Please Explain Neck Relief and Action in Detail

[CrispyDelicious]

In advance, please forgive my ignorance.

I've been playing with the action on one of my basses lately, trying to get the 'ideal' setup, and it dawned on me... I understand the how of this process, but I don't really understand the why. I mean, I've read the how-to guides and understand the basic principles, but there has to be more to it than 'relief = higher action derp derp'.

I'm struggling to set up my bass to what I envision it should be, and I feel that without a real understanding of why I'm raising this part over this one, or twisting that bolt to effect suchandsuch a change, I'll never really get it. Right now it's: make one thing perfect, while another goes wonky.

So, how do relief (and lack thereof) really interact with bridge setup, string tension, etc? What principles are at play here?

Oh help me setup masters, to understand this process better so that I may actually get it perfect, not just 'alright'.

[202dy]

Originally Posted by CrispyDelicious

In advance, please forgive my ignorance.

I've been playing with the action on one of my basses lately, trying to get the 'ideal' setup, and it dawned on me... I understand the how of this process, but I don't really understand the why. I mean, I've read the how-to guides and understand the basic principles, but there has to be more to it than 'relief = higher action derp derp'.

I'm struggling to set up my bass to what I envision it should be, and I feel that without a real understanding of why I'm raising this part over this one, or twisting that bolt to effect suchandsuch a change, I'll never really get it. Right now it's: make one thing perfect, while another goes wonky.

So, how do relief (and lack thereof) really interact with bridge setup, string tension, etc? What principles are at play here?

Oh help me setup masters, to understand this process better so that I may actually get it perfect, not just 'alright'.

• The truss rod controls the amount of relief in the fingerboard.
• The saddles on the bridge control the height of the strings over the fingerboard.
• The saddles also control the intonation.
• The nut controls both intonation and string height at the first few frets.
• That covers most of the adjustments and how to make them.

When a string is plucked, it vibrates in an elliptical pattern. We adjust relief to compensate for this. Obviously, if the fingerboard is straight and flat, it is harder to achieve low action.

The truss rod is not meant to be used to control string height. The fact that string height may change with a truss rod adjustment is merely a by product of said adjustment. Use the saddles to change the height of the strings.

Raising and lowering string heights should be a function of the raising and lowering the bridge saddles. Lock in the relief first, then adjust the saddles for string height and radius.

Once you are happy with how it plays, adjust the saddles for intonation.

In addition to other adjustments, the necks on bolt-on guitars can be shimmed to change the neck angle. That changes the basic geometry of the guitar. All of the above specs will have to be adjusted to fit the new shape.

[Ewo]

I've gone DIY in setups in the last few years, and I think you're wise to get into it, yourself!

A player's touch on the instrument has so much to do with "optimal" setup, so your investment of time in learning how to do it is well worth it.

And if your touch--your physical approach to the bass, IOW--changes over time, you can tweak the adjustments accordingly. I've gotten lighter, over the years, so I've set my neck relief flatter. Easy, once you know how.

[Staccato]

What's your opinion about adjustments in this order?

1. Truss Rod Adjustment;
2. Bridge Adjustment;
3. Intonation.

[202dy]

Originally Posted by Stacatto

What's your opinion about adjustments in this order?

1. Truss Rod Adjustment;
2. Bridge Adjustment;
3. Intonation.

Yes, with the understanding that any change you make may cause you to back track to the previous step. It doesn't happen all the time, but it happens enough that you should be aware of it.

There is one more step that should be added before the truss rod adjustment. That is cleaning the guitar. The ideal time is when the strings are off. It is easy to get into all the nooks and crannies when you don't have to fight the strings.

[RumbleBeeAL]

Lakland Bass HowTo 1/2 with Carl

Lakland Bass HowTo 2/2 with Carl

Try the above links when you get a moment or two!

[jkramer5]

Thanks so much for posting those links. I'm new-ish to doing my own setups and have struggled with some of the aspects of getting it right.

Seeing how carl takes and uses measurements is invaluable. I completed video #1 on a bass just now and it's a million times better. using his starting points, and more importantly for me, seeing just how he takes those string bottom to fret measurements, got me closer than I've ever been to perfect for my action.

The feeler gauge over the fret and the straightedge for a rocker worked perfect too.

[fitani]

Hi,

I learned to make adjustements with the help of some videos on Bass player mag's website.

http://www.bassplayer.com/Lessons

Check out the videos by Cruz Tools in the video player on the left

fitani