Bass Setup - Who Does Their Own?

[FrenchBassQC]

I do my own as well, not that hard to do and after time, it gets even more easier. The major plus for this, you set your bass to your own preferences on the spot... And if after 5 minutes of playing the instrument you want to adjust a little bit more, you can...

 

[BostonJazz72]

I've met Rod. The guy's a total hack! Don't trust him to adjust anything on your bass, especially the truss rod!

lol! Trust Rod....

I've met Rod. The guy's a total hack! Don't trust him to adjust anything on your bass, especially the truss rod!

lol... See I really know nothing...

 

[fishdreams]

It's also a great and necessary skill when flying with a bass. IME the best way to travel stress free is to bring a bolt-on bass, to take off the neck and bring it into the cabin, and pack the body. 20 mins in your hotel room with your setup skills to put it back together again.

 

[Pops OB]

I've met Rod. The guy's a total hack! Don't trust him to adjust anything on your bass, especially the truss rod!

 

[Against Will]

I've been setting my own up for the past year. It's a good skill to have, it'll both save you money and a trip to a repair/guitar shop. Plus, it's easier to experiment and fine tune your action to find something you like.

I learned to do it on a beater bass and now it do it with all of my instruments. But I wonder if I'd be as gung-ho about if I had a really nice boutique bass (all my instruments are solid but sub-$800).

 

[Jason Hollar]

I get my bass(es) set up by a pro every couple years or so. I’m awfully good at stripping screws and forcing what should be finesse adjustments like truss rod & intonation.

It’s not terribly expensive since I do it infrequently. Plus I like hanging out and supporting small local music businesses. My instruments always sound & play better afterward.

 

[jpmcbride]

Is it possible to self learn bass setup and maintenance? If so - how? I want to learn how to do basic setup like trust rod adjustments, etc. What essential tools do I need? What books/videos can be recommended? Thanks!

A basic setup is easy to learn. Changing strings. Setting the relief with a truss rod adjustment. Setting action with saddle adjustment. Setting intonation with saddle adjustment. You can get started with nothing more than a few allen wrenches and a steel ruler. Maybe add a small file set later for dressing fret ends or notching a nut. Its really pretty easy. I learned by watching a few youtube videos. Don't be afraid to give it a go. Its not hard, and is a great skill to have.

 

[sandboxer]

I leaned how to set up guitars and basses through a book called "The guitar player repair guide." (it didn't talk about how to repair my guitar player though... LOL)

THIS!!!! I know some broken guitar players!

 

[tekhedd]

Step 1. Go to Google and type “setup Talkbass” that should get you started.
What I consider must haves are capo, feeler gauges, screwdriver(s), hex wrenches.

Totally agree. Feeler gauges optional, once you get an idea for how much relief you personally like. Capo optional if you can fret the neck in two places at once without strain. Really there are very few tools necessary, but common sense is essential.

 

[lermgalieu]

I do most things myself, but if I have a sense that a truss rod adjustment is needed, I may take it to a pro. I know enough not to break anything trust rod-wise, but I can always get it dialed in, and I am not a patient man.

 

[BOOG]

I'm not quite sure what this is telling me.

put that whole text in a google search engine and all of your questions will be answered.

 

[GIBrat51]

Is it possible to self learn bass setup and maintenance? If so - how? I want to learn how to do basic setup like trust rod adjustments, etc. What essential tools do I need? What books/videos can be recommended?

I am in Chicago and there is a shop called 'Chicago School of Guitar Making' that offers the following course:

Guitar Set-Up & Maintenance - Chicago Workshops - Specimen Products

Has anyone taken this?

Thanks!

Well, no, I haven't - but, it is kind of a long drive to Chicago from Las Vegas, Nevada... Anyway, yes, I do my own setups on my basses - and everything else with strings - 99.9% of the time. As I'm sure you've been told repeatedly here, it's not exactly rocket science to do a simple setup. And, unless you want to get into doing things like fret leveling and dressing, the necessary tools are minimal - and fairly inexpensive. Personally, I think the idea of a workshop would be kind of nice - if it was really worth the money. Unfortunately, I guess that one isn't. Too bad... But, honestly; there's a ton of info and how-to videos on YouTube (ain't they wonderful?), and, like I said - a basic setup isn't rocket science...

 

[JTE]

Besides the obvious reasons for learning to do setup yourself, a good reason to learn is that it helps you to know better how things work, how to differentiate between what's affected by setup and what is inherent in a specific instrument's construction. I've seen so many people pass up a great instrument because it didn't feel right to them, and they didn't know enough to understand that a simple setup would fix it. I got a great Hamer Cruise Bass for very little money because it needed a truss rod adjustment and bridge tweak.

 

[Ayce]

Sometimes, but not very often, you can find a great bass (despite the brand) second or third hand and pay a little for it. A few hours (or days) spent on a good setup and minor repairs can take a cheap, beat up instrument and turn it into a keeper.
On the other hand, you could spend a lot of money on a fancy "boutique" instrument, and find it to be garbage, even with a luthier's touch.

 

[Wiremessiah]

Yep. Although I'm stumped at raising the nut.

 

[BostonJazz72]

Thanks for all the great info! I watched a few video series and started doing some minor set up (truss rod, saddle height) already on my Squire bass. Will try to work with that one a while before moving onto my other basses.

 

[Fat Freddy]

Thanks for all the great info! I watched a few video series and started doing some minor set up (truss rod, saddle height) already on my Squire bass. Will try to work with that one a while before moving onto my other basses.

Be careful with that Squire....You don't wanna mess up your best bass do you?

 

[Chip Stewart]

I do my own setups on all of my electric instruments (bass and guitar). My acoustic guitars I have a luthier do the setup. Setting the intonation is a bit more difficult on an acoustic guitar.

 

[Ayce]

Here's a question. Which would be the best choice of tuner to set intonation, analog, digital, passthrough or clamp on?

 

[JoeWPgh]

Here's a question. Which would be the best choice of tuner to set intonation, analog, digital, passthrough or clamp on?

Whichever has the better/faster response. In terms of accuracy, it makes little difference, given the compromises inherent in any fretted instrument.