String height

[TheDisparities]

I'm trying to adjust my action but cant figure how low to go. I like it vaguly low, what mm from the fretboard would you call this? and at what fret would you expect to start to get fret buzz? Quick replies needed please, gig on wednesday. Thankyou, Chris

[merello]

[quote name='TheDisparities' post='833277' date='May 10 2010, 05:17 PM']I'm trying to adjust my action but cant figure how low to go. I like it vaguly low, what mm from the fretboard would you call this? and at what fret would you expect to start to get fret buzz? Quick replies needed please, gig on wednesday. Thankyou, Chris[/quote]
What type of bass?Most makers have a resources section where it tells you the recommended heights.

[TheDisparities]

[quote name='merello' post='833284' date='May 10 2010, 05:22 PM']What type of bass?Most makers have a resources section where it tells you the recommended heights.[/quote]
I have a squier VM Jazz. I dont think squier have this on their site :S

[ZMech]

I don't get why you'd need a set measurement, surely you keep lowering it until you like how it feels?

[TheDisparities]

[quote name='Zach' post='833295' date='May 10 2010, 05:27 PM']I don't get why you'd need a set measurement, surely you keep lowering it until you like how it feels?[/quote]
Yes thats what i was doing but when it got to a certain height that i liked, the frets buzzed badly

[Moos3h]

You're not going to get a definitive answer, I am afraid. Too much is subjective.

The only reasons manufacturers give out these measurements are to standardise the setup, it doesn't take account of various factors - player preference being the most obvious.

As daft as it sounds, you're going to need to find this out for yourself. Bring the action down to what you would call too low (i.e. buzzy) and then raise it until YOU feel comfortable and happy. If the neck is correctly curved and the frets suitably level you should get a good buzz-free action without it feeling uncomfortably high.

Cheers,
James

[TheDisparities]

thankyou, and my neck has a bit of upbow, is this normal?

[cameltoe]

Fender have a set up guide for basses on their website. It's irrelevent that it's a squier, it'll be the same procedure.

Don't mess around with the neck too much though if you don't know what you're doing.

A good idea is to lower it to where it feels most comfortable, and if it's buzzing like mad then the neck may need adjusting. I'd take it to a specialist for this though.

[bumnote]

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIzV9462xeE&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIzV9462xeE...feature=related[/url]


This is a great video by lakland on how to set up a bass, the principles are the same even though you have a squire

[KiOgon]

[quote name='cameltoe' post='833301' date='May 10 2010, 05:32 PM']Fender have a set up guide for basses on their website. It's irrelevent that it's a squier, it'll be the same procedure.

Don't mess around with the neck too much though if you don't know what you're doing.

A good idea is to lower it to where it feels most comfortable, and if it's buzzing like mad then the neck may need adjusting. I'd take it to a specialist for this though.[/quote]
+ 1 on all that's been said;
It all depends how hard you pluck if you're getting a lot of fret buzz & you feel the action should be lower then adjust your style = pluck more gently If you want to smack them strings hard - then you have to put up with a high action = your choice

Edited May 10, 2010 by KiOgon

[wateroftyne]

This may or may not help, too...

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=57575"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=57575[/url]

[lonestar]

This should get you started.
[url="http://www.fender.com/support/bass_guitar_setup_guide.php"]http://www.fender.com/support/bass_guitar_setup_guide.php[/url]

[tomtraubert]

[quote name='TheDisparities' post='833300' date='May 10 2010, 05:31 PM']thankyou, and my neck has a bit of upbow, is this normal?[/quote]

if you mean what i think you mean then no,it isn't normal,that'll need sorted before you can properly adjust string height.

[cameltoe]

It sounds like you have too much relief in the neck, which will cause your action to be high no matter how low you adjust the bridge saddles. There should be a slight bow, but it shouldn't be that easy to notice unless you're looking down the sight of the neck.

As it says on the fender website, a good idea is to hold the E string down at the 1st fret and the very last fret, and check the size of the gap between the bottom of the string and the top of the 8th fret.

The idea here is that the string makes a straight line, so you can tell how much 'relief' (i.e bow) is in the neck.

This part can vary from bass to bass and player to player, but most people like to see a gap about the thickness of a credit card. If the gap is looking a lot bigger than that, the truss rod needs to be tightened a little. If the strings are flat against the 8th fret, your truss rod needs loosening a little to allow more relief.

I would definitely leave this to a specialist if you're not sure what you're doing. Other things, such as the tilt angle of the neck, may also need adjusting, and this is a whole different ball game.

Once all that is set up right, you can then mess around with the bridge to get your action comfy. This is easy enough to do yourself.

[The Burpster]

check this site under bass set up.

[url="http://www.tunemybass.com/"]http://www.tunemybass.com/[/url]

[TheDisparities]

Thanks guys, I shall have my bass sorted in no time