Complete Bass Rookie: Jazz Bass Setup?

[oasis02]

Hello,

I recently took-up the bass. I wanted to "sample" some styles for a decent price. I was able to get great deals on a '51 P-Bass, and a Classic Vibe Jazz Bass. I had both professionally setup, because it sounded like they were in stereo with all the excess vibration out-of-the-box (particularly the Jazz).

I had the Jazz setup with D'Addario Chromes semi-rounds. My concern is: the action seems to be EXTREMELY high. Is this typical for a Jazz because of the thin neck? I measured about 1/4" at both the 9th and 19th frets. I was thinking the maybe the Jazz neck has a difficult time not bowing with some strings?

I honestly have no idea if this is normal.

If not, do I try to make a truss adjustment myself? Or, will I screw-up the rest of the setup?

Any help would be extremely appreciated.

[slyjoe]

First - and this is important - the truss rod is not used to set the action. The bridge saddles are raised and lowered to adjust the action. That said, there is some interaction between the neck tension and action, but don't try to adjust your action with the truss rod alone.

Second - your action is 1/4" after having it professionally set up? That is high, and it shouldn't be the jazz neck's fault. I would take it back and tell them that is unacceptable (unless you like it that way).

My best advice to you is to go to the fender site and read about setups. Then see if you feel comfortable doing it yourself. Everyone should be able to do their own.

BTW: Fender specs are for the 7th fret, and depend on the neck radius. They also depend on whether you are looking at the bass or treble side of the neck. In general, their setups are for 3/32" on bass and 5/64" on treble. Also, make sure you are measuring correctly - to the bottom of the string (closest to the fretboard), not to the top.

Here's the link: http://www.fender.com/support/basses.php

[JustDavid]

Action blends nut height, neck relief (curve), & saddle height.

Truss rod adjustments change neck relief (changing string tension & seasonal variations in the wood also do). That does change action, but it's only part of the equation; adjust the truss rod for your proper neck relief.

[elBandito]

Check and set neck relief before moving onto the bridge. You dont want to put your pants on before underwear.. You want your neck to be as straight as possible, without getting buzz on your 1-3 frets. If you have buzz on low frets, keep adding relief until you're happy. Then, set string height, so rest of the board doesn't buzz. Amount of buzz depends on your style/taste.