String height for a 5-string

[tretim]

What should the string height be for each string at the 12th fret on a 5-string? When I received the bass there was a lot of fret buzz so I've had to increase the height of each string. Currently my string height is:

 

B - 2.5mm

E - 2.25mm

A - 2mm

D - 1.75mm

G - 1.5mm

 

Does this sound about right? Or is it too high or too low?

 

Thanks 👍 

 

 

[chris_b]

String height is a personal choice. What do you think?

 

If you think your fret buzz is excessive, check the neck is straight, check the frets are level, raise the action or play with a softer touch.

[lemmywinks]

2.5mm on the B is pretty standard, 1.5mm on the G is low for some people.

 

If you find it easy to play, it sounds good and fret noise isn't an issue with your technique then don't worry about it. The last two used 5 strings I've bought both had what I'd consider to be an excessively low action, if you like to vary your attack but still want the B to "speak" properly then just nudge it up a little. As long as the rest of the bass is set up well it won't take much.

[fretmeister]

It's so specific to the bass and the amount of relief in the truss rod I'm not convinced it can be a set series of measurements.

You might even have a slightly high fret somewhere.

[tretim]

The B string is tricky to set as that buzzes quite easily, 2.5mm seems to be the lowest I can go without too much buzz. I was wondering with the EAD strings, should they be set at the same height or decline like I have them? Or doesn't it matter?

[Acebassmusic]

1 hour ago, tretim said:

The B string is tricky to set as that buzzes quite easily, 2.5mm seems to be the lowest I can go without too much buzz. I was wondering with the EAD strings, should they be set at the same height or decline like I have them? Or doesn't it matter?

 

As others have said "your" setup will be determined by many factors - how hard you play / fingers or pick / string guage / neck relief / where you pluck eg: neck or bridge etc. I've tried many different setups over the years and have pretty much narrowed down what works for me and most of my basses but there's still variation in them. My B strings tend to measure 2 to 2.5mm at the 24th (or last) fret.

 

I set my B and G strings to my preffered action height and then use a radius guage (see here) the same size as the fretboard and adjust the bridge saddles so the underside of the EAD strings align. See the pic below for a guide.  Here's a link about setting string radius that may help - here.

 

Edited November 22 by Acebassmusic

[spyder]

As others have said it is personal preference based on many factors such as neck relief, playing style and string choice just to name a few. My personal choice at the 12th fret....

 

B.  2.5mm

E, A, D, G. 2mm

 

Edited November 23 by spyder

[lemmywinks]

Just restrung my main bass today and stuck my usual set of D'Addario EXL165-5 on it, the bass came with a very light set of SIT strings which I wasn't fond of. After setting it up how I like I was left with 2.5 to 1.7 with a tiny bit of relief (almost flat) in the neck.

[fretmeister]

I never measure heights.

Every bass is different and I set it up by feel and just tweak until it’s right.

[Ed_S]

Just measured a few of mine, all of which get set up by look and feel rather than measurements. It seems that what I consider normal is 3.5mm at the 12th for all strings, and what I think of as low is 2.5mm. The 'measurements' are oddly precise, too.

[andruca]

I set up height by feel/buzz, but I've measured my setups many times. I usually go 2.5mm @ low B to 2mm for the G. It's sorta' low for the low B, but (A) if I'm picking I don't mind some buzz, and (B) when playing fingerstyle I (mostly unconsciously) pluck the low B more towards the bridge for extra articulation, so it's less buzzy by nature.

 

I've just measured the setup I just did in my (4 string) Yamaha SuperBass, and I'm also 2.5 to 2mm high, so that looks like my "universal" string height range (all I know is I know nothing) 🤣

 

Also I file nuts as low as they can be (shouldn't be higher than a fret). Inproves both feel and intonation 👍

Edited November 24 by andruca

[Doctor J]

Set what feels good to your hands and sounds good to your ears, not what looks good to your eyes.

[Lozz196]

8 hours ago, Doctor J said:

Set what feels good to your hands and sounds good to your ears, not what looks good to your eyes.

This. I have a set up starting point where I put everything to by measurement. From that point I tweak to playability, all basses (even same brand & model) are different, my starting point is usually fairly near but never spot on.

Edited November 24 by Lozz196

[tretim]

Thanks all. I've tweaked it a little more but I'm not going to fuss over it too much. If I want to totally eliminate fret buzz my action has to be high which effects playability so it's about finding the right balance I guess.

[fretmeister]

When I get strings for a 5 I tend to buy a 4 string set and then a separate B in a slightly heavier gauge than would have come with a set. Just to get a slightly stiffer B and have less movement and rattle.

 

Seems to work for me.