Fender Jazz - Super Low Action

[chjohnst]

Hi,

I generally do my own setups on my basses and I recently got my hands on a Fender Jazz American Deluxe about a year ago and I have been messing with the setup on it. It stays in tune and intonation is great, but I can not seem to get the action low enough compared to other basses I have played.

I have the neck fairly straight with a touch of relief in it and the string height even with the bridge all the way down seems too high for me, especially on the low E. Also, if I get the action down low from the 1st fret to to the 12th fret there is no buzz, but once I get to the 15th fret down I can hear the string clanking the frets. Not ideal for high register playing.

I was going to pick up some feeler gauges this weekend and I was curious on some recommended settings for super low action.

Basically I want my strings to be effortless to play, with string height too high I find my fretting hand has to work hard to fret the notes. I play rock, hip-hop, reggae and also some slap here and there.

[fu22ba55]

Do a search here on TB for "micro tilt" or "neck shim."

You basically want to change the angle of your neck by putting a tiny piece of business card or playing card in your neck pocket. A little goes a long way.

[chjohnst]

I was just reading up on that a bit, seems like one way to bring the neck up higher, but I also read it can cause the neck to buzz up on the lower frets (1-5) if not careful or if you do "too much". I will give it a try over the weekend to see if that helps.

Are there any links on how to do a proper setup? ie, hold down first fret with a capo and the 15th fret, take measurements with a feeler gauge etc. I have a book but it mainly focuses on guitar setup and has very little on bass setups.

[fu22ba55]

Like I said... a little goes a long way. A tiny business-card-thickness or playing-card-thickness shim at the heel has a profound effect all the way back down at the first fret, so do a tiny bit at a time.

Here's the fender guide for setups, etc... it's a pretty good starting place in terms of neck relief, tolerances, etc...

http://www.fender.com/support/bass_g...etup_guide.php

[Benjamin Strange]

You're not going to get super low action and have it play clean without perfectly level frets. 99% of instruments coming out of a factory won't have perfect fretwork - no matter how expensive they are. Neck tilts, shims, truss rod adjustments, et al., will do nothing to rectify this. All you can do is either raise the action until it doesn't buzz or get your frets leveled.

[fu22ba55]

Originally Posted by chjohnst

but I can not seem to get the action low enough compared to other basses I have played.

I have the neck fairly straight with a touch of relief in it and the string height even with the bridge all the way down seems too high for me, especially on the low E.

I don't know your level of experience (meaning, how many different basses you've played) but part of the issue could be fingerboard radius as well.

According to the Fender site, the Am Dlx Jazz has 9.5" fingerboard radius. Many "modern" basses have much flatter fb radii, so you may be used to a flatter-feeling fingerboard.

[chjohnst]

Do the fender jazzes come with a built-in micro tilt? My buddy owns a shop but down south so I can't bring it to him but he said to remove the neck plate and check for it.

[Benjamin Strange]

You don't need to remove the neck plate - just look at it. If there's a hole in the middle towards the body side screws, that's your micro-tilt access.

[C.Linton]

Originally Posted by chjohnst

Do the fender jazzes come with a built-in micro tilt? My buddy owns a shop but down south so I can't bring it to him but he said to remove the neck plate and check for it.

Except for maybe the '75 reissue, I don't believe they do.

[JLS]

15th fret on Fender basses, almost always means ski jump. You can shim and fuss until the cows come home, but that won't fix it.

" 99% of instruments coming out of a factory won't have perfect fretwork - no matter how expensive they are. Neck tilts, shims, truss rod adjustments, et al., will do nothing to rectify this"

I think 99% may be a little on the low side...

[chjohnst]

I am able to solve the 15th fret problem by bumping the action, but this of course raises the action on the entire neck and I back to square one again with high action. Not very comfortable for me.

[Benjamin Strange]

Originally Posted by JLS

15th fret on Fender basses, almost always means ski jump. You can shim and fuss until the cows come home, but that won't fix it.

" 99% of instruments coming out of a factory won't have perfect fretwork - no matter how expensive they are. Neck tilts, shims, truss rod adjustments, et al., will do nothing to rectify this"

I think 99% may be a little on the low side...

Ok, ok... perhaps one guitar in a thousand doesn't need fretwork. Perhaps...

[fu22ba55]

Originally Posted by chjohnst

I am able to solve the 15th fret problem by bumping the action, but this of course raises the action on the entire neck and I back to square one again with high action. Not very comfortable for me.

Note: the effect of the shim is exaggerated in the pic above for illustration purposes only. And it's an effing guitar. But you get the point.

#1 in the pic above would be with no shim (in a perfect world with unicorns and rainbows and free falafel for kitties and puppies)

#2 would be with a shim under the "top two" neck screws... the two screws closest to the headstock. (I can't see any reason to ever need to do this) Realistically, from what you describe, this is probably closer to your current situation than #1.

#3 is what you're going for. A shim underneath the "bottom two" neck screws, the screws closest to the bridge. You are changing the angle of the neck in relation to the body.

Agreed 100%, many wooden bass necks exhibit all kinds of strange twisting and warping, and all necks need fretwork if you like low action... agreed 100%. But if you like low action (which I do NOT) and wooden necks, then fret buzz and constant neck adjustments etc... are going to be a part of your life forever.

(Those who like low action often adjust their necks two or three times a year to account for temperature and humidity changes. I like higher action so most of my basses haven't had a neck adjustment in 10-12 years.)

This shim method will not be 100% perfect, but it will get you closer to more uniform action across the neck... as close as you can get with the current neck on your bass.

[electracoyote]

Hmmm, no mention of nut slot depth or neck relief.

OP should probably take the bass to a qualified tech. Some basses require adjustments more subtle and refined than changing the neck angle.

[chjohnst]

Stock nut, straight neck with a touch of relief.

[electracoyote]

Originally Posted by chjohnst

Stock nut, straight neck with a touch of relief.

I have found that a nut cut too shallow makes it more difficult to get lower action.

Also, the frets may not be level. Only a qualified tech could help you make that call. Unlevel frets will have a more pronounced affect on action when the neck has most of its relief taken out.

[conqr]

Originally Posted by fu22ba55

(I can't see any reason to ever need to do this) Realistically, from what you describe, this is probably closer to your current situation than #1.

The diagrams don't exhibit the ski jump issue - ie an upward curve of the fretboard at that section of the neck that fits into the pocket. Shim placement #2 can indeed help, especially combined with lowering/leveling the upper frets. The perfect solution is alas the most expensive and often unfeasible - removing frets, fretboard and leveling out the jump.

[joeyl]

like Benjamin said, if the frets are not level, you will not be able to achieve super low action. One fret that's too high in the 15-20 fret range will make matters much worse if you shim the neck. Some boutique makers actually level the frets with a slight drop off from the 15-16 frets to the last fret to achieve super low action. I know Chunger does too with his Chungified SXs