Fender Fullerton Uke Bass —measuring neck relief

[MdC64]

I received a Fender uke bass and am figuring things out about it.
I was wondering about how to measure neck relief.
It has a truss rod.
Is measuring different than a full size bass guitar?
When I capo the 1st fret and hold down the E at fret 17, I get a tiny gap at fret 7.
Thanks.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

I received a Fender uke bass and am figuring things out about it.
I was wondering about how to measure neck relief.
It has a truss rod.
Is measuring different than a full size bass guitar?
When I capo the 1st fret and hold down the E at fret 17, I get a tiny gap at fret 7.
Thanks.

Pretty much the same as anything else. I usually hold the first fret and wherever the neck gets thicker as it joins the body on any instrument, then sometimes the last fret also just to compare the numbers.

 

[MdC64]

Pretty much the same as anything else. I usually hold the first fret and wherever the neck gets thicker as it joins the body on any instrument, then sometimes the last fret also just to compare the numbers.

Thanks.
Something else that I noticed, the E string volume isn’t as loud as the A, D, G strings. Sounds good but was wondering about that. Any insight is appreciated.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

Thanks.
Something else that I noticed, the E string volume isn’t as loud as the A, D, G strings. Sounds good but was wondering about that. Any insight is appreciated.

It’s a peizo in the bridge? Those can be pretty sensitive to the bottom of the slot being perfectly flat and the bridge putting equal pressure along the whole strip. Check that there’s no debris or uneven spots in the saddle slot or on the bottom of the saddle.

 

[MdC64]

It’s a peizo in the bridge? Those can be pretty sensitive to the bottom of the slot being perfectly flat and the bridge putting equal pressure along the whole strip. Check that there’s no debris or uneven spots in the saddle slot or on the bottom of the saddle.

I believe it is a piezo. I’ll check it…Well, there aren’t slots cut for the strings. This is my first Uke bass so not sure if the slots should be cut.
It’s a cool little bass but I might be sending it back to Sweetwater for an exchange.
Thanks again.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

With that type of bridge there’s not usually string slots. The pins, or in this case, the holes the strings pass through set the spacing. Look at most acoustic guitars. As long as someone hasn’t been fooling about with the bridge there won’t be any string slots.

If possible remove the saddle, the white part the strings pass over, from the bridge. There should be something that looks like a wire under it. Be careful with that, you don’t want to damage it. That’s the peizo element. It can be cautiously moved around and up out of the slot then check the slot and the bottom of the saddle for “stuff.” If you’re unsure about that take it to the shop you got it from or a repair person you trust.

 

[MdC64]

With that type of bridge there’s not usually string slots. The pins, or in this case, the holes the strings pass through set the spacing. Look at most acoustic guitars. As long as someone hasn’t been fooling about with the bridge there won’t be any string slots.

If possible remove the saddle, the white part the strings pass over, from the bridge. There should be something that looks like a wire under it. Be careful with that, you don’t want to damage it. That’s the peizo element. It can be cautiously moved around and up out of the slot then check the slot and the bottom of the saddle for “stuff.” If you’re unsure about that take it to the shop you got it from or a repair person you trust.

Thanks again. I appreciate the detailed instructions.
I totally misunderstood your first trouble shooting comment about looking under the saddle slot…thought you meant the bridge string slots.
Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve had an acoustic guitar and realized that slots aren’t cut in the saddle for the strings.
I’m going to send it back to Sweetwater for an exchange. I hate to mess with something that I have no experience with.
I learned something new about bass ukes so that’s cool.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

Thanks again. I appreciate the detailed instructions.
I totally misunderstood your first trouble shooting comment about looking under the saddle slot…thought you meant the bridge string slots.
Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve had an acoustic guitar and realized that slots aren’t cut in the saddle for the strings.
I’m going to send it back to Sweetwater for an exchange. I hate to mess with something that I have no experience with.
I learned something new about bass ukes so that’s cool.

Good luck on the return.

 

[MdC64]

Good luck on the return.

Thanks.
If the exchange has a similar issue I’ll fix it myself (now that I know what to look for) but thought I’d see what another one will be like.
I appreciate your help and time.

 

[MdC64]

Update: Sweetwater overnighted another bass to me. It’s great. Even volume across all strings. Sounds much better than the return bass…even unplugged it has a better sound. Neck relief was perfect. Cool little uke bass.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

Update: Sweetwater overnighted another bass to me. It’s great. Even volume across all strings. Sounds much better than the return bass…even unplugged it has a better sound. Neck relief was perfect. Cool little uke bass.

Great. I’m glad they took care of you and that it worked out.