Fleas action way to low ?

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by FunkyFrosty

I know a whole legion of Flea bass users that would disagree with you on that one, horses for courses I guess, depends alot upon the genre.

Listen to Flea live and you'll completely "get it", of course being into the RHCP helps!!

Different standards for Flea and us. And sometimes Flea can't get away with it either. The Mars Volta made him use one of Omar's basses.

[FunkyFrosty]

Believe me I know exactly what your'e saying about being noisey on tape, while not a session player, in my youth I too have recieved alot of criticism for this within the band context. I'm naturally a very energetic / aggressive player.

Originally Posted by pickles

Edit: now I see your other post about never recording with a Flea bass, and that makes more sense.

Thats the whole deal - for me it's just a live tool, I've tried, but never been able to use it for recording.

I'll use it live (the Flea) and everyone will give compliments - it just punches through, in a great way. Then my bass playing piers will inevitabley all want to try it, usually they play it unamplified at the side of the stage or performance area, they all tell me that if they didn't just hear it amplified, they would never believe that it could sound that way (in the mix)!!!!

I love it - it's great - went a while without one, but thats never going to happen again

[ScubaSteve]

When I got my Jazz Bass I had the action pretty low. When I dug in semi hard, I'd get that funky fret noise and I thought it was cool. It sounded pretty close to Flea's tone though.

Now I have it set to where I dig in quite a bit and I wont get fret noise. I have to play ridiculously hard, to the point where I'm getting bad tone to get the fret noise.

Does the typical statement of "low action" mean no fret buzz even when dug into very hard ? Does it mean a clean sound when played lightly but fret noise noise when dug into ?

[BrandonBass]

just turn down your treble and play near the bridge and u wont get
much fretbuzz even with very low action

[Delberthot]

I've just finished my first gig with my flea bass and can't believe how fantastic it is.

I didn't think that it was possible to get action as low as it is and I believe that it could go lower!

I always play over the pickup so what I have done is to raise the pickup close to the strings and jam pieces of card (a la Billy Sheehan) down the gaps so that it is solid and won't move.

Its almost like anything I want to play, I can. I'm able to play stuff that I never thought possible.

Play light and you have a very groovable bass, dig in and its such a beast.

[FunkyFrosty]

Well done Delberthot - great feeling isn't it, that Flea bass is a performance tool 2nd to none IMHO, just don't try and record any Jazz licks with it though

[Delberthot]

I did manage to get the action lower. I haven't measured it yet.

What is the standard for measuring the string height? I've read a few different methods - they all say to capo the first fret but vary between holding down the strings at the 13th, 15th and right at the end of the neck.

So which one is it?

And lastly, I have my stingray and warwick thumb for recording

[FunkyFrosty]

Regularly string height is measured as purely the gap between the bottom of the string and the top of the 12th fret.

As a reference almost all of my basses are setup with this "gap" to 3/32" on the E string, my Flea bass is setup 2/32" gap on the E string.

Cappo at first fret and string pushed down to the 15th fret will give you a good idea of the relief or "upbow" that your basses neck has, I like mine almost straight with a tiny relief, maximum 0.005" - 0.010" - thats alott less than others recommend - But I likey.

Hope this helps,

Dale.

[svtb15]

Allot of the time any buzz will get lost in the mix.. with cymbals, guitars, percussion…..Here is a true story.
A friend of mine (remains anonymous) was doing a master recording for a big name artist. They were recording in LA.. the producer asked my friend what type of bass sound they were looking for. My friend who was the musical director/ bass player said he was looking for a Sting type tone for his fender basses.

They were in AM studios and the producer said .. so you want to sound like Sting?? And He put up the 2 inch with Stings tracks from Ten Sumners Tales...
I was told the bass was the most noisey, fret buzzy, clacky sound he had ever heard and could not believe it.. But when it was dropped back into the track and not soloed it was .. well Stings sound....
Goes to show ya..
I personally don’t worry too much about fret buzz too much unless it is causing my notes to die short of where i want them to end..

[FunkyFrosty]

Originally Posted by svtb15

Allot of the time any buzz will get lost in the mix.. with cymbals, guitars, percussion…..Here is a true story.
A friend of mine (remains anonymous) was doing a master recording for a big name artist. They were recording in LA.. the producer asked my friend what type of bass sound they were looking for. My friend who was the musical director/ bass player said he was looking for a Sting type tone for his fender basses.

They were in AM studios and the producer said .. so you want to sound like Sting?? And He put up the 2 inch with Stings tracks from Ten Sumners Tales...
I was told the bass was the most noisey, fret buzzy, clacky sound he had ever heard and could not believe it.. But when it was dropped back into the track and not soloed it was .. well Stings sound....
Goes to show ya..
I personally don’t worry too much about fret buzz too much unless it is causing my notes to die short of where i want them to end..

Really good story and so true to my beliefs. I do try and be a clean as I can recording though, I just hate being "critiqued" about being noisey.

Live - I don't G.A.F., it's all about the groove - the energy - and generally "feelin' it", I'm generally, playing with really loud drummers and really put alott into it, direct with headphones I bet it would sound terrible but live that kind of low action gives me what I want.

[svtb15]

Originally Posted by FunkyFrosty

Really good story and so true to my beliefs. I do try and be a clean as I can recording though, I just hate being "critiqued" about being noisey.

Live - I don't G.A.F., it's all about the groove - the energy - and generally "feelin' it", I'm generally, playing with really loud drummers and really put alott into it, direct with headphones I bet it would sound terrible but live that kind of low action gives me what I want.

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