jeff.nicol_scotland Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 I got my first bass today and I can't wait to start learning I went for the Santa Monica starter pack which seem like a good place to start my journey I need advice on the setup, please, it came with alan keys which at my best guess is to get the hight of the string? Can any advice me on what I should be doing? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 I think it would be best to start by watching a few videos showing you the various adjustments one can make, to get you a good idea of the 'mechanics' involved. This guy has a series of videos that are quite good. There are others, and you'll find that some people have different approaches but if you watch a few you'll quickly understand what's the goal, and you can attempt a lot of the adjustments yourself with just a couple of basic tools and a bit of patience. To get the best setup you may need to consider the nut slots, fret levelling... which are not that complicated but not the thing I'd advise someone to start with, so if after watching the videos and adjusting the bass yourself you determine that the nut slots are too low and need a new nut, or that there are some uneven frets... I'd take it to a reputable local tech to get the work done, and if you can... watch, ask him, and see what he does. I learnt a lot that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff.nicol_scotland Posted March 3, 2018 Author Share Posted March 3, 2018 Thank very much man, I'll do just that 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted March 3, 2018 Share Posted March 3, 2018 Depending on your location, I`m sure someone local to you on here would be happy to help you out re a basic set up if you are unsure of doing this yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atsampson Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Fender have an excellent step-by-step bass setup guide: https://support.fender.com/hc/en-us/articles/214343843-How-do-I-set-up-my-bass-guitar-properly- The recommendations in there for string height, neck relief etc. are sensible defaults -- as you get used to playing and maintaining basses, you'll probably discover what you like to change to suit your playing style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shamrock198804 Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Where are you based, mate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted March 4, 2018 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Welcome Jeff. Have you tried to tune it yet? You might be lucky enough to have got it set up to some sort of standard already. With a new instrument it is not always obvious how to get the best from it. As a new player you have the added complication of not yet knowing how you will be most comfortable with it. Satisfy yourself that the neck is true. A new instrument should be supplied with the truss rod set correctly for standard gauge strings. Usually, a neck (with strings tuned) will be straight but for the slightest visible bow towards the strings. Generally, string height should give enough clearance above the frets to eliminate fret buzz wherever you fret the string along the entire length of the fretboard. Sometimes a little buzz is acceptable but that's an individual thing and often has to do with the style of music being played. The clearance should not be so great that you can't fret a string without fouling the adjacent string. If you need to drop the string height significantly it might become necessary to adjust your pickup height relative to the new string height too. Make one small adjustment at a time and note the difference(s) to the sound and feel of the instrument. It's easiest to do adjustments in quarter turns of the allen key. Count the turns and apply them evenly to both sides of the saddle if the saddle height screws are in pairs with the saddles level. Soon you will get a feel for what's going on. If you need to adjust the truss rod tension or set individual saddles to get good intonation on individual strings, get specific advice for your instrument. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazzbass Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 22 hours ago, SpondonBassed said: Usually, a neck (with strings tuned) will be straight but for the slightest visible bow towards the strings. A neck should have a slight bow AWAY from the strings , shouldn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, bazzbass said: A neck should have a slight bow AWAY from the strings , shouldn't it? No. For the avoidance of confusion; with no tension on the strings the neck should look straight. When the strings are at their correct pitch and therefore under tension they should bend the neck slightly so that there is the slightest bow under tension. This is known as neck relief. If it goes the other way reducing string height will cause the strings to touch down around the middle of the neck! '“Relief” refers to a very slight, intentional up-bow that lifts the strings a little higher than they’d be on a perfectly straight neck. Some players (like me) prefer a perfectly straight neck, but a dead-straight neck may not work for someone who really plays hard but still wants to have very low string action. For those players, a bit of relief is a good idea.' Stewmac's Guide (For experienced tweakists only) Edited March 5, 2018 by SpondonBassed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazzbass Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 I think we are describing the same thing. Only I am correctly describing the bow AWAY from the strings. It it's flat without string tension, with tension the middle of the neck is further away from the strings than before, this is a bow away from the strings and is exactly what you describe.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigwan Posted March 7, 2018 Share Posted March 7, 2018 On 3/3/2018 at 19:42, mcnach said: I think it would be best to start by watching a few videos showing you the various adjustments one can make, to get you a good idea of the 'mechanics' involved. This guy has a series of videos that are quite good. There are others, and you'll find that some people have different approaches but if you watch a few you'll quickly understand what's the goal, and you can attempt a lot of the adjustments yourself with just a couple of basic tools and a bit of patience. To get the best setup you may need to consider the nut slots, fret levelling... which are not that complicated but not the thing I'd advise someone to start with, so if after watching the videos and adjusting the bass yourself you determine that the nut slots are too low and need a new nut, or that there are some uneven frets... I'd take it to a reputable local tech to get the work done, and if you can... watch, ask him, and see what he does. I learnt a lot that way. Try not to picture Deputy Dog when watching that video. Bet you can't! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.