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Double Bass The Great "How High Does My Action Really Need To Be?" Thread

#42
Sorry but I just got to measure the clearances on my bass - I get 5/16" between the bottom of the G string and the neck, and 7/16" for the E string.

I have noticed that, once in a while now, I "bottom out" when bowing hard.

All this is using Ideal's adjustable bridge set to its very lowest position, both adjusters screwed down as far as possible.

-S-
 
#43
SteveFreides said:
Sorry but I just got to measure the clearances on my bass - I get 5/16" between the bottom of the G string and the neck, and 7/16" for the E string.

I have noticed that, once in a while now, I "bottom out" when bowing hard.

All this is using Ideal's adjustable bridge set to its very lowest position, both adjusters screwed down as far as possible.

-S-
Click to expand...

I assume you mean between the bottom of the string and the fingerboard at its end. Yes? So that's 7.9mm at the G and 11.1mm at the E. I'd call that moderately high. Seems any remaining problems should be addressed by modifications to other parameters of the setup (e.g., fingerboard dressing, nut height, etc.).
 
#44
SteveFreides said:
I have noticed that, once in a while now, I "bottom out" when bowing hard.
Click to expand...

it's pretty hard to get a setup that WON'T bottom out sometimes, without making the scoop so deep that your "normal" fingering is higher than you'd like. Where are you "bottoming out"? Open G?
 
#45
I got a laminated Eberle, and the bridge height was "moderately high", but not outrageous. The nut slots, however were crazy high- like 1/8" clearance on the E string! As another poster said, their setup is rudimentary- and meant to be corrected. If they spent as much time on it as say, Upton, well, they wouldn't be sellin' em so cheap! To be fair, they offered to further refine the setup free of charge, but I had just driven 5 hours to pick up the bass and had to make the return trip. Also, the luthier spoke almost no English and admitted to me in what little language we shared that he mostly works on violins and violas. You get what you pay for, and for Steve's prices (which are a steal, IMO) you're not paying for a setup. Find yourself a good luthier.
 
#47
I personally like my action as high as i can have without hurting myself. I like to play gigs without an amp and if needed just use a mic, and if really needed a combination of pick up/mic.
what I have noticed over the years by using the Underwood, Realist and more recently Revolution SoloII, is that even when I use a pick up the higher I have the strings the more sound I get out of the bass. Well, that seems pretty obvious, although it goes to show the either way you must be able to dig in a little and get some meat from your finders under the strings to get the full potential out of your instrument.
 
#48
Hi - apologies for not keeping up with this thread as often as I should, been very busy.

Thank you to everyone for their input. I think the issue may be that the nut is too high, and I've found someone local, Jay Vandekopple, who comes highly recommended by a friend, to whom I will be taking my bass sometime in the next couple of weeks for a better setup. My bass is _way_ hard to hold down in half position with my first finger, and I think that's a pretty good indication that the nut height can be lower.

I will report back again once I've had the setup done.

-S-
 
#49
ole Jason said:
How does string height affect volume? It seems like a silly question but as I was thinking about it I realized I don't really understand why raising the string makes the bass louder.
Click to expand...
The common explanation I often read is that it increases tension. But if it increases tension, then it also increases pitch (pitch is mainly a product of tension, mass, and length) so you would tune down to where the tension was the same as before the adjustment... so that doesn't really make sense to me.

So I would guess that the main factors are 1) with higher action, less vibrations are lost to the fingerboard and 2) you can dig in a little harder.

But, I'm no expert, and someone might have better information.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showpost.php?p=720998&postcount=10
 
#50
Took my bass to Jay today and he had several interesting observations about its current setup, done by bassesonline.com where I bought it, including the fact that the string height on my bass may have been done using the "by the book" numbers that date from the time of gut strings. He said my action can come down 3-4 mm at the end of the fingerboard. He also observed a number of ok, but not quite right, things about my setup, all of which he is going to fix, e.g., the bridge position wasn't quite right, the bridge feet and the sound post both need a little tweaking to make full contact as they should, the curve of the bridge was a little flat (why I find it hard to get just the D string with the bow), etc.

I will report again once I have the bass back in my hands, hopefully next week.

-S-
 
#51
I read an interview with David Fink in which he discusses this subject. He says he plays mittels at a fairly low height, rather than guts up higher because he wants people to hear an Ab note rather than an Ab thump.
Christian McBride has some good comments on this subject in the latest Down Beat.

Sure, a bass MAY have more volume with the strings an inch off the board, but we don't play two beat unamplified stuff like they did in the early part of the last century.
Right or wrong, I set the strings where they feel good, giving a mix of punch and sustain.
It's around 5-8mm G-E.
YMMV.
 
#52
I too have this same question. I am an electric bass player, but a lover of music and avid musician, and have wanted to join the symphony orchestra for some time. I have been really lazy about this, as my bass has had this problem for about 10 years (wow doesn't seem that long).

My action seems EXTREMELY high.
I can lay my hand on the next and get to about the 9th fret position before it hits a string, this might be a bit of an exaggeration, but i know my fingers do not hit the string when i put it on the neck at the bottom of the neck.

There is a good luthier in the next town over, but i have not been able to get to him yet.

Does this action seem extremely high to you guys? I know some of you like it high but this seems extreme!
Thanks!
 
#54
clink said:
I read an interview with David Fink in which he discusses this subject. He says he plays mittels at a fairly low height, rather than guts up higher because he wants people to hear an Ab note rather than an Ab thump.
Christian McBride has some good comments on this subject in the latest Down Beat.

Sure, a bass MAY have more volume with the strings an inch off the board, but we don't play two beat unamplified stuff like they did in the early part of the last century.
Right or wrong, I set the strings where they feel good, giving a mix of punch and sustain.
It's around 5-8mm G-E.
YMMV.
Click to expand...

A bit of a late reply to the discussion, but the last point is very important. The technology of the instrument largely dictates its function. Low action and amplification has opened up a lot of playing options for me. It was something I definitely picked up from my mentor.
 
#55
Hi!

Rufus Raid talks about a “Happy Medium” regarding the confrontation Volume Vs. Playability… His choice is G= ¼ inch; D-A = 3/8 Inch, E= 7/16.

Hope it helps.

Ciao.
 

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