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Double Bass 2025 Your setup specs?

Jason Hollar

Jason Hollar

Apr 17, 2005
3,565
3,849
Pennsylvania
#1
I realize every instrument has its own geometry and therefore everyone’s numbers will be different accordingly.

However, over the summer I played a few very fine instruments at the home of a player & collector. I was blown away at how much easier they felt to play - even ones with longer string lengths and higher action.

I observed the strings seemed pretty close together and asked about it. He said he gets all his basses set up at 1 inch at the bridge.

After checking mine, I’m around 1.25” inches at the bridge and approx 11mm string spacing at the nut. (Sorry for the mixed measurements). I recently read one classical player preferred his nut setup at 10mm.

All this has got me thinking about talking to my guy about a refined setup. I need a new bridge anyway so there’s that.

What are your setup preferences? Or do you let the instrument design dictate the measurements and just roll with it?
 
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#2
It is definitely worth having a conversation with a luthier who specializes in bass setups. Depending on your preferences and needs, they may be able to optimize the fingerboard shape first and then get the bridge spacing dialed in exactly the way you like it.

If the fingerboard is shaped with sufficient arch for arco string clearance, I ask my luthier to aim for 27mm at the bridge. 28mm = 1.1" . On my bass, the nut slots are roughly 10mm. (I am a 50/50 arco / pizz player.) I have played on more narrow spacing, but the fingerboard had a higher arch, a relatively high neck overstand and overall bridge height. Playing arco string crossings cleanly on this setup was fine for me. For pizz only gigs, I get along well with narrower spacing, but wider is more difficult for me to adapt. I also prefer to have more FB beyond beyond the outer edge of the G string if the overall width of the board will allow.
 
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#3
Jason, is your 10mm measurement the string center to center or edge of string to next enge of string?

On my personal instruments, the overall width of the neck at the nut plays a large role. Over the last half dozen basses, they have varied from 34 mm wide to almost 42mm. When I build new necks I usually leave them a bit larger because I can always remove wood, but too skinny and I struggle to add it. I tend to prioritize the amount of wood on the fingerboard edges, so if I standardize that at around 3-4 mm in first position, then I get a completely different number for string to string spacing. Is the fingerboard edge crisp and faceted or is it old and rolled over from decades or centuries of use? Many necks also have a different taper as you get towards the body into thumb position, so one with a larger taper will give a much different percieved string spacing at the bridge if I prioritize 10mm string to string at the bridge. Confusing enough?

Remind me who said I can have only one bass with one setup? :roflmao:
 
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#5
I did 9mm and 7/8” ish on this King Moretone I just rebuilt and it seems like a sweet spot.

Edit: my mistake - it’s really closer to 15/16th” at the bridge, basically just shy of 1”
 
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#6
From Rufus Reid’s Evolving Upward
Bass Book II, I show the following:
 

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#7
On my bass the string spacing (center to center) at the nut is 11 mm. At the bridge it's 26 mm . They are the specs. that David Gage used when he put in a new fingerboard, bridge and nut. This works well for me pizz. and arco ( jazz gigs and practicing mostly arco at home ). If you're going to have a new bridge put in maybe you can use the old bridge to try different string spacings before the new bridge is put in. You can try a new nut with different spacings. If the nut isn't glued in you can easily switch to another nut to see what works best for you.
 
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#11
Jason Hollar said:
... he gets all his basses set up at 1 inch at the bridge. After checking mine, I’m around 1.25” inches at the bridge ...
Click to expand...

Hi Jason,

My default is 1 inch at the bridge, slightly greater if a player wants it that way. I have short fingers, so 1.25 sounds like a lot. YMMV, but I can imagine reaching for a G string that's in motion and missing it altogether!
 
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