Bass adjustment help.

[robplaysguitar]

Ok so i've been adjusting my bass as i was getting a bit of string buzz up at the high notes, i was told to adjust the truss rod a bit and give the neck some more relief. Then i was told i could've just adjust the saddles and increased the string height. Nonethless, my guitar is a bit messed up now. The strings are in tune and the intonation is right, however as you up the frets the strings are further away from the fretboard the higher you go, so it's curving upwards. Getting major buzzing on 1st/2nd frets.

Now, can this be fixed by adjusting the saddle (string height) or do i need to adjust the truss rod, if the latter would i be giving the neck more relief or tightening it up?

Any help, would be great.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

Check the sticky at the top of this forum and read Jerzy Drozd's setup guide.


Follow it from the top...

 

[f.c.geil]

If it's buzzing on the first fret or two, you don't have enough relief. What I do is lower the saddles all the way, tune the strings, capo the first fret, fret the 12th fret and adjust the truss rod so that I have .012" between the 8th fret and the bottom of the E string. Then, I tune again and check that I have (with open strings - no capo) about 6/64" between fingerboard and bottom of E string at the first fret, then gradually increasing until I have about 12/64" at the 18th fret. This tells me that the neck is relatively straight. I then plug in, turn on the amp. I play the E open, listening for buzz. If there is none, I lightly fret at the 15th, 16th, 17th, and 18th frets (not at the same time) and ensure that I get no fret buzz. If there is buzz, I raise the saddle until it is gone. I then adjust intonation, tune, and re-check for buzz. Repeat for the A, D, and G strings (E and G will probably not need to come up much - if any). Done. I now have the lowest possible action for that bass.

 

[Turnaround]

If it's buzzing on the first fret or two, you have too much relief.

Sorry, but this is backwards. If you have buzzing on the first few frets, chances are you don't have enough relief. Or you have some eneveness in the fret heights. Set the relief properly then adjust the saddles to suit.

 

[lowendfriend]

Another great resource for setup 101 is Carl Pedigo's 2 part video on YouTube:

Lakland Bass Setup With Carl Pedigo (Part 1 of 2) - YouTube

Lakland Bass Setup With Carl Pedigo (Part 2 of 2) - YouTube

 

[f.c.geil]

Yup, mis-spoke (probably shouldn't try to talk on the phone while I'm answering a question). I fixed it, though.