Nick Ioannucci said:
theres a good2- 2 1/2 inches between top and heart. and this just in, my nut is about an 1/8" high, so thats a big part of the problem. mabey ill give eric a call, well see what happens.
I joke sometimes about the nut slot height from the fingerboard being high enough on a (shop set-up) bass to accommodate tied on frets. But it is true that most basses come from the maker that way. I suppose it's because they don't know what you might do for strings, guts or steel or whatever. I filed my slots pretty close with a rat-tail needle file. Even then when my teacher played the bass he said they needed to go further, enough to pinch a business card. He gave me one of his cards to use. I've never seen a thinner business card! I did what he said and it was amazing how differently the entire instument played! Finally I was able to play in 1/2 position as easily as any other. Truly, a great set-up is the sum of many small tweaks, and these are all inter-related.
As Ken stresses, it's not about how much you paid for the instrument and he is completely correct about the waste factor of practicing/playing a poorly set-up instrument. You might learn something, but most likely you will end up frustrated or worse, with some nasty stress injuries in your arms, shoulders, and hands. Time at the massage therapist/chiropractic clinic will also cut into your budget and your practice time.
Another idea for a great set-up is to get your own business card;- think of every dime you spend as an investment and ask yourself beforehand if what you are spending it on will return some value to you later. Generally musical instruments go up in value. Video games and computers, new cars, do not. I'll give you the "When I was in High School..." etc., etc., but I'll stop with the short story: When I got my first EBG, we (mostly recruits from the marching band) put together a dance tune combo and hired out for birthday/holiday parties and the income from those put our hourly wages to shame. If you organize the band as a business, you can ammortize your equipment and depreciate it (including your necessary transportation and rehearsal space) and deduct everything you spend on you band on an IRS schedule C. If you lose money, that will reduce what you pay in taxes on your wages. If you make money, go ahead and give the taxman his cut. It doesn't always work, but if you are in a small town where there isn't much entertainment for young people, you might try it. We also rented the American Legion Hall, the Lions Club, and made a 50/50 deal with a skating rink. I spent a lot on gear then, but I still have most of the gear and it has paid for itself over and over. It was great fun, too.
mabey i should really just have the entire thing evaluated by a luthier and see wat they think. that may be the best route to go. *sigh* i wish i could make more money.
When taking all the tension off the strings and removing a bridge, my luthier uses a large wooden clamp (with felt on the insides) to apply pressure between the top and bottom of the bass to prevent the soundpost from falling.
That's my opinion anyway.
