great basses poor set ups

[funky]

guys guys had the pleasure of playing a stingray 5hh . awsome sound but the set up from the factory is absolutly s..t. it was unplayable really . anything after the 12th fret was buzz hell . ok i like my action low but ive played cheap and nasty basses that gave a better feel. so i took it to my tech and he looked at the neck .. hmmmm , ahhhh. yessssss. the frets needed to be polished and evened out . after a week i got it back . there is only a slight relief in the neck and the action is supurb it plays itself . any buzz ? . not on any frets . now i dont expect musicman to spend so much time on each instrument that comes out of the factory but setting up the action so high as to be able to use it as a crossbow so that there is no buzz is slighty not on in my book. these aint cheap instruments .

 

[bovinehost]

Do you think the bass left the factory like that?

Answer - no.

Do you think the weather, storage, humidity and transport of said instrument could have an adverse effect?

Answer - yes.

Does a factory set-up technician follow instruments around the country?

Answer - no.

The best answer here is to learn to do your own adjustments and that way you don't get charged for a fret polishing and a Fibulator tuning and a fretboard bikini wax when all you really had to do was turn the truss rod wheel.

 

[Big Poppa]

what jack said

 

[NoFrets80]

mother nature's hand...

Do you think the bass left the factory like that?

Answer - no.

Do you think the weather, storage, humidity and transport of said instrument could have an adverse effect?

Answer - yes.

Does a factory set-up technician follow instruments around the country?

Answer - no.

The best answer here is to learn to do your own adjustments and that way you don't get charged for a fret polishing and a Fibulator tuning and a fretboard bikini wax when all you really had to do was turn the truss rod wheel.

Ditto... my first SUB arrived with an exceptional factory setup, yet needed tweaking after spending who knows how long in a warehouse and then in a UPS truck (in the middle of a deep South summer). Anyone who deals with/in musical instruments knows the weather affects things and basses must be set up to suit one's taste... them's just the facts. Good thing it wasn't a double bass in question! Talk about needing tweaking and personalization... every season!

 

[oddjob]

I don't think I could say it any better than Jack - zero problems when it comes to factory setup here (and that is with 3 new EBMM Bongos and counting)

 

[PocketGroove82]

I'd like to know where you purchased the SR5.
I've bought an SR5 HH and a Fretless SR4 in the past 4months, and both came from a store that keeps them in the boxes and wont hang them up on walls for anyone to come along and touch. Both of these basses have had wonderful factory setups.
Infact, I received my SR5 less than a month after it left the factory.
The SR5 had very low action and did buzz slightly when played unplugged, but there was no buzz coming out of the amp.
Personally, I think that repair "technician" took you for a ride man...how much did he scam you for?

 

[Disquieter]

I can honestly say that I've never had to setup any EBMM i've ever owned...

stable as all get out for me, but maybe it's just because im exceptionally awesome.

 

[bovinehost]

I reacted, perhaps, a bit badly to the original post and for that I apologize.

I'm not usually that....whatever I was.

But all of us have to understand that the temp and humidity in San Luis Obispo is not what it is in New Jersey or Canada or Florida or Arizona. That alone can affect the setup done at the factory. Add in hanging on the wall and being smacked about by the teeming masses and it should be easy to understand how things get out of whack.

Basses are wood, and wood changes according to its environment.

It is vitally important, IMHO, that we understand how to adjust our instruments and why we might need to make those adjustments. I remember taking a bass from my air conditioned house to a stage that was about 110 degrees in the bright Texas sunlight and, to no one's surprise, the neck reacted to that change. I could have played it as it was, but all I needed was a screwdriver and about five minutes to let it settle in and the bass was just fine.

(I, however, was a gelatinous puddle.)

This ability to make those small adjustments can mean the difference between a so-so performance and a completely enjoyable experience. And really, it ain't rocket science.

I'm about as inept as can be when it comes to tools and so on, but I'm a bassist, and I need to know how to make my bass play like I want it to play. Over the years, I have gained JUST ENOUGH information to allow me to do that.

I remember paying guys to do set-ups. And not knowing enough to realize if they were yanking my chain. But the information we need to do our own work is easily available, and believe me, if I can do it, anyone can.

Arm yourselves, I say.

Cheers, I also say.

Jack

 

[Musicman Nut]

guys guys had the pleasure of playing a stingray 5hh . awsome sound but the set up from the factory is absolutly s..t. it was unplayable really . anything after the 12th fret was buzz hell . ok i like my action low but ive played cheap and nasty basses that gave a better feel. so i took it to my tech and he looked at the neck .. hmmmm , ahhhh. yessssss. the frets needed to be polished and evened out . after a week i got it back . there is only a slight relief in the neck and the action is supurb it plays itself . any buzz ? . not on any frets . now i dont expect musicman to spend so much time on each instrument that comes out of the factory but setting up the action so high as to be able to use it as a crossbow so that there is no buzz is slighty not on in my book. these aint cheap instruments .

I buy 10 a Month and I can tell you They leave the Factory just fine, low action and ready to play, So don't blame Music man because they Leave set up to play.

 

[Bartmanpdx]

I must say that EBMM basses have tended to have a much better setup than the Fenders I've played at places like GC. I'm reluctant to believe that the GC folks adjust the EBMM basses and not the Fenders, which can only lead me to one of two possible conclusions:

Either the EBMM factory has a climate that is more similar to that of a typical GC (unlikely, since I've been to GCs in different parts of the country at different times of the year)

or

The EBMM basses are better built, with more stable necks.

I'm inclined to believe the latter, though my experience is necessarily subjective and limited to what I've experienced.


FWIW, I haven't seen any bass that was made out of wood that didn't need some adjustments when transitioning between climates. Some do better than others, but that's just the way wood reacts. That's why the truss rod is adjustable, and it helps greatly to have one as well-designed and easy to operate as the ones on EBMM basses. I've had other basses that were a real pain in the butt to adjust.

 

[roballanson]

Never had any problems across the pond - quick tweak and leave the neck to settle and perfecto......
Had to give the SR5 a little adjust the other day because she had been sitting on a stand and the temperature has been fluctuating but no biggie.
Jack's advice to learn to do your own is best - or you might get some 'technician'telling you your fretless needs a fretjob - I kid you not.......

 

[bassmonkey]

I bought a SR 30th last year and just bought 2 Bongo 5s. US to UK, straight out of the box they were all fine.

I'm a klutz when it comes to tweaking stuff, but even I am able to easily set up MM basses, I've done adjustments to both my 20th and fretless with no trouble.

 

[Aussie Mark]

guys guys had the pleasure of playing a stingray 5hh . awsome sound but the set up from the factory is absolutly s..t.

so i took it to my tech and he looked at the neck

BS alarm on. You don't mention buying this bass new. You didn't buy it, but you were able to take it to "your" tech? (NB. This forum needs the "tosser" smiley)

If you didn't buy it, how can you be so sure it came from the factory like that? (and where's the "WTF" smiley when you need one?)

 

[Aussie Mark]

Never had any problems across the pond - quick tweak and leave the neck to settle

+1, but no tweak required for me, half way across the world and a little bit down.

 

[roballanson]

+1, but no tweak required for me, half way across the world and a little bit down.

I love the geography lessons we get the forum ......now all I have to do is work out what the large lumpy bit stuck on the side of East Anglia is......(oh its England.... )

 

[Aussie Mark]

I love the geography lessons we get the forum ......now all I have to do is work out what the large lumpy bit stuck on the side of East Anglia is......(oh its England.... )

Large? England is the size of a small farm in Australia

 

[roballanson]

Large? England is the size of a small farm in Australia

Typical Aussie boasting about size....

True though. Flew to Melbourne a few years ago and the size of Auz is mind boggling........

I mean well large compared to us in East Anglia....

 

[SentientEntity]

My Bongo was set up perfectly.
Nice action, definately no buzz. I ordered it via a shop which got it directly from their dutch importers.
However the 30 th stingray that was hangin on the wall in that same shop needed a setup real bad. I do not understand why they didn't treat that instrument better. I mean they have to sell it, right?!
Anyways it makes me believe they are better set up in the factory than in a lot of shops.

 

[tadawson]

My Bongo was set up perfectly.
Nice action, definately no buzz. I ordered it via a shop which got it directly from their dutch importers.
However the 30 th stingray that was hangin on the wall in that same shop needed a setup real bad. I do not understand why they didn't treat that instrument better. I mean they have to sell it, right?!
Anyways it makes me believe they are better set up in the factory than in a lot of shops.

I have 4 MM basses . ... two came direct from the factory, and the setups were perfect. Two had been in GC for a year or so, and needed a bit of tweaking . . . . .

Do the math . . . .

- Tim

 

[AnthonyD]

Both of mine came straight from the factory and were set-up fine...

Along the way my Sterling went back to the motherland for a quick-fix and came back set-up super-fine!

Set-up is not rocket-science - highly recommend learning to handle your own adjustments.