Upright Bass set up

[dutchplumber]

Hello All, My first post.
What should the string height be at the end of the bridge end of the fretboard on my 4/4 size upright.
I feel it is a bit high, currently I don't have any problems with buzzing and I don't want any.
I suppose the best way to lower the action is to shave a little off the top of the bridge and re-groove ?
Any constructive comments would most certainly be welcome.
Cheers,
Dutchplumber

[Musiclogic]

Double bass forum is the place for this usually.

But, you have a couple options, depending on bridge, lowering the height could be a quick answer, but, you can also buy a shorter bridge to retain structure, I have also seen rotory sanding the feet of the bridge piece also. As for proper height, this is subjective to the player. Basschair- Moderator of the forum would be good to contact on this or Mr. Gollihur at Gollihur Music. Good luck

[Cody Sisk]

You should have some bridge wheel adjusters installed in your bridge. This way you can adjust the height on the fly. A good starting point for string height at the end of the fingerboard is 7mm under the G and 9-10mm under the E. After that, it depends on the player, the bass, the fingerboard scoop, pizz or arco, brand of string, etc..

[timobee4]

You should specify what type of string you intend on using first, I kept a journal of all my previous settings! if you are using Gut strings 12 @ E, 10 @ A, 8 @ D & G, if hybrid like spiros mixed with gut (E&A) metal (D&G) then 10 @ E, 8-9 @ A, 7-8 @ D & G (gut must be little higher to get great sound, Any other metal strings incuding Garbos I set E @ 8-9, A @ 7-8, D @ 6-7, and G @ 5-6mm! Every bass is different if you slap with weed wacker you have higher action if you play jazz but mainly walk 8-7-6-5 is fine for me if you a solo bassist like Christian McBride you probable have the G string at 3mm D at 5mm A at 7mm and E at 8mm but you must get your luthier to shoot or even the fingerboard carefully to avoid buzz here and there. I have a friend whos bass only he can play cos his action is 20mm @ E, 17mm @ A, 16mm @ D, and 15mm @ G, they had a gig, asked me to play Donna Lee my favourite tune to play I told him get stuffed! What ever feels nice to you! High action more pressure on the belly and louder but harder to play, low action less pressure on belly, quiet but easier to play. I practice at home on a high action bass to make it hard for me but gig and jam with a low action bass. What ever tickles your fancy! All the above measurements were measured at the end of the fingerboard. I hate adjusters but again depends on what you do! I play Jazz and love low action, when I play Gypsy Jazz I have to bow so I use my bass with adjuster or the one with higher action! Ask your luthier as well they are the most qualified people to make you bass sound great. I took and interest in setting up my basses as I change settings and strings more often then I change underpants!!!! hahahahahahaha!

Originally Posted by dutchplumber

Hello All, My first post.
What should the string height be at the end of the bridge end of the fretboard on my 4/4 size upright.
I feel it is a bit high, currently I don't have any problems with buzzing and I don't want any.
I suppose the best way to lower the action is to shave a little off the top of the bridge and re-groove ?
Any constructive comments would most certainly be welcome.
Cheers,
Dutchplumber

[George700DL]

Originally Posted by timobee4

I hate adjusters but again depends on what you do! I play Jazz and love low action, when I play Gypsy Jazz I have to bow so I use my bass with adjuster or the one with higher action! Ask your luthier as well they are the most qualified people to make you bass sound great. I took and interest in setting up my basses as I change settings and strings more often then I change underpants!!!! hahahahahahaha!

I was opposed to adjusters due to concerns about volume. After I installed them (aluminum), the bass got louder, and I'm very happy that I have them now.

By the way, I play plain guts, my G is 9mm off the board, and I could easily go much higher.

George