• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

AVII Precision bass: action way too high

And in many other parts of the country, the neck will forward bow at this time of year. ;) And for some basses may go the opposite way in each region. It depends on the local climate and the individual instrument.

I have a bass with a finished maple neck and thick, unfinished ebony fretboard. It used to be very sensitive to humidity, but that sensitivity has decreased since I've been applying pure lemon oil to the fretboard. It usually gains relief and needs a little adjustment in the fall/winter when it's heating season and the humidity in my house is lower.

I agree with @Zooberwerx that a little truss rod tweak should solve your problem. See ALL BASIC SETUP QUESTIONS ANSWERED HERE, download the Fender setup guide. IIRC, .012' relief is a good starting point. Fine tune the action and relief from there so it plays evenly all up and down the neck, your preferences will probably be different from Fender's average setup.
Pure lemon oil can have a drying effect and isn't a suitable conditioner.
I would guess that your conditioner is mineral oil with lemon scent added, also not a great choice because it comes back out on your hand over time.
Linseed oil from the Art Supply Store is a better solution because it's a drying oil which will dry over time and stay in the grain pores.
 
Thanks for the replies guys. Neck has "one business card" of relief. Not the problem I'm having. I did manage to fiddle around with the bridge and get it back down to just over 2mm but it's completely bottomed out on the E and G now, no more movement downwards if I ever wanted to adjust. I also had to slam down the pickup. Is this as good as it gets with this model?
 
Thanks for the replies guys. Neck is "one business card" bowed. Not the problem I'm having. I did manage to fiddle around with the bridge and get it back down to just over 2mm but it's completely bottomed out on the E and G now, no more movement downwards if I ever wanted to adjust. I also had to slam down the pickup. Is this as good as it gets with this model?

If the saddles are bottomed out a small shim will fix that. I use half a poker card placed at the back of the neck pocket to where it extends just past the first two set of screws. Give it a try.
 
Turn the truss rod more. It’s made for that. Unless it’s maxed out already, but it shouldn’t be. A half turn on one occasion shouldn’t be the end of the story with a normally functioning truss rod.
 
Seems every bass I own needs tweaking this time of year. Just adjusted 2 today. Didn't bother with the third bass I was playing as it's not horrible and I'll tweak it before the next gig. I've done fret dressing this year on two of my basses that had developed what I call "toe up" (a term a luthier friend taught me decades ago). Ski jump, whatever (Evil comes with many names)! Wood. Weather. Weird. 🤷‍♂️ My dad did oil changes and tire rotations on the family cars. He even had a set of point files for the distributor rotor (I still have them. Handy little guys.)! I think that was mostly for the Nash, but maybe for the Chevy Impala, too. Point being: It made sense to know the basic mechanics and maintenance of the stuff you had. Cars (and lots of household appliances and whatnot) have evolved tremendously since my dad was filing rotor points in the 50's. Entirely new skill sets are often needed. Basses, on the other hand, have not, at least on the mechanics side. Materials and processes are fundamentally the same and maintenance hasn't really changed, so it makes sense, IMO, to learn the basics of "care and feeding" of your new (or old) bass.

BBB
 
Pure lemon oil can have a drying effect and isn't a suitable conditioner.
The "lemon oil" products sold in the guitar store are mostly hydrocarbons (with some lemon scent) and those are not very good for wood.

Pure lemon oil (from the essential oils section in your health food store) are more appropriate. The bass I was referring to is an Alembic, and pure lemon oil is what they recommend.
 
I've had to shim at least 50% of my traditional Fender bolt-ons, and I don't really consider it a defect or a quality issue as much as it's just kinda par for the course. Some of the shims are on the most expensive ones too (Custom Shops, AVRI's, US made, etc). It's all part of the joys of being a Fender owner, and being able to do these level 1 type setups is good for your playing and getting to know the instrument.
 
I have a 2023 AVII 60s P that I bought brand new. I was struggling to keep the action where I like it, and like you, the bridge saddles and pickup were bottoming out.

I purchased some shims and nut files off of Amazon, and set it up with a .5 degree full neck shim.


It’s been rock solid for a while now with the shim and proper nut height. Good luck.
 
As an Amazon Associate, TalkBass may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via links on this site.
I have a 2023 AVII 60s P that I bought brand new. I was struggling to keep the action where I like it, and like you, the bridge saddles and pickup were bottoming out.

I purchased some shims and nut files off of Amazon, and set it up with a .5 degree full neck shim.


It’s been rock solid for a while now with the shim and proper nut height. Good luck.

I'm going to take the full neck pocket shim recommendation. I'm glad that it worked for you, especially as we have the same instrument.

I will get a .5 shim soon and report back with my findings.
 
As an Amazon Associate, TalkBass may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via links on this site.
I'm going to take the full neck pocket shim recommendation. I'm glad that it worked for you, especially as we have the same instrument.

I will get a .5 shim soon and report back with my findings.
I would also look at the nut height as well. As a matter of fact I followed the Music Nomad set up guide. I’m sitting at 2mm at the 12th fret without fretting on the E string.

Edit; Actually I’m a little below 2mm.
IMG_2083.jpeg


Keep us posted.

 
Last edited: