Frettless action and intonation?

[bassguitarded]

i have been asked to set up my buddy's frettless bass (i set up my own bass(with frets) and he liked the result. the biggest issue is a light bend in the neck that is making the action way to high( i think he just got new (heavier) strings.... i can make the action really low since there are no frets but how low should i go? and since this bass doesn't have fret lines how do i check the intonation once the neck is straightened out? it has dots on the side on the neck but i don't know whether the fret line should be on the dots or in front of them.

[drden]

does it have fret lines because if i does thats where you check at the twelth fret line. bit if not it's right on the dot

[fretlessman71]

Two things:

You can use your fingernail to "fret" the note at a more accurate place. So once you've determined where to do it, compared your "nailed" note to the harmonic using a good tuner and set the intonation that way.

To find that exact point (since two dots does NOT an accurate marker make), measure eight-and-one-half inches from the dot at the 5th fret marker, and that will give you the center of the string on the neck.

Also, check the nut - oftentimes nuts are pre-designed to carry the string over frets (even when installed on a fretless). If this is the case, all of the 1st position notes will feel stiff and sharp. You'll either have to file out the nut slots themselves or remove the nut and sand the bottom side. My preference is to barely be able to fit a business card between the string and the fingerboard at the nut.

[JustDavid]

First off I'd ask the end user their preference for action & on the intonation issue.

For reference, my double-dotted fretlined fretless (POS Yamaha B200F) has the fretline 1/4" bridgeward of the bridgeward of the 2 dots. Given that I'd guess your dots are in the 'traditional' place ('traditional' = fretted), but that's just a guess (make & model of the bass would help us here).

All else fails; guess, & see if the bridge allows enough travel. If you intonate to the 2nd dot & can't get the G saddle forward enough, it then looks like the dots are in the 'traditional' place.

[the low one]

Action is very much a personal thing. Most people seem to want the action on a fretless as low as possible and that sound great playing at home but I find when I get with the band I tend to dig in a bit more and start to slap the strings against the fingerboard more than I like. For me an action of 3 mm at the 12 fret mark works well on fretless, which based on other TB member comments sounds like a medium action.

[Rick Auricchio]

According to Gary Willis' site, you may prefer to intonate the octave slightly "nutward" of the 12th-fret dot. As you play lower positions, you have to play them slightly sharp of the dot.

If you intonate exactly at the octave, you have to play even "sharper" at low positions. So many players prefer to set intonation slightly "flat" of the octave, to minimize the need to sharpen at low positions.

[steve4765630]

You really shouldn't use heavy strings on a fretless. Kills the sensetivity. Fretless action should be pretty low so i might tighten the truss rod just a hair and throw on some light strings.

[fretlessguy]

I have my necks straight as possible. The strings should be close as well, although I can't recall the exact gap in measurement, mine is about 3 business cards off the board. I use a credit cart to intonate it at the octave bar.
Light gauge strings work better on a fretless, at least if you want the classic mwah sound.

[JustDavid]

Originally Posted by fretlessguy

I use a credit cart to intonate it at the octave bar.

?

I'd guess the credit card at the octave bar is used to set bridge height? 2nd guess is neck relief.