action/trust rod help

[robertebooker]

So I have a sterling sub Ray 4.. love it but.. after adjusting the saddles to get rid of string buzz, I noticed the string are high off the fret board up high from the 12th fret up..

IS THIS A TRUST ROD issue if so how do I go about this... I've always been scared to mess with it...

Ant help would be great?????

 

[Maxdusty]

You know in the previous thread, you mentioned that all the strings buzzed on the first fret, I was going to mention you probably want to check the neck to see if the straight. Sight down the neck and you'll probably notice a bow. It sound like you need to add some tension to the neck to straighten it. To add tension, you would turn the wheel down. Here's a set of instructions. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] So you would turn the wheel (using the chrome adjustment bar that came with the bass or some other tool) towards the "G" string, or down. Don't turn it too much at a time and give the bass some time to adjust. About an 1/8 of a turn at a time.

After you sight down the neck and see that it's pretty straight, you can lower the saddles down on all strings to get the action nice and low. The action on my bass is super low so you can get it really low if you want to.
Adjusting the Sub is really easy, much easier than other basses I have.

 

[singlemalt]

Usually, the saddles are the last thing I mess with, the truss rod is where most of the action is. You'll likely mess with it every time you change strings, or have a change of seasons.

Pick up your bass and sight down it from the bridge to the nut. The strings are stretched perfectly straight, right? (well duh!) Compared to the strings, how does the neck look? Curved right?

Now push the B or the G strings down on the highest fret. Check out the curve now. If the neck sags away from the strings, you need to tighten your truss rod. This will straighten the neck and lower the action. The reverse if the neck is backbowed and arches up towards the strings.

Relax, take a deep breath, the truss rod is your friend. Here's how you can screw it up: using the wrong size wrench. This can strip the bolt. So take a minute and google up some info on what tool fits. Most take a standard size allen, some are metric. Better yet, youtube some bass setup videos. This is easy stuff. With some practice you'll get good at it. My question is, where was it buzzing to begin with? Upper frets?

I looked at the #2 post link, and it looks like your bass has a system designed to take the fool out of fool proof. Very cool. Here's a link to a guy who knows his set up: Invalid Link Removed

Righty tightey, lefty loosey is the mantra here, it's rare that this isn't the case.

So, correct wrench in hand, tighten the truss rod half a turn. We're taking it slow here. Look down the neck again. Is the 12th fret now closer to the strings? Yeah? We're headed in the right direction, everything is going to be fine!

How much bow you like is a matter of personal preference, but most guys are looking for fairly flat necks, for a low action, this being limited by the quality of your neck and fretwork. Once you get the neck straight, revisit the saddle heights.

 

[Machiavelli]

So I have a sterling sub Ray 4.. love it but.. after adjusting the saddles to get rid of string buzz, I noticed the string are high off the fret board up high from the 12th fret up..

IS THIS A TRUST ROD issue if so how do I go about this... I've always been scared to mess with it...

Ant help would be great?????

It's really hard to know without knowing "how high" they are. It could just be your perception, but some possibilities are:

-Truss-rod adjustment (see above posts)
-Neck could be twisted.
-Neck could be bowed in
-frets could be uneven.

 

[Maxdusty]

How much bow you like is a matter of personal preference, but most guys are looking for fairly flat necks, for a low action, this being limited by the quality of your neck and fretwork. Once you get the neck straight, revisit the saddle heights.

Great set of instructions..Well done. The Sub Ray basses are capable of having very low action on them. I had 4 and each one I was able to get equally low so the fretwork and quality of the necks are pretty good on them. In terms of the tool, you can basically use anything that would fit into the "holes" of the adjustment wheel. it can be a small screwdriver, allen wrench etc.
To the op, it's easy to do- just take care and go slowly, if I can do it (and I'm klutzy beyond belief), anyone can.

 

[robertebooker]

Thanks for the info everyone. . I'll get on this tom. When I get home from the road. And let you know how I made out.

 

[ModuMan]

Sorry, I had to.

 

[robertebooker]

Usually, the saddles are the last thing I mess with, the truss rod is where most of the action is. You'll likely mess with it every time you change strings, or have a change of seasons.

Pick up your bass and sight down it from the bridge to the nut. The strings are stretched perfectly straight, right? (well duh!) Compared to the strings, how does the neck look? Curved right?

Now push the B or the G strings down on the highest fret. Check out the curve now. If the neck sags away from the strings, you need to tighten your truss rod. This will straighten the neck and lower the action. The reverse if the neck is backbowed and arches up towards the strings.

Relax, take a deep breath, the truss rod is your friend. Here's how you can screw it up: using the wrong size wrench. This can strip the bolt. So take a minute and google up some info on what tool fits. Most take a standard size allen, some are metric. Better yet, youtube some bass setup videos. This is easy stuff. With some practice you'll get good at it. My question is, where was it buzzing to begin with? Upper frets?

I looked at the #2 post link, and it looks like your bass has a system designed to take the fool out of fool proof. Very cool. Here's a link to a guy who knows his set up: Invalid Link Removed

Righty tightey, lefty loosey is the mantra here, it's rare that this isn't the case.

So, correct wrench in hand, tighten the truss rod half a turn. We're taking it slow here. Look down the neck again. Is the 12th fret now closer to the strings? Yeah? We're headed in the right direction, everything is going to be fine!

How much bow you like is a matter of personal preference, but most guys are looking for fairly flat necks, for a low action, this being limited by the quality of your neck and fretwork. Once you get the neck straight, revisit the saddle heights.

There is no buzzing in the upper frets.. from the 12 up they are just very high off the fretboard

 

[robertebooker]

It's really hard to know without knowing "how high" they are. It could just be your perception, but some possibilities are:

-Truss-rod adjustment (see above posts)
-Neck could be twisted.
-Neck could be bowed in
-frets could be uneven.

The strings are about 1/4" off the fretboard

 

[bluesdogblues]

IMHO you should setup the truss-rod first before you set-up the 'bridge/saddle height'.
And if you already done Invalid Link Removed (saddle intonation, truss-rod, then action (bridge/saddles height), pick-up height, intonation again (fine tuning)..)...,, and you still feel it too high etc, maybe Invalid Link Removed can be the next solution.

 

[robertebooker]

Im sure its hard to tell from this picture but,This is the height I'm dealing with..

 

[Hobobob]

I had a trust rod once. I also had a best friend.

We each grabbed an end of the rod and we spun round and round. It seemed to go on forever - until in one unsettling moment, the rod snapped. After pulling ourselves up from the dusty floor, we apprehensively looked to our respective portions, then at our opposites, then back to our own. The rod had snapped about a third of the way, with the shorter portion in my hand.

I couldn't be trusted.

The trust rod had made itself clear. My now ex-best friend wordlessly turned and stepped out of the front door. I'll never forget that final look on his face - the simultaneous relief and heartbreak, the knowledge now dawning that his best friend had been a liar and a crook all along. The last I ever saw of him was his back, marching down the dusty road to the highway.

Oh, and if your lower frets are buzzing but your higher frets are a mile from the strings, you probably need to loosen your TRUSS rod.

 

[singlemalt]

I have a 76 Kramer 450B. Aluminum extrusion neck, no truss rod required. 30 plus years without an adjustment. No scary truss rod stories with that bass. It does, however, change tuning with temperature changes. Get out there under hot lights and she's going to creep towards the sharp side, cools off between sets.

With my Dingwalls, the tools are always sitting on my practice station, I fine tune my setup whenever I change strings, or with changes in the weather. It's no big deal, just a few minutes to get it perfect. Last week I changed strings to some new Dingwall nickel rounds and the truss rod needed a quarter to a half turn tightening. The new strings have a bit more tension than the old, months old set.

Did you change to a heavier, stiffer string, or is this how the bass arrived? Did it change climates when it changed hands?

So, yeah, the picture shows that the string are way too high, and lack a radius that follows the fretboard radius. Some guys like radius, some guys like like the strings fairly flat.

But now that we've read the manual, (read the manual right?) and watched a couple set up videos on youtube, we know it's not voodoo!

I'd get another cup of coffee, or a fine malted beverage, my tools, and a towel to pad the coffee table and have another go at it.

Put the saddles back were they started, hit the truss rod, mess with the saddles again. If you are a heavy player, leave a bit more relief (bow) under the 12th fret and the saddles a bit higher. If you are dialed with a light touch, flatten the neck and lower the saddles.

After that, if you still aren't getting were you want to be, I'd say a trip to the set up guy is in order. Try to get him to show you what he's doing. Kind of a setup lesson. Or if you are felling more confident, pull the neck and shim. You probably won't need anything as radical as a neck shim. Good luck!

 

[robertebooker]

I have a 76 Kramer 450B. Aluminum extrusion neck, no truss rod required. 30 plus years without an adjustment. No scary truss rod stories with that bass. It does, however, change tuning with temperature changes. Get out there under hot lights and she's going to creep towards the sharp side, cools off between sets.

With my Dingwalls, the tools are always sitting on my practice station, I fine tune my setup whenever I change strings, or with changes in the weather. It's no big deal, just a few minutes to get it perfect. Last week I changed strings to some new Dingwall nickel rounds and the truss rod needed a quarter to a half turn tightening. The new strings have a bit more tension than the old, months old set.

Did you change to a heavier, stiffer string, or is this how the bass arrived? Did it change climates when it changed hands?

So, yeah, the picture shows that the string are way too high, and lack a radius that follows the fretboard radius. Some guys like radius, some guys like like the strings fairly flat.

But now that we've read the manual, (read the manual right?) and watched a couple set up videos on youtube, we know it's not voodoo!

I'd get another cup of coffee, or a fine malted beverage, my tools, and a towel to pad the coffee table and have another go at it.

Put the saddles back were they started, hit the truss rod, mess with the saddles again. If you are a heavy player, leave a bit more relief (bow) under the 12th fret and the saddles a bit higher. If you are dialed with a light touch, flatten the neck and lower the saddles.

After that, if you still aren't getting were you want to be, I'd say a trip to the set up guy is in order. Try to get him to show you what he's doing. Kind of a setup lesson. Or if you are felling more confident, pull the neck and shim. You probably won't need anything as radical as a neck shim. Good luck!

I purchased the bass brand new 3 days ago.. so no real climate change or previous owner...

I did get the courage to give the trust rod a turn or 2.. and I was able to get my action low with no buzz...

I guess it wasn't as scary as I though...

I really appreciate all the responses. .. This forum is absolutely amazing. .

 

[singlemalt]

New basses can require continuous attention to set up as things settle in.

I don't know where they make Sterling SUB Rays, but that bass may have traveled the globe since it left the factory however many months ago. My feeling is that a new bass should come with a setup done by the retailer, or they should be willing to help you out.

But hey! You did it! I'm toasting your success! Salut.

 

[Dave W]

Truss rod...not trust rod

Be careful how much you are turning it. You mentioned a turn or two. If that's literally a 720 degree turn that could be way too much at one time.

 

[robertebooker]

Truss rod...not trust rod

Be careful how much you are turning it. You mentioned a turn or two. If that's literally a 720 degree turn that could be way too much at one time.

No not nearly that much.. and thanks for the spell check...

 

[Maxdusty]

I purchased the bass brand new 3 days ago.. so no real climate change or previous owner...

I did get the courage to give the trust rod a turn or 2.. and I was able to get my action low with no buzz...

I guess it wasn't as scary as I though...

I really appreciate all the responses. .. This forum is absolutely amazing. .

Congrats!!! When you do a string change you may have to do this but now that you've done it, no biggie. Other basses that have the truss rod adjustment at the headstock goes like this. Clockwise is to tighten up the truss rod, counterclockwise to loosen the truss rod. Just in case you have to adjust any basses with these. You'll need an Allen wrench for these but same rules apply- do not turn them too much.