New Lakland 55-02 setup

IdealWay · #1 03-03-2011, 12:58 PM

I'm thrilled to finally have my brand spanking new 5502

IdealWay · #2 03-03-2011, 01:07 PM

(oops, accidently published too soon, using TB mobile takes some getting used to)

However, out of the box, the bass had some wicked buzz above the 9th fret on the B, E, and A strings. I sighted the neck and saw that there was very little (if any) relief, so I lossened the truss slightly, let it sit a day, loosened again, yet the buzz is still there. It's the worst around the 12th fret especially on the E string. When i sight the neck now i can see the slight forward curve. Should I have tightened the rod instead? I like my action pretty low, which it is now, so I don't want to jack up the bridge saddles too much, and Im sure this bass is capable of low action. Any suggestions of what to do? Maybe some of you lakland owners have experienced this? Thanks for the help.

GregC · #3 03-03-2011, 01:13 PM

Hmmm, I haven't experienced this issue. But rather than trying to give you setup advice, I'll leave it to the master at Lakland.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIzV9462xeE

IdealWay · #4 03-03-2011, 01:23 PM

Thanks for the link, funny enough I just watched that before posting. I loosened the truss as he suggests in the video, but I did notice that he gives it a couple gooood turns, whereas I've always heard to do it in small increments. Maybe It needs a little more relief? I thought it would've been better setup from the factory, although I have heard of others having to do a little work on theirs out of the box.

IdealWay · #5 03-03-2011, 01:26 PM

I know there's no codified rule here, but If I were to put a straight edge perpendicular to the frets, about how much of a gap between the straightedge and the fretboard would be optimal in the middle of the neck?

Zooberwerx · #6 03-03-2011, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IdealWay

I know there's no codified rule here, but If I were to put a straight edge perpendicular to the frets, about how much of a gap between the straightedge and the fretboard would be optimal in the middle of the neck?

...or use the E string fretted at the 1st and last frets if a straightedge is not available.

.012 - .014" or thereabouts. A cheap set of feeler gauges will help.

Riis

IdealWay · #7 03-04-2011, 10:42 AM

So I did some reading and I think there's a chance my neck is warped

Here's a pic from directly above. To me it appears that the left side of the headstock is dipped down in relation to the body, whereas the right side is higher.

If this is the case, is there anything I can do, or should i ship it back to Lakland right away?

bwest9 · #8 03-04-2011, 10:56 AM

I'm no expert, but it appears that it might be the case that your neck is warped.

Either way, if your bass in new and a warranty applies, I'd contact Lakland and get them in the loop on this. I've dealt with them many times on neck issues on the Laklands I've own -I've had them replace a warped neck, and replane a fretless board-- and they've always been outstanding with customer service.

Quote:

Originally Posted by IdealWay

So I did some reading and I think there's a chance my neck is warped

Here's a pic from directly above. To me it appears that the left side of the headstock is dipped down in relation to the body, whereas the right side is higher.

If this is the case, is there anything I can do, or should i ship it back to Lakland right away?

slyb5 · #9 05-19-2011, 02:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IdealWay

However, out of the box, the bass had some wicked buzz above the 9th fret on the B, E, and A strings. I sighted the neck and saw that there was very little (if any) relief, so I lossened the truss slightly, let it sit a day, loosened again, yet the buzz is still there. It's the worst around the 12th fret especially on the E string.

I got a 55-02 yesterday. Exact same problem for me (but more on G, D, A strings).

What did you do to solve the problem?
Now I don't have buzz but my action is *so* high.

I hope I don't need to send it back to US (I live in Europe, ordered it online)

Basshoofd · #10 05-19-2011, 03:16 AM

The neck on my 55-02 is almost completely straight, just the slightest hint of relief. It takes really low action.

IdealWay · #11 05-19-2011, 06:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slyb5

I got a 55-02 yesterday. Exact same problem for me (but more on G, D, A strings).

What did you do to solve the problem?
Now I don't have buzz but my action is *so* high.

I hope I don't need to send it back to US (I live in Europe, ordered it online)

I tried everything; added relief, raised saddles, added tension, raised saddles more, but the buzz never fully left so I ended up sending it in a couple days ago. When I talked to Brian on the phone he agreed that it sounded like the neck might be warped. I'm curious, does yours have a rosewood fretboard?

slyb5 · #12 05-19-2011, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IdealWay

[...skipped...] I'm curious, does yours have a rosewood fretboard?

Nope it's a maple fingerboard. How about yours?
I have raised saddles to the max. it's almost OK now (the G string still give me some buzz at the 12th fret) but it's unplayable.

I'm quite disappointed. I'll have a luthier to look at it tonight and I'll post his comments here tomorrow!

IdealWay · #13 05-19-2011, 12:28 PM

Mine is rosewood, and the reason I ask is because I found spots of moisture that kept coming back, which made me think the wood might not have been dried completely, hence the warping. Just a theory though... Look forward to hearing what your luthier finds out.

Turnaround · #14 05-19-2011, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IdealWay

Mine is rosewood, and the reason I ask is because I found spots of moisture that kept coming back, which made me think the wood might not have been dried completely, hence the warping. Just a theory though... Look forward to hearing what your luthier find out.

Moisture on the fretboard on Laklands is most often the result of the dying that is done on the rosewood. It's pretty common and harmless.

slyb5 · #15 05-20-2011, 03:05 AM

Finally, after 45 minutes of tweaking we managed to have something playable.

This is what I got out of the box:
Low action, *huge* fret buzz, saturated sound, string ferrules out of the body (pics available on request).

Here is a list of what has been done:
1- unstring the beast.
2- hammer string ferrules inside the body
3- lower pickups (no matter what, the sound output is far too high) about 0.4’’
4- adjust string length (the original setup wasn’t right. I would get a E on empty E string but a E+¼ at the 12th fret. Follow me?)
5- fine adjustment of the truss. I don’t exactly know what has been done here. Basically the luthier knows what to do to get the shape he has in mind, and he does it quick. In the end the board was a little more curved than before so I believe it was untightened.
6- put strings back
7- lower the action till the buzz appear. Result: still too high.
8- change strings (DR sunbeams), lower action till the buzz appear: satisfying result.

Conclusion from the luthier: Very good electronics, too bad we cannot control the output volume on the back of the pot itself, very good craft job (what had to be fixed was details), bad strings or “strings too new” so it buzzes.