Newbie needs advice...CIJ jazz bass

fender22@tpg.co · #1 10-04-2008, 03:34 AM

Hi guys, fairly new to Bass, thought I'd give it a go after 20 years of guitar! Just setting up the Fender Jazz bass CIJ I just bought. There is a slight bow in the neck. I know this can be normal and this certainly isn't excessive but normally I like to have the neck fairly straight.
(I have plenty of experience setting up six string guitars). Is it ok to tighten the truss rod to get the neck straighter or is it normal for a bass having the heavier strings to have a slight curve?

**Thor** · #2 10-04-2008, 04:11 AM

New strings. Set it up level. Tweak it to get it straight.
Adjust the saddle heights to the level of action you like, avoiding fret buzz. Intonate. Destroy with Thunder.

This should probably go into set-up and repair. I'll ask someone to move it for you.
Let me be the first to say welcome to TalkBass.

praisegig · #3 10-04-2008, 07:56 AM

Follow the setup instructions and you should be good to go.

http://www.fender.com/support/basses.php

XylemBassGuitar · #4 10-04-2008, 08:45 AM

Hi fender22,

Usually you'll want about a business card's thickness worth of relief over the 6th-7th frets. Of course, there are always exceptions to this rule.

Generally, with tighter strings you can get away with very little to no relief since they have a smaller vibrational pattern. But, if you have very loose strings, you'll need to have some relief.

fender22@tpg.co · #5 10-04-2008, 02:34 PM

Funny you say that about loose strings. I had a reissue tele precision bass sometime ago and the strings did seem to be really loose, almost sloppy but it was a gem to play. The one I have now the strings seem to be a lot tighter. Just wondering how this can be when the strings on both guitars are tuned to the same pitch?

XylemBassGuitar · #6 10-05-2008, 08:59 AM

String tension will depend on several things, including scale length of the bass, brand of strings and string gauges.