing along, and all of a sudden the words went away." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Went away?" [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"They disappeared." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Hmm. So what does your screen look like now?" [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Nothing." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Nothing?" [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"It's blank; it won't accept anything when I type." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Are you still in WordPerfect, or did you get out?" [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"How do I tell?" [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Can you see the C:\ prompt on the screen?" [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"What's a sea-prompt?" [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Never mind. Can you move the cursor around on the screen?" [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"There isn't any cursor: I told you, it won't accept anything I type." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Does your monitor have a power indicator?" [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"What's a monitor?" [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"It's the thing with the screen on it that looks like a TV. Does it have a little light that tells you when it's on?" [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"I don't know." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Well, then look on the back of the monitor and find where the power cord goes into it. Can you see that?" [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]....."Yes, I think so." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Great! Follow the cord to the plug, and tell me if it's plugged into the wall." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]....."Yes, it is." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"When you were behind the monitor, did you notice that there were two cables plugged into the back of it, not just one?" [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"No." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Well, there are. I need you to look back there again and find the other cable." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]....."Okay, here it is." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Follow it for me, and tell me if it's plugged securely into the back of your computer." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"I can't reach it." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Uh huh. Well, can you see if it is?" [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"No." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Even if you maybe put your knee on something and lean way over?" [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Oh, it's not because I don't have the right angle-it's because it's dark." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Dark?" [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Yes-the office light is off, and the only light I have is coming in from the window." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Well, turn on the office light then." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"I can't." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"No? Why not?" [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Because there's a power outage." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"A power... A power outage? Aha! Okay, we've got it licked now. Do you still have the boxes and manuals and packing stuff your computer came in?" [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Well, yes. I keep them in the closet." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Good! Go get them and unplug your system and pack it up just like it was when you got it. Then take it back to the store you bought it from." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Really! Is it that bad?" [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Yes, I'm afraid it is." [/color]

[color=#1A1A1A]"Well, all right then, I suppose. What do I tell them?" [/color][/i]

[color=#1A1A1A][i]"Tell them you're too stupid to own a computer."[/i][/color]

[BassBus]

Now, about the amp you should buy...

[wishface]

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1470398573' post='3105729']
With relief of 3/32" I'd expect the neck to resemble a banana. Either you're not measuring it correctly or there's something badly wrong with the setup. I can't think of any further advice to offer you other than take it to somebody who knows how to set a bass up.
[/quote]It doesn't look like a banana. I'm measuring from the 8th fret using a tape measure as best I can so it is not 100% accurate. I don't have any other tools to measure these distances.

[attachment=224944:20160805_182016.jpg][attachment=224945:20160805_182053.jpg]