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Is this low or high action?

#41
Hmm...makes me want to design a "Drop J bridge" that lifts up the strings for gut-wrenching, nipple-piercing, tattooed metal thunder but then, later that night you can jump into your khaki Dockers, flip a lever and boom, the strings come down for your jazz gig.
 
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#47
B-Lo said:
Looks a little high, but also consider how you play when setting your action. I tend to "dig in" on certain songs so I keep some basses set up a little higher so I don't get a lot of clank when/if I dig in.
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B-Lo said:
Looks a little high, but also consider how you play when setting your action. I tend to "dig in" on certain songs so I keep some basses set up a little higher so I don't get a lot of clank when/if I dig in.
Click to expand...
can i set it to low by my self? and how, the neck is very straight, what i need to do? (sorry bad english)
 
#48
There's an online article from an old Bass Player magazine with an interview with Roger Sadowsky, where he gave what he considered low (Marcus Miller) and high (Will Lee) action. He also mentioned Marcus had since raised his preference but this was all in the article (1996).
Action being measured from the top of the 12th fret and bottom of said string...
Low: G = 1/16", E = 3/32"
High: G = 1/8", E = 5/32"
I prefer a neck just shy of straight and action low, even lower than above on my thumb slinger.
I had a machinist make a small, 1' long by 1/4" wide stepped gauge that has increments of 1/16, 3/32, 1/8 and 5/32. Comes in handy and keeps me in perspective. Sometimes I fight to get the action lower and it's already there. LOL.
 
#49
Your most important tool is a small ruler.

Those look like tallish frets, which exaggerate the perception of high action.

I like my action to be 3/32” from the bottom of the string to the top of the fret at the 12th fret, with the G string a little lower. I can feel anything higher or lower. It’ll vary up to 1/32” with temperature and atmospheric changes.

If you’re not happy with the feel of the neck after you have adjusted the string height, a truss rod adjustment may be in order. You will have to adjust the string height again every time you tweak the truss rod.

Then there’s pickup height.
 
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#54
adamerom said:
View attachment 3441927 View attachment 3441927 View attachment 3441930
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All depends on your playing style really. It's relatively high if you have a light touch, light picking, thin picks, etc and likely spot on if you play hard and tend to dig in or use thicker picks, etc. You will tend to notice if it's high or not for your playing style by the amount of fret buzz during normal playing. If no buzz now as it currently stands, then tweak the relief down until some buzzing starts, then increase the relief slightly. I would recommend playing for a few days or weeks on each new setting before making further adjustments. Only adjust if you genuinely need to. Everyone plays differently so you need to learn your setup specs over time.
 
#56
Depends on the player's style and how hard they play. I like mine about that high but I want the option for a wide range of playing dynamics.

I recently finished adjusting mine for the effect of our Summer season on the neck.
 

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