Do you set-up your own bass?

[iconic]

Setting up any guitar is much like plumbing, can be scary at first but, this soon passes. 

 

.....the mistakes come cheaper too. 

 

I set up everything from scratch. I'm often amazed that some of the guitars that come to to me, have actually been played. 

 

I guess you could also think of a proper set up as, the seat and steering adjustment in car. We are all different, yes we can drive the car with the seat n steering out of kilter but, getting it to our tastes, makes everything so much easier. 

 

Plenty of excellent set up guides on YouTube. 😎

[Saul Panzer]

I haven't done any fret work or needed to file a nut yet, I do the usual bits myself though...adjust the neck, intonation, action, pickups (including resoldering some wires when a pickup wasn't working), fitting 2 shims in the neck pocket.
I started playing at the beginning of Covid so getting it done by a pro wasn't an option for over a year, they just wouldn't take on the work where I live...DIY was the only option.

I brought a cheap unplayable used J bass to learn and practice how to do those things before trying on my Sire basses.

[Steve Browning]

1 hour ago, iconic said:

Setting up any guitar is much like plumbing, can be scary at first but, this soon passes. 

... or making love to a beautiful woman, perhaps?

 

 

[Bassassin]

It's just wood & wire, whether it's a £100 Harley Benton or a Fodera worth more than your house. Quite happy & confident doing setups, fret leveling/crowning, electronics (although a diagram can help!), truss rods etc. Initially from necessity based on having little cash & cheap basses, but I grew up with a can-do attitude to doing practical stuff, & quite enjoy it.

 

Always been a little mystified by the hands-off attitude many have - although we do live in a culture where people will cheerfully pay £100 plus for a 'qualified mechanic' to pump up the tyres and tighten the cables on their pushbikes!

Edited January 29, 2022 by Bassassin

[iconic]

2 hours ago, Steve Browning said:

... or making love to a beautiful woman, perhaps?

 

First one must ensure ones rod has correct tension with a gentle twisting motion then, carefully set height of the nuts as this helps fingering at a later stage, application of graphite paste helps lubricate the nuts.... 

2 hours ago, Steve Browning said:

 

 

[4000]

1 hour ago, Bassassin said:

I grew up with a can-do attitude to doing practical stuff, & quite enjoy it.

 

Always been a little mystified by the hands-off attitude many have - although we do live in a culture where people will cheerfully pay £100 plus for a 'qualified mechanic' to pump up the tyres and tighten the cables on their pushbikes!

I suspect some of this is how you were brought up, although I’m sure there are many other factors, not the least of which are time, inclination and, as already mentioned, confidence. Growing up, I don’t think I ever even saw my dad  - or mum for that matter - change a plug. If anything needed doing in the house, a ‘professional’ was brought in. My partner’s family was completely different. Her dad - and mum to a lesser degree - will tackle pretty much anything, even fairly major (by my standards) building work. 

[Bleat]

I can do general setups ie intonation and saddle adjustment, truss adjustment. I am fine with replacing  hardware, soldering pots and wiring with help of diagrams. I don't do anything with regards to fretwork though.

 

Only I know how I play and how I want the instrument to feel in my hands. Also with so many helpful Youtube "how to" videos these days, there's really no excuse to not at least learn basic adjustments / maintenance.

[Misdee]

I have learnt to do my own setups through trial and error over the last 40+ years out of necessity. I am so exacting about how I want a bass to play that I doubt anyone else could anticipate what I want on my behalf. I would have to keep going back to the workshop over and over again. I'm talking about basic stuff, not fretwork ect. I leave that to the professionals.

 

However long I have played the bass, probably a third of that time I have spent adjusting the bass. If, in some parrallel universe, people bought tickets to watch some poor neurotic making minute adjustments to expensive bass guitars as a sadistic form of entertainment then I would be doing international tours and appearing on daytime television.

[Misdee]

20 minutes ago, 4000 said:

My partner’s family was completely different. Her dad - and mum to a lesser degree - will tackle pretty much anything, even fairly major (by my standards) building work. 

Are they anywhere near West Yorkshire and do you think they might be interested in quoting me for a bit of repointing and replastering I need doing?

[mep]

I'll have a go at most things. Bought a fret tool recently and don't mind soldering either. Have set up others too.

[Marvin]

I won't touch frets, the nut or active electronics (unless it's a loose wire).

Everything thing else is straightforward. 

 

I'm not great with a soldering iron,  but I'll happily repair or change passive circuits in a bass. My brother's mate had a p bass that just made a low buzzing noise when plugged in. I told him it was probably just a loose earth wire. Neither would touch it, so my brother brought down to me from Bristol (about 130 miles) to fix 🤪.

 

 

[TimR]

If you have a passive bass, there's not a lot of complex electronics to be afraid of inside. The pots are very cheap and if you destroy one, you can just buy another. 

 

They key things are getting someone to explain how the wiring diagram relates to the real world elements and practicing how to solder. 

 

Active are more complex but the advice would usually be just to swap out the board. It's worth opening up just to see what plugs in where. 

[Seashell2]

Nope, it's as much as I  can do to change the strings occasionally! 😆

[Munurmunuh]

12 hours ago, Bassassin said:

Always been a little mystified by the hands-off attitude many have - although we do live in a culture .....

 

I only own two basses, both bought used, and I wanted both of them to be as good condition as they can be. One of them had previously enjoyed the attentions of multiple owners who had hands-on attitudes, which left it needing significantly more attention from the tech than the which had been spared any well-meaning tinkering, but which still benefitted from a professional's experienced eye to get just right.

 

The price of getting these two basses in excellent playing condition was an absolute bargain in comparison with most things in this world (eg bass guitar strings) and the choice between knowing that I've got my basses in their best possible condition and knowing that I've got the approval of some old men I've never met doesn't really look like one.

[neepheid]

2 hours ago, Ricky Rioli said:

 

I only own two basses, both bought used, and I wanted both of them to be as good condition as they can be. One of them had previously enjoyed the attentions of multiple owners who had hands-on attitudes, which left it needing significantly more attention from the tech than the which had been spared any well-meaning tinkering, but which still benefitted from a professional's experienced eye to get just right.

 

The price of getting these two basses in excellent playing condition was an absolute bargain in comparison with most things in this world (eg bass guitar strings) and the choice between knowing that I've got my basses in their best possible condition and knowing that I've got the approval of some old men I've never met doesn't really look like one.

 

U ok hun?

[Geek99]

7 hours ago, Ricky Rioli said:

 

 

 

The price of getting these two basses in excellent playing condition was an absolute bargain in comparison with most things in this world (eg bass guitar strings) and the choice between knowing that I've got my basses in their best possible condition and knowing that I've got the approval of some old men I've never met doesn't really look like one.

I hope I’ve processed that wrong ..

[Paul S]

I like to tinker and fettle but am very much aware of the edge of my abilities.  Usually when I get a new bass I'll take it to bits, clean it, put it back together again - adjusting the action, neck tension, intonation etc if necessary to get it how I like it.  Anything beyond that I leave to the guy I use now who is both brilliant and reasonably priced.  I used to dabble with a bit of soldering and fiddled with the electrics but my hands shake too much these days and represent something of a fire hazard

[SteveK]

 

For all those that know how to use a screwdriver and allen key, and have the correct tools for the job, It makes complete sense to learn to do a simple, truss rod, action, intonation, setup.

Of all the many, high quality, basses I've bought over the years, not one has been setup to my satisfaction. Even after a professional setup I've usually had to tweak the action.

Why, after buying your long lusted after bass, would you wait a few more days, to have it setup, before bringing it home?

Why, after deciding on a change of string gauge, would you be parted with your pride and joy for several days?

My guess is, those that can't/won't do it themselves are probably living with instruments not optimally setup for their playing style.

 

DISCLAIMER: There are those that will mangle a simple slotted screw, not realising that they are using the wrong bit. If you're one of those you should go nowhere near a bass setup.

 

 

[Ed_S]

I saw my first bass come straight out of the box. It was a good brand, it came well set up with decent strings, and it had no hardware or fret issues. It was a great (and very lucky) place to start, but at the same time it gave me no reason to disbelieve the guy in the shop who said that "you only replace bass strings when they break, and they rarely do". So I didn't. And because I really like having clean hands, those strings stayed non-grotty and were on there a long time. That also meant that I didn't clean or oil the fretboard, never polished the frets, never adjusted the action or intonation, and because it was clearly a stable neck I never touched the truss rod. It had passive VVT electronics and they never stopped working so I never opened the cavity cover either. My friends at the time would take their guitars to a local shop to have them cleaned, re-strung and set up, so had I not grown up to be such a massive gear-slag, that may have been it; one bass that keeps working until it stops and then gets repaired by somebody whose job it is to know how... and repeat. In fairness it worked like that with my violin before I was a bassist. I tuned it and cleaned the rosin dust off it, but anything else was done by the shop where I bought it.

 

22 years and a lot of basses that weren't quite so perfect later, the first thing I do with a new one is take it to bits and check that it's not hiding any issues, give it a clean, polish and tidy-up, and set it up with new strings. I haven't invested in learning to do fret work other than polishing and sorting out a bit of sprout, so a bass with actual fret problems is a bass that's going back, but I've learned how to do most other maintenance and hardware or electronics modifications, and within the bounds I've set for myself I'm satisfied that I'm not likely to make a mess of anything.

 

12 hours ago, Ricky Rioli said:

the attentions of multiple owners who had hands-on attitudes, which left it needing significantly more attention from the tech than the which had been spared any well-meaning tinkering

 

I personally don't buy second-hand instruments but that's just because they never end up feeling like they're 'mine' - that seems to only come from having cut the tape on the original box. The care and maintenance record is also a concern, though; it's been the previous owner's absolute immutable right to do with that instrument as they see fit, so I must assume they have. It may play 'like butter' because that's what they've been rubbing it down with every night before bed for the last 10 years! Of course, I would never tell anyone not to do precisely what they want with their own property within the constraints of the law - I just elect not to buy it from them when it hits the market. I'd rather buy new and take the financial hit in exchange for a clean slate of my own and a warranty.

[Supernaut]

Another common question that always seems to get a different answer - where do you measure the action on a bass? 

[TimR]

5 minutes ago, Supernaut said:

Another common question that always seems to get a different answer - where do you measure the action on a bass? 

 

Normally at the 12th fret. But if you're doing your own set up you don't need to measure it. 

[nilebodgers]

Normally 17th fret on P & J basses. (according to Fender factory outline spec)

[ezbass]

I tend to measure at the 15th fret, but only because it’s conveniently in my eyeline (not a lot of difference between this and the 12th fret measurement it seems). Providing you always use the same reference point, I don’t think it matters for your own, personal setups. 

[neepheid]

1 hour ago, Supernaut said:

Another common question that always seems to get a different answer - where do you measure the action on a bass? 

 

Sorry, I don't have a definitive answer because I don't measure the action on my basses.  I'm setting it up for me so I know what I like by feel and I pretty much lower it until fret buzz at the fingerboard extremities starts to become an issue then raise it back up slightly until that goes away.