Squier Affinity J-Bass in need of some TLC

[CanadianFunk]

Sorry if this is in the wrong section, kinda new to the forum

So I picked up a music store rental J bass (4 string) , because I'm poor and couldn't afford it new, and it sounded good at first but it's been steadily sounding worse as time goes on.

It hasn't been set up yet by a professional, so I'll go over what I've observed.

The strings are getting worn down really fast, as I have oily hands (visible string burn on the low frets)

The neck is slightly warped inward

When I got the bass it seemed like the E string's action was a little... not right. It was quite a bit lower then all the other strings, and the saddle for it is not level like the other ones are. When I slap you can hear the E string hitting the pickup and it sounds like crap. Also no matter where I play, or what the finger placement is, playing on the E string always sounds "shaky" like it's vibrating off a fret. Is this normal or not? It certainly doesn't sound normal...

Anyway, based on the above, what do you think is responsible for it sounding bad, is it the bass itself, the electronics, or what?

Thank you,
Zack

[tangentmusic]

The Affinity is Squier's entry level bass. Get a new set of strings and a proper set up first (neck adjustment, intonation ect.). Adjust pick up height too. Then you can really tell if you've got a decent one or not.

[C.Linton]

+1 on all the above, but especially the pickup height as far as sound quality.
I had a '78 P-bass. Sounded pretty good. However, I had read about adjusting pickup height in Dan Erlewine's Guitar Repair Guide, so I thought I would check the p'up height on my bass. Looked like the previous owner had just adjusted the height so the pickup was totally flat and fairly low, so I did the proper adjustments according to Dan's instructions, and I can tell you it made a huge improvement in both volume and tone. What was once a good sounding bass was now a teriffic sounding one.