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Is this high action?


ClassicVibes
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I've been told my bass is almost unplayable by a mate of mine yet I have no trouble playing it. I like zero fret buzz when I play and like to dig in a little so raise the strings slightly to compensate for this.

E is 4/32, A is 7/64, D is 3/32 and G is just above 5/64. All measured at 17th fret on a Jazz bass. 

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Looks like a 1.8 to 2.9 mm at the 12th fret. It's a bit high compared to an average standard action, but an instrument must be set up for the player, not for a mate or someone else.

So, if you like it that way, that's fine.

That said, measures are now taken in milliliters and at the 12th fret for comparison purposes.

Tell your mate that he should have tried James Jamerson Funk Machine, where he would have considered your action as very low. 😉

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I’m a fairly heavy handed, hard hitter, so on my gigging bass my action is 3mm at 12th fret, with steel rounds. I don’t think it’s that difficult to play. I have just bought a couple of basses with much lower action and have to admit it makes them a doddle to play, but that wouldn’t have suited my playing style fit my last band.

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46 minutes ago, BreadBin said:

That seems pretty low to me. Do you have heavy gauge strings? Also, is he a guitarist?

Yes, forgot that part. Using Roto nickels 45-105 gauge. 
 

Do people prefer to have the action at the same distance from the fretboard i.e. 3mm on all strings (following the radius of the neck) or have the strings at an equal level with each other like how I set it up? 

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47 minutes ago, ClassicVibes said:

Do people prefer to have the action at the same distance from the fretboard i.e. 3mm on all strings (following the radius of the neck) or have the strings at an equal level with each other like how I set it up? 

There is no right way or wrong way to have a bass or any instrument set up, if it feels good and right to you, then it's set up RIGHT for you!

Everyone's different, not everyone likes the same colour for example, it's all about individual preference. 😁

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2 hours ago, ClassicVibes said:

I've been told my bass is almost unplayable by a mate of mine yet I have no trouble playing it. . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . then, it's fine.

Tell your mate to get his own bass and you just carry on playing yours how you like it.

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As others have said, it's what suits you and your style of play that matters.

In absolute terms also, though, it's not a bad action IMHO.  In mm, yours is 1.98mm (G) up to 3mm (E) at 17th.  When I set up a bass, at 17th I would generally start at 2.4mm (G) up to 2.7mm (E) and then tweak it down to suit the player.  Most players ask me to leave it as it is...

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Made the smallest of tweaks on the truss rod and was able to lower the action (nut is already cut for 45-105 gauge strings). 
 

At the 17th fret: E is 2.38mm, A is is 2.19, D is 1.98 and G is 1.59
 

By adopting a slightly lighter touch, I am able to get a lower action with minimal fret buzz. I will leave it like this for a while and see if I prefer the lower action. Much easier to play already has long has I don't use my usual gorilla technique! 

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8 minutes ago, DanOwens said:

She advocates "pulling the bridges back"? That sounds like messing up the intonation to change the break angle and adjust the tension, am I right about this?

It also seems Ms Kay doesn't have confidence to describe how to adjust neck relief, so maybe she hasn't got a clue how to set up a bass at all. 

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43 minutes ago, DanOwens said:

She advocates "pulling the bridges back"? That sounds like messing up the intonation to change the break angle and adjust the tension, am I right about this?

I don't have a clue what she's getting at. But she definitely wasn't a fan of the sort of action we go for these days. I imagine she means something other than 'string height'' by 'action' and why worry about 'true pitch' if you have an adjustable bridge?

image.thumb.png.209925e8fb3ccddb01c781f2e09467bb.png

It's a very odd book, typical of the sort that would have terrified me by its reliance on musical notation, but it obviously got a lot of folks started.

I think the book was partly aimed at upright players 'converting' to electric:

image.thumb.png.9c68e8bb796484129239a45e539951f0.png

image.thumb.png.3a1d09f386dadedcc344f60f2a78494d.png

 

There is some good advice:

image.thumb.png.6e922f421925c63233814282b4851475.png

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57 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

It's a very odd book, typical of the sort that would have terrified me by its reliance on musical notation, but it obviously got a lot of folks started.

I think the book was partly aimed at upright players 'converting' to electric:

That might explain a lot. If you're an upright player you don't have frets. So intonation is less important, because you'll adjust your fingering to tune the note to your ear. At the time of writing, electric basses were new and she implies adjustable bridges were an optional feature, so people at the time may possibly have been confused about what the adjustment is for. 

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A bit like the Bert Weedon book for 6-string guitarists, this was very much a beginners bible for bass playing when most people learnt by copying what someone else down the road who happened to have one did.

But it did come out 50 years ago.  And 50 years ago, the recommended way to start a diesel truck in icy weather, was to take off the air filter, soak a rag in paraffin, set light to it and bung it next to the air intake while you turned the starter motor.  No longer the recommended way....

And 50 years ago it would have been quite difficult to find out even what the tuning notes were, let alone how to set it up to play well! So it was actually an important book even if the general understanding of what works and why have moved on a bit.

But you never know...not setting it up with a 1/4" action might be why I'm so s**t at bass!!!!  :)

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