£65 for a set up.?

[bubinga5]

Took the bass in for a look at with my local tech guy. . Bought some much tighter strings. They were DR Fats, then changed them for some DR low riders. The former being a round core, the new being a hex core, so a lot more of a stiffer string, so it pulled the action really high.  I was always told that you should adjust the action from the bridge only. Tried that, and got buzzing up to and past the 12th fret. I only tried the B and E. Logically I guess I should have adjusted the truss rod. Then thought I need to take it to my tech guy. I guess its two questions. Should I have adjusted the truss rod and is £65 expensive for a full set up.? I rarely need a set up on my basses so haven't had a bass set up for a while. sorry if this is in the wrong forum. 

[Newfoundfreedom]

I'm a Yorkshireman. £65 is expensive for a bass! 😂

Edited September 2, 2018 by Newfoundfreedom

[Wolverinebass]

I would say £50 is about right unless there's tons of other stuff to be done. Maybe £65 if you didn't supply strings?

[BassBus]

Chris McIntyre in Edinburgh is a nationally renouned luthier who charges £45 for a setup. If your guy charges £65 then that's what he feels he can charge. You made the choice to go there. The local market will always inform prices. He might have had so much work he could not cope so putting prices up can slow down that amount of work. There are always a lot of different reasons that dictate prices.

[goblin]

I have mine set up twice a year, £65 for the works doesn't sound too bad! 

[Happy Jack]

On a 5-string that's only £13 per string. 

Unless you have a serious issue to resolve (or in my case anything that involves a soldering iron), any amount greater than a penny is too much to pay for a set up IMHO. Bass guitars are pretty simple - you'd be much better advised learning how to set it up for yourself.

 

[goblin]

That, and well... I can't be bothered to do it myself. I know my way around me gear, for any professional it's imperative that you should, but when I'm out playing 2 and a half hours plus 4 nights a week, I can't really be bothered to do it myself on my time off, and would rather a professional who knows their craft do it for me to exacting standards 🤷🏻‍♂️ 

Edited September 2, 2018 by goblin

[HazBeen]

7 minutes ago, Happy Jack said:

On a 5-string that's only £13 per string. 

Unless you have a serious issue to resolve (or in my case anything that involves a soldering iron), any amount greater than a penny is too much to pay for a set up IMHO. Bass guitars are pretty simple - you'd be much better advised learning how to set it up for yourself.

 

Agreed, give the man a fish etc. I have never paid for a setup nor will I ever.

[discreet]

I do my own set-ups generally, but it's well worth £65 IF the set-up includes a nut change, fret-levelling and crowning and all the other actual skilled work that I can't/don't want to do. The bass should play like a completely different instrument and the change should be startling.

[peteb]

39 minutes ago, bubinga5 said:

 

I guess its two questions. Should I have adjusted the truss rod and is £65 expensive for a full set up.?

In answer to your questions:

1) yes - the rule of thumb is that you adjust the truss rod to set the action lower down the neck and the bridge to set the action for the higher register. 

2) depends - £65 just to sort the action and intonation seems a little on the high side, but quite reasonable if he had do any fretwork, etc. 

You could always do it yourself. But it is but somewhat pointless to have a bass setup up badly, whether you pay someone else or do it yourself. 

FWIW, I recently went on a day long course run by Jon Shuker to learn how to do it properly. However, I still took a new bass to him because it needed some fretwork, something I now kind of know how to do but lack the tools and touch to do a professional job. Money well spent... 

[bubinga5]

Its just a set up to get the action/neck right. Ive put on brand new strings.He said the intonation is off, which is weird as I set that myself. (open string 12th fret/harmonics etc) Its convenient because he's literally 100 yards down the road from me. He said it will take a week and a half..Im thinking its expensive, but for convenience, petrol etc..  Im expecting a very well playing Sei Jazz bass. 

Edited September 2, 2018 by bubinga5

[Newfoundfreedom]

2 minutes ago, bubinga5 said:

He said it will take a week and a half.. 

£65 for a week and a halfs work! 

What's he like at gardening?

[gjones]

Techs I see setting up basses on youtube, set up the action firstly by adjusting the truss rod then, if needed, fine tuning it by adjusting the bridge.

Many don't bother loosening the strings. 

[bubinga5]

Strange because Mr Overwater in a Scott bass lessons vid says if your action is high, adjust the bridge only. 

[HazBeen]

14 minutes ago, bubinga5 said:

Strange because Mr Overwater in a Scott bass lessons vid says if your action is high, adjust the bridge only. 

That is where you would start, but a high action also comes from the bow in the neck and also how the neck sits in the neck pocket (it may need a shim).

[4000]

19 minutes ago, bubinga5 said:

Strange because Mr Overwater in a Scott bass lessons vid says if your action is high, adjust the bridge only. 

If the strings are stiffer it will put more relief in the neck, as you experienced. Therefore you need to adjust the neck first, to counteract the pull of the stiffer strings. 

If your action is too high with the neck relief set correctly then you adjust the bridge. 

[4000]

Oh, and I think last time I looked the Gallery charged £35 for a set up.

 

[CameronJ]

1 minute ago, 4000 said:

Oh, and I think last time I looked the Gallery charged £35 for a set up.

 

Was just about to post this. For £65 I’d expect a decent set of new strings included in the service.

[bubinga5]

3 minutes ago, 4000 said:

If the strings are stiffer it will put more relief in the neck, as you experienced. Therefore you need to adjust the neck first, to counteract the pull of the stiffer strings. 

If your action is too high with the neck relief set correctly then you adjust the bridge. 

This would have, in hindsight been the logical thing to do. Tighter strings pulling the neck. adjust the truss.  Its all about learning I guess.

[4000]

Of course if there’s fretwork that needs doing then it’ll be more....

[bubinga5]

1 minute ago, CameronJ said:

Was just about to post this. For £65 I’d expect a decent set of new strings included in the service.

Did I mention he is the set up guy comparable to Yoda.?

[4000]

1 minute ago, bubinga5 said:

This would have, in hindsight been the logical thing to do. Tighter strings pulling the neck. adjust the truss.  Its all about learning I guess.

It’s all a learning curve. That’s pretty much the rule of thumb though. 

[bubinga5]

Just now, 4000 said:

Of course if there’s fretwork that needs doing then it’ll be more....

No fret work. The bass played perfectly before the string change. 

[bubinga5]

I will see how it plays when I get it back. If its not perfect I will go elsewhere. 

[4000]

That seems a lot then. Many will also do a fret dress for that sort of money. Your call though.