Doubts about Fender's bass adjustments procedure

[Robert Darby]

yes, the guide will seem very tedious the first time through it. But, you will find the it gets easier each time. Just write down the order of the steps so you don't waste time. I use fender specs only to a point. I like my action as low as possible. Some basses you can go wicked low others not so much and your playing style will dictate how low you can go. Good luck!

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

this guy taught me everything I know. When people play my bass, the ask where I got it set up because it feels so good.

 

[Hypercaffium]

I started folliwing Dave's channel around a month ago. It quickly became one of my favourite YT channels. He's very good at what he does and a funny guy. I love him.

 

[Robert Darby]

I like Dave.

 

[Hypercaffium]

Yesterday I decided to do a new setup to my P. I used better tools I bought and followed the exact same Fender guide I used before. This time I was able to set everything at the exact specs the suggest and I didn't need to touch anything after that. The bass is really comfortable to play and sounds great. I guess better tools and experience both worked.

 

[sdgrfan]

I know that Fender specs their pickup heights as part of their setup guide on their website. But they only seem to offer specs for the bass side and the treble side. Do these specs also apply to a PJ setup? Would the neck pickup and the bridge pickup be set the same?

 

[ProfFrink]

I know that Fender specs their pickup heights as part of their setup guide on their website. But they only seem to offer specs for the bass side and the treble side. Do these specs also apply to a PJ setup? Would the neck pickup and the bridge pickup be set the same?

These should just be taken as guidelines (so that you don't end up with 0mm or 20mm pup-string distance ). Take these specs as starting points, then use your ears to make response even (I like aiming at similar volume on all strings and similar between neck and bridge pup, but this may not be realistic on some PJs because of the inherent difference between pups), while also making sure pups do not overload or do other strange things.

Changing pup hight is easy enough on most basses so not much hassle is needed for experimenting.

 

[ixlramp]

> With a feeler gauge, check the gap between the bottom of the string and the top of the 8th fret

Feeler gauges are not necessary, it's easy enough to judge relief clearence by tapping the string down and seeing/feeling how far it moves, and go by 'credit card thickness' or whatever.
These are just rough starting points so it's pointless being precise about it or measuring anything. You will inevitably need to adjust everything away from the recommendations according to your needs and technique.

Neck relief should be adjusted such that fret buzz becomes equally unlikely along the whole length of the string, when played by you, that's the optimum curvature.
Each saddle should be lowered until there's too much fret buzz, then raised very gradually until you're happy.
Fret buzz determines a good setup, it has nothing to do with measuring or precise distances.

my bass was taken to a tech when I bought it, than another couple of times for little adjustments, so I always kept things in order. I just want to learn how to do a basic setup

So it will already be at a good starting point.
Setting up a bass has nothing to do with measuring and adjusting things to precise measurements, Fender's guide is for a rough starting point, it is not for a good setup. The document is poorly titled, note they write:

> Modifications of the specs may also be made (within limited parameters) to adjust for your individual playing style or application (i.e., how hard you pick, finger, slap, pop or fret the bass).
Note: These are minimum specifications that are meant as a guide; they should not be construed as hard and fast rules, as we realize that every player's subjective requirements often differ.

In fact, modifications of the specs 'should' be made, always. The stated specs will be optimum only for a very few players, they are very probably not optimum for you.

 

[Hypercaffium]

Do these specs also apply to a PJ setup?

You can use Fender's guide for both P and J pickups with no problem. For J pickups you have bass and treble side so it's very clear, while for the P pickups you can do like I did:

• start from the E string and set the pickup height as suggested. This would be your "bass side". Forget about the other pickup screw and leave it as it is.
  
• go to the G string and set the pickup height as suggested. This would be your "treble side". Again, forget about the other pickup screw.
• come back to the "bass side" pickup and set the second pickup screw (the one you ignored before) so the distance between the bottom of the A string and the top of the fret is the same as the E string.
• come back to the "treble side" pickup and set the second pickup screw (the one you ignored before) so the distance between the bottom of the D string and the top of the fret is the same as the G string.

Once you've finished, you'll have your pickups following the fingerboard radius and they'll look like this:

As many other said, these are just starting points. They usually work for me and I don't need to touch anything for a while, but keep that in mind.

You will inevitably need to adjust everything away from the recommendations according to your needs and technique.

That's correct. Despite the fact I use (and like) exact Fender specs with all my basses, adjustments are needed over time. I needed to raise the E string action on my P just yesterday. The string had less sustain compared to the other strings, so I checked neck relief first and it was perfect, so I raised the string a little bit and it's much better. It can be a combination of low action and a half-dead E string maybe, but like I said it's much better and usable now. I use Fender 9050Ls on my P and I like them a lot. E string doesn't sound "dead" compared to the other strings, it was just a little bit... chocked.

 

[Turnaround]

• come back to the "bass side" pickup and set the second pickup screw (the one you ignored before) so the distance between the bottom of the A string and the top of the fret is the same as the E string.
• come back to the "treble side" pickup and set the second pickup screw (the one you ignored before) so the distance between the bottom of the D string and the top of the fret is the same as the G string.

This is not necesssary, in fact it is not really optimum. The reason is that the magnetic field for each pair of poles overlaps with the pair next to it. A and D have supplementary magenetic fields on both sides, the E and G on one side only. So to provide a consistent magnetic field string to string you need to have the A and D string poles lower than the E and G. How much lower? Use your ears to achieve a balance as best you can.

 

[fhm555]

The way i read the Fender instructions was the string should be resting on the first and last frets when checking at the 8th fret. That would insure a consistent reference so your dimension at the 8th would only change if the neck bow changed. Making sure the string is bearing on the frets acts as a reference (repeatable) point by which you can gauge how far away the string is from the fret at the 8th fret. I always put the capo right behind the first fret between the fret and the nut and press down with my thumb on the last fret, then check the gap at the 8th. I always slack my strings before adjusting the truss rod then being them back to pitch before checking my gap.

 

[Hypercaffium]

Yesterday I took my P bass w/flats at rehearsals again and I must say that the sustain problem on the E string isn't solved. I raised the action a little bit some days ago, thought it was better, but I guess it's not? Like I said, the bass is usable and the problem become evident only when playing slow songs with long notes.
Can you please help me to identify and possibly solve this problem? I'll give you some hints.

• The bass is a Fender Am Pro P, strings are Fender 9050Ls (45-100), approximately 3/4 months old. I didn't use thru body stringing, I never do that with flats
• The E has less sustain compared to the other strings and this is noticeable also with the bass unplugged
• The E string doesn't sound "dead" or more thumpy, has a natural decay, but the volume fades out quicker
• I can't hear any fret noise or evident "choking" of the string
• Pickup on the E side is set pretty low, A string sounds normal
• String doesn't show damage or ageing of any kind

What can I do? Thanks.