Setting up a P Bass, Action and Nut Slots

[Chienmortbb]

I always used the Fender settings for action however as I have an Aerodyne with a 7.5" radius I have been setting relief at 35 microns. I now realise that is not correct for flatter neck radii so will be adjusting all my other basses tomorrow. What settings do others use for relief?

 

Nut Slot Depth, this can be measured by putting a capo at the third fret and measuring the height of the string over the first fret. What do others aim for  and how do you measure it?

[Doctor J]

I go by feel and sound, never used a ruler or measuring device once. 
 

I like minimal relief, so that's the first thing I set and the key to the entire setup. Action is set by feel as every bass is different, but generally I like a low action where I can get a bit of grit by digging in but it's clean when I lighten up. It depends on the bass. Once the bridge is set, I never adjust it again.
 

Pickup height is done by listening to what's coming out of the amp and adjusting to taste.
 

My view on the nut is your clearance over the first fret shouldn't be too far away from clearance over the second fret when you fret at the first. I've never bought a new bass where I haven't needed to cut the nut slots deeper.

 

Once those are done I wouldn't ever expect to touch them again.

 

Relief adjustments alone should keep things in line from then on.

 

 

[Chienmortbb]

Nut files? The only decent ones seem to be the Hoscos at £80 per set. Unless you have other ideas I must gird the loins and steal some groats for the purchase.

[Hellzero]

The Ibanez set is good too, and the files are round shaped not V shaped.

 

I have both.

 

But the price is the same...

[Beedster]

On 08/01/2025 at 11:56, Doctor J said:

I go by feel and sound, never used a ruler or measuring device once. 
 

I like minimal relief, so that's the first thing I set and the key to the entire setup. Action is set by feel as every bass is different, but generally I like a low action where I can get a bit of grit by digging in but it's clean when I lighten up. It depends on the bass. Once the bridge is set, I never adjust it again.
 

Pickup height is done by listening to what's coming out of the amp and adjusting to taste.
 

My view on the nut is your clearance over the first fret shouldn't be too far away from clearance over the second fret when you fret at the first. I've never bought a new bass where I haven't needed to cut the nut slots deeper.

 

Once those are done I wouldn't ever expect to touch them again.

 

Relief adjustments alone should keep things in line from then on.

 

 

This ^

[NancyJohnson]

I'd never follow any manufacturer recommended settings.  Just set your kit up as you like it.  Too many variables.

[Beedster]

7 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

I'd never follow any manufacturer recommended settings.  Just set your kit up as you like it.  Too many variables.

Yep, I set up different basses as a function of function of purpose, higher action and flats for Motown and Soul, low action and rounds for rock, strings almost touching fretboard at nut on fretless….

[Chienmortbb]

I am just wondering whether a new nut such as a Graphtech TusqXL would be easier? Has anyone experience of these?

[Acebassmusic]

On 07/01/2025 at 19:17, Chienmortbb said:

I always used the Fender settings for action however as I have an Aerodyne with a 7.5" radius I have been setting relief at 35 microns. I now realise that is not correct for flatter neck radii so will be adjusting all my other basses tomorrow. What settings do others use for relief?

 

35 microns seems very small and equals about 1 thousandth of an inch which is virtually flat / no relief. My basses range from .010" to .020" (converts to 270 microns to 530 microns). Over the years I've collected relief info from various manufactures and the range is about .010" to .020" (Fodera .010" / Wal .016" / Sadowsky .010" / Mayones Jabba .022" / Lakland .008") As others have said I use this as a start point and then tweak to suit.

[ezbass]

I do relief by feel/eye. I do a tap test holding down the E string at the 1st and 15th fret. I know what I’m listening for, for what I want. I’ll also test to see if I’ve overdone it by play an open A and pulling back on the headstock slightly and waiting for the fret buzz. Again, a feel thing. Not very scientific, but it works for me.

[Andyjr1515]

5 minutes ago, ezbass said:

I do relief by feel/eye. I do a tap test holding down the E string at the 1st and 15th fret. I know what I’m listening for, for what I want. I’ll also test to see if I’ve overdone it by play an open A and pulling back on the headstock slightly and waiting for the fret buzz. Again, a feel thing. Not very scientific, but it works for me.

Yes - I do the same.  I look for a 'just perceptible' movement of the string when tapped in the middle between the 1st and 15th/16th.  Basically, I'm aiming for a fretboard as flat as possible...but without any back bow.  And the only way of knowing for sure that there is no backbow is if you have a 'just perceptible' gap signifying a teeny bow-and-arrow forward bow. 

 

I know of no reason why the relief would need to be different with a different fretboard radius for a bass unless - perhaps - the player does string multi-semitone string bends on a tight radius fretboard. 

[Geek99]

3 hours ago, Chienmortbb said:

Nut files? The only decent ones seem to be the Hoscos at £80 per set. Unless you have other ideas I must gird the loins and steal some groats for the purchase.

Welders files work just fine 

[NancyJohnson]

2 hours ago, Beedster said:

Yep, I set up different basses as a function of function of purpose, higher action and flats for Motown and Soul, low action and rounds for rock, strings almost touching fretboard at nut on fretless….

 

There's a very sweary English guitar builder on YT that posted up a video over Christmas about a Glarry Stray copy.  He said something about the setup along the lines of, 'all guitars come out of the factory with terrible action to cover up for the awful fret jobs'.

 

This really struck home.  I've lost count of the amount of guitars and basses that I've casually picked up in shops where the factory set up makes the instrument almost unplayable.  The guys signing these instruments off in the plant need firing TBH.

 

In over 35 years of playing, I'd confidently say that my (Plek'd) Lulls were the only two basses I've ever bought that played brilliantly out of the box and haven't required any tweaking.  You get what you pay for, I suppose.

[Beedster]

2 hours ago, ezbass said:

I do relief by feel/eye. I do a tap test holding down the E string at the 1st and 15th fret. I know what I’m listening for, for what I want. I’ll also test to see if I’ve overdone it by play an open A and pulling back on the headstock slightly and waiting for the fret buzz. Again, a feel thing. Not very scientific, but it works for me.

Not very scientific….?

 

Au contraire mon ami, the essence of science is systematic and controlled trial and error. You are a scientist 👍

[ezbass]

33 minutes ago, Beedster said:

Not very scientific….?

 

Au contraire mon ami, the essence of science is systematic and controlled trial and error. You are a scientist 👍

I don’t think I’ve ever been more happy to be corrected. Cheers! 🙏

[gary mac]

4 hours ago, Chienmortbb said:

I am just wondering whether a new nut such as a Graphtech TusqXL would be easier? Has anyone experience of these?

I fit a lot of these on customers instruments. Highly recommended, nicely cut slots and self lubricating.

They usually need a little shaping/sanding for an exact fit but easy enough to do, with small files and varying grades of sand paper or micromesh.

 

[Greg Edwards69]

I also use Fender's guide to get relief and action in the right ballpark and go from there by feel. Their specs work well for me.

 

As far as nut slot height goes, that's totally by feel. I hold the string down at the third fret and then lightly push the sting down directly onto the first fret with my other hand. There should be a barely perceptible movement accompanied by a little 'chink' as the string touches the fret wire. If it moves a lot, it's too high, if it doesn't move, it's too low.

Edited Friday at 18:54 by Greg Edwards69

[Chienmortbb]

 The Allen key (hex wrench to those across the pond) supplied was a soft as poo so I ordered one, a long Draper one from Amazeballs. Could not get one before Monday anywhere else. It arrived today and made adjusting the truss rod easy.

 

I set the relief by eye, as suggested and will measure it shortly. I just need to increase the string height a tad and it will be great.

[Owen]

9 hours ago, Geek99 said:

Welders files work just fine 

I needed a file to cut a .175 slot. I had no files at all. I folded a piece of sandpaper over a .130 string and the magic happened. 

[paul_5]

2 minutes ago, Owen said:

I needed a file to cut a .175 slot. I had no files at all. I folded a piece of sandpaper over a .130 string and the magic happened. 

0.175?!? Jesus, what are you going to use that for, parking your bike?!

[PaulThePlug]

As i mentioned in a previous thread '25 for me is gonna be 'The Year of the Set-Up' visiting em in turn, applying what i've learned, and making the best of what i've got, with a limited budget,

Not quite up to Fret Leveling and Dressing as yet, or the cost of fret files etc,but got a cheap fret rocker to have a bit of a look, ideally need a notched edge. Note budget neck support and a cheap set of feeler guagues

 

#1 My Cheapy Squier P..

From what i used to know - tap in the middle, and now with a 0.012 - 0.014 gauges, i'm taking loads of relief out!

Set up to Fender Specs,

Biggest surprise was the amount I needed to raise the A and D saddles - after finding a small enough allen key - to match the 9.5" fretboard from where it was, from when the Hi Mass was screwed on, and therefore a more exaggerated angle to the pickup halfs when setting pickup height.  

 

@Chienmortbb

7.25" 0.35mm

9.5 - 12" 0.3mm

12 - 15" 0.25mm

Just love the use of mixed units!

Edited Saturday at 01:53 by PaulThePlug

[Chienmortbb]

10 hours ago, PaulThePlug said:

25" 0.35mm

9.5 - 12" 0.3mm

12 - 15" 0.25mm

Just love the use of mixed units!

Yes, the Colonies refuse to conform completely to the world standard. 
 

As the big guitar companies are from USA, they have traditionally used imperial measurements but none of my basses is USA made so all have metric truss rods and it is much easier to work in mm rather than fractions of an inch to set other aspects of setup.

[PaulThePlug]

As an Engineer in a previous life i use both... 

[Chienmortbb]

4 minutes ago, PaulThePlug said:

As an Engineer in a previous life i use both... 

I did my engineering apprenticeship from ‘68 and engineering adopted the SI system way before then. Of course I learnt the Imperial system at school so like you, became adept at mentally transposing back and forward between the two systems. However the SI system is scientifically derived system, rather than one based on the arbitrary size of the monarch’s extremities. 

[Geek99]

I flit easily between metric and imperial like a Facebook owner flits between alternate truths