usually when the high frets buzz and the action is not low enough, it means too much bow in the neck. if the neck buzzes in the middle or low frets it usually means the neck has too little bow.
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Budget Basses
- Thread starter Carbon Rose
- Start date
What you said is true but this Squier VM did not agree. I set the neck with very little, if not, no bow in the neck. I had no buzzing around the first or the middle of the neck, just at the 17th fret mostly. It makes no sense, that's why i got the refund.
That doesn't sound like a "minor and basic" adjustment. It sounds like tightening and loosening the truss rod multiple times, from "lots of relief to no relief at all and everything in between" in an effort to chase down the buzz, which very well might have been a high fret or a bad neck. It happens.
Also, the OP states that the bass was purchased at a local music store, and that he knew the action was high when he bought it. I have to ask - why didn't he get the store to do a basic setup on the bass as part of the purchase price?
If that's been your experience, then don't get another Squier. Try whatever else your local music shops have in stock, and go from there. Personally, I've had 6 Squier Affinity series basses come in (and out) of my hands over the last year or so, and not one of them has had any serious issues. That's been my experience with the least expensive bass Squier makes, so yes...it is possible.
There are plenty of sub-$300 basses out there that will fill the bill: Dean, Rogue, Epiphone, ESP, Peavey, Ibanez, and Yamaha make at least one model that fits in your price range, and all of the SX basses from Rondo are under $200.
I have 3 squier affinity series. All three had the neck shimmed from the factory. I tried to put one back together without it. Had that exact problem you just described. Maybe it should have been shimmed and wasn't. I know that should usually be a last resort but these were from the factory. Was a little .500 x 1.750 long piece of heavy grit sandpaper.
Why not consider this: instead of setting your sights on a specific instrument, consider the type of music would like to play, like to learn - and CONTINUE to learn....
A Jazz Bass offers a great flexibility. However other Bass designs do also. Consider what price range you feel comfortable with and remember - the Bass is really only half the story. A good amp, makes more difference that most people would ever really want to consider in their evaluation.
The reality is that many mid-priced instruments can be extremely playable in that they offer very high consistent standards of quality control. The lower the price; the lower the CONSISTENCY goes. You may find a good example in one and a poor example in the next: price often yields consistency.
IF your heart is set on a Jazz Bass consider the MIJ Fenders, If you have more flexibility look for what SOUND and technique you eventually want to embrace. Be realistic. It's rare to find a consistent Bass for a bargain. Amps can be gotten for a great value but the instrument is often what demands fore-thought. Allow yourself to dream a little. If you had a total of $700; what could you get that you'd be satisfied with? The next step is generally around $1200 (for both obviously).
When you limit yourself to $500 (both), you really can't rush into any purchase. You can be successful, but you must have a great deal of patience and hunt with care. Additionally your limitations grow as your price shrinks.
I once got an outstanding deal of a US made SUB Music Man and 15" TNT Peavy amp for around $600, but there were some issues involved & repairs demanded. I also bought a MIJ Jazz Bass and Ampeg that was nearly made for my hands.....yet I spent about $1100.
My point is that we most often get what we pay for & our expectation should realistically be in line with or ideals tempered with our means. Take your time & good luck
A Jazz Bass offers a great flexibility. However other Bass designs do also. Consider what price range you feel comfortable with and remember - the Bass is really only half the story. A good amp, makes more difference that most people would ever really want to consider in their evaluation.
The reality is that many mid-priced instruments can be extremely playable in that they offer very high consistent standards of quality control. The lower the price; the lower the CONSISTENCY goes. You may find a good example in one and a poor example in the next: price often yields consistency.
IF your heart is set on a Jazz Bass consider the MIJ Fenders, If you have more flexibility look for what SOUND and technique you eventually want to embrace. Be realistic. It's rare to find a consistent Bass for a bargain. Amps can be gotten for a great value but the instrument is often what demands fore-thought. Allow yourself to dream a little. If you had a total of $700; what could you get that you'd be satisfied with? The next step is generally around $1200 (for both obviously).
When you limit yourself to $500 (both), you really can't rush into any purchase. You can be successful, but you must have a great deal of patience and hunt with care. Additionally your limitations grow as your price shrinks.
I once got an outstanding deal of a US made SUB Music Man and 15" TNT Peavy amp for around $600, but there were some issues involved & repairs demanded. I also bought a MIJ Jazz Bass and Ampeg that was nearly made for my hands.....yet I spent about $1100.
My point is that we most often get what we pay for & our expectation should realistically be in line with or ideals tempered with our means. Take your time & good luck
I'm a big fan of budget basses, and my experience has been simply trial and error. I've bought three basses this year that had horribly high action at the shop, and one had a neck bow that looked like a ski jump. I managed to set them up to very playable condition, but I've been lucky. I could've just as easily had an experience like yours. It's a roll of the dice, but it's a nice feeling when you end up with a 
winner of a bass.
As far as set-up goes, I usually sacrifice fret buzz past the 14th fret for lower action elsewhere. If I were spending a lot of cash on a bass, that wouldn't be acceptable, but with budget basses, I can put up with it.
winner of a bass. As far as set-up goes, I usually sacrifice fret buzz past the 14th fret for lower action elsewhere. If I were spending a lot of cash on a bass, that wouldn't be acceptable, but with budget basses, I can put up with it.
I have the same question as ghostdog93. Why not have the store do the setup before purchase? If a problem arises, the store should fix it if they want to make a sale. If they don't want make the instrument playable, I wouldn't be dealing with them myself. All of the procedures for neck adjustment that I've read advise no more than a quarter-turn adjustment at one time and 24 hours for the neck to settle before making another adjustment. I'm not saying that the neck was ruined, but it doesn't sound like it was given time to settle after adjustment.
A few of you have stated that I should of had the bass set-up at the store, maybe I should of but my idea of 'low action' is sometimes too low and 'unplayable' to others, which is why I prefer to do my own set-ups rather than asking some guy at the music store who doesn't agree with me to do it.
About the truss rod adjustments. I'm not sure why and who said you should only turn the truss rod 1/4 a day and leave it to settle, but i tested this theory on a very cheap bass which i didn't care for, just so I had some experience with it. My personal experience with this is that I could turn it more than 1/4 a day and the adjustments would pretty much effect the neck instantly when i checked.
I agree with Phendyr's comment 100% " High frets or frets that need to be set properly SHOULD NOT have to be an issue for a brand new bass "
About the truss rod adjustments. I'm not sure why and who said you should only turn the truss rod 1/4 a day and leave it to settle, but i tested this theory on a very cheap bass which i didn't care for, just so I had some experience with it. My personal experience with this is that I could turn it more than 1/4 a day and the adjustments would pretty much effect the neck instantly when i checked.
I agree with Phendyr's comment 100% " High frets or frets that need to be set properly SHOULD NOT have to be an issue for a brand new bass "
John Grey, you speak wise words and I appreciate your comment.
I would like to continue learning rather than being concerned with what gear I'm using but If i spend my cash on a bass that I've decided to buy and it doesn't play right, action issues, buzz, etc then I feel like I've been cheated. I feel like my cash has been spent on a piece of equipment that isn't functioning as it should be, that it is holding me back from learning because I cant play it the way i want to.
The sort of music I enjoy listening to and play / would like to play is mainly, soul, funk, jazz, and hip hop. I mainly use your standard 2 finger technique and slap. I chose to purchase a jazz bass due to its tonal versatility and also I prefer the slap tone rather than a P-bass slap tone.
I admire players such as Victor Wooten, Marcus Miller, Stuart Zender and Anthony Wellington. Their sound and style of playing is what inspires me so I guess I'm looking for something along those lines?
I would like to continue learning rather than being concerned with what gear I'm using but If i spend my cash on a bass that I've decided to buy and it doesn't play right, action issues, buzz, etc then I feel like I've been cheated. I feel like my cash has been spent on a piece of equipment that isn't functioning as it should be, that it is holding me back from learning because I cant play it the way i want to.
The sort of music I enjoy listening to and play / would like to play is mainly, soul, funk, jazz, and hip hop. I mainly use your standard 2 finger technique and slap. I chose to purchase a jazz bass due to its tonal versatility and also I prefer the slap tone rather than a P-bass slap tone.
I admire players such as Victor Wooten, Marcus Miller, Stuart Zender and Anthony Wellington. Their sound and style of playing is what inspires me so I guess I'm looking for something along those lines?
A fret job would prob help. The squires and fenders Ive examined had mediocre fretwork to me. Take a look at Ibanez SR, ESP Ltd B & F series, and Schecter Stillito and Omens series. Theyve allways done excellent by me for nice low action without hassles plus great tone with active preamps to.
Carbon Rose said:
I believe you really stressed that neck in a short period of time. Hey, your bass, your money. Too bad it didn't work for you. Better luck next time.
The Ibanez SR300 fretted and fret-less basses look amazing quality for the price. The features this basses offers is outstanding, but I've never played one and it seems too good to be true, is there a catch here?
I can only speak for myself. I have a modded squier AFN, and love it. It started out as the cheapest bass I've ever owned. The neck is sweet, and I can't tell the difference in quality between it and a VM or MIM. I can tell the difference comparing it to my MIA jazz though.
It's your money. If the music store tech won't set the bass up as you - the buyer - want it, you can choose to shop elsewhere. I know I would.
Second, a basic set up to be sure the bass was free of any serious issues was still a viable option, IMO. You could have adjusted the action to your own specific standards at a later date. As it is, you ended up with a problem that might have been discovered if the music store had done some basic set up for you. Considering your previous experiences with Squier basses, along with the existing high action and lots-of-relief in the neck, I'm surprised you didn't look further into it before you plunked down your cash.
Still, live and learn.
Yes it's my money and I want it to be set-up the way I like to play it. However when I say I want it "this" low and the guy at the music store tells me its too low and it's unplayable, and when one side of the neck is straight but other is over bowed you don't really want to hang on to an instrument like that and "try" to make it work.
It's a brand new instrument, I shouldn't have to do such things to correct errors that were made back when it was being constructed.
A "basic" set-up is something I can do myself, its not rocket science and it doesn't take a pro to do a simple basic set-up. Which is why I would rather set my own instruments up. But like John Grey said, price reflects the consistency of the product so at 273 GBP I got one of the crappy VM jazz's. Just my luck
It's a brand new instrument, I shouldn't have to do such things to correct errors that were made back when it was being constructed.
A "basic" set-up is something I can do myself, its not rocket science and it doesn't take a pro to do a simple basic set-up. Which is why I would rather set my own instruments up. But like John Grey said, price reflects the consistency of the product so at 273 GBP I got one of the crappy VM jazz's. Just my luck
