Should I pay for a setup, or am I just being obsessive?

[RyRob813]

I have a tendency to be a perfectionist about many things, but ESPECIALLY my bass.

I had a pretty severe buzz on my open and fretted A string for the past few weeks. My neck had a pretty good bow going, so I adjusted that.

The buzzing open A is now gone, but now I have a VERY slight buzz on all my strings and fretted notes, save a few. I realize that a truss rod adjustment is no joke, but I've been showed by a serious professional, and I do know what I'm doing.

The buzz doesn't come through the amp, and I nearly have to put my ear right by the string to hear it. Being the perfectionist that I am, however, the buzz will slowly eat away at me every time I hear it

Is that small of a buzz really something to worry about, or do you think I should actually pay for a setup, and let a real pro handle it?

Also, if it's relevant, I play with VERY high action.

Thanks!

[rimtism123]

I think you might be obsessive...
But I play with kind of high action as well...i think sometimes that little buzz is just "string noise".

[FallenAbom]

Good setup is worth its weight in gold. I get mine done every 6 mos. by a pro, and I do minor adjustments in between. Doesn't sound like a major issue your describing but if you have the cash it more then likely would be to your benefit to have it done maybe once a year by a pro.

[Rick Auricchio]

Usually a buzz all over requires raising the bridge saddles, but you've got high action already.

If the buzz doesn't come through the amp with the instrument's treble boosted, then it may just be an overtone of the string. I'll bet different strings will change that.

[JLS]

"The buzz doesn't come through the amp, and I nearly have to put my ear right by the string to hear it"

Kinda makes it hard to PLAY your instrument, when you're trying that hard to have something be wrong with it.

I would not suggest a setup; neither you, nor whomever you take it to, is ever going to be happy with the results.

[ByF]

If you're a perfectionist, the only way you'll be satisfied is if you do it yourself. You're the only one who knows exactly how you want it--the guitar tech doesn't have any magical tricks or tools, he's going to turn the same screws you would. But only you know when it's perfect.

But not all problems can be solved with the truss rod or the bridge height--the nut and the frets are big factors, too. If the buzz is caused by the nut being too low or a high fret, that "pro" setup will be a waste of money. You need to identify the problem first, and fix that.

Get yourself a good book about guitar repair (like Dan Erlewine's) and give the bass a thorough inspection. Check the nut, the frets, the neck, the bridge, everything.

Then, if you still want to pay someone to fix it for you, you'll know what to ask for.

On the other hand, if you can't hear it through the amp, it probably doesn't really matter. But if you'd like to get the action lower without making the buzz worse, you need to consider all the factors, not just the bridge and truss rod.

Ed