a question about action and neck angle

[timberrecycling]

for the record i am for all intents and purposes a noob but i did search. some but not all questions were answered. i'm hoping for some general wisdom from bass set-up gurus which would allay my current uncertainty. i apologize in advance for my rambling noob nonstory.

i have an ibanez gsr 200 and i recently went up to ghs m7200s(omg amazing btw) from a "normal" gauge and of course the tension is way higher which i like.
while i was switching strings i thought it'd be a good time for some light setup so i went through intonation and randomly adjusted the saddle heights to what i thought looked cool with the strings off.

so once its restrung with the new strings the action is ridiculously low and the neck bends forward a little. i just went out and bought an allen wrench so i can adjust the saddles with the strings on and did so.
the action is still a little low for me on the first couple frets but fine after the 5th and the only way i can see to fix that is to lower the saddles and bend the neck even more forward to have it as high as i'd like it while also being uniform.
i'm terrified to even go near the truss rod in general and it doesn't appear like it would be a very good idea to bend the neck much more. am i missing something or just a wuss? is the action always going to be a little uneven up and down the neck?

 

[251]

for the record i am for all intents and purposes a noob but i did search. some but not all questions were answered. i'm hoping for some general wisdom from bass set-up gurus which would allay my current uncertainty. i apologize in advance for my rambling noob nonstory.

i have an ibanez gsr 200 and i recently went up to ghs m7200s(omg amazing btw) from a "normal" gauge and of course the tension is way higher which i like.
while i was switching strings i thought it'd be a good time for some light setup so i went through intonation and randomly adjusted the saddle heights to what i thought looked cool with the strings off.

so once its restrung with the new strings the action is ridiculously low and the neck bends forward a little. i just went out and bought an allen wrench so i can adjust the saddles with the strings on and did so.
the action is still a little low for me on the first couple frets but fine after the 5th and the only way i can see to fix that is to lower the saddles and bend the neck even more forward to have it as high as i'd like it while also being uniform.
i'm terrified to even go near the truss rod in general and it doesn't appear like it would be a very good idea to bend the neck much more. am i missing something or just a wuss? is the action always going to be a little uneven up and down the neck?

The truss rod can be safely adjusted 1/8 or 1/4 turn at a time. Wait a few minutes, measure the relief before adjusting again.

FWIW, learn to support the bass without resting the head on anything. The weight of the bass supported by the head will add relief that goes away when you pick up the bass, making the adjustment kind of tedious. It's worth the effort to learn to make this adjustment with the bass on your knee or hanging from a strap on your shoulder.

Go slow & you will be fine.

 

[202dy]

Truss rod adjusts relief.

Saddles adjust string height.

Use accordingly.

The first thing to do is to adjust the relief so that the strings vibrate free of the frets. Typical measurement for medium low set up is approximately .012" at the twelfth fret. This is dependent on player style and how good the fretwork is on the instrument. Some will set up with little or no relief. Some will require more.

The truss rod can be adjusted as much as needed when needed. If the nut squeaks, stop.

Once the relief is correct, adjust the saddles for string height and radius. The strings should follow the radius of the fingerboard. Again, this can be tweaked for the individual player.

 

[JLS]

"so i went through intonation and randomly adjusted the saddle heights to what i thought looked cool with the strings off.
"

Huh? Intonation with the strings off? Heights that, "looked cool"?
"Randomly"?

This is a, "Ready, fire, aim!" scenario.

I suggest you look for setup videos on youtube, read the stickies, get ahold of books, and get some knowledge, before you tear into your instrument.

That said, it's admirable that you're trying.

 

[Indiana Mike]

Read this ...

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[timberrecycling]

Huh? Intonation with the strings off? Heights that, "looked cool"?
"Randomly"?

ah, i didn't do it in that order. that would be pretty amazing. at the time i didn't have the allen wrench so without the strings i adjusted to where i thought i'd want the action then when i put the new ones on and finished the intonation i realized it was too low.

thanks for all the tips everyone!

 

[XylemBassGuitar]

Also keep in mind that the action from the 1st to 5th-ish frets is largely determined by the string nut, not the saddles or truss rod.

Your nut may be too low if the open strings buzz (but this can also be due to other things being out of adjustment). The nut may also be too low if, when pressing a string to the 3rd fret the bottom of the string touches the 1st fret.

Generally, you want to press the string to the 3rd fret and have the string just barely clear the top of the 1st fret by about .005" to .011", depending on the bass and other factors like playing preferences.

You don't generally want the nut to be higher than this because it can screw up your intonation at the lower frets. The string will have to be pressed down further, causing it to stretch more and the extra stretch makes the note go slightly sharp.