How much does it cost...

Lower-Than-Low · #1 10-21-2006, 06:31 PM

To have a bass professionally set-up?

I got my Fender MIM Jazz about a month ago and havent had a chance to get to a shop to have it set-up. As I am still paying off the bass, I am wondering how much it costs to have it set-up.

Does it even cost anything?
And if it does, what is a reasonable price to pay?

Thanks people.

tplyons · #2 10-21-2006, 06:40 PM

Depends where you go and what a setup entails. Minimally it involves truss rod and bridge adjustments, and those range anywhere from $25-50 and even higher depending on the tech.

Then there's fret levelling, crowning, restringing, etc. that simply add to the price.

Lower-Than-Low · #3 10-21-2006, 06:47 PM

I see, hopefully I'll be getting out to a shop tonight and have them look at it. I'm pretty sure all it needs is bridge and truss adjustments to stop fret-buzz and all that type of stuff.

Thanks for the quick answer.

Giraffe · #4 10-23-2006, 04:49 PM

A lot of retailers will give you a little attention for free, especially if you are still paying off the bass, because they don't want you to return it! If you are going to a real repair shop, expect $40 to $50 plus the cost of a set of strings. This should always include touching up the nut slots, because almost all new Fenders have grossly high action at the nut.

Don't expect anything beyond the most basic fret dressing at this price, meaning if you have a painfully high fret, they may or may not level it. Real fret work is very labor intensive, and therefore very expensive. It is probably not something that you want to go into with that bass.

A set-up is only as good as the interview that precedes it. A good repairman will talk to you for a while about your playing, and watch and listen to you play for an uncomfortably long time. If you walk out of the shop shaking your head and thinking "WOW!!! That guy was a nit-picky pain in the butt!!!" then you probably got the right shop!