New Jazz setup

[Ash Jazz]

Hi all,

So I took a chance and bought a floor model Jazz Pro over the internet. It arrived today. First, it often surprises me how poorly these things are set up in the store. For a "professional" instrument the set up should professional out of the box... But sadly that's rarely the case.

I did a quick neck adjust by the seat of my pants which was an immediate improvement but it could still be better.

Just wondering if anybody has any hard and fast rules for a quick set up.

Thanks!

 

[Picton]

Hi all,

So I took a chance and bought a floor model Jazz Pro over the internet. It arrived today. First, it often surprises me how poorly these things are set up in the store. For a "professional" instrument the set up should professional out of the box... But sadly that's rarely the case.

I did a quick neck adjust by the seat of my pants which was an immediate improvement but it could still be better.

Just wondering if anybody has any hard and fast rules for a quick set up.

Thanks!

Dude. C'mon now.

Nobody's going to help you until you post pics. Pics or it didn't happen. You'll also need to be specific about how it's out of spec and what you've already tried by way of improvement. The collected brainpower here can have you up and running in no time.

I mean, congrats; I'm sure it's a lovely piece. But seriously.

Pics.

 

[Gorn]

It’s case by case. You adjust whatever needs adjusting till you’re done. You shouldn’t expect a set up you’re gonna like right out the box. Sometimes a truss rod tweak is all it takes. Sometimes it’s everything.

 

[Ash Jazz]

Dude. C'mon now.

Nobody's going to help you until you post pics. Pics or it didn't happen. You'll also need to be specific about how it's out of spec and what you've already tried by way of improvement. The collected brainpower here can have you up and running in no time.

I mean, congrats; I'm sure it's a lovely piece. But seriously.

Pics.

So sorry for the faux pas. Here are some pics.

 

[Picton]

Oooooh, that's beautiful.

Was it just high action? Was it coming from a really warm dry environment? Reputable retailer?

Like Gorn says, think of setup as a bunch of variables that contribute to a whole, not as one or two specific go-to steps. Identify which of your variables is giving you trouble, then figure out which of several ways you want to resolve it.

 

[el murdoque]

The shop should do the setup. Every bass I bought was either set up perfectly or I had them change it to my liking right there.
'I'll buy this if you can get a setup I like out of it' is a pretty compelling proposition to a sales person.

 

[J_Bass]

My setup is pretty simple. I adjust the truss rod until the neck is almost straight. Then I adjust the saddles to have 2mm height on the 12th fret of the E string. Then, the other strings according to the neck radius and very slightly reducing the height from 2mm on the E to 1.6mm on the G. Then I adjust intonation. And pickup height. That's it.

 

[Ash Jazz]

The first thing I noticed was how high the action was. Now I'm starting to wonder about things like when you stop with the neck and adjust the bridge pieces? Is there a recommended clearance over the pickup? Is there a trade off between height and sustain? Etc.

 

[Ash Jazz]

My setup is pretty simple. I adjust the truss rod until the neck is almost straight. Then I adjust the saddles to have 2mm height on the 12th fret of the E string. Then, the other strings according to the neck radius and very slightly reducing the height from 2mm on the E to 1.6mm on the G. Then I adjust intonation. And pickup height. That's it.

Thanks, that is very straight forward! I can do that!

 

[J_Bass]

Thanks, that is very straight forward! I can do that!

Yes, it's easy. Anything like fret dressing or electronics, I take the bass to the Luthier.

 

[g-dude]

Hi all,

So I took a chance and bought a floor model Jazz Pro over the internet. It arrived today. First, it often surprises me how poorly these things are set up in the store. For a "professional" instrument the set up should professional out of the box... But sadly that's rarely the case.

I did a quick neck adjust by the seat of my pants which was an immediate improvement but it could still be better.

Just wondering if anybody has any hard and fast rules for a quick set up.

Thanks!

Literally google Fender Bass setup - their instructions and specs end up with a very usable end product with maybe some minor tweaking at most.

 

[DylanB]

Like Gorn says, think of setup as a bunch of variables that contribute to a whole, not as one or two specific go-to steps. Identify which of your variables is giving you trouble, then figure out which of several ways you want to resolve it.

Yep, this. Also worth bearing in mind that a lot of these variables interact with each other. E.g. sometimes you can’t intonate properly if the bridge saddles are too high.

Setup is absolutely fascinating. And there aren’t really any shortcuts if you want a great result.

Jerzy Drozd’s setup guide is a good place to start IMO: http://www.jerzydrozdbasses.com/akcndfr54jdhrei567/Ultimate_Guide_ver100.pdf

 

[FatStringer52]

https://www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/Original/10001/Fender_BassGuitars_Manual.pdf

Starting on Page 18.

This is a .pdf that you could and should download and keep it handy. Remember, these are the manufacturers recommended specifications. Tweak them to your individual playing style.

 

[Claymore]

Jerzy Drozd’s setup guide is a good place to start

I second this. I set up my basses a different way for years but when I came across this, it became my set-up method of choice. It yields consistently good results.

 

[kmon]

The kmon method:

1. sight down the neck, if it’s bowed turn truss until it straightens up.
2. Adjust saddles with neck radius in mind, go as low as I can without excessive buzzing.
3. If 1 and 2 don’t make butter take it to my setup guy. He fixes everything.

sometimes I’ll venture into shim territory if it seems needed.

This is all done by feel. On some basses I like the action slightly higher than on others. I just want to get it to That Place where things feel fairly effortless. I know it when I get there.

 

[7dollarbologna]

Hi all,

So I took a chance and bought a floor model Jazz Pro over the internet. It arrived today. First, it often surprises me how poorly these things are set up in the store. For a "professional" instrument the set up should professional out of the box... But sadly that's rarely the case.

I did a quick neck adjust by the seat of my pants which was an immediate improvement but it could still be better.

Just wondering if anybody has any hard and fast rules for a quick set up.

Thanks!

Some people like high action.

 

[Turnaround]

This should be posted in the Hardware Setup and Repair forum. There's lots of good setup information there.

 

[BarfanyShart]

The nut, seems like the next place to check.

 

[Thundertips]

So sorry for the faux pas. Here are some pics.

Awesome Bass! I've been fortunate to only have to tweak the action a bit every time I buy a new Bass.

 

[thmsjordan]

Finding a good competent luthier was the best thing I ever did for my basses. Sure you can DIY setup and you might even be good but having a master set up your bass is worth the expense IMHO.