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Best action on a bass....
- Thread starter reeder=god?
- Start date
Best action on a bass? The one that's set up to your specs. You should take your Ibanez to a good shop to have a set up done on it. You will be amazed at the difference a good setup makes on the playability and feel of your bass. No need to go to the financial lengths that it takes to aquire and F bass to get one that feels right! Please do yourself a huge favor, and just get your bass set up done right, and if need be, work closely with the person who does the set up so that they can set it up to your preferences. It's NOT good enough to just say "hey, I need my bass set up" and leave it at that.
I'm sure it's nice, and if you have the money, go crazy with the F Bass. But, I've played Squire Basses and guitars and el-cheapos which felt fantastic in the hands after set up work.
$60 for a good set up, or $X,XXX for an F Bass. You decide.
Good luck with it.
Have you tried getting your iceman set up by a professional?
You might not need a new axe.
and if thats the not case.. +1 to Lakland, pro bass without the pro price.
You might not need a new axe.
and if thats the not case.. +1 to Lakland, pro bass without the pro price.
Best action on a bass? The one that's set up to your specs. You should take your Ibanez to a good shop to have a set up done on it. You will be amazed at the difference a good setup makes on the playability and feel of your bass. No need to go to the financial lengths that it takes to aquire and F bass to get one that feels right! Please do yourself a huge favor, and just get your bass set up done right, and if need be, work closely with the person who does the set up so that they can set it up to your preferences. It's NOT good enough to just say "hey, I need my bass set up" and leave it at that.
I'm sure it's nice, and if you have the money, go crazy with the F Bass. But, I've played Squire Basses and guitars and el-cheapos which felt fantastic in the hands after set up work.
$60 for a good set up, or $X,XXX for an F Bass. You decide.
Good luck with it.
+1.
And while you have your bass there, ask the luthier/repair man to check the frets as well. A fret leveling job by a really good luthier will allow the action to be set quite low on most any bass provided the neck is in good shape to begin with, ie. not warped , twisted etc.
I'd consider getting the frets leveled crowned and polished as part of a Full, Top Notch set up. This will be an eye opener for you, and will cost you substantialy less than a new F bass.
Your call.
$35-$200 for a basic to top flight set up job...
or $2000-$5000 for a high end bass with a top flight set up job.
Not a hard choice if you ask me.
For the record, I used to have my SX set up with the action set at 2/32" at the 12th fret, and it would still go lower, after I had the frets done.
Also, find out what brand and guage strings are on that F bass that you like so much.
Add these strings to your full service pro set up/ fret leveling etc. and I think you might just be amazed.
Sometimes just a differnet set of strings will make a world of difference in the way a bass feels.
Add these strings to your full service pro set up/ fret leveling etc. and I think you might just be amazed.
Sometimes just a differnet set of strings will make a world of difference in the way a bass feels.
I also came from more of a classical guitar background. Being a former shred head, I never could comprehend why anyone would play something that took a lot of effort to play. Benefits would include easier 2 handed chording, better intonation, and a better ability to accent notes and play louder for certain parts.
The only downside to wanting basses with low action is that not all are created equally! While a vast majority of boutique basses will play like this, it's hard to find this in budget and intermediate basses. A setup can help, but it's all about what the bass is willing to do. In short, you might get some basses to play like an F Bass, but there are no guarantees. For the most part, most bassists don't look for extremely low action, thus it's not a top priority for a lot of companies.
My personal pic without breaking the bank is the Peavey Cirrus and Millennium series. The Cirri play every bit as good as custom basses. The Millennium series can play like the Cirrus, but the neck will need to be shimmed.
Good action can be had on just about any bass with level frets and a properly functioning bridge and trus rod. I had my $169 SX dressed (frets filed and leveled) and setup by a pro and it has the best action I've played to date. Do yourself a favor and have your Ibanez dressed and setup by a pro. You'll fall in love all over again.
Benjamin Strange
Commercial User
- Dec 25, 2002
- 9,737
- 310
- 49
- Disclosures
- Owner / Tech: Strange Guitarworks
Best action on a bass? The one that's set up to your specs. You should take your Ibanez to a good shop to have a set up done on it. You will be amazed at the difference a good setup makes on the playability and feel of your bass. No need to go to the financial lengths that it takes to aquire and F bass to get one that feels right! Please do yourself a huge favor, and just get your bass set up done right, and if need be, work closely with the person who does the set up so that they can set it up to your preferences. It's NOT good enough to just say "hey, I need my bass set up" and leave it at that.
I'm sure it's nice, and if you have the money, go crazy with the F Bass. But, I've played Squire Basses and guitars and el-cheapos which felt fantastic in the hands after set up work.
$60 for a good set up, or $X,XXX for an F Bass. You decide.
Good luck with it.
Ding ding ding! We have a winner.
Get your bass set up. I have found that with a proper setup and an attentive eye for detail, one can get a $200 bass to play just as easily as a $2000 bass.
I agree with all the comments about getting a good setup, because most basses above a certain quality threshhold can get low action with a proper setup, fret dressing, etc. And strings can make a big difference.
Strings with slightly lower tension are easier to press down to the fretboard, and can help create excellent playability without super low action. This is one reason my Fenders with relatively low-tension Fender strings play almost as well as my G&L's, which have slightly lower action. (There are other reasons, like my preference for the Fender's fretboard radii and the Fenders' rolled fretboard edges.)
Nevertheless, my easiest playing bass, with the lowest action, is my G&L L-1500 with the #8 neck. I got this shortly after G&L started using a PLEK machine for perfect fretwork, and it really makes a difference. The action gets very low with no fret buzz, even without high-tension strings. I've tried very few basses with such effortless playability, regardless of price.
Strings with slightly lower tension are easier to press down to the fretboard, and can help create excellent playability without super low action. This is one reason my Fenders with relatively low-tension Fender strings play almost as well as my G&L's, which have slightly lower action. (There are other reasons, like my preference for the Fender's fretboard radii and the Fenders' rolled fretboard edges.)
Nevertheless, my easiest playing bass, with the lowest action, is my G&L L-1500 with the #8 neck. I got this shortly after G&L started using a PLEK machine for perfect fretwork, and it really makes a difference. The action gets very low with no fret buzz, even without high-tension strings. I've tried very few basses with such effortless playability, regardless of price.
its about 90% in the set up. i have an Ibanez IJSB90, the cheapo in the value pack(deployed, didnt want to mess up any good bass) and was able to set this bass up to be incredably playable.
I feel like this is a good place for a confession.
My Bongo never felt right. After reading all the rave reviews about playability and trying one for myself, I ordered one. Right when I took the bass out of the case, I wondered if Musicman sends their basses out set up. when I looked down the neck, the reflection of the E and A strings on the frets showed up as a wave while the G string reflection was pretty straight.
The action had to be high for me to get no buzz, and I asked San Luis Obispo factory to have a look at it and they said it was just a set up problem. They tinkered with it for no charge and sent it back to me. It had lower action and a shim under the neck, but buzz.. and not confined to one region of the neck, it would intermittently show up all up and down. Well the receipt said fret level, but it doesnt feel level. On the E and A strings the Bongo has buzz on 2-5th fret and 12-15 fret. G is pretty good but I've felt better. Also, its pretty hard for me to press down on the first fret, and I am starting to get a feeling that the nut might be cut too high and the frets not really level, what are your thoughts? I may be expecting too much from a bass given that the strings are thick, but I remember trying out my Fernandes ($275) at a store and it was sooo easy to play!!!
And can anyone tell me a good place around Exeter NH to get a pro set-up? From previous experiences, I don't trust the local store with my instruments anymore. and the store is more like a CD shop, not an instrument store XD
Thanks for reading this long post if you got this far and to the OP, sorry if this hijacked your thread
My Bongo never felt right. After reading all the rave reviews about playability and trying one for myself, I ordered one. Right when I took the bass out of the case, I wondered if Musicman sends their basses out set up. when I looked down the neck, the reflection of the E and A strings on the frets showed up as a wave while the G string reflection was pretty straight.
The action had to be high for me to get no buzz, and I asked San Luis Obispo factory to have a look at it and they said it was just a set up problem. They tinkered with it for no charge and sent it back to me. It had lower action and a shim under the neck, but buzz.. and not confined to one region of the neck, it would intermittently show up all up and down. Well the receipt said fret level, but it doesnt feel level. On the E and A strings the Bongo has buzz on 2-5th fret and 12-15 fret. G is pretty good but I've felt better. Also, its pretty hard for me to press down on the first fret, and I am starting to get a feeling that the nut might be cut too high and the frets not really level, what are your thoughts? I may be expecting too much from a bass given that the strings are thick, but I remember trying out my Fernandes ($275) at a store and it was sooo easy to play!!!
And can anyone tell me a good place around Exeter NH to get a pro set-up? From previous experiences, I don't trust the local store with my instruments anymore. and the store is more like a CD shop, not an instrument store XD
Thanks for reading this long post if you got this far and to the OP, sorry if this hijacked your thread
I just came back from a round of reading PLEK stories in the TB archives.
should I shell out the money and get this done to my Bongo even if its a relatively new instrument? (I've had it for 6 months, but dunno when it was first created)
should I shell out the money and get this done to my Bongo even if its a relatively new instrument? (I've had it for 6 months, but dunno when it was first created)
action is all a matter of taste. but:
the best action ive ever felt on a bass was a fender marcus miller signature jazz bass
the worst action ive ever felt was an epiphone les paul bass. the action on the fretboard was set WAY too high, and the strings were bumping against the pickups constantly, which were raised way too high. i didnt even plug it in, it was that bad. yuck...
the best action ive ever felt on a bass was a fender marcus miller signature jazz bass
the worst action ive ever felt was an epiphone les paul bass. the action on the fretboard was set WAY too high, and the strings were bumping against the pickups constantly, which were raised way too high. i didnt even plug it in, it was that bad. yuck...
I feel like this is a good place for a confession.
My Bongo never felt right. After reading all the rave reviews about playability and trying one for myself, I ordered one. Right when I took the bass out of the case, I wondered if Musicman sends their basses out set up. when I looked down the neck, the reflection of the E and A strings on the frets showed up as a wave while the G string reflection was pretty straight.
The action had to be high for me to get no buzz, and I asked San Luis Obispo factory to have a look at it and they said it was just a set up problem. They tinkered with it for no charge and sent it back to me. It had lower action and a shim under the neck, but buzz.. and not confined to one region of the neck, it would intermittently show up all up and down. Well the receipt said fret level, but it doesnt feel level. On the E and A strings the Bongo has buzz on 2-5th fret and 12-15 fret. G is pretty good but I've felt better. Also, its pretty hard for me to press down on the first fret, and I am starting to get a feeling that the nut might be cut too high and the frets not really level, what are your thoughts? I may be expecting too much from a bass given that the strings are thick, but I remember trying out my Fernandes ($275) at a store and it was sooo easy to play!!!
And can anyone tell me a good place around Exeter NH to get a pro set-up? From previous experiences, I don't trust the local store with my instruments anymore. and the store is more like a CD shop, not an instrument store XD
Thanks for reading this long post if you got this far and to the OP, sorry if this hijacked your thread
this kind of stuff is happening on more musicmans than used to in the past. the store i work at had a butter cream bongo 5 and it needed a shim bad. i slammed the saddles all the way down and it was still high in the upper register. that stuff just didnt happen on all the ernie balls i used to play.
No buzz.
The guy who did my fret work is very good.
I noticed your location. Was it by any chance Jim Mouradian? I heard he was a godly bass repairman. I remember reading a quote on google that went like
"On the seventh day, God created stringed instruments, and on the eighth day, God created Jim Mouradian to fix them"
