Low tension flats - advice needed

[Erick Moraes]

Ahh! How low do you have the action set, and also very important, how low are the nut slots?

To my eyes, everything seems just fine... Nut slots are ok, action height is low enough, and the bass sounds great... I just feel that I make to much effort. But I understand very little about the technical stuff... So, the bass could actually need some maintenance. I will send it to a pro when I get new strings.

 

[smtp4me]

That depends. If you're wanting low tension flats, and your intention is to play more gently (dig in less), then you probably want to shoot for the same string heights. But....if you are going to play just as hard, you'll need higher action for lower tension strings, because they will move more.

I do a lot of setups - this stuff is a bit more complicated than it appears at first.

I actually do the opposite. I have always setup my basses exactly the same (~45 years). In fact I have all my preferred measurements written down - truss rod relief, string action/bridge saddle height, even though different basses have different strings (type, brand, gauge, tension, etc.). For pickup height I always start with the manufacturer's recommendations and then make any necessary adjustments with a signal meter to ensure I'm getting even/equal output across all strings (as much as possible).

I adjust my playing style instead of adjusting the setup. This way I can play more gently when I want to/need to, and I can dig in to get a more aggressive tone - but the feel is always consistent - any time I pickup a bass the relief and action is exactly the same. The only exception is my fretless, where the neck relief is actually a little less than the others.