A properly done professional setup certainly SHOULD.
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IME, fretwork is an additional cost. Depends where the work is done, I guess.
i'd fiddle with the saddles a bit ... raise them slowly until it quits ... that is if the neck is fairly straight ..
there's lots of vids to show you how to adjust the truss . !
i'd change the strings , clean/oil up the fretboard w/ 'F-one oil' ... then start adjusting to fit your playing ...
is it acceptable ... ' kinda ' ... unless you can see an obvious issue ... setup is pretty personal !
and yes , if you make larger saddle adjustments , you'll need to recheck the Harmonics ... also easy ...
if you really like the bass , work on it ... if not , send it back .. that's up to you alone
there's lots of vids to show you how to adjust the truss . !
i'd change the strings , clean/oil up the fretboard w/ 'F-one oil' ... then start adjusting to fit your playing ...
is it acceptable ... ' kinda ' ... unless you can see an obvious issue ... setup is pretty personal !
and yes , if you make larger saddle adjustments , you'll need to recheck the Harmonics ... also easy ...
if you really like the bass , work on it ... if not , send it back .. that's up to you alone
I've known quiet a setups to be delivered with the action as low as possible without buzzing, only for the neck to shift slightly due to climate changes and render the instrument unplayable.
Hopkins
Commercial User
Hopkins
Commercial User
Absolutely. A perfect setup will not fix bad fretwork, and a fret job is definitely not included in a basic set up.
Number one, it's winter. The climate in your area may be different from the climate in the shop's area. It's very possible it was playing just fine there but the neck changed after you left. If you send it back, you risk getting the same thing all over again.
Number two, setups are butt simple to do and everyone should learn how to do them themselves. I use this guide Invalid Link Removed as a rough guideline, but everyone has different tastes so don't be afraid to experiment a little. But if you choose not to do it, have it set up by someone in your area so the climate doesn't change it.
Number two, setups are butt simple to do and everyone should learn how to do them themselves. I use this guide Invalid Link Removed as a rough guideline, but everyone has different tastes so don't be afraid to experiment a little. But if you choose not to do it, have it set up by someone in your area so the climate doesn't change it.
a lot of basses come with a higher first fret that is slightly higher for a few reasons, Spectors for example, to alleviate this issue.
when i do setups I measure in mm, inches are just stupid on such a small scale, but that's just like, my opinion man.
when i do setups I measure in mm, inches are just stupid on such a small scale, but that's just like, my opinion man.
If the guy setting it up has a lighter touch, it may have been fine to him. I make sure that I show anyone setting up my bass how I play. I really dig in most of the time, so I don't mind a little buzz. As long as it isn't buzzing when I'm playing more "responsibly" then it's fine to me. If I really was averse to any buzz, I would set up my basses with the action a bit higher to avoid any buzz. As it is, I don't mind buzz that much, so I can get away with medium low action and a bit of buzz when I dig in.
Eh, I'd expect a modestly-priced bass to play well. At $550 it isn't a toy. BTW the cat running away at 0:20 is priceless.
If I don't hear just a little bit of fret buzz, I think I can get away with lowering my action a little more. Anyway, a little fret buzz, not enough to choke the movement, adds some nice dirt to the tone.
I think it's fine, but it depends on what sound you are after. Rock or funk, absolutely. Country, maybe not.
I think it's fine, but it depends on what sound you are after. Rock or funk, absolutely. Country, maybe not.
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Mine buzzed at #1 too, but that's because ESP puts rounds on their fretless basses. It's fine now that I've changed to flats.
I finally watched the video. I would say that if your relief is okay, the second fret is high or the first fret is low. A basic setup would not fix either of those.
I had setups done in a local shop for a while. The shop was always super warm and humidified for the acoustics on the wall. By the time he got to my bass, it had shifted from the climate change, so when I got it back it would always buzz too much from the shift back to the climate in my house.
OP
go to an automobile parts shop like O'Reilly Autoparts and buy some automotive feeler gauges like Invalid Link Removed. Next buy a 6 inch ruler that measures mm and 32nds (preferably 64ths of an inch) sort of like Invalid Link Removed. Now get a capo. You will also need appropriately sized allen wrenches and phillips head screwdrivers. All this stuff probably will run you like $40 bucks tops.
Time to do the set up –
*all measurements should be done in playing position for accuracy.
1. Make sure the strings are wound going down so that they place pressure on the string at the nut. Make sure they are wound the right way relative to their side of the headstock. Your tech probably did this correctly.
2. Capo first fret, fret the last fret and measure with the automotive feeler gauge at the 9th fret. You want the relief here to be .015. Adjust with allen wrench until it is there. Righty tighty, lefty loosey, go in quarter turns, always detune the strings before twisting then tune back up before measuring. The tighter the truss rod the straighter the neck the smaller the relief. Easy peasy.
3. Next action. Use the ruler to measure the action at the 12th fret. Don't fret anything, just check string height from the fret to the BOTTOM of the string –roughly 8/64 on the E, 8/64 on the A, 7/64 at the D, and 6/64 at the G. Detune the string before adjusting the action, then tune back up to measure.
3.5 Skip this step for now, normally you would adjust the action at the nut, but you want gauged nut slot files, which are expensive and we won't be doing it right now.
4. Intonation, best to have a really good tuner for this, I like a Sonic Research TurboTuner, strobe's are always better, but non strobe will do. Tune the string at the 12th fret harmonic. Then fret the 12th fret and see if it is in tune. Adjust the string length using phillips head to match. If the note is sharp, tighten, if it is flat, loosen. Once again, detune when making adjustments.
Other than that, you might adjust pickup height for even response and sound but this is a very, very standard action, probably similar to what your tech sent you. It may buzz a little, but not in a way that interferes with the sound coming from the amp. If it is noticeable, then your bass probably has a problem such as uneven fret heights, a whip in the neck, or who knows. Your tech probably basically did this. Let the set up sit for a bit too!
Here's some guides and videos!
Invalid Link Removed
Watch this whole set
and this too
Set up is super easy, just be brave and do it. I probably did some pretty bad things to my basses necks before I knew what I was doing, but they turned out fine as I can assess now.
TLDR
Fret buzz has many causes, and your bass got shipped. I wouldn't assume the tech did anything wrong. But, every person plays different, so just asking for a set up without sending specs is unlikely to be successful. Most people will sound good on the specs I just listed though. I would say that what you got is perfectly reasonable. Paying for a set up prior to shipping is probably not reasonable on YOUR part. Do the set up yourself, it's not hard, you won't break your new bass, I promise, just go really slow with the truss rod. I turned mine a ton on my Squier VM jazz when I first got it to get the neck flat, and it turned out fine.
Also, fret buzz that is inaudible through the amp is really not a problem. If that annoys you, play flatwounds, because jacking your action up to get rid of that buzz will mess up the intonation of your bass.
go to an automobile parts shop like O'Reilly Autoparts and buy some automotive feeler gauges like Invalid Link Removed. Next buy a 6 inch ruler that measures mm and 32nds (preferably 64ths of an inch) sort of like Invalid Link Removed. Now get a capo. You will also need appropriately sized allen wrenches and phillips head screwdrivers. All this stuff probably will run you like $40 bucks tops.
Time to do the set up –
*all measurements should be done in playing position for accuracy.
1. Make sure the strings are wound going down so that they place pressure on the string at the nut. Make sure they are wound the right way relative to their side of the headstock. Your tech probably did this correctly.
2. Capo first fret, fret the last fret and measure with the automotive feeler gauge at the 9th fret. You want the relief here to be .015. Adjust with allen wrench until it is there. Righty tighty, lefty loosey, go in quarter turns, always detune the strings before twisting then tune back up before measuring. The tighter the truss rod the straighter the neck the smaller the relief. Easy peasy.
3. Next action. Use the ruler to measure the action at the 12th fret. Don't fret anything, just check string height from the fret to the BOTTOM of the string –roughly 8/64 on the E, 8/64 on the A, 7/64 at the D, and 6/64 at the G. Detune the string before adjusting the action, then tune back up to measure.
3.5 Skip this step for now, normally you would adjust the action at the nut, but you want gauged nut slot files, which are expensive and we won't be doing it right now.
4. Intonation, best to have a really good tuner for this, I like a Sonic Research TurboTuner, strobe's are always better, but non strobe will do. Tune the string at the 12th fret harmonic. Then fret the 12th fret and see if it is in tune. Adjust the string length using phillips head to match. If the note is sharp, tighten, if it is flat, loosen. Once again, detune when making adjustments.
Other than that, you might adjust pickup height for even response and sound but this is a very, very standard action, probably similar to what your tech sent you. It may buzz a little, but not in a way that interferes with the sound coming from the amp. If it is noticeable, then your bass probably has a problem such as uneven fret heights, a whip in the neck, or who knows. Your tech probably basically did this. Let the set up sit for a bit too!
Here's some guides and videos!
Invalid Link Removed
Watch this whole set
and this too
Set up is super easy, just be brave and do it. I probably did some pretty bad things to my basses necks before I knew what I was doing, but they turned out fine as I can assess now.
TLDR
Fret buzz has many causes, and your bass got shipped. I wouldn't assume the tech did anything wrong. But, every person plays different, so just asking for a set up without sending specs is unlikely to be successful. Most people will sound good on the specs I just listed though. I would say that what you got is perfectly reasonable. Paying for a set up prior to shipping is probably not reasonable on YOUR part. Do the set up yourself, it's not hard, you won't break your new bass, I promise, just go really slow with the truss rod. I turned mine a ton on my Squier VM jazz when I first got it to get the neck flat, and it turned out fine.
Also, fret buzz that is inaudible through the amp is really not a problem. If that annoys you, play flatwounds, because jacking your action up to get rid of that buzz will mess up the intonation of your bass.
and yeah that fret buzz is more than just a little string rattle, that's straight up buzzing out to a dead note
