Can you do a setup from scratch on your bass?

[Alkali Ike]

Suppose someone dinks with the intonation, action, truss rod, and tuning machines on your bass. Everything is out of whack (but nothing is broken).

Can you fix it on your own?

 

[StevieMac]

Absolutely. It's not difficult and well worth leaning.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

As long as they didn't mess with the nut slots or give me a high fret.

 

[Badwater]

It's something that I do all the time. I'd never let someone else set up my guitars or basses.

 

[soulman969]

Yeah and then I'd kick the a$$ of the one who dinked with it.

 

[rufus.K]

yes I can, do, and have.

 

[Spectrum]

This is one of those things that for some reason lots of people think is really difficult when it's not once you just do it. Kind of like learning to tie a necktie, it's not that hard.

 

[hondo4life]

This is one of those things that for some reason lots of people think is really difficult when it's not once you just do it. Kind of like learning to tie a necktie, it's not that hard.

I can't tie a necktie, but I can tie a Swiss Seat, and build a sweet playing bass guitar from cheap parts.

 

[Spectrum]

I can't tie a necktie, but I can tie a Swiss Seat, and build a sweet playing bass guitar from cheap parts.

You should learn to tie a tie. It's not hard, and it's one of those grown-up things we should all learn, like driving a stick shift and changing your oil. Even if you only wear a tie to weddings and funerals. Clip-on ties are like the auto-tune of men's clothing, a crutch for the fashionably weak.

 

[hondo4life]

You should learn to tie a tie. It's not hard, and it's one of those grown-up things we should all learn, like driving a stick shift and changing your oil. Even if you only wear a tie to weddings and funerals. Clip-on ties are like the auto-tune of men's clothing, a crutch for the fashionably weak.

NOT AUTO TUNE!!!! NOOOOOOOOO!!!

I hate neck ties, and I am definitely fashionably weak. Can I just wear a bow tie?

 

[Spectrum]

NOT AUTO TUNE!!!! NOOOOOOOOO!!!

I hate neck ties, and I am definitely fashionably weak. Can I just wear a bow tie?

Bow-ties, now those I never learned to tie lol!

 

[JDT36]

I cannot but would like to learn. Anyone want to point to their favorite resource on how to do a setup properly? As usual the web seems full of conflicting misinformation.

 

[Cowboy in Latvia]

I have taken basses apart, flown it halfway around the world and then put it back together. After adjusting to the major difference in climate ( <30% rH vs >50%rH) I gave them all setups. The setup part was easy as I have a set of feeler gauges and a full set of adjustment tools in both of my home bases.

My personal brag is that I have worked with people who graduated from Berkley and North Texas who have asked me to set up their guitars after playing on mine. I'm not a pro by any means but a somewhat competent amateur.

 

[Cowboy in Latvia]

Bow-ties, now those I never learned to tie lol!

Easy enough with the right youtube video.

 

[Jazz Ad]

It's a basic skills, much like changing a tyre on a car but then again most people can't change a tyre.

 

[eric_B]

Can you fix it on your own?

Yes. It was one of the reasons I built a DIY kit bass, to learn how to set up your own instrument.

 

[JW56789]

I cannot but would like to learn. Anyone want to point to their favorite resource on how to do a setup properly? As usual the web seems full of conflicting misinformation.

There are YouTube videos for everything, but you want to be sure to take advice from professionals, people that do it well for a living, we have more that a few right here in TalkBass, and instructions to boot (see the 'Hardware, SetUp and Repair' tab in the Forums section). Stay the hell away from the 'bubba in his basement' who thinks he knows everything.

For me, my biggest help in this was StewMac and the Dan Erlewine vids/tutorials.

For me, this is for basses with clean frets, a good nut, and all the adjustments work as advertised. If it's going beyond that, I take it to a pro.

The funny thing is that once you learn how to maintain YOUR setup (because it varies from person to person and one bass to another), over time you tend to have to do it less because you can KEEP it dialed in should you feel it going off, your hands will get real used to what 'right' feels like.

 

[JakobT]

Bow-ties, now those I never learned to tie lol!

Now that IS easy, you tie it exactly like you would tie your shoelaces, and then just smooth it out it until it lays flat. That, too, is an essential male skill, even if you only use it once or twice in your lifetime. The bonus is that you’re able to untie it late in the evening and just let it hang around your neck for that James Bond look. Much easier than to set up a bass, too.

 

[fast slapper]

Very easy. You can do by sight, feel, and if you have perfect pitch, sound.

 

[NOVAX]

Let's see 20+ basses at $65 per visit and new strings? YES I LEARNED HOW TO DO MY OWN SETUPS!