I do it. I bought the tools the Fender manual listed. Not too tough to do.I've always had my bass setup by a local shop since the day I got it. They're a likeable bunch of fellas in there, they know their stuff, and I knew nothing about setups, so I always kind of assumed their setup was "right" for lack of a better word. But something was always off with the playability, and it finally bothered me enough that I decided to re-setup my bass myself. Long story short, I watched a bunch of YouTube videos and fiddled for about an hour or so and now the setup on my bass is Perfect for me. So now I wonder; How many of you guys and gals setup your own bass? How many take it to a shop or someone else?
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Do you setup your bass?
- Thread starter SplinteredSkull
- Start date
so if my bridge won't lower my E any lower . . . should i get a new bridge? i think the lowest i can get it is 9/64 where the recommended is 7/64. it's dropped all of the way . . .
also, not sure what strings are on there now, but i have an old set of labella flats, and they are FAT. i'd love to put them on, because flats / pbass / etc. but i'm worried about having to file the nut, because of how big the strings are. is this really a big issue? kinda apprehensive to start another project/task when i still can't adjust the truss rod properly (at least until possibly my truss tool arrives next week).
also afraid that if i file the nut, smaller strings that i normally like (when they arent flats), will sit too low and i'll have to replace the nut lol.
also, not sure what strings are on there now, but i have an old set of labella flats, and they are FAT. i'd love to put them on, because flats / pbass / etc. but i'm worried about having to file the nut, because of how big the strings are. is this really a big issue? kinda apprehensive to start another project/task when i still can't adjust the truss rod properly (at least until possibly my truss tool arrives next week).
also afraid that if i file the nut, smaller strings that i normally like (when they arent flats), will sit too low and i'll have to replace the nut lol.
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Interesting. So your saddle is touching/on the bridge plate then? And what gauge strings did you had on before? If it's close you're fine. I would take it to a shop if you need to mess with the nut. That's something I wouldn't want to risk messing up.
yeah the saddle is slammed down on the plate . . . im hoping that once i get a 4mm hex for the truss (tomorrow), that i can close some of the gap, because the action is just way too high for me.
i remembered those labellas being really fat, but i havent plated them in a year. tonight i pulled them out and compared them to the rounds that are on there now, the E on the labella is a 104, so it's not terrible big.
it looked to be the same size as the E of the rounds, so i just put them on, had to press a little to get it down in the nut, but it fits ok . . . isn't buzzing or anything. could probably use a bit of a file though.
my main goal is to adjust this truss and see what happens. hope i dont snap it or anything!
Yeah it sounds like your action is just ridiculously high haha. However, I don't think you need to worry about snapping it because it is so high already. Just do small 1/8 turns until you start to get there. I would recommend taking you saddle back up though so you get a better feel of where your action is at. I check the truss rod by fretting the 1st fret and the fret where the neck meets the body, and eyeballing the gap. Although that is where the feeler gauge comes in. I can feel when my truss rod has gone out of adjustment now.
As for the nut, you can go for it and file it a little, just keep in mind that once you make that slots larger: smaller strings will not fit as well. They might move around in the gap and buzz.
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If you pay for a pro to set up your guitar, you should play it in front of them to show them what fine corrections need to be made before leaving the shop or go back and discuss with them the needed changes. Doing major concert production I have witnessed pro touring guitar techs having to redo the artist's guitar for fret buzzing etc., so it's never an exact science 100% of the time. You are dealing with a wood instrument that is quirky. If you can do this yourself, fine, but at least using a pro should get you started on the right track if the tech is any good in the first place and you have no real basics about such work. If not, they will lose business and you could mess up your guitar. Or look for someone else if the shop you frequent did not satisfy. Sometimes there are several techs in a shop and some are better than others and on certain instruments. Suffice it to say, many of the better techs are on tour with icons. Or ask around from others with your same model/type instrument who they would recommend in your town.
doesn't mean that there aren't good techs around.
probably what is the best shop in my city has an amazing tech. i've never had a bad setup come back from him. they do all kinds of crazy work as well, like repairing broken gibson necks etc.
in contrast, the kid who works at the shop 10mins from me isn't that great. i'd rather take the drive and give the old dude $35 than the kid.
ok cool, i am really happy to hear this. i thought that i needed to run out and buy a new bridge or something.
i think my plan will be to grab that tool, and then move the saddles back to a neutral position before adjusting the truss, and then lowering the action to the proper level.
the action is so bad, and the neck so relieved, that the lowest i can get the E string is like 1/32 or more outside of the upper end of the recommended range from the factory.
Side note: It's crazy to look back and see how in January of this year I didn't know squat about set-ups, and now I've set up my own bass numerous times with different strings, and even set-up a friend's bass a couple times. The more you do it, the more you'll learn and be comfortable with it.
Get the allen wrench, and keep it with your bass at all times. The environment will affect your set-up. I usually have to redo my set up if I ever take my bass on vacation with me to the beach. And I like my action pretty low. Not string clanking low. But fairly flat and easy to fret, with enough relief to strike the strings hard without buzz.
No one was alluding to that, merely that many of the better techs are tapped to go on tour. But that doesn't mean some great tech does not want to live out of a suitcase and is in your home town. If so, then all is well. But how many towns will have this guy? It happens across the board on many instruments, amps, keyboards. On lists of techs specializing in certain gear, the call to the group for "tech in this area" is usually made to lean on the group's expertise and community to find a suitable tech in a specific town or city. Happens all the time.
But yeah, do yourself a favor and your tech who could use the work, and give your bass a chance in the hands of an expert.
Sounds like a tiny weeny shim in the neck pocket is what you need to slightly change the angle and will give you more room for adjustment. The truss rod is not the right place to deal with this issue: it is there to adjust the curvature and get the right amount of relief, nothing else.
Shim: a tiny strip from a business card will do, in the neck pocket, flat, right against the bridge facing end... That gives you a tiny angle increase that gives you more room at the saddle end, allowing you to bring the action down a bit, assuming relief and nut are already close enough to where they should be, and frets are levelled etc.
OP, check out this sticky: http://www.talkbass.com/threads/all-basic-setup-questions-answered-here.125382/. Read through it and you'll be setting your basses up like a pro in no time.
got a 4mm today. tried tightening the truss as much as possible, afraid on multiple occasions that it was too much (it probably was). i kept trying to get it tighter to meet the feeler gauge specs like in that Elixer video in the sticky, but i couldn't get it any tighter.
went though and lowered the action, bottomed out again before i got where i needed to be, so i assume the truss should be tighter. played through and had dead spots 12+ (the bridge was set too low).
shaged with the truss some more and started over. got it as tight as i was comfortable with. set the action higher because it sucks lol, and adjusted intonation.
how bad did i do?
i'm sure this would be a lot easier if i started on a nicer bass, but at the same time i don't trust my skills enough to work on a nicer bass that i own lol. really tempted to take this to a pro and ask them about the truss etc just to see what the official word is on this bass.
went though and lowered the action, bottomed out again before i got where i needed to be, so i assume the truss should be tighter. played through and had dead spots 12+ (the bridge was set too low).
shaged with the truss some more and started over. got it as tight as i was comfortable with. set the action higher because it sucks lol, and adjusted intonation.
how bad did i do?
i'm sure this would be a lot easier if i started on a nicer bass, but at the same time i don't trust my skills enough to work on a nicer bass that i own lol. really tempted to take this to a pro and ask them about the truss etc just to see what the official word is on this bass.
a basic setup-new strings, truss rod, string height, intonation- is really quite simple... i see no reason to pay someone $60+ to do it. sure, sometimes it takes about 40 minutes to an hour.. but it's so easy.
when you do it yourself you can spend an entire day getting it exactly how it needs to be for you. theres nothing better than that.
when you do it yourself you can spend an entire day getting it exactly how it needs to be for you. theres nothing better than that.
I do my own setups, and also set up other peoples guitars and basses if they ask nicely, as well as the occasional pickup replacement. I leave things like fret leveling on up to the pros.
1. The sticky! http://www.talkbass.com/threads/all-basic-setup-questions-answered-here.125382/ as noted above.
2. The John Carruthers videos. Excellent and easy to follow. I set my relief and action 20-25% lower than he does though.
The following is borrowed from another post of mine from last month:
1. Feeler gauge from Pep Boys, $5.
2. Four way screwdriver and hex (Allen) key sets from Home Depot.
3. Flashlight from anyplace.
4. String winder-cutter and capo from Planet Waves.
5. Snark SN-8 clip-on tuner, has fine gradations for setting intonation.
6. String height gauge (better than a ruler!) and four nut files from StewMac. Pricey but worth it.
7. Any cheap toolbox.
8. Beach towel.
9. Soldering iron, at least 40 watts. For de-soldering, 60 watts works better.
10. Precision screwdrivers and needle nose pliers from Ace Hardware.
11. Small Crescent wrench for tightening jacks and pots.
12. Digital multimeter.
Optional: Fender truss rod tool--comes with MIA and MIJ basses for the most part. And keep the Allen keys that come with your Lakland or G&L.
My personal settings (YMMV of course!):
Relief 0.010-0.012" at 7th fret with capo on 1st and finger on 17th. When cranking the truss rod, first loosen 1/8 to 1/4 turn to get it moving, then tighten. If frozen, get expert help.
Action 5/64-7/64" bass side, 4/64-5/64" treble side. You might need a tinier Allen key than the one in your set. Vintage saddles use a tiny flat bladed screwdriver.
String height 0.016"-0.020" over 1st fret. Adjust (gingerly) with nut files.
Intonate to taste.
Done! JMHO and YMMV of course.
One of the reasons that I bought the Jag SS was to learn how to do my own set ups. It has been a good learning experience.
thats what this bass is for me now . . . $25 p-clone. have a PU on the way, going to get some copper tape and new pots/jack soon.
