Frustrated with bass action.

[Jjango]

If I recall properly where the radius affects low action is when you bend the string. No bends = radius doesn't matter.

+1 on get a setup

I concur with the above post – my basses with a 7.25" radius choke out on string bends, but the flatter–radiused basses bend just fine.

With a good setup, any bass can have low action. My Geddy was so low as to be unbelievable – I actually raised it a bit lately so I can dig in more without excessive buzzing.

 

[Rocky McDougall]

Almost any bass can be adjusted to have a low action. Most very good players have found out that a "low action" is really not that important. There are many other factors that give good playability and tone than a low action. I think any serious bass player should become accomplished to set up their own bass. There are many good threads and videos to guide you through the set up procedure. You can take your bass to a pro luthier but he will set it up the way he thinks it should be. Over the years, most bassist will try different set ups and it is much easier to do it yourself.

 

[bstringkyle]

Fill out your profile please.

seriously, that bugs the heck out of me.

anyway. I would buy a Musicman sterling. Mine has a great slim neck and nice low action. Jazz basses are also known to have low action.

 

[::::BASSIST::::]

I brought my bass, an SX shortscale Jazz, into a well-respected luthier the other day and she said she didnt want to commit to being able to bring my action any lower than it was. She said that most bassists have their action at about 3 or 4 millimetres from the bottom of the string to the top of the fret and said that mine was about .5mm at that point. I honestly dont think it was that low and I've had it seemingly lower on other basses. BTW, I'll be getting the bass back on Wednesday... quite curious to see what she has done with it. She is putting a graphite nut in it and giving it a fret dressing.

So what do you guys consider low action? (in millimetres if possible... I'm Canadian!)

 

[Eublet]

lakland. 35''=stiffer strings=less buzz=lower setup possible

You might think so, but I feel like the action on my 44-02 can get lower and have less buzz than my 55-02.

For me though, buzz is never the issue when I play. It's that annoying clickety sound that comes from lowering the strings down to low. Either of my Laklands can get down very low such that this happens way too often without any noticeable string buzz. Buzzing hides itself in the mix for the most part, but clickety sounds stick out like a sore thumb.

 

[Eminor3rd]

Yeah man, get a fresh set of Hi-Beams and send it to a tech for a setup. It'll be a brand new bass.

 

[superblues]

What?!? No "Carrots" option.

+1 take your bass to a good tech, get some new strings, and get it setup for low action; much cheaper than a new bass.

+1 to the mandolin frets idea, but if you're seriously considering this, you should probably already have a good tech, and a good idea of what tone you're after from a bass.

As far as the basses you listed go, if you're really jonesing for a new bass, all of your listed options should take a low setup without problem. If you're looking for the lowest humanly possible setup, I hope you have a really light touch and uber-precise technique.

I voted for the Stingray because right now, I like this bass most of the ones you listed. I figure this is how most people cast their votes, regardless of what you're really asking us to vote on.

 

[Doctor J]

Low action is more to do with the skill of the setup. Any bass can be set with low action if you know what you're doing.

 

[BlackMetalAkaz]

Schecter Stiletto Studio-5

Invalid Link Removed

Supposedly is good in that department. Haven't played one myself yet though.

- Akaz

 

[tonester]

i have two newer fenders that i wanted the action as low as i could get them.took
them in had them set up ,the action was low but i wanted it lower so i had the frets
leveled and these basses play fantastic.the point im trying to make is that you can
get your bass where you want it you need to discuss these options with whoever
you trust toi work on your basses.to have the fret work done on one of my basses
cost me 60 bucks and it plays beautiful,so dont give up,what might be good action
for one guy might not be good for you and if you really like the bass you need to get it set up the way you want it,t

 

[Surly]

what might be good action
for one guy might not be good for you and if you really like the bass you need to get it set up the way you want it,t

I agree here. My opinion is do it yourself and experiment. Nobody knows what feels good to you better than you.

 

[dabbler]

Almost any bass can be adjusted to have a low action. Most very good players have found out that a "low action" is really not that important. There are many other factors that give good playability and tone than a low action. ...

This prompts me to ask the related questionto the OP, "Why do you want extremely low action?" I'm not a "very" good player, and I can accept it if I'm in the minority on this, but both in my guitars and basses, I like having a more tactile feel than I would get with "extremely low action", and I honestly don't understand what drives people to want action so low that you can't even touch the string without it fretting (how do these people mute, anyway?).

Understand, I am not trying to tell you you should be like me (far from it) but I really want to understand "Why?"

Also, I'm not trying to hijack the thread, in fact, I think this should have been stated up front, maybe with a definition in mm (or inches) of what the OP means by "extremely low action".

 

[(b)Assman]

Maybe the bass just needs a setup - take it to a tech.

I used to hate Fenders cause they always had "high action" to me (at least everyone I ever played).

Then I discovered u can just take your bass to a tech and have them do a setup - it costs about $50. It'll feel like a new bass. Absolute magic!

Or do it yourself, it's not rocket science.

 

[woody357]

Schecter Stiletto Studio-5

Invalid Link Removed

Supposedly is good in that department. Haven't played one myself yet though.

- Akaz

1+ I have a Schecter Elite 5, and the action is great really low, it is better than my Bongo at this time, but I hope I can get the Bongo as nice.

 

[Woodwolf]

Probably? A tech/setup won't get there. Sounds like a fingerboard redressing, refretting with narrow frets, new nut, and using the right set of strings. Floppy strings/low tension will buzz easier. But...a simple job would be to install a set of flatwounds, which buzz less and can be setup low as long as your touch is agreeable. Try flats, let a good tech set it up and see what happens?

 

[spade2you]

+1 on doing your own set-ups. There have been a few times where they told my action was too low and my request for lower action wasn't only denied, but they raised the action. :scowl: They also commented that if I'm playing above the 12th fret, I'm not doing my job.

Anyway, knowing how to set it up is a big thing, but I disagree that you can get super low action on all basses. Unless you plane the fingerboard and refret, it's gonna be hard to make X bass play like Y. I started out on the Peavey Cirrus and getting low action is so easy that you'd think it's magic. I've owned several other basses over the year that I let go because I simply couldn't match the Cirrus no matter what I did.

The thing about low action bass is that bassists who use low action are such a minority, most of the "expert" opions should be taken with a grain of salt.

 

[cnltb]

I'm sure it has been said before , but set up right, most any bass can have very low action and even response over the finger board, I think

 

[Eublet]

I've read that most players gravitate to a higher action as they get older. It's usually the younger guys who think that they need it low to make playing easier. Not sure how much truth there is in that, but I know I quit trying to do the super-low thing a few years back, and I after making some technique adjustments to compensate I feel the end result is infinitely better. Bass sounds better, feels better, and allows me room to do all sorts of things without a bunch of clackety sounds.

Low action is not required for speed either. I read a couple years back that Patitucci had started using a high action on his basses in combination with half-round strings. He gets all the speed he needs. Roger Sadowsky commented that Marcus Miller used to use a low action earlier in his career, but gravitated towards a higher action now so that he could get better range and dynamics out of the instrument. By the specs Roger listed for setting up Miller's bass, it was a fairly medium action that you would get from on a bass coming from the manufacturer.

I will say that, while simply quoting numbers for action can be misleading from instrument to instrument, knowing the numbers for YOUR bass gives you a point of reference and something to work with over time such that doing your own setups becomes easier. Having an 18" straightedge to measure relief, and string height gauge to set the action allows you to experiment accurately with different settings, write down what you like and don't like, and then make minor adjustments over time to get where you want to be. Those can be picked up at Stewart MacDonald very easily, and I think they greatly shorten the learning curve for doing your own setups. Arbitrarily making relief adjustments and raising/lowering the bridge saddles will lead to hit or miss setups, and you'll always be frustrated.

IMHO.

 

[rappa29]

If the poll is based on setup straight out of the box then I'd vote Stingray.
But as already stated, generally, most basses can be setup to play great.

 

[ericmknight1906]

This prompts me to ask the related questionto the OP, "Why do you want extremely low action?" I'm not a "very" good player, and I can accept it if I'm in the minority on this, but both in my guitars and basses, I like having a more tactile feel than I would get with "extremely low action", and I honestly don't understand what drives people to want action so low that you can't even touch the string without it fretting (how do these people mute, anyway?).

Understand, I am not trying to tell you you should be like me (far from it) but I really want to understand "Why?"

Also, I'm not trying to hijack the thread, in fact, I think this should have been stated up front, maybe with a definition in mm (or inches) of what the OP means by "extremely low action".

Well, I'm not the "dig in" type of player. I have a light touch and I usually like tight string spacing. For me, the lower the action, the faster and smoother I can play. To me, extremely low action would be 2.5 to 3mm for the entire length of the fretboard (with no buzz anywhere).