How many of you do your own setups?

Once ya learn how to do it (with me it was trial and error on an ibanez guitar), it really just makes alot of sense economically. Specially when you consider the price of strings on bass, paying some guy to put them on and do basic adjustments to intonation, action and relief makes no sense to me. I would bring it to a pro for something like fret leveling, crowning etc, or something really big though.

 

I had one too many setups that I wasn't happy with, so I started doing my own. I did get lucky and have a pro teach me how to do it. I haven't paid someone to do one in 7-8 years.

 

it basically only took me finding a setup guide to start doing it myself. the first few were pretty rough, but i'm starting to get a feel for different amounts of relief and action heights.

it only took one professional setup for me to go DIY. it was actually a pretty decent setup, but that was it. it was good enough, and bad enough, to realize what a truly good setup should feel like. i figured if a the guy at the music store can get that close and still be that far, i may as well do the same thing myself. and now my basses are set up better for it.

robb.

 

I do my own. I'm not the best, but I'm getting better. I'm still learning after years, I only recently learned to tweak a truss rod. I also recently figured out how much of an influence string gauge can have on some necks. It makes sense to DIY because something could need adjustment at a show when the store is closed.

 

It's not that hard to setup a bass, just takes time.

 

I am a DIY guy on the setup.. not alot of people around here really know how to properly setup basses.. so I just read up on it and started doing it on my own.. I even setup basses for people i know..

 

I do my own also. Once I figured out how I like my bass it didn't make sense to take to some one else to do it for me.

 

A long long time ago, I tried to lower the action on my 1985 Gibson Explorer, and I turned the screw to much and stripped it out. After that I took my bass to a local luthiere. He just moved to south florida, but before he left he came over and went threw all my basses and adjusted, necks and intonation where it was needed. He taught me how to adjust everything and I set one of the necks and he showed me how to set the intonation. So I am on my own now.

 

Every bassist should be able to do a basic setup - adjusting action, intonation and neck relief.

http://www.garywillis.com/pages/bass/bassmanual/setupmanual.html

 

Someone gave me a book a long time ago, called "The Guitar Handbook" by Ralph Denyer. It has a whole section on how to adjust your truss rod, bridge height, string guages, and just set your guitar up right. It is mostly for guitar but a lot of the concepts hold true for bass. If you take what they show you and apply it to bass you'll have a very nice setup. I think I've had this book for over 10 years, but I still see it in stores. ISBN #0-679-74275-1

 

that book is great lot of info in it. the copyright is in 1992.

I do all my set up. The 1st guitar i got was from a pawnshop in pieces. Someone took it apart to paint it and left it for dead at the pawn shop. I put that thing together with a lot of help from the library and friends who played guitar. Once that was done I had no problem to do a setup. By the way I still got the guitar. I Lend it out to friends that say "man I wish I new how to play will you teach me"

 

I do my own setup as well as setup for some local bassists in the area. I have never had a pro setup done, I just am good with my hands and don't like to spend money on things I could easily learn to do.

 

I do my own. Best advice I got was from Smash: "Be patient". It's not hard once you get the hang of it.

 

A shop will give you a set-up for the "average" bassist.

I've never met an "average" bassist in my life. Break some strings and learn how to get it just it just right for YOU!

 

I didn't know you could setup a bass! I just tune it once and arc weld the tuners in place. No muss, no fuss.

"I don't undertand - it was in tune when I bought it."

 

I kinda guess at mine, but I like the way I have it set up...my P-bass can go from mild and smooth, to punchy and aggressive, just like that. Heck, I even filed down grooves for the strings in my Bad Ass II bridge for it! The neck on my P-bass was the only neck I really had a problem with, but that was remedied by an additional string tree...maybe thats what my fretless needs...

 

You mean, like, filing down the strings to get them to fit in the slots? Sure, that's easy.

Seriously, if it's something I can do by turning a screw or nut, filing nut slots, or burning up terminals with a soldering iron, I'll do it myself. I seldom do fretwork besides polishing (but then my 12-step goal it to be totally fretless by 2004... ). When it comes to removing significant amounts of wood or most any other material, I'll take it to somebody who seems to know what they're doing.