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Who plays with a really low action? Pics please?

THany

THany

Jul 24, 2019
408
383
Israel
#1
Can someone post me pics of their low action bass , so I can see how close the strings are to the fretboard?
Im having trouble lowering the strings o my ibanez sr800 ( yes, I know I should take it to someone who knows.. not possible at the moment, I opened a thread about it, but nothing seam to help.... ) I just wanna see with my own eyes
HOW LOW CAN YOU GO
(Without a buzz and a bow)
Thanks
 
#2
Low action is completely subjective and can be achieved on most any bass in degrees of "low". If you prefer such - just do it. It's not a contest to see who 'has the lowest action' - why? What's the point? Who cares?

If you want to know how it's achieved - there are you-tube tutorials and lots written on the subject. A little research goes a long way.
 
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#4
You might require a shim to raise the neck relative to the bridge.

Personally I like to go as low as possible, but it can be a pain in the ass to maintain as subtle changes in weather can cause the neck bow, which, in turn requires truss rod changes to keep the action perfect. The truss wheel on musicmans really helps with this and is a reason why the action on my Bongo is always perfect.
 
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#5
JIO said:
Low action is completely subjective and can be achieved on most any bass in degrees of "low". If you prefer such - just do it. It's not a contest to see who 'has the lowest action' - why? What's the point? Who cares?

If you want to know how it's achieved - there are you-tube tutorials and lots written on the subject. A little research goes a long way.
Click to expand...
Of course its not a contest, I know about all the videos and researched a lot, but still, I just wanna see a genuine pic. I hope you dont mind
 
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#6
HELLonWHEELS said:
You might require a shim to raise the neck relative to the bridge.

Personally I like to go as low as possible, but it can be a pain in the ass to maintain as subtle changes in weather can cause the neck bow, which, in turn requires truss rod changes to keep the action perfect. The truss wheel on musicmans really helps with this and is a reason why the action on my Bongo is always perfect.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the answer. And I do feel changes all the times..
And yes of course the neck and all, I just cant do it.. lol... too high for me..
 
#10
To get apples-to-apples meaningful comparison, we need to know what brand and gauge of strings you use, and how you tune your bass. (EADG?) The string excursion as it vibrates does depend on string tension - which does depend on materials, construction, and gauges of the strings in question. Also : I'm not familiar with that model - is it 34" scale?

For sure, the question of "lowest possible action without string buzzing" has been an obsession of mine for several decades - but it depends A LOT on how hard and in what fashion you generally pluck the strings - as well as how much ( or little!) dynamic range you require from your instrument...
 
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#12
20191015_051845.jpg
mikewalker said:
To get apples-to-apples meaningful comparison, we need to know what brand and gauge of strings you use, and how you tune your bass. (EADG?) The string excursion as it vibrates does depend on string tension - which does depend on materials, construction, and gauges of the strings in question. Also : I'm not familiar with that model - is it 34" scale?

For sure, the question of "lowest possible action without string buzzing" has been an obsession of mine for several decades - but it depends A LOT on how hard and in what fashion you generally pluck the strings - as well as how much ( or little!) dynamic range you require from your instrument...
Click to expand...
Thank you all.
Ibanez sr800 1992, 35-95 strings. Neck almost straight, Cant realy understand this eccocast bridge, that has 3 screws, but has to control 4 strings, I really did try to figure out for a long time... I cant... I took it to a guy who did "set up and raised it so high, I couldnt play, Now its a bit lower, bit still... like... too high
 
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#15
I've found the lower, the lighter. ... The lower the action the lighter the touch needs to be consistent. ... Since I play upright, there's only so low you can go before the board slap drives you crazy. ... And I find the same with fret-buzz, once it's in the way of a pure clear tone/note it's a distraction. ... Basses are designed to play with low action all the way up the neck, some take more work than others to get there.
 
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#16
Acoop said:
I've found the lower, the lighter. ... The lower the action the lighter the touch needs to be consistent. ... Since I play upright, there's only so low you can go before the board slap drives you crazy. ... And I find the same with fret-buzz, once it's in the way of a pure clear tone/note it's a distraction. ... Basses are designed to play with low action all the way up the neck, some take more work than others to get there.
Click to expand...
Did you see the pic I sent?
 
#17
That pic is a little hard to decipher... Looks like maybe 4mm??
I think you should shoot a bit lower to compensate for parallax, and usually in pics like that, the measuring ruler sits behind the string... Let me see if I can dig one up out of the archives...
 
#18
Ibanez Electric Basses Instruction Manual (Page 2 of 2)

This might help.

Sheldon Dingwall has an excellent set up video series on YouTube. While the hardware will be different the step by step process will be the same.

Your picture doesn’t show what fret you are measuring at, or if the string is pressed down to a fret or frets.

Low action starts with the truss rod. Holding the E string down on the first and last frets (lowest and highest) how much daylight is under the string at the 12th fret?

If it’s a lot, the truss rod needs tightening, to flatten the neck. 1-2 mm is what you want as a start.

Or if the string is hitting on the 12th fret, you have a backbow, and the truss rod needs to loosen until you see a bit of daylight, or relief. I think that’s unlikely with the set of light strings you describe.

Your truss rod should turn fairly easily in both directions.

If the neck is straight and flat, no twists or ski jumps at the end, you are ready to move on to the bridge.

If the bridge adjustments still don’t get you there, you’ll probably need a shim under the heel.

None of this is voodoo, gather up your tools and have at it. Just make sure you have the right Allen wrenches so you don’t strip and of the hardware. Take your time and it’ll come together.

Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to dial the action in to suit your playing style. Good luck!
 
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#20
THany said:
Can someone post me pics of their low action bass , so I can see how close the strings are to the fretboard?
Im having trouble lowering the strings o my ibanez sr800 ( yes, I know I should take it to someone who knows.. not possible at the moment, I opened a thread about it, but nothing seam to help.... ) I just wanna see with my own eyes
HOW LOW CAN YOU GO
(Without a buzz and a bow)
Thanks
Click to expand...

You will have to look at it with your ears. You might get dozens or hundreds of pictures of low action, but that won't tell you how much relief the bass in the picture has or if it's anywhere near the amount of relief in the neck on your bass. String height off a specific fret is only 1/2 of the action equation.
 
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