BassLine4Jesus Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 Hi, I need some technical advice here! I went to a pawn shop this morning and played an Ibanez Bass, but I noticed right away that the action was too high. Correct me if Im wrong...action is how high the strings are above the fretboard? I like the strings to sit just above the fretboard. Can someone shed some light on this for me? Entry level basses are about where I'm at right now. That would be most appreciated here from Denver Colorado in the USA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvia Bluejay Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 Yes, action is the distance of the strings from the fretboard, and that can be adjusted by 'tweaking the truss rod' (see link below). On some basses it's also possible to raise or lower the nut, and in all basses it's possible to raise or lower the saddles where the strings rest at the bridge. When the action is too low you will end up with fret buzz - unfortunately it's a matter of trial and error, until you find the most comfortable action that allows the strings to vibrate properly without noise. Have a look at this link And also at this one Welcome to Basschat! Keep asking questions, we'll do our best to help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassLine4Jesus Posted April 2, 2018 Author Share Posted April 2, 2018 Thank You! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassLine4Jesus Posted April 2, 2018 Author Share Posted April 2, 2018 Is it recommended that you go to a music shop to get these things done to the bass? A lot of that seems pretty daunting even for a 31 year old man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBunny Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 8 hours ago, BassLine4Jesus said: Is it recommended that you go to a music shop to get these things done to the bass? A lot of that seems pretty daunting even for a 31 year old man. If it seems pretty daunting, as you say, then finding a decent guitar tech is the answer. That said if you take it slowly and methodically there is no reason why you can't do it yourself and it is very satisfying doing your own setups. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvia Bluejay Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 (edited) I would recommend learning to do it for yourself as soon as possible! Nobody knows what your favourite setup is better than you do. You may want to go to a friendly shop for help the first time, but don't ask them to tell you what to do, ask them to help you achieve the setup you want. Ignore strictly prescriptive advice about the exact number of thousandths of an inch (or millimetres ) to measure at the 12th fret and similar rubbish: while you play, find your own preferred setup - as in, the setup you are most comfortable with - and then learn how to implement it on your bass(es) and how to maintain it when the season changes and the neck relaxes or tightens. As I said, it's a matter of trial and error: you may think that a certain setup fits your playing, and then discover that it doesn't, so it's best to be able to change it on the spot and keep testing. You only need to go to a luthier if there is a problem such as a warped neck, a fret coming off, a serious dead spot, a defective machine head, malfunctioning electronics in the pickups, or similar. (Those problems aren't very common, even on relatively cheap basses.) I did my first setup on my own after googling and checking out a few links similar to the first I mention above. It's easier than it looks. Edited April 3, 2018 by Silvia Bluejay 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassLine4Jesus Posted April 3, 2018 Author Share Posted April 3, 2018 Great! Awesome! Thank you! Rock on guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 Fodera (sorry to mention them once again) did these setup and maintenance videos. They are very well made and the explanations are clear. And you don't need to own a Fodera to watch them. http://www.fodera.com/how-to-set-up-your-fodera/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 (edited) All good advice here. YouTube is your friend on setups. I had a pro set up done. It was the most pointless £100 I've ever spent. I went home and taught myself using YouTube and some simple tools. 2 words of warning: 1. Don't use the wrong size Allen wrenches. If it's an Ibanez, or many other basses, they will be metric wrenches you need. If you use the wrong one you'll chew the heads up. 2. On all things, if anything is scarily hard to turn, STOP. Come back and ask. You may be doing the right thing, but never be scared to ask. I like these videos: Ibanez basses are pretty bullet-proof. The necks are a bit slim for some folk, but you can't go far wrong. Edited April 3, 2018 by Grangur 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 I've watched these 4 videos. Interesting indeed, but John Carruthers forgot to mention that the very first point is to perfectly tune your bass with a strobe tuner like the TC Electronic or the Peterson. Then the steps 2 and 4 must be reversed. Why ? Because if you do the action and the nut height before the intonation, when moving your saddles to the right position and filing down or raising the nut will modify the action itself... My little trick is to begin to set the action by the higher pitched string to your taste and put all strings of your instruments at the same height, then raise each next lower string a quarter turn higher than the previous one, so if you have a 6 strings bass, the G will be 1/4 turn higher than the C string, the D being 1/2 turn higher than the C, the A being 3/4 turn higher than the C, the E being 1 full turn higher than the C and the B being 1 and 1/4 turn higher than the C. This way, you'll have a perfect stings radius following your neck radius with just the right amount of height for each string. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 And always retune the whole bass in playing position after each (slight) adjustment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassLine4Jesus Posted April 3, 2018 Author Share Posted April 3, 2018 All good stuff! Thanks Guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 I've just watched the Elixir videos again. It's some time since I last saw them. What I would add is: 1. Skip step 3. Most basses will have the nut at about the right height, especially if you're buying a used bass. 2. John C does 2 and 4 in the right order, but as @Hellzero says, adjusting the string length will also change the action height. So you need to go back and check the bridge height again. On measuring the string height, a ruler is a PITA. So I use a 2mm Allen wrench. You might like a different height, but Allen wrenches, used as a feeler gauge is SO much easier. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 20 minutes ago, Grangur said: On measuring the string height, a ruler is a PITA. So I use a 2mm Allen wrench. You might like a different height, but Allen wrenches, used as a feeler gauge is SO much easier. Funny as I also use Allen wrenches for the strings height : it's so much easier than trying to read a ruler with (our) old eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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