5-string action and badass / high mass type bridges

[JenderBazzFass]

4/32 is about as low as I go for a B string. B strings need more room to vibrate than an E string for similar volume. It's just hz and physics.

I find 3/32 too low for a B string without much string noise unless it's been leveled and crowned recently (which is fine for some basses).

How do I set up my bass guitar properly? · Customer Self-Service

Also depending on radius, and the bass, scale, and where you measure, .010 can be too little relief for a 5er.

Thanks, appreciate the feedback regarding the measurements that work well for you.

 

[JenderBazzFass]

I am appreciative of everyone who replied with real world experience or their experience with the measurements.

So often you'll ask a question like this on Reddit or someplace else, what action are people able to achieve on their basses, a question which requires measurement to compare. But 10 people will reply to hem and haw that they never measure anything. Well, ok, good for you but that does not answer the question and doesn't help compare the adjustment range available on my bass with others' basses at all.

It'd be like me asking everyone here what the weather is like where you live, and a bunch of people replying "I don't need a thermometer to know if it's warm or cold" or "I've been taking walks for 40 years and I never once checked the weather" "I don't know what the weather is like, I just keep putting on clothes until I'm comfortable" Great, but that provides no one with any helpful information at all.

 

[erratick]

I am appreciative of everyone who replied with real world experience or their experience with the measurements.

So often you'll ask a question like this on Reddit or someplace else, what action are people able to achieve on their basses, a question which requires measurement to compare. But 10 people will reply to hem and haw that they never measure anything. Well, ok, good for you but that does not answer the question and doesn't help compare the adjustment range available on my bass with others' basses at all.

It'd be like me asking everyone here what the weather is like where you live, and a bunch of people replying "I don't need a thermometer to know if it's warm or cold" or "I've been taking walks for 40 years and I never once checked the weather" "I don't know what the weather is like, I just keep putting on clothes until I'm comfortable" Great, but that provides no one with any helpful information at all.

Yeah- I love measuring. I keep spreadsheets of it. The "good" measurements vary from bass to bass, player to player.

I don't understand the resistance to measuring. Don't you like repeatable? Or at least data to figure out what works?

I mean- at least then you can argue about metric vs. standard. hahah!

And I think I wrote 4/32 but I meant 4/64. Didn't even get my units right. HA!

 

[JenderBazzFass]

Yeah- I love measuring. I keep spreadsheets of it. The "good" measurements vary from bass to bass, player to player.

I don't understand the resistance to measuring. Don't you like repeatable? Or at least data to figure out what works?

I mean- at least then you can argue about metric vs. standard. hahah!

And I think I wrote 4/32 but I meant 4/64. Didn't even get my units right. HA!

Yeah, I also keep track of the preferred measurements for my basses. I just keep it in the Notepad app on my phone. Sometimes I will even record what I did. "neck relief showed .012, turned less than 1/8 turn to .010".

It's helpful to record the measurements where I stopped last time, when I was satisfied with the setup. Each setup becomes quick this way.

 

[Turnaround]

Two good reasons for using measurements in a setup:

1. When you get a bass where you like it, measure the relief, string height, etc. so that you can reproduce the setup exactly without trial and error.

2. If it doesn’t play right (eg buzz, stiffness etc.) after reproducing a measured setup, something else has changed, like fret wear, neck twist. Time to look for irregularities in the bass.