is it possible to adjust the action by myself?

[fhm555]

Here's a really good general overview of what is involved in a setup. Not a lot of in depth minutiae but plenty of info to get a good grasp on the purpose and methods. There is also a link in there to a very good string changing tutorial which pretty much covers the important aspects of that chore in a nonthreatening manner that anyone capable of playing a bass should be able to understand and follow.

http://www.studybass.com/gear/bass-setup/bass-setup-intro/

 

[henry2513]

Ha, Gary Willis has forgotten more than the average tech will ever know about setups.

 

[bnolsen]

Just went through the fun of adjusting a truss rod over the last several days on a new (to me) bass. I read through the jersey drodz thing, occasionally reread sections when needed and also checked out fender's page for suggested measurements.

I had to come here and other places to figure out how to deal with the maxxed out trus rod and some time at home depot staring at different washers, more time scratching my head as to why the truss rod wasn't working (the washer I put in fell out before I put the nut back on, don't ask...). Adjusting the saddle is a piece of cake in comparison. And its really good to know how to do this yourself so you can tackle it whenver your action starts to bother you or your playing style changes.

All the tools I used:
hex wrench for truss rod and saddle
screw driver for saddle.
capo (check relief)
needle nose pliers (grab truss rod not, not required)
automotive feeler gauges (check relief)
steel ruler from harbor freight precision measurement set (measure string height, not required)
precise tuner!!!

and then I went ahead and reset up the other basses with very good results.

 

[Turnaround]

The point was to give the OP a Simple method to get his feet wet doing a setup. Willis' approach gets results without 62 pages and numerous tools. Its not meant to be the Ultimate Setup Guide just a start so the OP can see that setups are doable not rocket science.

If then he decides that he really wants to dive in and do very detailed setups - great!

And I stated Willis is a technical geek which he is. His setup method is obviously geared toward the novice - the whole point of his guide.

I, like 202dy, have had to correct the mistakes made by novices who were using the Willis guide. I have to question the value of something that leads so many to difficulty.

 

[davy4575]

hmm. Interesting. Ive always preferred a high action for slapping, it produces less noise, a better feel and keeps fret buzz down. Also, I dont want to be denting the frets and or pick ups. Just my taste though. For all i know I might have learned how to slap bassakwards. Ive done my own setups a lot. I just prefer to bring it in to a shop these days. I dont feel like dicking off with for a month of sundays....im lazy lol.

 

[eukatheude]

I am not calling your technique wrong just to be a jerk. Most slap players prefer a higher action than a finger style player. To easily get the strings to bounce off of the frets would need a lower action, but with the slap and pop attack on the strings this will cause a ton of string rattle. If you set your action high enough to counteract the string rattle, you would have to slap and pop your strings extremely hard to get the string to hit the fret.

So the way you are trying to play will always reveal some type of set up issue.

A bit late, but...
If that sound is not coming from the frets, you tell me where from!

 

[fourstringgirl]

I'm a GIRL and I do my own setups! (That should get him moving in the right direction!)

I bought the book in the link below about 10 years ago. Best ten bucks I ever spent. You can get them used on Amazon for 5 bucks. Probably eBay too. Not to mention the countless videos on YouTube. I like my book though.

http://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Questions-Novice-Guide-Repairs/dp/1575604523