Bass Players!

[KennyLee]

Cool. Let us know. Enjoy it!

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

Half a turn at a time is way too much. Even on a severe dip it should be done in stages. A quarter turn is severe. The wood needs to settle after being adjusted. You can damage a lot more than a truss rod by overturning, especially on a through-the-neck instrument.

 

Raising action still requires intonation and a proper setup has the lowest action possible. Lower than normal will result in unplayable frets. That's why feeler gauges are used to measure string height fretting the first and 13th frets simultaneously. The bridge height can only go so low in relation to the lowest point on the neck. The only thing that can really lower action is to shim the neck which changes the angle of the entire neck and nut to the bridge or too cut nut slots deeper. I too know guys who like a little higher action and they also use heavier strings.

 

Fret height is in relation to nut height not the other way around. :)

[Snaked]

Half a turn at a time is way too much. Even on a severe dip it should be done in stages. A quarter turn is severe. The wood needs to settle after being adjusted. You can damage a lot more than a truss rod by overturning, especially on a through-the-neck instrument.

 

Raising action still requires intonation and a proper setup has the lowest action possible. Lower than normal will result in unplayable frets. That's why feeler gauges are used to measure string height fretting the first and 13th frets simultaneously. The bridge height can only go so low in relation to the lowest point on the neck. The only thing that can really lower action is to shim the neck which changes the angle of the entire neck and nut to the bridge or too cut nut slots deeper. I too know guys who like a little higher action and they also use heavier strings.

 

Fret height is in relation to nut height not the other way around. :)

 

 

Now I know how my computer customers feel when I start telling them whats going on with their PC's.

 

"It's all geek to me!"

[EagleMoon]

 

 

Now I know how my computer customers feel when I start telling them whats going on with their PC's.

 

"It's all geek to me!"

 

I think they're deliberately making it sound difficult.and doing a little fear mongering. It's really not that difficult.

Edited January 23, 2014 by EagleMoon

[KennyLee]

Half a turn at a time is way too much. Even on a severe dip it should be done in stages. A quarter turn is severe. The wood needs to settle after being adjusted. You can damage a lot more than a truss rod by overturning, especially on a through-the-neck instrument.

 

Raising action still requires intonation and a proper setup has the lowest action possible. Lower than normal will result in unplayable frets. That's why feeler gauges are used to measure string height fretting the first and 13th frets simultaneously. The bridge height can only go so low in relation to the lowest point on the neck. The only thing that can really lower action is to shim the neck which changes the angle of the entire neck and nut to the bridge or too cut nut slots deeper. I too know guys who like a little higher action and they also use heavier strings.

 

Fret height is in relation to nut height not the other way around. :)

 

Hmm.A 1/4 turn on a truss rod is not severe. It will make a difference but it is not severe and will not damage anything unless your instrument is in a really bad place as far as the condition of the neck and truss rod or the rod is at the end of it's threads..

 

Using feelers while capo-ing the 1st and 13th fret will measure relief. One of the aspects of action but not measuring action directly. Action is a combination of nut height, fret height, bridge height and neck relief. All play a part.

 

You say a proper setup has the lowest possible action? Fender has specs for their jazz bass and sets their action height as 5/64" at the 17th fret. Fender would call that a proper setup. I set mine up at 1/8". That is lower action and I have no unplayable frets. Your friend likes higher action. That is proper for him and obviously not the lowest possible action.

 

Nut to fret - fret to nut. If A relates to B, B relates to A. My point was if my nut is high (hehe) I'm not going to have new frets put on, I'll shave the nut (hehe).

 

I think they're deliberately making it sound difficult.and doing a little fear mongering. It's really not that difficult.

 

It's not really. But like anything, the more familiar you become with your instrument the more detailed you get with it. 5/64" compared to 1/8" (1/64th difference) makes a big difference to me.

Edited January 23, 2014 by KennyLee

[Snaked]

Finally got my bass back today.. the neck was "way off" lol and the action is realllly low now.

And that horrible metal pickguard is gone, replaced with a proper 3-ply white/black/white one.

 

I'm happy :)

[EagleMoon]

Finally got my bass back today.. the neck was "way off" lol and the action is realllly low now.

And that horrible metal pickguard is gone, replaced with a proper 3-ply white/black/white one.

 

I'm happy :)

 

Pics or it didn't happen. You know the rules. :)

[Snaked]

Finally got my bass back today.. the neck was "way off" lol and the action is realllly low now.

And that horrible metal pickguard is gone, replaced with a proper 3-ply white/black/white one.

 

I'm happy :)

 

Pics or it didn't happen. You know the rules. :)

 

Bad lighting but you asked :P

 

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t254/snaked_arrowed/IMG_20140130_193822_742_zps459a50f8.jpg

[Snaked]

Better lighting, I hope.

 

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t254/snaked_arrowed/IMG_20140130_213521_389_zps8888ab16.jpg

[Maverick]

Finally got my bass back today.. the neck was "way off" lol and the action is realllly low now.

And that horrible metal pickguard is gone, replaced with a proper 3-ply white/black/white one.

 

I'm happy :)

 

Pics or it didn't happen. You know the rules. :)

 

You are tough!

 

[EagleMoon]

Better lighting, I hope.

 

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t254/snaked_arrowed/IMG_20140130_213521_389_zps8888ab16.jpg

 

Looks great! :)

[KennyLee]

Better lighting, I hope.

 

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t254/snaked_arrowed/IMG_20140130_213521_389_zps8888ab16.jpg

 

Looks great! :)

 

Beauty!! Ever notice how some GL basses have 10 screws in the pick guard and some have 11? (the extra screw in the middle)

 

Anyone know why? Difference between MIA, MIJ, MIM?

 

So the set up was worth it I assume?

Edited January 31, 2014 by KennyLee

[gudbuytjane]

Two things. I like my basses with lower action than the standard. That is for me. It is not wrong, just different than the standard. I know another guy who like his action high because he plays punk, uses a pick and doesn't want the strings to rattle on the frets (I love the fret rattle).

 

Totally agree. I think of it as the growl. And I've found Jazz and Ricks especially do it well. :)

[KennyLee]

Two things. I like my basses with lower action than the standard. That is for me. It is not wrong, just different than the standard. I know another guy who like his action high because he plays punk, uses a pick and doesn't want the strings to rattle on the frets (I love the fret rattle).

 

Totally agree. I think of it as the growl. And I've found Jazz and Ricks especially do it well. :)

 

And some nice Rotosound 66 strings brighten it up!

[EagleMoon]

I've owned four different Geddy Lee jazz basses at one time or another and I just cannot get used to that neck. It's not because it's thin because my number one bass is a Sadowsky Will Lee (1.45 nut) but because of the fingerboard radius. It's way too rounded. I really wanted to love the Geddy and kept going back to them for obvious reasons but for me personally they don't work as well. I've also owned three different Rics, and while I love the way they look and sound when someone else plays them, I just couldn't get a decent tone out of them. Just got lost in the mix even with tweaking the amp EQ. I still to this day drool a bit when I see a Ric hanging on a music store wall.

[gudbuytjane]

I have a maple Squire Jazz right now that I like a lot. Friends bought it for me after I hadn't had a bass in quite a while, so it's pretty heartwarming. I used to own a Rick 4001 (early 70's, I think, if I can remember correctly from the time I looked up the serial #). I have to admit as much as I idealize the Rick, Jazzes are just so much more versatile. Don't hate me! :D

[KennyLee]

The Squiers are actually very decent basses. I've played a few that actually play and sound better than some Fenders. Every bass is so unique.

 

"Lost in the mix" to me is always a mid problem. Everybody loves to pump the bass, get the highs in there and ignore the mids. Lost in the mix? Get some mid punch in there. ;)

[CygnusX-1Bk2]

Rics sound best when you can split the pickups using the Ric-O-Sound output and run to different amps. My 4001 can sound a little farty because of the pronounced mids but the amp I pair it with makes a huge difference. I have an Ampeg Bass 100 combo that I just don't like the Ric through. But I had access to a GK head with Hartke and Trace Elliot cabs and the Ric sounded great through that. The two amps have similar EQ controls but the bands are different enough, plus having the 10" speakers and tweeters really help get the most out of the Ric.

 

J basses are real easy to get good tones out of because they just sound good with everything full on. Roll off the bridge volume and you can get those P like tones but with the ease of the J neck.

[EagleMoon]

The Squiers are actually very decent basses. I've played a few that actually play and sound better than some Fenders. Every bass is so unique.

 

"Lost in the mix" to me is always a mid problem. Everybody loves to pump the bass, get the highs in there and ignore the mids. Lost in the mix? Get some mid punch in there. ;)

 

Tone is a very subjective thing. Boosting the mids might get you heard but it doesn't mean it will be a tone you like or one that fits the music that you're playing. To me, if a bass doesn't sound good with the amp set flat then it's usually more frustrating to work with.

[Del_Duio]

Hey guys, you all know a lot more about tech / spec bass stuff than I do so I wanted to ask you something:

 

Last year I bought an Ibanez 6 string soundgear bass for $400 and change while visiting a cool music store in Ohio. Anyway I didn't notice it until a few days later but whenever I'd play the B note on the A string at the 2nd fret it would *buzz*. It's only this one friggin' fret and it's driving me nuts.

 

I've had other basses where a string will buzz a bit and raising the action from the bridge took care of it, but for this one it doesn't fix the problem. I took it into a Guitar Center near my house and the guy said he had to re-fret the entire neck which "might fix it" and it's going to cost me more than $100 to do it, so I declined for now.

 

Does this sound right to you? An entire re-fret?

 

I know the answer was to take it back to the original place and get them to fix it however it's 900 miles away and it's been a very long time since I got it.

 

Thanks!

[KennyLee]

It's probably just one high fret (your third fret) or one low fret (your second fret). Put a small straight edge (ruler works) over your frets and you will see if there is an abnormality. If it is a high fret that can be filed down. Low fret... that's an issue. That is where a fret job comes in to play.

 

Good luck.

[toymaker]

I have a lot of bass envy reading this subforum. My basses are pretty cheap, but I bought them because they seemed fairly versatile. I play an Ibanez ATK and a Yamaha BBG4S II, through a David Eden Nemesis RS (combo). We don't play any Rush, but I do like to crank up the "edge" knob and try to get a bit of Lee-like distortion if I can. I'm able to get a nice round tone out of the ATK.

 

I wish I was a better player. I don't practice as much as I should. I've been trying to figure out that triplet feel thing for YYZ, and I can get it a couple of times but then it just goes pear shaped. Is that just something you work at relentlessly until you get it, or is there some techniquey-kind of trick I need to learn? I've watched this guy pretty closely, but I can't seem to do what he does!

 

[Lifthrasir]

I use a 2008 limited edition Sterling Music Man, with roto sound strings (45-110)

 

for my amp I have an orange MK 200 head with an orange 4X10 isobaric cabinet

 

to get a similar tone to Geddy, I Crank the gain, boost the treble, and I use a Fulltone bass drive pedal to give it that real grit that we al know and love!

 

Heres a multi-cam cover video of me playing YYZ:

[psionic11]

Filipina girl plays YYZ:

 

 

(any tips on how to make the link a video instead of a link, like a couple posts above?)

[Geddy Jazz]

Geddy´s bass tech Skully McIntosh says " the neck is set very straight for an extremely low string height and fast action" Bass Player Magazine August 2012.....what do you think guys that means in terms of measurements??..... :geddy: