Bass action?

[peaveyorangegretsch]

I have a 5 string bass.  I pretty much set the action at the 12th similar to my treble guitars.  The intonation is pretty spot on also, the problem I have though is when I play it with any kind of thumb thump I think it is hitting the frets\fingerboard. Playing with a pick helps, but not the tone I want.  Should I raise the action, or set action at a different location?  And will raising the action effect intonation drastically?(more string being displaced to fret a note, essentially bending the string, etc.) Thanks.

[neepheid]

You'll need to raise your action if it's too clanky for you when you're playing at your hardest.  I set my action to be as low as possible without appreciable clank/fret buzz when playing hard.  That is likely to require higher action than a guitar - strings are bigger and they travel further when plucked.  Raise the pickups a little to meet the strings to reinstate the tone you want.

 

Raising the action affecting the intonation?  Depends how far you go.  No harm in checking it after you've got the action how you want it.

[peaveyorangegretsch]

Ok thanks.

[rmorris]

All things being equal you'll need a higher action compared to a standard six string electric.

[peaveyorangegretsch]

Thanks.

[Andyjr1515]

Yes - as above.

 

The action height you need depends on the strings you use, the way you play and how level your frets are.  Basically, it simply makes sure that the string's vibration isn't buzzing against the top of (usually) the next fret up.

 

So, actually, one of the simplest and best ways of doing it is to play normally (including the hardest you would regularly pluck or pick) and, for each string, lower saddle a 1/4 of a turn at a time until it does buzz.  Then raise the saddle back up a 1/4 turn, check the buzz has gone and job's done.  Move to the next string and repeat the process.

Edited January 26 by Andyjr1515

[Andyjr1515]

...and yes, there is a relationship between action height and intonation.  

 

When you press the string down to the fret, you are, in fact, bending the string and the pitch rises, exactly the way you can raise the pitch in, say, a vibrato by bending the string sideways. 

 

The higher up the fretboard you are, the bigger is the gap between the bottom of the string and top of the fret and the more the string is bending (vertically) and the more the pitch rises.  And the higher the action, the more the string will bend vertically.

 

So yes, if you have changed the action height, it's worth rechecking your intonation and giving it a tweak if necessary.