Members allan grossman Posted October 20, 2002 Members Share Posted October 20, 2002 Basic trussrod setting for dummies Here is the magic position : - Fret the E string with your thumb behind the 9th fret. - Fret the E string with your middle finger behind the 5th fret. - If the string touches the 7th fret, your neck needs curve. Gently turn counterclockwise. - If the string is way higher, there is too much curve. Screw clockwise. - On an ideal neck, there should be like room for a cigarette paper between the string and the 7th fret. It should ALMOST touch the fret. Just a ray of light should be seen. - The space is so tight that sometimes you can't see it. Gently tap your string over the 7th fret with the back of your pointer. You should hear a sound. - Another thing you can do is pluck the string with your left hand between the 2 fretting fingers. It should produce a very high pitched note. If you hear nothing then you need curvature. - Perfect necks are not so common. A lot of instruments have minor neck/fret level problems. Just add a little curve if it rattles. - Repeat for every string. - If you have a double trussrod (mostly RickenBacker or 6 string bass), it works the same except that you have to work on higher an then lower strings, NOT the other way round. Hope it helps. Cheers. Jazz Ad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xvertirx Posted November 1, 2002 Members Share Posted November 1, 2002 I got a neckthrough bass and I would like to lower the strings to get faster action. Can anyone give me some advice on what I have to do? Are there any good websites that explain the procedure? I want to do it myself because I want to learn. I don't really like my current bass so I'm kind of using it to experiment with until I get my new bass. Of course if I really liked this bass I would probably take it to a professional but I fgure I can try working on it myself. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Scottr Posted November 1, 2002 Members Share Posted November 1, 2002 Alot of it will depend on what sort of Bridge you have, if you have an adjustable nut, etc. Typically, your manufacturer should have a manual for this sort of thing. Mainly, you just need to adjust the Bridge (or Bridge Saddle) and possibly the Nut. These adjustments also affect intonation/string speaking length and Truss rod adjustment. I don't know of any good books or website, I always let someone else set mine up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Banta Posted November 1, 2002 Members Share Posted November 1, 2002 Typically on a bass, you want a very slight bow in the neck since the strings are so big and need room to vibrate, unlike a regular guitar. Normally you want just enough of a bow to allow this without fret buzz. If you have an underbow, there will be fret buzz all over the neck, especially frets closer to the nut. For an underbow, you loosen the truss rod(s), no more than 1/4 turn at a time, and allow it to sit overnight before readjusting. For an overbow you tighten the truss rods, again, by no more than 1/4 turn at a time and allow it to sit overnight before doing any further adjusting. Once your neck is set properly, you adjust your bridge height for maximum action without fret buzz. Then adjust your saddles for harmonics. After this, minor tweaking may be necessary for optimum playability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RIC N BACKER Posted November 1, 2002 Members Share Posted November 1, 2002 http://www.garywillis.com/pages/bass/bassmanual/setupmanual.html check out this site. it has pictures Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xvertirx Posted November 1, 2002 Members Share Posted November 1, 2002 Originally posted by Banta Typically on a bass, you want a very slight bow in the neck since the strings are so big and need room to vibrate, unlike a regular guitar. Normally you want just enough of a bow to allow this without fret buzz. If you have an underbow, there will be fret buzz all over the neck, especially frets closer to the nut. For an underbow, you loosen the truss rod(s), no more than 1/4 turn at a time, and allow it to sit overnight before readjusting. For an overbow you tighten the truss rods, again, by no more than 1/4 turn at a time and allow it to sit overnight before doing any further adjusting. Once your neck is set properly, you adjust your bridge height for maximum action without fret buzz. Then adjust your saddles for harmonics. After this, minor tweaking may be necessary for optimum playability. My bridge doesn't have anything to adjust the height. It just seems that I can only adjust the saddles for the height of the string. But how do I know how to get the saddle at the right height for intonation and harmonics? That sounds hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boalg v. 2.0 Posted November 1, 2002 Members Share Posted November 1, 2002 Originally posted by xvertirx My bridge doesn't have anything to adjust the height. It just seems that I can only adjust the saddles for the height of the string. But how do I know how to get the saddle at the right height for intonation and harmonics? That sounds hard. what is the exact bass you have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Banta Posted November 1, 2002 Members Share Posted November 1, 2002 Originally posted by xvertirx My bridge doesn't have anything to adjust the height. It just seems that I can only adjust the saddles for the height of the string. But how do I know how to get the saddle at the right height for intonation and harmonics? That sounds hard. Get the bridge height right for action. Adjust the saddles (length of scale) for intonation. It's easier than it sounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xvertirx Posted November 2, 2002 Members Share Posted November 2, 2002 Originally posted by boalg v. 2.0 what is the exact bass you have? Jackson Professional bass....I just looked at that website Banta posted and it helps a lot. I understand how the intonation adjustment works now. It's not as hard as I thought. Thanks Banta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Banta Posted November 2, 2002 Members Share Posted November 2, 2002 Originally posted by xvertirx Jackson Professional bass....I just looked at that website Banta posted and it helps a lot. I understand how the intonation adjustment works now. It's not as hard as I thought. Thanks Banta You're welcome, but RIC N BACKER posted the website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xvertirx Posted November 2, 2002 Members Share Posted November 2, 2002 Originally posted by RIC N BACKER http://www.garywillis.com/pages/bass/bassmanual/setupmanual.html check out this site. it has pictures lol oops thanks Ric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RIC N BACKER Posted November 2, 2002 Members Share Posted November 2, 2002 Originally posted by xvertirx lol oops thanks Ric no problem and glad you found it usefull... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xvertirx Posted November 4, 2002 Members Share Posted November 4, 2002 So I lowered my string action and it worked out pretty good! I have a little bit of frett buzz on the G string but I just have to adjust a little more. Thanks for the help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lug Posted November 4, 2002 Members Share Posted November 4, 2002 Originally posted by xvertirx So I lowered my string action and it worked out pretty good! I have a little bit of frett buzz on the G string but I just have to adjust a little more. Thanks for the help try this too http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=146921 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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