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Setup help on Stingray

C

clasher

Jul 26, 2012
7
0
#1
I have just got a new EBMM stingray 4 and I am having trouble setting it up. My neck relief is somehow correct I think. When fretted at 1st and 12th fret, the gap is a little less than a credit card. But I just can't get the low action like some of you guys are having.
Take the E string for example. I have the saddle all the way down, but the string height is still around 2.5mm at 12th fret (top of fret to bottom of string). Again, that's with the saddle all the way down, so it's the lowest I can get. Same with the G string. All the way down and still a little above 2mm at 12th fret.
So how can some people get 2mm or even lower on this stingray bass? I have another Ibanez bass and I don't have problem with that because the saddle can go so low that the strings can touch the frets. But not on this stingray bass.
Also even with this higher than my taste action, the strings are starting to buzz at 12th fret and above if I play a little stronger. Especially on the A and D strings. So I really don't know if I can go any further down in action. How do you guys do it? Any kind of help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
 
#3
Thanks Rocky for the reply. I can live with the 2.5mm but just want to know are all stingrays like this? Or there is something wrong with my bass or setup? Shimming the neck would be too much considering it's a brand new bass.
 
#9
Less than a business card? Well, I don't have a feeler gauge but upon closer check, when having the 1st and last fret pressed, the gap at the 7th fret is less than a medium pick! I put a medium pick there and it doesn't even drop. So I would say the relief is very little.
If I straighten the neck more, I'm afraid that it would even buzz more at lower frets. At current settings, lower frets are ok, only 12 frets and above have buzzes. What do you guys think I should do next?
 
#10
clasher said:
Less than a business card? Well, I don't have a feeler gauge but upon closer check, when having the 1st and last fret pressed, the gap at the 7th fret is less than a medium pick! I put a medium pick there and it doesn't even drop. So I would say the relief is very little.
If I straighten the neck more, I'm afraid that it would even buzz more at lower frets. At current settings, lower frets are ok, only 12 frets and above have buzzes. What do you guys think I should do next?
Click to expand...

Medium pick is (generally) somewhere in the neighborhood of .030" give or take. Neck relief should be (given level frets and fingerboard) .012".
 
#12
yup, sounds like multiple symptoms of the same problem, too much relief.

get that straightened out (so to speak) and your strings will likely be too close to the upper frets; you can then lift the saddles to correct that and fix the upper-fret buzzing.

also make sure the nut slots aren't too shallow, leaving the open strings too far off the 1st fret.

i literally cannot recall ever having to shim an ernie ball MM neck to get the action right.
 
#13
Check out Gary Willis' setup guide. It will walk you through the setup without gauges. You can start from there and see if it needs further adjustment.

If you don't know who Gary Willis is, he's a major jazz/fusion kick**s bass player, who is also very technically oriented.

Invalid Link Removed
 
#14
ddnidd1 said:
Check out Gary Willis' setup guide. It will walk you through the setup without gauges. You can start from there and see if it needs further adjustment.

If you don't know who Gary Willis is, he's a major jazz/fusion kick**s bass player, who is also very technically oriented.

Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...

Great player. However, it is notable that professional guitar techs do not use his methods.
 
#16
In addition to the comments already given, how low you can go without buzz will depend on string guage in addition to how aggressive your playing style.

My E and G are all the way down on a BFR, but the action is plenty low. I'm using Ernie Ball Group I flats which are very high tension.

With thinner strings (or any rounds) I would have to go higher even with my light touch style.

So, I think you do not need to fret about your new bass. ;)

PS - I have never seen the need to measure string height - I go as low as I can without buzz and this varies by bass and neck quality.
 
#18
Got it. Just a little bit more of a 1/8 turn on the truss rod and got the relief down to about 0.3mm on the 7th fret. Had to raise back up the saddles a little after that and now everything looks and feels ok. String height is a tad more than 2mm on E and at 2mm on the G. Also buzz above 12th fret seems to be gone as well.
Thank you guys for all the help!
 

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