String Height Question

[epy]

I've gone through and read a few threads on lowering the action on the double bass and the majority of you have said to take it to a local shop. I agree with that completely however, it's hard to do in my city (niagara falls). THe action on my upright is currently 9-10mm for each string. this is at the octave. i'd like to have this down to around 4-5mm for at least the d and g strings. Now i was thinking about doing a setup on it myself at least until i can order a new bridge with a adjustable height knobs. What i planned on doing was loosening the string so that it can be pulled off of the bridge. Once off, file down the hole a few millimeters and then adding some graphite to the slot and placing the string back on and repeating. Should I go about doing this or is there something terribly wrong with this plan.

thanks in advance!

[AMJBASS]

That is not a great idea. You don't want the string slot to be that deep. I would take it to someone and have it re shaped. Freddy Gabrsek is in Niagara On the Lake(www.freddysfrets.com).

[Uncletoad]

You don't know enough to know that you don't know enough. Find help.

[kurt ratering]

"know what you know, and know what you dont know, for that is also knowing"
if your bridge is particularly tall you might be able to get away with having it lowered, but if its already of a reasonable hieght, or squat to begin with you might be looking at a new bridge.

[epy]

i emailed fred. My bridge is pretty tall. thanks for the replies though.

[thebigcock]

Originally Posted by epy

I've gone through and read a few threads on lowering the action on the double bass and the majority of you have said to take it to a local shop. I agree with that completely however, it's hard to do in my city (niagara falls). THe action on my upright is currently 9-10mm for each string. this is at the octave. i'd like to have this down to around 4-5mm for at least the d and g strings. Now i was thinking about doing a setup on it myself at least until i can order a new bridge with a adjustable height knobs. What i planned on doing was loosening the string so that it can be pulled off of the bridge. Once off, file down the hole a few millimeters and then adding some graphite to the slot and placing the string back on and repeating. Should I go about doing this or is there something terribly wrong with this plan.

thanks in advance!

i just bought a new double bass about 3 months ago, it came with a lot higher string height than my previous plywood bass that i set up all myself and played for a few years (influenced after watching a few Gary Peacock gigs!)

when i ted out the new bass, I kind of like the string height in the shop becuase it was so much better than my cheap ply bass but after getting it hom for a few hours my fingers were hammered, so i took it back and asked the guy to lower the strings.
THis is in Paris by the way, Rue Des Rome, so the guy gave me a really angry look and said, that his measurements are like a scientists and that he's not touching anything, that's how he sets it up to play and sound as good as the bass is suppose to, he said i just better practise harder!
well, he was 100 percent right, cos now i have a great sounding bass and i can play just like the old piece of crap ; just that i had to put a few hours of pain in.....
so my advice would be to take it to the best luthier you can find and
just let him do his job, and then you do your job,
goodluck!

the cock

[Pentabass]

(snipped) .... so the guy gave me a really angry look and said, that his measurements are like a scientists and that he's not touching anything, that's how he sets it up to play and sound as good as the bass is suppose to, he said i just better practise harder!
the cock

I am interested in those measurements - that's why I tried to make a spreadsheet with a collection of
string-fingerboard measurements.

These are the measurements that can help others get a mental picture, and a lot can be told without seeing the bass:

How long are your strings, nut to bridge?
How long is your fingerboard? How wide at the nut and at the bridge side?

Crucially, could you tell us which strings you have on this scientifically set up bass (how thick are they?)

Then tell us how high your strings are? I measure from the top of the string, to the fingerboard, and then deduct the string diameter, because we compare the clearance between the string and the fingerboard, at four places: at the nut, at the fifth, at the octave and at the end of the fingerboard. For each string.

Now we need to look at string spacing: We compare center to center of the strings, at the nut and the bridge. An easy way of measuring with a caliper, is to take the outside measurements of two strings, and deduct half of each string diameter, to get center to center measurements.

Finally we can look at the arch of the fingerboard and the strings, but it is unlikely that you have followed me to here, so forgetaboutit...