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AVII Precision bass: action way too high

#41
Swerve said:
Not sure if you've seen this thread by @Turnaround, but it's quite interesting. I believe his conclusion was that shims do not cause ski jumps.

Turnaround

Thread 'Getting the Facts about Ski Jumps'

This first thread has been in the works for a while. The "pros" involved in this project are 202dy, walterw, JLS and myself (Turnaround).

I approached the others a while ago after hearing once again that shimming a neck can cause a ski jump. I've heard lots of opinions from many sources about the cause of ski jumps, but no actual facts concerning the subject - opinions are not facts in my book. I decided to enlist a few of my TB friends to join me on a study of ski jumps to uncover the facts about this relatively common occurrence. The result of this effort will show up in this...
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It may be worth noting, however, that at least one other professional technician disagrees with me. But his tests were done on guitar necks, my tests were done on basses. A bass has a lot more volume of wood in the heel making it significantly more resistant to forming a ski jump in the heel block. So I still maintain that partial shims in the neck pocket do not cause a ski jump. And FWIW I don't believe that there's tone or sustain loss with a partial shim rather than a full-pocket shim.
 
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#42
humbuckaroo said:
Will do. How does your bridge look?
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image.jpg
 
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#45
rickdog said:
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.
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Yes, the guitar store lemon oil products (mineral oil with lemon scent) are what I referred to.
Pure lemon oil (from the essential oils section in your health food store) can have a drying effect and isn't a suitable conditioner.
Linseed oil from the art supply store is a better choice because it's a drying oil, which dries over time and will stay in the grain pores.
 
#46
58kites said:
Yes, the guitar store lemon oil products (mineral oil with lemon scent) are what I referred to.
Pure lemon oil (from the essential oils section in your health food store) can have a drying effect and isn't a suitable conditioner.
Linseed oil from the art supply store is a better choice because it's a drying oil, which dries over time and will stay in the grain pores.
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I have been using Dunlop 65 Lemon Oil on my rosewood necks (four at this point) with very positive results. It is not real lemon oil, but rather a solution based around mineral spirits (source). I bought one bottle in 2020 and it still looks over 90% full... that's how little is required to bring a fretboard back to life.
 
#47
UNICORN BASS said:
I am also of the opinion that shims don't cause ski jumps, with the caveat that they are correctly done. There is always much disagreement on this site about tilt neck mechanisms. I am a big fan and have several tilt neck basses. Either i got lucky or i used them correctly, either way i don't have any ski jump issues.
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It's a vintage-style bass, and comes with vintage-style problems. I've realized that the last couple of days and have learned to just live with it.

The best way to resolve a tilt issue is to, as UNICORN BASS quipped, machine the solution. I believe modern basses have been updated in design in such a way that this is effectively a non-issue. It certainly seems to be the case on my StingRay and virtually every other modern (ie: last 40 years) instrument that I've been fortunate enough to play.
 
#48
humbuckaroo said:
I have been using Dunlop 65 Lemon Oil on my rosewood necks (four at this point) with very positive results. It is not real lemon oil, but rather a solution based around mineral spirits (source). I bought one bottle in 2020 and it still looks over 90% full... that's how little is required to bring a fretboard back to life.
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Dunlop 65 is mineral oil and lemon scent.
 
#50
markorbit said:
Ski-jumps - after avoiding them for the first half of my playing years they seem to be more common now. I don't play neck-through basses these days but that is one way to avoid/minimise the kink. Might be my ears but I always think I can hear their clank all over the neck too, not just up high.
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I have found that shims do cause problems. But most often because they were installed when they were NOT needed! So many DIYers mis-diagnose a problem and put in a shim when it's not needed. Then they end up with setup problems and put it down to a ski jump. It takes a trained eye and a good deal of experience to distinguish between a ski jump and a simple case of excessive relief. It's exacerbated by the fact that not all necks form the optimal relief curve under tension (because wood is not homogenous) and thus it's easy to confuse relief with the ski jump. And depending on a particular neck's curve under tension, the commonly proposed setup measurements may prove to be almost exactly wrong.

If you have the means to measure and plot the actual relief profile under tension you may be able to work out the appropriate setup adjustments. Otherwise it may be adviseable to consult an expert if you are encountering a difficult setup.
 
#52
FronTowardEnemy said:
View attachment 7372287
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Results:

I got the 0.5 degree full pocket maple shim and some D'Addario extra light Chromes today. I installed the shim in no more than five minutes and strung up. After playing around and adjusting the relief to taste, I have a fantastic 2mm relief on the strings (12th fret, nothing pressed down) and my bridge looks pretty much exactly like yours now. This is now an entirely different feeling and playing instrument. You probably saved me from selling this thing, no joke. Can't thank you enough, and everyone else who contributed as well.
 
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#53
humbuckaroo said:
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?
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Try a little less relief than business card

Bring it up to 2.5mm so not bottomed and then adjust relief to .008 (or 1/8 to 1/4 turn if you don't have gage)
Let sit overnight and check action

Necks tend to bow in dry colder climate and flatten(forward bow) with high humidity in summer

Also 3mm is 8/64ths🙂
 
#55
This set of four videos is very helpful for set up.

A string action gauge ruler from Amazon is $5.99
A set of automotive feeler gauges would also be useful, Amazon sells them for $4.99
I think these Elixer Strings videos recommend .008 to .012 relief at the 8th fret.
I like to set string height at the 17th fret to .080 (2mm) with roundwouds and .070 with Di'Addario Chromes Flats.
 
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#56
humbuckaroo said:
Results:

I got the 0.5 degree full pocket maple shim and some D'Addario extra light Chromes today. I installed the shim in no more than five minutes and strung up. After playing around and adjusting the relief to taste, I have a fantastic 2mm relief on the strings (12th fret, nothing pressed down) and my bridge looks pretty much exactly like yours now. This is now an entirely different feeling and playing instrument. You probably saved me from selling this thing, no joke. Can't thank you enough, and everyone else who contributed as well.
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That is good to hear. I'm glad it worked out for you!
 
#57
Update: The shim was a step in the right direction but I experienced a new problem. Action at the 12th was fine but action at the 20th was lower, which means that I got a ton of buzz from playing anywhere past the 12th fret. I tried to adjust the truss rod to resolve this (which I never felt the need to do before) but it turns out the thing was completely jammed in place and wouldn't move. The bass is now at an authorized Fender warranty depot here in town.
 
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