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Rant - Music Store Bass Set-ups
- Thread starter Treblefree
- Start date
Honestly even if the setup @ the store is OK by the time the instrument makes it back to your house & acclimates odds are it’ll need to be tweaked to your liking anyhow.
Minor adjustments such as truss rod / string height / pickup height / intonation should be a thing you know how to do yourself IMO (especially since only YOU know what works for YOU!)
Minor adjustments such as truss rod / string height / pickup height / intonation should be a thing you know how to do yourself IMO (especially since only YOU know what works for YOU!)
The small shops here usually have the setup and tuning pretty well done by the time they hang them out on display.
The box store I've found more than often to have the string height set pretty close, but the Basses are tuned down about a 1/2 step..... my guess would be it makes the Bass sound deeper while you're test driving it.
The box store I've found more than often to have the string height set pretty close, but the Basses are tuned down about a 1/2 step..... my guess would be it makes the Bass sound deeper while you're test driving it.
I agree about learning to do one's own setups. I do mine, as no one else has really been able to set mine up exactly the way I like them. However, one thing this can't address is the possibility that a horribly not-set-up bass in a store has some major issue that is going to prevent me achieving my desired setup. Unless I sit there and do a setup on the show room floor, I don't really know the potential of the bass. If it even has a halfway decent, middle of the road setup, I'm a lot more likely to be able to tell what I'll be able to do with it once I get it home.
All that said, return policies are there for a reason, so if I can't get a bass to perform the way I need it to, I can take advantage of that.
All that said, return policies are there for a reason, so if I can't get a bass to perform the way I need it to, I can take advantage of that.
One player's "horrible" setup is another players "perfect" setup.
I agree that an instrument should be playable and free of any major defects that would be hidden by a poor setup, like uneven frets or a warp in the neck. But I also recognize that Person A's ideal and Person B's ideal could be polar opposites. If the store has everything set to Person A's standard, Person B is gonna flip out online about how poorly setup and unplayable the instruments are, or vise versa.
I agree that an instrument should be playable and free of any major defects that would be hidden by a poor setup, like uneven frets or a warp in the neck. But I also recognize that Person A's ideal and Person B's ideal could be polar opposites. If the store has everything set to Person A's standard, Person B is gonna flip out online about how poorly setup and unplayable the instruments are, or vise versa.
A while back I bought a Nordstrand "Cat" bass. Not the usual 3 or 4 thousand dollar basses they make. They're made in a high quality facility in Indonesia. Even though everyone of them is usually sold before it even arrives in the U.S., Nordstrand fully checks them out and gives a similar setup to basses they sell for thousands of dollars. There is a basic pride in what they sell. Not so much in the big box or Mom and Pop stores unless you get lucky.
Setups are subjective. Some like the lowest possible action with string noise if you dig in, some like upright action way off the fretboard. There really isn't a good way to satisfy all. Stores would be willing to do setups, but are we willing to pay for that service? No. We would just go and buy it off the internet and do our own setup when it arrived at home.
I went to a store, fell in love with a bass, found out that it is basically unplayable and then I did the one super cool thing you can actually do when you are physically present in a brick and mortar store: I asked the guy behind the counter. He said "Yes, that bass came in this morning. We did unpack it, but it's not set up yet."
I asked if he could set it up now and when he did not immediately say yes I added that I will buy this bass right now if I like it. Ten minutes later the action was super low and the intonation set. Twenty minutes later I left, carrying my new bass.
I imagine that when they have several of a bass in stock they put one on display and set it up. If it's busy and they sell that one, they pull the next one from stock and put it on display, making a note to set it up when there is time to do so.
I asked if he could set it up now and when he did not immediately say yes I added that I will buy this bass right now if I like it. Ten minutes later the action was super low and the intonation set. Twenty minutes later I left, carrying my new bass.
I imagine that when they have several of a bass in stock they put one on display and set it up. If it's busy and they sell that one, they pull the next one from stock and put it on display, making a note to set it up when there is time to do so.
The closest brick and mortar to me is bad too. Every bass I have checked out there, the saddles are all in a straight line! And the same height! I asked if the set em before they hang em? Yes, yes we do. I asked which employee does it and it’s the most senior, he’s been there the 30 years I have known of the store and is now co/owner with the young new guy I spoke with. I laughed and said perhaps they would hire me to teach him how to do set ups “so at least the intonation was done” He didn’t get the joke.
What’s worse is they offer setup services.
it’s really quite sad: the unsuspecting/uninitiated getting their pockets picked.
What’s worse is they offer setup services.
it’s really quite sad: the unsuspecting/uninitiated getting their pockets picked.
Go to a large chain music store and the answer to your question is no one sets them up. They open the box, and put it on the wall. There it sits until someone buys it.
As for the mom and pop shops, that depends on what kind of business they run. Most of the top notch shops around me have an in house tech who inspects and sets everything up before it hits the wall, and if you don’t like the way it plays they are always have to make adjustments to the instrument on the fly. It’s all about finding the best shops who care about the product they sell, and appreciate their customers.
As for the mom and pop shops, that depends on what kind of business they run. Most of the top notch shops around me have an in house tech who inspects and sets everything up before it hits the wall, and if you don’t like the way it plays they are always have to make adjustments to the instrument on the fly. It’s all about finding the best shops who care about the product they sell, and appreciate their customers.
The last couple of years , I have always carried a tool kit and a tuner when looking at basses .
New basses always seemed the most problematic in my days of selling cheaper import instruments. We didn’t have any meaningful humidification, but we did have two large blowers that pumped dry air in all day long.
I think the necks on newer basses are just prone to this. You could set them all up over a few days, and they would probably revert as soon as you finished them.
I left a bass out in my gear closet the other day, and when I picked it up again, it had lost its setup after a few days.
I think the necks on newer basses are just prone to this. You could set them all up over a few days, and they would probably revert as soon as you finished them.
I left a bass out in my gear closet the other day, and when I picked it up again, it had lost its setup after a few days.
I've been known to bring tools with me and do a quick setup. The "sales force" are usually on theirs phones and too busy to notice me.
Smooth_bass88
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- Oct 31, 2006
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TL;DR
yeah sometimes music stores are so backed up with repair work that they don’t have time to set up each and every instrument that they receive. Ideally, they’re set up great right out of the box, but unfortunately that’s not always the case.
yeah sometimes music stores are so backed up with repair work that they don’t have time to set up each and every instrument that they receive. Ideally, they’re set up great right out of the box, but unfortunately that’s not always the case.
It's fine to say "learn to do your own setup" but the question isn't about personal competency with tools, it's about being about to evaluate an instrument before you spend money on it.
Unless you're willing to bring tools to the store and set up each instrument to your liking before you play it (which you likely won't be permitted to do), there's only going to be so much you can glean from an instrument that hasn't been properly set up before being set out for sale. You can eyeball the neck and the nut and the bridge and a few other things, get a feel for the profile, etc. But I'm sure a lot of instruments have failed to sell quickly because they were "hard to play" when all they really needed was a bit of attention.
Unless you're willing to bring tools to the store and set up each instrument to your liking before you play it (which you likely won't be permitted to do), there's only going to be so much you can glean from an instrument that hasn't been properly set up before being set out for sale. You can eyeball the neck and the nut and the bridge and a few other things, get a feel for the profile, etc. But I'm sure a lot of instruments have failed to sell quickly because they were "hard to play" when all they really needed was a bit of attention.
I feel the same. You would think they realize that the basses (guitars in general) are more likely to sell if they feel good in the hands of a potential buyer - therefore they would be properly setup (at least to factory specs).
Having said that... if I liked everything about a bass/guitar in the store, except something related to the setup, I would buy it anyway, knowing it will feel and play much better when I get it home and set it up properly.
I guess I just assume that only floor models get a set-up and out-of-the-box ones go untouched by the store with the maker doing a 5 min. once-over.
I don't go too deep. I gotta like it first
But if it starts to tick boxes, I'll start to fiddle. But like you say, if you have some knowledge about these things you can look past most of it to see where a problem might be. Most of my concerns are usually in the neck. Can it be straightened if that's an issue? String and pickup height can be adjusted quickly without bother. Neck, I need a dark corner or an "attentive" sales staff, attentive to their phone
But that happens rarely as I don't see that much to get that excited over.
Learn how to do your own setups. Even if most music stores say they offer them...you don't want those setups. InB4: "Yeah but I got person X who is fantastic". Nine times out of 10...they're not. It's what you don't know that makes you think they're good at it. On a rare occasion there will actually be someone that is incredibly good at it...and if they are...they are not cheap. If they don't ask you any questions other than "how do you like your action?".. They generally aren't good and overcharge for a saddle height adjustment or an unnecessary truss tweak while ignoring everything else. You will need:
1. A digital caliper.
2. A nut file set.
3. Allen Wrenches.
4. Phillips head screw drivers. Full industrial set.
5. Fret Scale Level Templates with notches.
6. Truss adjustment tools.
7. A digital multimeter.
8. Fret crowning file.
9. A radius block that matches the radius of your instrument. 220 - 400 grit sandpaper for leveling.
10. Fret rockers. Most of these double as a string height gauge.
11. Fret collar kit.
12. Fret cleaning kit: either micromesh pads or something like a Lizard Spit kit.
13. Fretboard cleaner/moisturizer. You'd be surprised how many fretboards are critically dry before they even hit the store or get delivered to your house.
14. A non abrasive lubricant for nut and saddles.
15. A Fret end dressing file.
16. A microfiber cloth for heavy cleaning.
17. A microfiber cloth for touch/polish when done.
Don't be lazy or afraid and learn how to do this. It will save you so much money in the long run, a ton of headaches and will turn almost all of the instruments in your arsenal to "the one" if you know your specs and document what you actually like and learn how to recreate it. It's the best thing you'll ever do for yourself and for your instruments in the arena of upkeep and playability. I've turned total throwaways into keepers with 3 hours worth of work.
1. A digital caliper.
2. A nut file set.
3. Allen Wrenches.
4. Phillips head screw drivers. Full industrial set.
5. Fret Scale Level Templates with notches.
6. Truss adjustment tools.
7. A digital multimeter.
8. Fret crowning file.
9. A radius block that matches the radius of your instrument. 220 - 400 grit sandpaper for leveling.
10. Fret rockers. Most of these double as a string height gauge.
11. Fret collar kit.
12. Fret cleaning kit: either micromesh pads or something like a Lizard Spit kit.
13. Fretboard cleaner/moisturizer. You'd be surprised how many fretboards are critically dry before they even hit the store or get delivered to your house.
14. A non abrasive lubricant for nut and saddles.
15. A Fret end dressing file.
16. A microfiber cloth for heavy cleaning.
17. A microfiber cloth for touch/polish when done.
Don't be lazy or afraid and learn how to do this. It will save you so much money in the long run, a ton of headaches and will turn almost all of the instruments in your arsenal to "the one" if you know your specs and document what you actually like and learn how to recreate it. It's the best thing you'll ever do for yourself and for your instruments in the arena of upkeep and playability. I've turned total throwaways into keepers with 3 hours worth of work.
