• 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.

How high or low is your action set/preference?

#61
I like em regular. Not so high intonation is an issue, not so low you get a lot of fret noise. Depends a lot on the individual instrument, too. My cheapest bass, an sbmm ray4 can take ridiculously low action and still sound good. That really helps me play with a light slap touch, but can sound sloppy if I'm not super accurate with both hands.
 
#63
Hypercaffium said:
I measure everything just because I can, and it's easier and faster to do. I'm sure I'd be able to do that by feel, but it's unnecessary and less precise imho.
Click to expand...
:thumbsup:

for some of us "precise" is only accomplished by "feel" --- i think your method is great! --- but i just wanted to chime in with an alternate (but useful for some!) POV. each of us might defend our methodology for achieving 'best action' but either method (or any other?) is only the "best" if it suits the player and the player's needs/purposes.

i think many newbie-er players simply don't know what they want (or need, to get started) and too many trials at too many 'settings' can get too confusing. i also think some 'old dogs' know exactly what they want and others just adapt to 'whatever' settings without regard to 'optimum'.

since all my axes are fretless (but different), and since all of them have slightly different neck/fingerboard 'feels', and since i use a couple of different string types/gauges, and since i might use one instrument for certain applications and another for other applications, and since i like different techniques at different times = not one set of numbers would be useful to me (except as a starting point). so going by feel works for me. that said: in spite of differences that i can certainly 'feel', most players picking up any of my axes remark that they are "easy to play" or that i have my action set "really low" or "too low." i actually think my action is a happy "medium" (for fretless) to allow for some digging-in (my version of "digging-in").

TL;DR: going by feel vs. measuring = doesn't make any difference if you know what you're doing....if you can get what you need for maximum benefit (control of technique/performance).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hypercaffium, brian579 and Kipp Harrington
#66
Common knowledge tends to believe high action equals better tone but a stiffer feel where low action sacrifices some tone due to clank/buzz from string to fretwire for faster easier playing.

I do somewhere in the middle by adjusting it where minimal fret buzz is heard but still feels nice and playable.

No feeler gauge used, I just go by feel!
 
  • Like
Reactions: antonio_darko
#69
songwriter21 said:
I've never used measuring tools...years of trial and error. Measurements will always stay the same, but wood won't (unless it's an insanely stable composite, like carbon/graphite). I learned to eyeball the adjustments while also going by feel.
Click to expand...

After setting the neck relief properly to my taste, I then drop the bridge saddles until buzzing starts. Each string gets raised just enough to stop the buzz. On a new bass it might take me a few iterations to get it perfect. After that, the only adjustment needed is to tweak the neck relief several times per year to compensate for humidity changes. I can't imagine not doing my own setup work. With low action, humidity changes to neck relief make a huge difference so I have to do truss rod adjustments at least 4 to 6 times a year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Seth Miller, antonio_darko and songwriter21
#72
I don’t do it by measuring, but pretty sure it’s about 3/16” (0.1875”) at the 12th fret on the E string, and a notable, but not extreme, upbow on the neck. In other words, double your string height, and then some. LaBella .052”–.110” flats. Foam mutes heavily engaged. It feels and sounds a lot like an upright.
 
Last edited:
#77
brian579 said:
Hello fellow bassists! Just curious how low or high you have your action set. My tech literally laughs at how low I like my action. I have a really lite touch and like to be able to dig in and get some fret buzz when the song calls for it. My 4 string basses are all set at .080 inches at the 12 fret on the low E and .060 inches at the G. From the top of the fret to the bottom of the string. I also tune down a half step and play mostly P basses with medium gauge strings. Is this ridiculous low or just average low? Thanks and let’s hear some of your action preferences. Thanks and stay safe and healthy.[/QUOTE

The lowest possible without fret buzz.
Click to expand...
 
#80
This low/high...
7cBg9em-coctV71xkqX3_nfX2_3HRPWGSM5ySwKfqzMtVbH-S5uxMBNPM0hE3FnWdsYvNL-x7OtJEwZbH-E=w858-h643-no.jpg


That's my jazz bass. I've always just kind of set things by feel, but I think I'm somewhere in between 2.5 and 2.75mm there on my E at the 12th fret. Action is a bit lower on my P bass.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back