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Post subject: Bass Action
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 1:32 pm
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Currently, my bass is setup with a set of Rotosound Swing 66 standards and I've generally aimed for a low action. Over the past few months I've progressed to a very light fingerstyle, where I'm hitting the strings at around the pickup position with just enough force to get a 'thump' out them. I'm really comfortable with how I'm playing, and the low action has let me fret notes a lot faster and with greater ease. Admittedly, my fingers aren't exactly hammers, so the light playing style isn't totally something I've had a choice over. But I've run into a tiny snag with my action as low as I've gotten it.

The E and G strings are exactly where I'd like them to be, and play comfortably up and down the neck with no buzz or clack of any kind. My A and D strings, on the other hand, run into some fair fret buzz in the upper-upper register when radius'ed with the E and G. I'm really only going past the fifteen fret or so for some small chord-work, not really spending a whole lot of time up there, but I've had to raise the A and D higher than what I believe the radius ought to be. I am using a home-made radius gauge - thick paper cut out to a 9.5" curve. I don't have a ruler of any kind, so I'm going strictly off of how it feels to set the strings.

Anyway, my question for anybody who might have some input, is that I'm soon going to move to Thomastik Power Bass strings, which have a slightly thicker gauge. Can I expect this relatively minor fret buzz problem to get worse with the new strings once I've got the bridge intonated, or might it actually lessen a bit? My neck already has only a slight amount of relief as is, and it was mentioned that I might have to loosen it up a slight amount for the new string gauges.

Long winded post for a relatively minor issue, but I figure if I was going to ask for any advice I may as well give a detailed explanation of my situation. Any input is appreciated.


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Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 4:58 pm
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Sounds to me like the truss rod needs to be adjusted.

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Post subject: Re: Bass Action
Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 7:44 am
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Bassman101 wrote:

Anyway, my question for anybody who might have some input, is that I'm soon going to move to Thomastik Power Bass strings, which have a slightly thicker gauge. Can I expect this relatively minor fret buzz problem to get worse with the new strings once I've got the bridge intonated, or might it actually lessen a bit? My neck already has only a slight amount of relief as is, and it was mentioned that I might have to loosen it up a slight amount for the new string gauges..


String tension may also come into play here as much as string size. TI EB344 PowerBass is one of the lowest tension sets out there for their size, so they may vibrate more freely which would highlight any setup errors even more clearly.

Whenever changing string setups it is best to get a skilled tech with the right tools and experience so that you'll have a better chance of being happy with your new strings.

In the long rum you might have to try several techs before finding a really good tech who knows what they are doing. A good tech will ask questions about your playing style, maybe even ask you to play your bass for them and then ask how you want it set up. Just dropping off your bass for a set up and not being asked how you play it is roughly equivalent to a root canal with no X-rays. Once you get them set up correctly I think you'll really like the TI EB344 PB set. I do use other strings but they are the ones on the bass I play the most and my favorite round set ever.

Also your post was NOT long winded compared to most of mine. I am the "King of Wind."
:P


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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 1:28 pm
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I do need to find a good technician - or I need to become one myself. I had it setup with a pro technician, but mostly for a new scratchplate and the neck shim. The guy took my bass, did some gorilla-technique slap style stuff I would never even try and informed me my action was already too low. "Retarded low" were his words. Put it away without asking me to demonstrate my own style. He did a good job setting it up, but I thought he might have had a little more understanding of what I needed from my instrument had I played it for him. He was more of a guitar guy anyway.

I've adjusted my action a little bit here and there since then, and I am planning on buying a guitar repair guide because I'd like to learn how to set the whole thing up myself. I read at one forum that your bass action won't be perfected until you learn to do it, and I'm pretty handy so I think I can get things down. Start slow, small adjustments only when necessary, etc. I'm still in my 'experimenting' phase so I have some wiggle room as far as action and string choice goes. Who knows, a year from now I could be playing flats with a pick! :shock:

I've read some places that a bass doesn't "speak right" with a super low action, but I look at it this way - my bass is rated at zero watts. My bass amp is rated at 575 watts. If I'm going to rely on one of them for volume, it's gonna be the amp. :D And the thing about instrument adjustments, is you can always change it up again later. So I'm not sweating anything. If I have to raise my action up a bit, I'll deal with it. The Thomastiks are on there way right now and I'll let you know how things turn out.


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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 2:08 pm
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I do adjustments on my basses myself and to me they are perfectly set up . I think that it is a good idea to learn how to do a setup . I learned from reading Bass Player articles and then bought The Guitar Book and read some more . After a couple of basses you'll get the idea on how to make adjustments . Good luck!

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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 6:55 pm
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jlarocho wrote:
I do adjustments on my basses myself and to me they are perfectly set up . I think that it is a good idea to learn how to do a setup . I learned from reading Bass Player articles and then bought The Guitar Book and read some more . After a couple of basses you'll get the idea on how to make adjustments . Good luck!


True, some people do develop a knack for being self-taught bass techs. I don't have the patience or the tools or the skill for anything major, but I do make minor adjustments. I also change strings myself so long as they are exactly the same set which the bass is already set up to use. Anytime I'm making a major change I let the tech do it.

I consider a major change to be things like changing string gauge or really huge tension changes in either direction. In these cases I get it set up and then tweak it later as needed. I don't like messing with the truss rod much at all. A busy tech will have done so many setups that they could do it in their sleep. I do all my own electronics work and routine maintenance, but after winding up with a cracked neck on a 71 Jazz and a badly bowed neck on a 76 precision with a fully tightened truss rod nut...to quote Mr. Eastwood, "a man has got to know his limitations."

For me it is cheaper in the long run to get a pro to do the initial set ups. Some people, like me, work on their own cars too, but that doesn't mean a shade-tree-mechanic should do their own front end alignment. I've yet to have a Fender Certified tech mess up any of my basses, even the non-Fender ones. I'm not saying it never happened to anyone else, only that it never happened to me.


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Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 8:07 pm
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I'm at college about three hours away from the guy I took it to last time, fortunately there is a guitar shop nearby, but I do not know how reliable he is. Might go in and talk with him about whether he'd do a bass setup only to put strings on and make sure the neck don't get weird. He isn't Fender-licensed, but he does sell some pretty high-end stuff and the one time I met him he seemed to know his business.

Might pop in there for this new set of strings just to make sure things go right. I'd still like to learn my own stuff, but you've got me a little frightened now...

Probably November during my week-long Thanksgiving Break I'll probably take it back into the original guy's shop, because he's licensed for EMG pickups and I'm considering an overhaul of my bass's electronics. If I could get him to set it up while I watch, I imagine it'd be an excellent learning opportunity. He was pretty busy the first time or I would have hung around then.


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Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 6:51 pm
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Well, I put my new Thomastiks on myself just a short while ago. I took my Rotosounds off to keep as spares, but hopefully I'll never have to put them on again. These Thomastiks not only look and feel better, they sound better. The purple silk wrappings are beautiful and really stand out, and I really think the tonal qualities of these strings pay for themselves.

I've called the local guitar guy and he says to wait a couple days to see what changes the new strings bring to the bass, and then to bring it in and we'll talk any adjustments over and he'll do them in front of me. So that should be good. But the reality is that right now, we're going through some crazy weather changes, including humidity which goes from really dry to muggy in the course of a day as well as fluxuating heat. So adjustments are going to happen to this baby new strings or not.

As far as the 'looseness' of the strings that we'd discussed, I'd say that with my light playing style I'm not seeing a huge difference between these and the Rotsounds. Sure, the Swing Bass set was stiffer and the Thomastiks have a little more 'give,' but honestly they feel better both with my plucking hand and when I fret notes. I've heard that thicker gauge strings can actually stand lower action settings because they don't vibrate as widely as thinner strings, but I'm going to hold off on judging that until they've been on for a while.

Got my new Dunlp microfiber cloth to keep them clean and sparkly, and I can only describe how I keep my bass clean as obsessive. If I pick it up to play for just a few moments I'll wipe almost the whole thing down with a clean cloth, so I think these strings should last me a while.

Thanks to all those who helped chime in on these great strings.


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Post subject: Yes
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 7:08 pm
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I'm sure you'll like those strings. Very long life with lots of zing to them. The TI EB344 Powerbass is my favorite round. Never found one better. I use them on my 54 P-bass to brighten it up. Although there is a lot to be said for some of the others. I tried a set of Ernie Ball rounds one time and they were surprisingly good for the price.

yeah those TI Powerbass strings are the atom bomb of rounds. The only thing I don't like about them is that purple silk. Glad someone likes it. LOL.


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Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 9:35 am
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Good topic and good advice.


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