Should I Live with High Action on a Cheap Bass?

mad_man_moon61 · #1 10-25-2009, 12:35 AM

I recently bought a Aslin Dane Fat Back Jazz Bass. Although the neck appears to be straight and the saddles have been lowered, the action is still quite high IMO.

Considering I only paid $75 for the bass,should I just live with the
action the way it is? I have medium flatwounds (replaced the stock roundwounds) on it. Any thoughts/advice/comments would be most welcomed.

Cheers,
Doug

202dy · #2 10-25-2009, 08:51 AM

When string height is high it is a function of set up. Performing a set up on a guitar is similar to doing a tune up on an automobile. When your car needs a tune up you either take it to a repair facility or do it yourself.

Go to the top of the page.

Read the sticky entitiled "All Basic Setup Questions Answered Here".

Then decide if you want to do the work your self.

Pilgrim · #3 10-25-2009, 04:40 PM

The answer to your question is no, you don't.

The solution is found in the stickies; probably shimming the neck.

MysticMichael · #4 10-25-2009, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mad_man_moon61

Considering I only paid $75 for the bass,should I just live with the action the way it is?

That depends on you. As for me, I'd factor in the cost of a pro set-up - along with the purchase price of the instrument itself. And if I didn't think I could get a good set-up on it, you couldn't give it away to me for free. You'd have to pay me to take it off your hands...

MM

PBass101 · #5 10-25-2009, 04:49 PM

Only you can really answer that question for yourself.

Personally, I'd pay thousands to get a bass with my optimal setup before I "settled" on even a free bass that could only handle a mediocre setup.

ForestThump · #6 10-25-2009, 09:13 PM

If you can't play it then you have to fix it or get it fixed.
Find out what that costs and weigh the pros and cons for yourself.
You can not make a silk purse out of a sow's ear as the saying goes.

walterw · #7 10-25-2009, 10:31 PM

look at the nut: the strings should be almost as close to the first fret as they are when pressing down the first fret and looking at the second fret.

kb9wyz · #8 10-25-2009, 10:37 PM

Not trying to crap on your setup guy, but if I paid my guy $75 he would have leveled the frets, set the bridge, adjust the truss rod, spit shine it with the Pope's saliva, AND shim the neck. Without the shim, he would charge $45. With a neck shim, he got a Brownsville to play like a Sadowsky.

You may want to look for someone else. I think you got kinda ripped.

So the short answer is:
No. Keep the bass. Get a really good setup (including a neck shim). Play like you're gonna die if you stop.

dmusic148 · #9 10-25-2009, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kb9wyz

Not trying to crap on your setup guy, but if I paid my guy $75 he would have leveled the frets, set the bridge, adjust the truss rod, spit shine it with the Pope's saliva, AND shim the neck. Without the shim, he would charge $45.

Not bad. Around here you'd pay double that, easy.

fenderfunker · #10 10-25-2009, 10:52 PM

Take strings off...loosen plate on back of neck....slide thin piece of cardboard (Business card thickness...maybe double or triple if action very high) between neck and body, but only near screws at the end of the neck....tighten neck plate....put strings back on......drink beer.

blendermassacre · #11 10-25-2009, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kb9wyz

Not trying to crap on your setup guy, but if I paid my guy $75 he would have leveled the frets, set the bridge, adjust the truss rod, spit shine it with the Pope's saliva, AND shim the neck. Without the shim, he would charge $45. With a neck shim, he got a Brownsville to play like a Sadowsky.

You may want to look for someone else. I think you got kinda ripped.

So the short answer is:
No. Keep the bass. Get a really good setup (including a neck shim). Play like you're gonna die if you stop.

He bought the bass for $75, not got it set up for $75.

M0ses · #12 10-25-2009, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kb9wyz

... spit shine it with the Pope's saliva, AND shim the neck. Without the shim, he would charge $45. ...

Daaaaaang......'round here we have to settle for the Archibishop of Rome's.

Anyways, the above posts are right. There's no sense in playing on a crappy bass, even if it was THAT cheap. If it can't be set up properly, then there are basses out there just as cheap that CAN be.

Pilgrim · #13 10-26-2009, 10:00 AM

Like I said - use the stickies - I bet that shimming the neck will fix it. Even some expensive basses need that treatment.

BuffaloBass · #14 10-26-2009, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PBass101

Only you can really answer that question for yourself.

Personally, I'd pay thousands to get a bass with my optimal setup before I "settled" on even a free bass that could only handle a mediocre setup.

Most of us dont spend "thousands" on a bass. It is, btw, entirely unneccessary.

Learn to do it yoruself. I just traded for a MIM J5 here at TB. REally awesome sound, but I need to shim the neck more to get the strings down right. Why? Well, I rehersed with it yesterday, which is why I know the sound is dead nuts on. BUT, after two hours, it was becoming increasingly difficult to fret and I couldn;t do some of my usual tricks like fretting notes and ghost plucking strings as the high action just doesnt lend itself to that type of articulation.

Short answer, its harder to play, and does limit my expressivity as compared to my SUB $1000 Lakland Skyline, which is set up perfectly. But, as I dig the sound, as does my drummer ( we're a team you know), I will shim that bad boy until I can pull off some Marcus Miller stuff comfortably.

Learn to do a setup. It is not rocket science, just careful measurements and incremental adjustments. Yet, even an amatuer like me stops at fretwork. That's pro territory.

So, when you look down the neck from the bridge, I assume it has quite a bow to it? Loosen those strings and tighten that truss rod up to straighten out the neck. I go flat, but with cheap basses flat is ordinarily impossible. Get the relief to a slight bow and start form there. HPH.

Peace.

mad_man_moon61 · #15 10-26-2009, 11:46 AM

Thanks everyone for your advice & help. I took some sheet plastic (which as it turned out was credit card thickness) and cut out a shim. That appears to have solved the issue. Once again many thanks for all the comments and words of wisdom.

Cheers,
Doug

Pilgrim · #16 10-26-2009, 12:29 PM

You're on the road to brilliance, Doug! Once you get used to making your own adjustments, you're in good shape.