Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Fingerboard Curvature
- Thread starter dadday07
- Start date
Well, I am trying to teach myself how to properly adjust intonation, bridge height, truss rod and all of that and I'm told I should use a curvature template to determine and adjust the height of the strings off of the fingerboard. I guess I need to know the radius of, or how to determine the radius of my fretboard.
Well here's a tidbit of info for you on your bass. "The Omen 5 has a nut width of 45mm, with a 20mm thickness at the 1st fret and 22mm thickness at the 12th fret. The neck has a 16” radius." I asked these questions about a month ago and above was the reply the Schecter tech sent me.
Enjoy.
TD
Enjoy.
TD
Fretboard radius is meaningless in setting string height.
Measure the height of the string from the fret. Or better yet, don't measure it. Set your neck relief and then adjust the height of each string up and down until you have an acceptable amount of fret buzz for how hard you play and what you want to sound like. That's what I've done for the last 30 years.
Measure the height of the string from the fret. Or better yet, don't measure it. Set your neck relief and then adjust the height of each string up and down until you have an acceptable amount of fret buzz for how hard you play and what you want to sound like. That's what I've done for the last 30 years.
The proper string height is determined by a lot of factors. Amount of relief in the neck; type of strings; what feels good, etc. A general rule of thumb is set the height as low as you can without getting fret buzz. It should measure approx. 3mm at the 12th fret on the low E string and 2.5mm on the G string. The bigger the fretboard radius, the lower the action can be. Check out: Invalid Link Removed
Yes. And the above link to the Fender set-up guide will probably tell you everything else you need to know.
It's great that you're learning to set up your own instrument. It's a skill that will remain useful to you forever. Don't be afraid to try different settings and experiment a bit. There's very little you can do that will permanently affect anything (within reason, of course) so go ahead and make changes to see how they affect the overall playability of the bass. It's the best way to learn, and if you don't like something, you can always just change it back to how it was.
String height has been a bit of a mystery to me. I read all the specs on websites, but it sometimes doesn't make a lot of sense. If you follow the curvature, then the g string will be much lower than your other strings. The d string will be lower than your a string. Your a string is at the middle of the fretboard at its highest peak in its curve, therefore, this string will be much higher than the g string...unless you set your g string action super high off the fretboard to be even with the a string while you are playing. The e and b strings are fatter, so they will be about as high as the a string and still close to the fretboard to follow its curve. If you play from the b string to the g string, you will be going up to the a and then down to the g string. I have some trouble when I'm trying to solo high on the fretboard on the d string; my fingers seem to smash into the a string and cause unwanted noise because the d string is lower than the a. Same with g and d strings.
The action should be lower for the higher strings (G & D) and higher for the low strings (A & E). That's just the simple physics of all stringed instruments.
