Geddy Lee Action Too High

[Superconductor]

I just brought my Geddy in for a setup, and although I asked for lowish action, it came back pretty high. High enough that there is virtually no punch or that signature growl. I have almost no experience setting up my own instruments, and the closest setup guy is over an hour drive.

How would I go about lowering the action? Would I have to adjust the truss rod too? Or just lower the saddles a bit. Thanks.

[Joshua]

In the sticky thread at the top of the forum regarding truss rods and action is a link to Fender's very own setup guide (Mr. Gearhead).

It's an excellent resource for setting your action.

[Superconductor]

I read it, I just want to know if I have to adjust the truss rod if I slightly lower the action on all strings.

[Joshua]

The truss rod adjusts the relief in the neck, and should only be adjusted if the relief is not to your liking.

[perfektspace6]

Try lowering the string saddles. Tweak them until you get the action to your liking. If you start having buzz issues then you may need to have some minor fretwork done. Hopefully all that was taken care of with your set-up but it sounds like the tech didn't listen so well the first time.

I wouldn't mess with the truss rod unless you feel comfortable doing so and you can determine it's actually needed.

[secretface]

Truss rod adjustment is typically for fret buzz on the first five frets when theres no fret buzz twelve and up. Be warned, I got into scrutinizing relief and fret buzz and ended up having to buy a $320 replacement neck! Get a mm ruler and check the strings at the 17th fret. 2.5 to 2 mm is a good start and see how low you can go before buzzing.

[BuffaloBass]

Ah, you can rough it by lowering all the saddles the same amount. Turn each screw, say 1/2 turn until its close and then 1/4 turns. I would loosen the strings and then retune them after the adj. Keep in mind that if the relief int eh neck ( the bow), is slight, you'll need to tension all the strings before the neck straightens out and shows good string heights.

[markblasco]

A good quick and easy way to adjust your action: Play in the upper register (above the 10th fret), and raise or lower the saddles until the fret buzz is the level you are happy with. Once that is done, use the truss rod to adjust the string height at the lower frets. This should get you a setup that matches your style and sound.

The neck relief shouldn't change how the bass plays in the upper frets, but the saddles do affect how the bass plays in the lower frets, so make sure to adjust the saddles first.

GO SLOW! Setting up your instrument isn't hard if you have done it a few times, but the last thing you want to do is to is to damage something while you are getting used to the process.

[kherber]

???

Maybe I'm wrong (and been wrong for 35 years), but I associate "punch" with a high action.

I like lots of punch, and play with high action on both EB and DB. I've never gotten better punch by lowering the action.

Doc