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CIJ Geddy Lee action really high...truss rod maxed?

#61
bnolsen said:
You live anywhere near harbor freight? 3.99usd for a full set of feeler gauges. They work just fine and are totally necessary if you are trying to keep track of any progress in your work with the truss rod.

Definitely definitely take pressure off the truss rod by back bending the neck whenever you try to adjust it.
Click to expand...

No I'm in Vancouver, Canada.

And I totally forgot about bending the neck back for sure. Thanks.
 
#66
Now it has too much back bow. Definitely the changing weather here in Vancouver is a factor, not the cause, though. Time to take it to the tech tomorrow.

Thanks for your help, guys. On a cheaper bass to experiment on, I'd definitely do all the things you suggested but to a $700 bass and even my beat-up MIM Fender...eh.

My MIM is set up the way I like it, neck curve and string height and all. The slight fret buzz adds to that nasty growl that I so love on jazz basses
 
#67
MovingPitchers said:
Now it has too much back bow. Definitely the changing weather here in Vancouver is a factor, not the cause, though. Time to take it to the tech tomorrow.

Thanks for your help, guys. On a cheaper bass to experiment on, I'd definitely do all the things you suggested but to a $700 bass and even my beat-up MIM Fender...eh.

My MIM is set up the way I like it, neck curve and string height and all. The slight fret buzz adds to that nasty growl that I so love on jazz basses
Click to expand...


Actually, changing weather is very much the cause when it comes to neck movement.
 
#68
Yeah, to be safe, I'd rather spend $60 for a real tech to do it properly than $300 on getting a neck repaired.I'm gonna head over to my local tech next week.

I got the action somewhat low: yes I did the saddles first then the truss rod. I did the fret the first fret-and-last-fret method: used a useless gift card as a gauger, as one of you suggested and it slides beneath the strings easily...it scrapes the strings by a hair's length but doesn't make actual contact with it...I'm guessing too much relief, judging from that.

But whenever I play lightly or hard on the octave frets, (12th fret and up), fret buzz. It's bearable, but I'd like to get rid of it while having a low action too.

In the beginning, I was iffy about keeping it or selling it again. I decided to keep it. With the new "set-up", or lack thereof, I played to a couple of Rush tunes to see how it felt. It actually felt comfortable, but most of the songs I played along to stayed between the first and ninth frets so I couldn't get a taste of how the 12th frets and over sounded like in a playing setting.

I have fallen in love with this bass. I'd like to change parts on it, but I dare not touch anything to it anymore. It's a tribute to Geddy Lee because he was/is/forever will be a godlike bass player and an inspiration to me, just like how HE has a Jaco Pastorius fretless tribute bass and he says he will not do anything to it in honour of Jaco. I hate the frigging BAII forever, but what can you do....
 
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#69
MovingPitchers said:
I got the action somewhat low: yes I did the saddles first then the truss rod. I did the fret the first fret-and-last-fret method: used a useless gift card as a gauger, as one of you suggested and it slides beneath the strings easily...it scrapes the strings by a hair's length but doesn't make actual contact with it...I'm guessing too much relief, judging from that.
Click to expand...

Neck relief is always the first step in a setup, you can't possibly set up the bridge correctly without the relief being set first.
 
#71
MovingPitchers said:
I thought string height via saddles was always the first step? Someone on a different thread totally flames at me for saying that truss rod adjustment was always first. Boy...
Click to expand...

Whoever told you that doesn't have a clue as to what they are talking about. The neck is the starting point for any setup, anything you do before getting the relief set properly will be changed when you set the neck.
 
#72
I
MovingPitchers said:
Yeah, to be safe, I'd rather spend $60 for a real tech to do it properly than $300 on getting a neck repaired.I'm gonna head over to my local tech next week.

I got the action somewhat low: yes I did the saddles first then the truss rod. I did the fret the first fret-and-last-fret method: used a useless gift card as a gauger, as one of you suggested and it slides beneath the strings easily...it scrapes the strings by a hair's length but doesn't make actual contact with it...I'm guessing too much relief, judging from that.

But whenever I play lightly or hard on the octave frets, (12th fret and up), fret buzz. It's bearable, but I'd like to get rid of it while having a low action too.

In the beginning, I was iffy about keeping it or selling it again. I decided to keep it. With the new "set-up", or lack thereof, I played to a couple of Rush tunes to see how it felt. It actually felt comfortable, but most of the songs I played along to stayed between the first and ninth frets so I couldn't get a taste of how the 12th frets and over sounded like in a playing setting.

I have fallen in love with this bass. I'd like to change parts on it, but I dare not touch anything to it anymore. It's a tribute to Geddy Lee because he was/is/forever will be a godlike bass player and an inspiration to me, just like how HE has a Jaco Pastorius fretless tribute bass and he says he will not do anything to it in honour of Jaco. I hate the frigging BAII forever, but what can you do....
Click to expand...
had a feeling that bass might grow on you in time...
 
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#73
Hopkins said:
Whoever told you that doesn't have a clue as to what they are talking about. The neck is the starting point for any setup, anything you do before getting the relief set properly will be changed when you set the neck.
Click to expand...

I will definitely believe you on that. I knew I was right; there's no way you can ever adjust the bridge saddles without adjusting the neck properly first.
 

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