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Replacing a Jazz Bass tuner under tension
- Thread starter paulears
- Start date
Is it really that difficult to learn how to set string height and intonation? I never understood paying 50 bucks for a simple setup and string change.
Extra cost? How about taking your phone and take a couple of pics of the one saddle and then putting it back as close as you can get it. Really a setup for one saddle is ludicrous.
While it is ludicrous for someone to be unable to set the height of a single saddle by themselves, sadly, this does not mean that such people do not exist.
By the way, we all saw that he's done it, it's all over, it's all great, it was super easy, and everything's fine . . . right?
By the way, we all saw that he's done it, it's all over, it's all great, it was super easy, and everything's fine . . . right?
I was one of five bass players at the last open jam I attended. Three of them were interested in my highway 1 j bass and when they picked it up they all wanted to know who set it up with such low action. When I told them I did it, they all asked me if I did setups for other people. I told them it was not that hard and the cost of everything required to do it was less than paying for a setup. I also told them where to find the info on how to do it and even equipped with that info two of them said they were not mechanically inclined at all and would prefer to pay someone to work on their bass instead of trying to do it themselves.
Not everyone is capable of doing close tolerance hand work and to imply they are clods is making an incorrect generalization. It is however a mistaken assumption commonly made by those perfect individuals who came down the birth canal fully equipped with the knowledge and skills required to do something like a stringed instrument setup.
Although I agree that not all are born mechanically inclined, I don't consider running a measurin' stick, a Phillips screwdriver and a pair of Allen wrenches in the same arena as, say, being able to change brake pads on a car (not that that is difficult; it is however daunting). But some people just won't learn how. It's not that they can't but when they say such things, they are saying "I won't learn".
I don't get it because its a very satisfying thing to do it yourself especially when other players take note of it. It's really sad though when I see the Diltons at the local shop and they don't know how to set up an instrument. Then I tell friends that I can do it for them (guitar players mostly that won't even intonate their axes!) when they complain and they are afraid to let me and instead insist on going to the Diltons because its a guitar shop.
I don't get it because its a very satisfying thing to do it yourself especially when other players take note of it. It's really sad though when I see the Diltons at the local shop and they don't know how to set up an instrument. Then I tell friends that I can do it for them (guitar players mostly that won't even intonate their axes!) when they complain and they are afraid to let me and instead insist on going to the Diltons because its a guitar shop.
Fat Steve
The poodle bites, the poodle chews it.
Although I agree that not all are born mechanically inclined, I don't consider running a measurin' stick, a Phillips screwdriver and a pair of Allen wrenches in the same arena as, say, being able to change brake pads on a car (not that that is difficult; it is however daunting). But some people just won't learn how. It's not that they can't but when they say such things, they are saying "I won't learn".
I don't get it because its a very satisfying thing to do it yourself especially when other players take note of it. It's really sad though when I see the Diltons at the local shop and they don't know how to set up an instrument. Then I tell friends that I can do it for them (guitar players mostly that won't even intonate their axes!) when they complain and they are afraid to let me and instead insist on going to the Diltons because its a guitar shop.
Agreed 100%. Pure laziness.
I didn't learn for years because one of my very best friends was a top shelf luthier who made his living building and working on guitars and basses. Before he built a rep he struggled to make ends meet so I took him all my work more to help him out than any other reason. After he became known and respected as a top shelf guy I still took my stuff to him because he was my friend and every little bit helps. Not to mention I could walk in and he'd do me a quick set up right then rather than putting me in line. Over the years he took care of my stuff and I paid him and was glad to do so because it was of mutual benefit to both of us.
Sadly, he passed a few years ago and I tried a couple other people because I'd been doing it so long it was more habit than anything else. Problem was I never got the quality of work from those other folks so I learned to do my own, and have been for the last couple of years.
I've been playing for close to 50 years and only been working on my basses for the last 3 or so, but not because I'm lazy. I've been working with my hands all my life so learning to set up a bass was like falling off a greased stump, but to someone who's never worked with tools before it can be intimidating enough to put a lot of people off from trying without some personal guidance.
Not to mention the fact that some folks just don't have enough interest in doing it to learn.
Oh and BTW, I can build a match grade pistol out of any 1911 .45 out there. Can you do that too or are you just lazy?
Yeah, "laziness" is way too harsh, to the point of simply untrue. The fact is that some people are very comfortable with such things, and some people are very intimidated by them. That doesn't make them lazy, it just means that the same thing that gives some of us joy makes others very unhappy.
Fat Steve
The poodle bites, the poodle chews it.
Strawman argument in play, with a heaping side of false equivalency.
I don't shoot, and don't own any guns. If I did, I'd make sure I at least knew how to disassemble it and reassemble it, which I understand is necessary for cleaning and maintaining a weapon. Would you not agree that possessing those skills is a very important part of firearm ownership? Would you take your gun to a gun shop to have it cleaned and maintained, or do you perform those services yourself?
As a musician, I feel part of the "trade" is to have a working knowledge not only of the art but of the tools used in this endeavor. I would feel incredibly helpless if I didn't know how to at least perform basic repairs such as a saddle adjustment. It's so easy to do, yet people make excuses for not learning it. Hell, it should be in the owners manual for every new instrument.
Though I will agree that laziness is not only a bit hasty of a term, but also not the best way to describe how I feel about the mindset of those that can't be bothered to perform such tasks. Willfully ignorant would more appropriately describe my impression of these individuals.
Strawman argument in play, with a heaping side of false equivalency.
I don't shoot, and don't own any guns. If I did, I'd make sure I at least knew how to disassemble it and reassemble it, which I understand is necessary for cleaning and maintaining a weapon. Would you not agree that possessing those skills is a very important part of firearm ownership? Would you take your gun to a gun shop to have it cleaned and maintained, or do you perform those services yourself?...
Sorry, no strawman or false equivalency.
Some people like to shoot some don't. Some people like to know how to set up their bass some don't.
Neither group is lazy or in any way lacking in responsibility, skill, or anything else, it's strictly a personal preference and is one of the joys of living in such a great country where we all free to make such decisions without judgment.
Well maybe not completely without judgment, but at least without judgment with any consequences beyond feeding the ego of self appointed judges of inconsequential matters.
As I've been working on firearms forever I feel confident enough to take on that kind of work for money, and the number of people who shoot and have their weapons cleaned by someone else would surprise you. They are competent, safe firearms handlers who simply don't feel confident tearing down what can be a complicated recoil or gas operated cycling mechanism so they bring them to me because they know they can drop off a dirty piece and it will be spic and span and operating correctly when they pick it up. They can also get a tune up or any other type of work they might want which they often do. I have an interest in doing this kind of thing so I learned to do it. You don't have an interest in it so you don't know how. Don't make you lazy my friend, it makes you disinterested in working on firearms, no more no less.
The only strawman here is your attempt to explain away an incorrect generalization you agreed with.
Adjusting the saddle requires what, turning 3 screws at most? Come on! You can teach a 5th grader how to do this stuff. It's nothing an average bass player can't do or learn. If you can learn how to play bass, you have enough brain to learn to do setups.
OK, one more time for those of you who (I suspect) are deliberately missing the point.
Plenty of people are too intimidated by things mechanical to attempt them, no matter how simple. Just because you are not one of them doesn't give you the right to judge those people as lacking or lazy.
Oh and BTW, there are plenty of people who think they can set up their bass who in fact only mess it up. Just because you can use the tools is no guarantee you can use them correctly. I've played enough basses that were way wonky to believe a "proper" set up is a requirement for playability. A good set up makes it easier, but a bass can be way out of "proper" and still be played.
Turning 3 screws is no rocket science. And it doesn't take much to learn. Trying it out won't break anything either, so there's nothing to be scared of. We live in 21st century. What you're saying is like comparing changing a flat tire to rebuilding a whole engine. There's a basic level of maintenance everybody should be familiar with. If one can't bother to learn the most basic tasks, I'd have to say the person is being lazy.
We're talking about setting up one saddle here. It requires screwing in the intonation screw to the right length, and setting the grub screws for string height. There's not much going on there. I don't care how un-mechanical the person is. If the person can't get it spot on the first time, it doesn't make much to make corrections to get it right. Kids learning to tie their own shoes probably have harder time.
This is a fact. Although I find it hard to sympathize with people who are intimidated by doing anything mechanical (and consider it a failing on their part), I acknowledge that they do exist, and I also realize they are not going to change.
I also know people who could give ONE turn to a screw and damage it. They don't know how to use a screwdriver and would almost certainly either bugger up the screw head or let it slip and damage the finish of the instrument. (Heaves heavy sigh here...)
If you are one of those unfortunate people, others make a LOT of money off you doing things that you could do yourself. But that's life, and there are people who need technical help for the simplest things.
