Truss rod adjustment necessary?

[crust_cheese]

Hi people

I've got some new DR Neon medium strings, the green ones. Very happy with them so far, the old strings were on my Ibanez for years and were getting pretty grimy.

What I didn't realise at first though is that the new DRs are of a slightly larger gauge than the stick strings; that is, the E and A string are thicker by .005 and .05 inches, respectively. So the first thing I got was a hell of a fret buzz.

I alleviated this by raising the bridge, as I've been reluctant to play with the truss rod (it does seem awfully risky when you've got no idea), but now I feel I've raised them a whole lot and that the bass could play way better than it does.
For reference, my E string on the last fret is 6 mm above the fretboard (about 1/4"). I feel that might be too high.

So, if I adjust the truss rod, will I be able to lower the bridge again? Should I consider this?

 

[Hopkins]

You need to check your relief. Capo the 1st fret and fret the 20th fret and observe the gap between the string and the 7th fret. It should be about the thickness of a business card. Seeing as though you had to raise your saddles, it sounds more like the DR's are lower tension than your previous strings and lower tension put the neck into a back bow. I would guess you need to loosen the truss rod slightly.

 

[crust_cheese]

Definitely less space than a business card there. That means loosening?

 

[Hopkins]

Definitely less space than a business card there. That means loosening?

Yeah, back it off about a quarter turn and see what it looks like

 

[crust_cheese]

Thanks for the advice! Did a 1/8 turn to the left yesterday evening and I'll do another 1/8 tonight when I get home. Really preferring to take it slow, as it's not even my bass

 

[Hopkins]

Thanks for the advice! Did a 1/8 turn to the left yesterday evening and I'll do another 1/8 tonight when I get home. Really preferring to take it slow, as it's not even my bass

That's not necessary, a quarter turn is just a starting point. It may be to much, or not enough. Don't be afraid to turn the truss rod, it is what it is there for. Make an adjustment, tune the strings to pitch and check relief, if its good, you are done. If its not good make another adjustment. It is a 5 minute job at the most, there is no reason to make it take a couple of days.

 

[Andyman001]

+1

Totally agree with Hopkins on this one.

 

[crust_cheese]

Thanks for the advice! A credit card will still stick a bit but it's already better. Could already lower the saddles a bit, but I'm gonna try another eighth of a turn.

 

[Hopkins]

Thanks for the advice! A credit card will still stick a bit but it's already better. Could already lower the saddles a bit, but I'm gonna try another eighth of a turn.

Business card, not a credit card.

 

[CBRXJ]

I just measured a credit card .028" and a business card .005". I only have one of each with me at the moment...but i do have a dial caliper with me.

 

[CBRXJ]

just found a nice shinny business card and its .012".

 

[Hopkins]

just found a nice shinny business card and its .012".

.012 is perfect, hold on to that.

 

[Zooberwerx]

.012 is perfect, hold on to that.

...and to think I wasted $4 on a set of feeler gauges! The .005 business card will be fine for checking nut slots / 1st fret clearance.

Riis

 

[GBassNorth]

You need to check your relief. Capo the 1st fret and fret the 20th fret and observe the gap between the string and the 7th fret. It should be about the thickness of a business card. Seeing as though you had to raise your saddles, it sounds more like the DR's are lower tension than your previous strings and lower tension put the neck into a back bow. I would guess you need to loosen the truss rod slightly.

This is the same method that I've used for years and had very good luck with. However, a few days ago I was talking to a friend of mine that does his own set ups as well but he mentioned that he capos the first fret and depresses the string at the last fret (24th fret on he bass he was playing at the time) and does the business card at he 7th fret. Is this wrong? I've always used the 20th fret.

 

[Hopkins]

This is the same method that I've used for years and had very good luck with. However, a few days ago I was talking to a friend of mine that does his own set ups as well but he mentioned that he capos the first fret and depresses the string at the last fret (24th fret on he bass he was playing at the time) and does the business card at he 7th fret. Is this wrong? I've always used the 20th fret.

I always use the 1st and 20th frets because most basses only have 20 frets. I doubt there is much of a difference between using teh 24th and 20th fret anyway.

 

[GBassNorth]

I always use the 1st and 20th frets because most basses only have 20 frets. I doubt there is much of a difference between using teh 24th and 20th fret anyway.

I think I have a couple of basses with more than 24 frets, I'll have to check them out later today to see if it makes any difference.

 

[Jay2U]

Apart from setting up your bass, which is always a good thing in my opinion, these DR Neon strings are wound around a round core. This makes them more flexible than hex core bass strings. If you're not used to this flexibility, you may easily play too hard and make them buzz, rattle and clank.

 

[GBassNorth]

I think I have a couple of basses with more than 24 frets, I'll have to check them out later today to see if it makes any difference.

Well, I had a few minutes to check a couple of my basses and it in fact does make a difference if you use a fret higher than the 20th. Using my new Warwick Vampyre NT with a 26 fret neck...

Here's what I found - capo on first fret, depress on last (26th) fret, gap from bottom of "B" string to top of 7th fret is greater than when depressing the "B" string at the 20th fret. So, just for the heck of it I reset my truss rod to allow one business card gap at the 7th fret using the 26th fret method. It dropped the action very (maybe too) low but no significant fret buzz. I'll check it again in the morning but I suspect I'll have to loosen the truss just a tad once the neck settles in.

 

[RBellavance]

I always use the 1st and 20th frets because most basses only have 20 frets. I doubt there is much of a difference between using teh 24th and 20th fret anyway.

Most guides I've read recommend using the 1st fret and "where the neck joins the body" for measuring relief.

 

[Hopkins]

Most guides I've read recommend using the 1st fret and "where the neck joins the body" for measuring relief.

That is probably good advice, unless you are talking about a single cut bass where the body joins at the 12th fret. The 20th fret always works very well for me, on both bass and guitars. If someone else has a different way of doing it, it doesn't mean they are wrong, as long as the results are satisfactory.