Anyone setup their own Music Man bass?

[Surly]

I am a new Stingray owner. This instrument plays so well right out of the box (that's what made me take it home). However I was thinking of trying to further adjust it, mostly the string height to see if it can improve for my style. The information in the FAQ section is very good. The reason I will probably do this on my own is because I've taken less expensive instruments to professional techs for setups and haven't always been happy with the results.

 

[mynan]

From the FAQ section on the EBMM site:

Virtually all the adjustments to string height can be made with the truss rod. Turn clockwise to raise the finger board, counter clockwise to lower. The ideal string height for our basses is 3/32" or 2.4mm between the bottom of the string to the top of the fret on both the E and G strings at the 12th fret. The G string can be slightly lower due to the fact that it is the smallest string. This affects the bow of the neck.

The factory specifications for the pickup height is 6/32" or 4.76mm from the top of the plastic between the pickup covers to the bottom of the G string. The angle of the pickup is set fairly level, so the larger strings are naturally a bit closer. If you haven't already adjusted the pickup or changed to a very heavy gauge string set, you shouldn't have to do any adjustments on the pickup.

On the new 2-pickup basses, the measurements are virtually the same on the bridge pickup and the neck pickup is further away, about 8/32" or 6.35mm from the string to the pickup.

Hope that helps...

 

[adouglas]

Yes, many of us do. I go to the tech for fretwork when needed, but I do my own setups.

There are lots and lots and lots and lots and lots (and lots) of web pages that will tell you everything you need to know about setting up a bass. Hunt around and pick your favorite. Use the specs in the FAQ and measure them until you're comfortable doing it by eye and feel. A machinist's ruler (the little one graduated in 64ths of an inch, available for five bucks at any Home Despot) is a handy thing to have.

One thing that's really important (and commonly missed by the neophyte) is that the three major adjustments -- namely, trussrod, string length and saddle height -- are all interrelated, and the obvious thing to do is not always the right thing to do.

The biggest mistake is thinking that string height is controlled by saddle height. This seems obvious to the newbie, but it's wrong. Nope...adjust the trussrod (relief) first, then (and ONLY then) adjust the saddles. If your strings are too high and you lower the saddles, then fix your relief, you'll have awful buzz...that's what I mean by things being interrelated.

Always, always, always...trussrod first, before you do anything else.

Tweaking the trussrod happens fairly often, as the weather changes. Fiddling with the bridge almost never happens.

FYI, I've had my Bongo for going on two years. The only adjustment I've ever made to my bridge was to re-intonate when I changed string gauges (briefly), then back again when I went back to stock Slinkys. But I tweak my trussrod every six to eight weeks or so, as needed.

Setup is a bit of a tradeoff. If you have a light touch you can have a much lower action without a lot of buzz...if you play hard, you'll need to have it higher.

Buzz is part of the game...even with a perfect setup, you can get the strings to buzz if you try hard enough. A little bit of buzz when you dig in is not audible when you plug into an amp.

Hope this helps

 

[KennethB]

One of the good things about EBMMs is that they're so easy to set up. Everyone should learn to set up their own instruments. Case in point: There was a store in the city i live in that used to charge $150 + the cost of strings to do a string change and a set-up. One of my bandmates used to work at this store. I asked my bandmate how the hell they could justify taking such an insane amount for something so elementary. Well, it was the store-owner who had the "brilliant idea" by the way and the "reasoning" behind it was that changing strings and adjusting intonation etc. requires "expert knowledge".
That was what the employees were told to tell the customers.
My friend was embarrassed to say the least and it was one of the reasons that made him quit the job. Well. the store is out of business now anyway and this is it's legacy.

 

[AnthonyD]

Always do my own set-ups... I know my fingers best...

 

[MrMusashi]

i know i prolly sound like an erlewine fan boy, but his books and dvds on the subject are very good.. go to yer library and see if they have it or can get it for ya.. cheap way to check if they are worth purchasing
imho you should buy them anyways.. the radius tools alone are worth it

a small investment will save you lots of money in the long run.. it will even teach you how to level your own frets. tools are expensive, but if you do it often enough it could be worthwhile

ps: do get some cheap skate guitar or bass to practise on first.. DONT start fiddling on your precious axe without some experience!! that would be a fast method for making what was intended to be cheap, very expensive..

MrM

edit:
the practise thing was if you are doin the frets.. not if you are doin intonation

 

[Surly]

One of the local techs here, who does great work, likes to shim necks of basses as part of a setup. Is this even heard of on a Music Man? I'm not saying that I want to do this, I'm actually afraid of anyone taking apart my 'Ray.

 

[petruccirocks02]

Surly, I set up all my own stuff. It was like that when I played guitar too. After working at a guitar company near me that has some of the worst QC I've ever seen I learned how to set up my own stuff. I really enjoy working on my own stuff too. For me its a very good stress reliever and you always learn something new from it.

-Phil

 

[silverburst]

One of the local techs here, who does great work, likes to shim necks of basses as part of a setup. Is this even heard of on a Music Man? I'm not saying that I want to do this, I'm actually afraid of anyone taking apart my 'Ray.

None of my MusicMan stuff has needed shims in the neck pocket. And I have been through alot of guitars and basses.

 

[Kirby]

I do all of my own set up work. I worked with a luthier for two years after being frustrated with how my basses were set up and learned the instrument from the ground up. Now I am always happy.

The trick with a good setup is watching how the owner plays the instrument. I do not believe any one setup is right for everyone. Depends on hand position, how hard you play, etc..

Having said this, do not expect to get this type of quality set up for cheap. Remember, you get what you pay for. If you are interested in doing your own, I recommend The "Guitar Player Repair Guide" by Dan Erlewine as a good place to start gathering info.

Hope this helps.

 

[Aussie Mark]

Who doesn't? It's not rocket science.

 

[PocketGroove82]

About 10 years ago, I realized something.
The vast majority of supposed "tech-guys" at guitar stores had no college degrees or anything making them more qualified to tinker with string saddles and truss rods than I.

Now granted, you have the remainder of those tech-guys who are usually old, dorky looking men (bald w/ thick glasses...tucked way back in a very small and messy workshop with tools and assorted junk EVERYWHERE) who REALLY know some sh!t about fixing the most complex breaks/issues that you could encounter. Those men, are the real tech-masters the people you should trust with real problems (like refret, snapped neck/headstock), so here is my rule. If the tech-guy looks under 20, run the opposite way and lower your action yourself.

A pimply faced guy with a GED is not a guitar-tech and only knows what he knows because he tinkered around with a couple guitars.

Start tinkering, you can't hurt an EBMM.

Hell, I've learned everything I know about setups from doing the WRONG THINGS to my 10 year old SR4, and it still plays like a dream. And now I don't waste money on letting some "tech-guy" put my strings on and intonate my basses.

Give it a GO!

 

[Surly]

Well I followed the instructions on the FAQ site about adjusting the truss rod. Yes it's not rocket science. I basically lowered the action until I got some buzz and then backed off. Just kinda fiddled with it until it felt right to my hands. Obviously this will change the feel and all of our hands are different. I don't want to mess with it too much since this is my toy to relax and relieve stress with.

 

[tkarter]

Who doesn't? It's not rocket science.

There ya go right there.

I might suggest making your changes in steps that you might undo should a problem develop.

It is not at all hard to keep your EB bass playing just like you want it to.

tk

 

[azzy_wazzy]

Who doesn't? It's not rocket science.

Well, seeing as I do actually share the same name as a rocket, you'd think I'd be able to crack it... but unfortunately I tried and failed! Didn't hurt the Sterling, but the setup on it was worse by the time I finished...

I shall leave it to the pros from now on, methinks. Plus I think BP will shout at me if I even think about touching the saddles again

 

[Jim_F]

I prefer seting up my guitars myself - adouglas's post is great advice.

Surly - re your guitar tech - I would be very very surprised if there was any need whatsoever to shim the neck pocket on your bass, particularly if its a brand new out of the box Stingray, if you do take it in make sure he doesn't shim the neck.

One more bit of advice - just remember when adjusting the truss wheel - baby steps!

 

[Aussie Mark]

Well, seeing as I do actually share the same name as a rocket

Are you V1, V2 or Saturn?

 

[Surly]

Yes I noticed that it doesn't take much turning of the truss wheel to make a change. Maybe 1/8" or a turn or so at a time.

 

[INMT]

I always do my own stuff...I do it for other people too, make good money at it too. Funny as it sounds, I think it's fun. I get great joy in making an instrument play/sound it's best for a customer.
I have several people that send me their new instruments to get my "******* Tweak" before they will even think of playing it, which in it's self makes me happy about what I do.
There's a lot of info out there on the net these days. Best advice (I'm sure it's been given already) go slow, small increments, don't get discouraged if it does not go the way you want it to the first time.

 

[SquidLizard]

As INMT and others said, baby steps. Be patient with yourself, your tools and your bass. As with anything requiring use of tools, think ahead and go slowly. I guess that's good advice for many things in life.

For me, the most important thing is to have plenty of time to do it and not be in one of my impatient moods. Being impatient while working on musical instruments (especially the first coupla times) can be a recipe for frustration and, possibly, disaster.