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Action!


Pea Turgh

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Hello friends. I had a quick google, but could not find anything specific, so would appreciate your collective input!

How many millimeters is low, medium and high action?

With reference to my own playing aspirations, I want to be be James Jamerson when I grow up - did he play with a high action?

Thanks in advance!

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'Medium' action is around 2-2.5 mm, depending on various other parameters... Fender info here. Jamerson did indeed play with a very high action, but he came to electric bass from acoustic upright bass, so unless you're an experienced doghouse player I'd imagine you'd want a slightly lower action. :)

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Cool - thanks!  Looks like I’m just over 3mm at the twelfth fret now, so I’ll put it down a bit.

 I’m sure there are many possibilities, but what then would be high or low?

Also, is there any resource that would provide well known players preferences?  Just a thought.

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Specific measurements are all well and good, but action is subjective. If you're getting buzzes and rattles then it's too low, if you can't play properly because it's too much effort to press the strings to the board then it's too high.

If your bass is sounding good and is comfortable, it intonates properly and it feels right to you, then it is right.

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Already dropped it a mil before anyone else responded - I don’t like it!

I thought it’d be easier on my daddy longlegs fingers, but it clangs too much compared to what ive been used to these past however many years I’ve had this bass.

Therre we go - live and learn and all that!

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11 hours ago, Hobbayne said:

The string height normally rises a bit the higher up the neck you go. If its a struggle to play,  you may need to adjust the truss rod rather than the action.

 

adjusting the truss rod is one of the things that *may* be needed to adjust the action. The 'action' is the result, which you achieve in a number of ways (neck curvature, neck angle if bolt-on, saddle heights, nut height, and fret levelling if uneven).

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11 hours ago, Kev said:

I'v never measured my action..not interested really!  I lower to the point of perfect balance between playability and string noise for me, its entirely subjective :)

This totally. Mate of mine's girl is dog ugly and if she was single I wouldn't do the deed if I was drunk AF but he loves her to bits and she's perfect for him. 😂

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24 minutes ago, LITTLEWING said:

Haha!! What I'm saying is, I wouldn't go near a bass with say low rattly action which the owner thinks is fantastic but I'd rather play one with my ideal setup. 

Happy Sunday!!

That’s more like it :)

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15 hours ago, Kev said:

I'v never measured my action..not interested really!  I lower to the point of perfect balance between playability and string noise for me, its entirely subjective :)

 

same here, I couldn't tell you what's my favourite 'action'... I just know what it is, and I adjust my basses to feel that way. I do admire those who take a more systematic approach and are able to get the bass just right by measuring things here and there. I measure very few things and go mostly by feel.

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I suppose I was just wondering if there was a ‘normal’, and if was a bit on the high side.

Point taken about the subjectivity of it all, as mentioned above, just was wondering to see if I could make life easier for myself. Turns out I’m happy being a smidge on the high side!

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Low , buzzy and rattly for me please! I remember at the Moffatt bass bash a few years back a few people expressed how they struggled to play my Sei basses because of how low the action was. But I both pluck and fret very lightly, unless I'm digging in on purpose. In fact I play like a fairly light-fingered guitarist, pick and all.

I remember once seeing someone at the Gallery picking up new custom Sei many years ago, which as usual had a low action, and they were absolutely hammering it (fingerstyle, not slap)  - I mean really hammering it - and couldn't understand why it was buzzing like mad. From what I could tell they were pretty much a beginner, so probably hadn't thought what to specify. 

Edited by 4000
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On 2/17/2018 at 21:36, Pea Turgh said:

Already dropped it a mil before anyone else responded - I don’t like it!

I thought it’d be easier on my daddy longlegs fingers, but it clangs too much compared to what ive been used to these past however many years I’ve had this bass.

Therre we go - live and learn and all that!

Dropping the action lower is also more likely to reveal other setup issues with a bass, such as uneven frets, sub-optimal amount of relief, etc. And how much clank you get will also depend on the tension in the strings (and obviously you playing style). Also - dropping the action by around a full 1mm in one go, if you've been playing with >3mm action before, is quite a lot - so not surprising that it would feel weird.

Anyways - you asked for numbers, and insofar as I can tell, only @discreet mentioned any ... so here are a few more (all measured at the 24th fret / whatever is the last fret on a particular bass) :) 

I recall that Warwick's setup video specified their "standard" (= as delivered from the factory) action as 2mm on the hi-G, and 2.5mm on the low-E. I find that a useful "reference point for medium action".

When the guys at Freedom CGR were doing no one of my basses, and asked what action I liked, I said "pretty low"... it came back with a bit under 1.25mm on the high-G, and around 1.75mm on low-B. Played beautifully with minimal buzz (which couldn't be heard amplified). So that would be my reference point for "rather low".  Over a few weeks, I couldn't get my touch quite light enough for that action to feel natural on the high strings, so raised it a bit to 1.5mm/bit-above-1.75 on hiG/lowB - i'd still consider that "low action".

Conversely, anything above 2.5mm on the high-G i'd consider "high-ish", and >3mm as "high".

No idea whether these numbers for low/med/high would be shared by everyone, but it seems to match up well with what i've seen at my local bass shops (in Tokyo). 

Edited by kumimajava
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Thank you Kumimajava!

I’d come to the conclusion that it was a big jump to make, and also that I should get a proper set up to sort issues with the frets. I bought this bass a few years ago from the original owner who bought it new in 1983 or 84, and I don’t think it’s been looked at by a luthier in that whole time!

When I have a few quid, I know of a good local chap to take it to (where I’ll request a 2.75mm action!)

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21 hours ago, Pea Turgh said:

Thank you Kumimajava!

I’d come to the conclusion that it was a big jump to make, and also that I should get a proper set up to sort issues with the frets. I bought this bass a few years ago from the original owner who bought it new in 1983 or 84, and I don’t think it’s been looked at by a luthier in that whole time!

When I have a few quid, I know of a good local chap to take it to (where I’ll request a 2.75mm action!)

If it's been played frequently all that time & it's not had a proper check-up by a luthier, then it probably is due for a nice service and fret-dressing/check. 

After it's had a proper service, and with a bit of practice (and perhaps - a string-height gauge), it shouldn't be difficult to tweak the action gradually yourself. Going a little bit at a time should let you find a comfortable height :)  Let us know how it turns out!

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I’ve been fiddling again! It’s now slightly lower than before, but high enough to fight back a little, which I think i’m comfortable with.

Probably more importantly, the string height is even across all strings now.

I think I prefer the tone with the strings a little higher, too. I could put the pickups down of course, but then I’d have nowhere to rest my thumb!

I think I’m set (til I can afford a proper set up).

Thanks folks!

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59 minutes ago, Pea Turgh said:

I’ve been fiddling again! It’s now slightly lower than before, but high enough to fight back a little, which I think i’m comfortable with.

Probably more importantly, the string height is even across all strings now.

I think I prefer the tone with the strings a little higher, too. I could put the pickups down of course, but then I’d have nowhere to rest my thumb!

if you're adjusting string height, then the pickups usually should be adjusted to match. If you only drop the action a little bit, the pickup also moves by a tiny bit only - so probably still enough to anchor your thumb on :)  

Good thing with all these adjustments is that they're fully reversible, so have fun experimenting & if something sounds/feels worse, just take a step back :) 

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