Do you setup your bass?

[experimental bassist]

Yeah, I do my own, always have.

Mostly learned by necessity I guess since I started so young I really didn't have good access to a music store (too young to drive) or the means to pay for such extravagances, as all my money at the time went into larger amps, other basses, or upgrading our massive (at the time) Sunn PA system.

Over the years I've also gotten into acoustic guitar playing, and do my own setups on those as well, which are completely different beasts. You know, sanding bridges, making and filing bone saddles and nuts, (skills that happen to come in real handy with ABGs) but of course a lot of those procedures are irreversible, or at least are not easy undone!

Most of the stuff on my electric basses is easy peasy since it's pretty much all reversible.

For example, when I know I'm going to be recording, I often will raise my action slightly to eliminate or at least greatly reduce any unneccessary fret buzz or clank, but if I'm just playing live or rehearsing, you know, 99 percent stuff, I'll run my action a bit lower to make playing that much easier and pleasant.

And of course changing string height more times than not requires intonation adjustments, as does changing string gauges or brands, etc.

I encourage young bassist to learn at least the fundamentals, setting action and intonation at the minimum, because so many variables can influence them.

Having a well set up instrument should be the rule and not the exception.

 

[2saddleslab]

Yes, do my own setups. Something I learned by just doing it. And have done the same for others who have told me their bass never played better.

 

[exidor]

I do my own setups & I can even put strings on it & everything.

 

[socialleper]

I can do my own action, neck adjustments and pickup level adjustments. I don't trust myself to install pickups or do anything with the nut. Because of the dry weather here, my neck/fretboard can shrink, so if the frets are sticking out of the side of the neck I have someone else file them down. I've never had the frets on my basses leveled.
A basic "setup" can cost around $80-$90 dollars and take up to a week and a half if you take it to one of the well known shops. Because of that, I've learned to do the simple stuff and get by without some other things.

 

[Marial]

I would take my basses to Mike just to have an excuse to talk to the man about basses

He's always good for a fun a story, that's for sure. That said, I've found that for my fretless basses I prefer going to Ben at American Music in Fremont. He plays fretless himself so he has a better feel for setting one up. For fretted Mike's definitely the man, however.

 

[Ric5]

Not knowing how to do a good setup on your bass is like not knowing how to adjust the mirrors on the car you drive.

I have also learned how to do fretwork. A handy skill if you play bass.

 

[Jaco Taco]

You need to know how to set-up your bass yourself because at the end of the day, no one is going to be able to tweak your bass for what you want it to be better than yourself.

 

[spaz21387]

its easy and the techs around here don't know what they are doing. so at least a newbie to setups will have one thing in common with the techs. learn to do It yourself it saves time and money and you get it setup exactly how you like it.

 

[KeddyLee]

I set up my basses. You learn a lot about your instrument and how you like it when you do it yourself. I thought it was hard at first (20 years ago) but it just gets easier and easier.

 

[bobdabilder]

I do all of my own work. If something new comes up that i don't have the tools for, I'll purchase the tools I need and take care of it. I know my instruments and we don't let each other down.

 

[Pandastylebass]

I prefer to take my basses in to a professional for set ups and over all check ups twice a year (Seasons in NYC and Hot Apts do a number on necks) I do minor neck tweeks and intonation stuff myself when it is an easy fix. My Luthier told me something that will always stick with me. "I'm sure you can do all of this yourself, but the difference between you and me is I know when to stop"
This may not be true of everyone, but it is certainly true of me.

 

[G On Bass]

I do everything myself except cutting the nut and fret leveling.

+1.

I dick-around with diferrent strings of differing tensions so often that I had to learn. Even when I take it to get a bone nut installed and they set it up, I still adjust it. The guys I use are great, but they use special 'tools' and fancy 'measurin' stuff' that I don't understand. I just twist things until it feels right.

I did try and learn to replace nuts once on a cheap bass. That neck is now a coat rack.

 

[SoVeryTired]

When I realised that I might need to pay someone to setup my bass each time I change strings, I learned how to do it myself. Relief, action, intonation, pickup height - that's all me. Nut slots, frets, electronics - haven't had to to do any of those yet but that may be where I turn to the professionals.

 

[vbchaos]

I trust my local luthier - first time I brought in my instrument for a setup/checkup we talked about my playing style, technics and sound preferences for more than an hour. Afterwards, the setup was nearly perfect.
Next years setup was perfect. I want to add that I bring my bass to him once a year for a complete electronics checkup and wood clean/polish work.
I could do it myself, and sometimes I do some smaller settings myself, but especially for the wood work he is far more skilled and has the right materials and machines where I would do everything by hand. The checkup/setup is an offer from him for 50€, and I am willing to spend that money to keep my instrument in good shape. I have a natural wood finish and he knows what he is doing.
After the second setup he knows exactly how to etup up my bass

 

[Bassist_5LX]

Never have actually taken a bass in for a setup in 30 years of playing..
Started playing bass at 10 yrs old. Set up for what feels good for you..
I like a slight "Buzz" at 12th fret, tuned at 440..Once you figure out how the bridge and the trussrod work together, it's all experiment
\m/

 

[GKon]

Since learning how to do my own setup (truss rod, string height, intonation), I do it myself on all of my basses.
I don't pretend to be a pro, but I do know that my basses now sound better and feel the way I want them to. As well, although I like my string height rather low, my daily player needs to have the string heights a bit higher than normal to eliminate fret buzz. It's easier to do myself than to explain to someone what to do on each bass.

I still haven't learned how to do a fret dress. That's next on my list. I may buy a cheap, thrashed, bass to practice on.

 

[soulman969]

I do and have done it for years. Actually I can think of only one instance where someone else did a setup on a bass I owned and I left it because it suited me just as well as if I'd done it myself.

Many techs use factory specs for their setups which aren't optimal for me or the basses I play. Unless you can either communicate your wishes to a tech or wait while he does it then try it out and have him tweak it most guys would be far better off doing their own tech work. It's not that hard.

 

[Polfuste]

i build one of my bass with a luthier, during a course. since this day, i set up all my instruments, change electronic, ... The only thing i will let to a pro is fret levelling and nut.

 

[SirMjac28]

I have mine setup but I really want to start doing my own my only problem is my OCD would have me fine tuning and adjusting more than I would be playing.I have a great tech that I have been using for years he knows exactly what I want.

 

[El Spearo]

I started playing bass again a year ago after a 20 year hiatus, and before I even bought my 1st bass I found this website. As a result, when I got it I just went straight ahead and did my own set up. I have even set up some of my mate's basses. Two days ago I got a mid 90s Ibanez TR series PJ bass, and it needs a bit of work, looking forward to it!