This is a good idea... do not mess with it any more, just take it to the shop as is.
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Unplayable Fretless Bass
- Thread starter Zaiquiri
- Start date
I agree with a previous poster, make sure you are turning the truss rod correctly. Looking at the rod from the top, turn it counter-clockwise to loosen, creating forward bowl, clockwise to create backwards bow.
Hey man, I am 110% all for people doing their own setups and tweaking their bass so they know how and what does what.
But it's supposed to be fun and a learning experience. If you're uncomfortable there's no shame at all in taking it to a shop and paying $30 for a setup. Money well spent.
Best of luck to you and happy holidays.
But it's supposed to be fun and a learning experience. If you're uncomfortable there's no shame at all in taking it to a shop and paying $30 for a setup. Money well spent.
Best of luck to you and happy holidays.
If the strings were off a few days, that may have let the TR pull the neck back.
Once it is there and left that way, it can 'take a set'.
Loosen the TR, tune it about a step up and wait a few days.
Sometimes they can move, just not quickly enough to see it happen.
If it doesn't get better seek professional help.
Once it is there and left that way, it can 'take a set'.
Loosen the TR, tune it about a step up and wait a few days.
Sometimes they can move, just not quickly enough to see it happen.
If it doesn't get better seek professional help.
Welcome to TB. Truss rods are like braces on teeth: you don't see them moving, but they're still doing the job. Remember, the neck is made out of strong wood that has to slowly bend back into shape. Like Bill Whitehurst said in post #25, it may take a while. Be patient. Make sure you're loosening the rod and not tightening it thereby making the problem worse. Depending on these types of strings used the rod may need to be adjusted once anyway. Best to you.
It's not a crime to not know these adjustments, and we all had to start somewhere before we could effectively adjust our own instruments. I know, I turned mine into logs a few times. You're not there yet, so please take this to a real professional guitar tech IF it's a bass you'd like to own and play and can justify the cost, before you unwittingly add cost to the repairs . . . . . .
Turn the nut counterclockwise until the nut gets loose, it it won't get loose it may be cross threaded. If it's cross threaded the truss rod will not loosen and I would bring it to a pro. If that happened only from taking the old strings off and putting new ones one, the old strings must have been very high tension and the news ones must be very low tension. Nothing else makes sense of why that would happen unless you are turning the truss rod the wrong way, lefty loosy, righty tighty.
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I would re-examine the truss rod situation and make sure that it was indeed loosening. Mostly, it sounds like the nut slots are cut too deep and the bridge saddle set too low. Do you know if it was a conversion or originally made fretless? If it is a conversion, check to make sure the neck isn't over-shimmed.
Please read thoroughly before offering advice... the thread starter has already mentioned that the bridge saddles are already adjusted abnormally high. This is clearly a neck adjustment issue that could involve removing the neck in addition to a truss rod adjustment. Since it sounds like this player does not have great experience, it is much better for him to take it to a tech who can sort out the issue.
Shiming the neck won't help. You do that when your saddles are too low to bring the action down. You shim the neck to raise the end of the neck so you have more adjustment on the saddles.
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Hi everyone! Thank you all much for the advice!
What I've done is string the bass with heavy gauge strings which seems to have improved the tension on the neck, also, by doing this, I was able to reduce the height of the saddles drastically. It's actually sounding pretty good, so I'm going to now learn all of Mick Karn's material haha. I really can't thank you all enough, I don't think I would have had the courage to try this stuff out without your responses. I'll be sure to visit this site more regularly!
Cheers and merry Christmas!
Zac
What I've done is string the bass with heavy gauge strings which seems to have improved the tension on the neck, also, by doing this, I was able to reduce the height of the saddles drastically. It's actually sounding pretty good, so I'm going to now learn all of Mick Karn's material haha. I really can't thank you all enough, I don't think I would have had the courage to try this stuff out without your responses. I'll be sure to visit this site more regularly!
Cheers and merry Christmas!
Zac
If the saddles are high to clear the neck I'd suspect it is already being skimmed.
What could be the case, if the rod is stiff, or not moving, then it might need WD40, or it could have got cross-threaded. I'd suggest taking the nut off and then carefully putting it back on. I
Since the saddles are already too high this indicates that the neck has a shim on the heel toward the bridge end causing a neck tilt
This could be the case, that's why I mentioned that the neck may need to come off... or it could be that the neck just has a terrible back-bow that may or may not be possible to solve with the truss rod.
look at the posted pic, the action is low, too low for "Fully raised saddles" (reposted below)
