Will I need a truss rod adjustment if I switch to flatwounds?

[macondense]

I have a Harley Benton Beatbass that came with round wound strings gauges .045 - .100.
I want to put LaBella Deeptalking Bass flat wound strings gauges .050 .065 .080 and .100. (Strings for Hoffner Beatle bass)

Will I need to adjust the truss rod if change to the LaBella strings?
I don’t have experience adjusting the truss rod and don’t want to damage my bass.

 

[RBC64]

You shouldn’t, put them on and see how it plays.

 

[ahbass2500]

If you do, it is not particularly difficult as long as you know what you are doing, use the right tools, and are reasonable about it. There are setup guides on the forum. I typically point people towards the one that Sweetwater has on their website. How to Set Up a Bass Guitar - InSync | Sweetwater

 

[ardgedee]

Will I need to adjust the truss rod if change to the LaBella strings?

You're likely to have to adjust the truss rod no matter what you change your strings to. Any change in overall string tension will lead to the neck developing more relief or less.

Learn how to do truss rod adjustments. It's easier than changing the strings.

 

[ahbass2500]

Adding to the prior post, sometimes you need to know how to adjust truss rod even if you never change your strings. Some necks are worse than others, but they can shift over time.

 

[Lava]

In my experience, yes. Unless you are installing LaBella Low Tension Flats.

 

[ra0ulduke]

This might be a controversial opinion, but in my view, setups are generally overrated. That doesn't mean they don't offer any improvement, but for the first 15 years I played bass, I wasn't even aware that this option existed. I regularly changed strings and had absolutely no problems. I played concerts and made studio recordings. During that time, I also didn't use a single pedal - apart from the tuner. I think forums like this often give beginners the impression that they have to spend a lot of money before they can even begin. I consider that problematic.

 

[Grahams Groove]

This might be a controversial opinion, but in my view, setups are generally overrated. That doesn't mean they don't offer any improvement, but for the first 15 years I played bass, I wasn't even aware that this option existed. I regularly changed strings and had absolutely no problems. I played concerts and made studio recordings. During that time, I also didn't use a single pedal - apart from the tuner. I think forums like this often give beginners the impression that they have to spend a lot of money before they can even begin. I consider that problematic.

I didn’t think about setups and barely changed strings during the first 4-5 years I started playing bass. I just didn’t know what I didn’t know. That said, I wouldn’t conflate setups with the pedal world…

A setup is something players can and (IMO) should learn to do on their own. The cost of a couple basic tools to do them well is very minimal, assuming you don’t already have them.

Setups are like the oil changes and alignment for your car. They keep the thing running smooth and reliably. You can go without them for some amount of time, but why not do it if it’s low cost and relatively easy?

 

[Zooberwerx]

A full set-up would be in order and there is a process for this. Omitting any of the steps is not recommended.

Riis

 

[antfarm]

A basic bass setup consists of the following steps, which can be remembered using the mnemonic "TRAIN":

T - Tune
R - Relief (Adjust the truss rod to set the desired neck relief, i.e. bowing of the neck)
A - Action (Adjust the bridge saddle height to set the desired action, i.e. string height)
I - Intonation (Adjust the bridge saddle position to set intonation, i.e. make sure the note on the 12th fret is exactly an octave higher than the open string)
N - Noodle

Each of the R/A/I steps consists of multiple steps of adjustment and measurement until the desired result is reached. Don't forget to always re-tune your bass before measuring things after every adjustment.

 

[Mr_BK]

Adjusting a truss rod is among the things you need to learn when playing bass. IMHO every player should be able to do a basic set-up. Nothing fancy, but you need to be able to maintain your insturment. Even I can do it, so you can, too.

 

[ra0ulduke]

I didn’t think about setups and barely changed strings during the first 4-5 years I started playing bass. I just didn’t know what I didn’t know. That said, I wouldn’t conflate setups with the pedal world…

A setup is something players can and (IMO) should learn to do on their own. The cost of a couple basic tools to do them well is very minimal, assuming you don’t already have them.

Setups are like the oil changes and alignment for your car. They keep the thing running smooth and reliably. You can go without them for some amount of time, but why not do it if it’s low cost and relatively easy?

I do think they fall into the same category. Both can bring improvements, but neither is absolutely necessary for playing.

 

[MegaSwing]

Not necessarily. It would not be rare or unusual if you have to. I have to tweak my various truss rods every so often without even as much as a string change. Fretboard relief can be fickle. It pays to optimize your action.

 

[ardgedee]

Some necks don't move much with the weather or changes in tension. Others do. People chiming in to say they don't need to adjust the truss rod either don't mind variations in neck relief or have basses with especially stable necks. Which is great! Some basses are like that. Or they live where the climate never changes, which is kinda enviable.

I tend to actually be pretty relaxed about how the relief on my basses varies as the seasons change (one is noticeable, the other barely perceptible), because while I like low action I'm not interested in getting the action as low as scientifically possible. It's also because I know why they change and how to get them back within tolerances again after 5-10 minutes of effort.

Knowing how to do basic maintenance is always better than not knowing or believing you don't have to know. It will never be a wasted effort.

 

[Bassdirty]

This might be a controversial opinion, but in my view, setups are generally overrated. That doesn't mean they don't offer any improvement, but for the first 15 years I played bass, I wasn't even aware that this option existed.

This reminds me of that interview with Astronaut Alan Bean, when asked how they got through the Van Allen Radiation belt with No issues, he said:
"Oh, Well, they hadn't been discovered yet."

(He Really DID say that, I saw the video, with my own face).


Anyway, I knew a guy (guitar player) who used to CONSTANTLY tweak his trussrod .. during practice. After a song, he'd pull out the wrench, tweak it right there on the spot, still wearing it on the strap. Give er a lil twist.. "Ok, that's better".. (then continue to do it all night, after almost every song, winter/summer didn't matter).

My basses rarely needed any fussin with, (I usually used the same gauge of strings though. But New England winter/summers, my necks never moved.

T$

 

[Grahams Groove]

I do think they fall into the same category. Both can bring improvements, but neither is absolutely necessary for playing.

Sure, but that’s a poor threshold.

With that logic, you could say replacing broken strings is not absolutely necessary for playing as long as you have one left. It might be true, but it’s not good advice.

Unrelated to that - I think learning how to do setups is helpful for evaluating basses for folks who are already playing and shopping new instruments. If you don’t understand basic instrument setup and how it impacts playability, you’re likely to write off a poorly setup instrument when you try one. Understanding the aspects of an instrument’s feel that are fixed vs tweakable is valuable, IMO. I digress…

 

[ra0ulduke]

Sure, but that’s a poor threshold.

With that logic, you could say replacing broken strings is not absolutely necessary for playing as long as you have one left. It might be true, but it’s not good advice.

Unrelated to that - I think learning how to do setups is helpful for evaluating basses for folks who are already playing and shopping new instruments. If you don’t understand basic instrument setup and how it impacts playability, you’re likely to write off a poorly setup instrument when you try one. Understanding the aspects of an instrument’s feel that are fixed vs tweakable is valuable, IMO. I digress…

Differentiation is important: I didn't claim that a setup can't bring about an improvement or that one shouldn't do it. However, it's not absolutely necessary. I agree with the second paragraph.

 

[Grahams Groove]

Differentiation is important: I didn't claim that a setup can't bring about an improvement or that one shouldn't do it. However, it's not absolutely necessary. I agree with the second paragraph.

That’s fine. My initial response was to you stating setups are overrated and incorrectly equating them to a costly add on like pedals. It’s a disingenuous comparison.

Setups are basic, they’re low/no-cost, and there are helpful videos that can walk you through the how-to in less than 10 minutes. That’s valuable info for any player, regardless of experience level.

 

[Stan_da_man]

I have a Harley Benton Beatbass that came with round wound strings gauges .045 - .100.
I want to put LaBella Deeptalking Bass flat wound strings gauges .050 .065 .080 and .100. (Strings for Hoffner Beatle bass)

Will I need to adjust the truss rod if change to the LaBella strings?
I don’t have experience adjusting the truss rod and don’t want to damage my bass.

Yes.

 

[metron]

If you want your relief where it was, definitely.

Others are saying the need for precise relief is a subjective thing, which is true. You will still be able to play it without adjusting the rod but I don’t think it’s the best advice. Keep your truss rods adjusted properly!