Action issue on my stingray

[rickharrison]

Today I noticed that my g-string was buzzing a lot or stopping vibration altogether. I also noticed that i can't really get any hammer on's going on those strings. Right now, the action is pretty darn low around the whole bass especially on the g-string. I am suspecting that it has been because of the weather change because I can't think of anything else that might cause it. Would hanging the bass on the wall mess with that at all?

When I am looking down the neck it is very slightly bowed towards the strings. Should I try adjusting the action myself or should I take it into my local shop? Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

The weather has straightened the neck a little. This brings your strings closer to the fretboard. The G string is obviously too close to the frets. Add a little relief to the neck by slightly loosening the truss wheel anti-clockwise one hole at a time (looking from the heel of the neck towards the headstock). It will only need 1 or 2 hole adjustments.

 

[syciprider]

I normally fine tune by raising/lowering the saddles too. The results are more immediate and easier to undo.

 

[oli@bass]

When I am looking down the neck it is very slightly bowed towards the strings.

Adjust relief. Release the trussrod tension by about a quarter turn of the trussrod wheel.

I have to do that on my basses all the time when the weather changes drastically.

 

[MrMusashi]

+1 on the relief adjustment

eb has a nice video out there that lets you see how easy it can be done thanks to the trussrod wheel

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18PL0-pZEQg]YouTube - Truss Rod Adjustment[/ame]

ps: on a bass the distance between 7th fret and string should be that of a business card. thats the regular setting but you might like it higher or lower. since adjusting is so easy you can experiment with what height you like best

hth!

MrM

 

[rickharrison]

Thanks for the tips. I will try adjusting the rod after I get home from work today. In that video it said that you should place your finger on the 1st and 15th fret. Is this the same for basses or is there another standard to go off of like the business card trick you mentioned. Also, should the neck be slightly bowed so away from the strings? or is it being straight alright?

 

[five7]

I like a slight bow.

 

[Big Poppa]

please dont adjust your bridge...cmon folks letws not give advice with out playing the bass....IT NEVER WORKS!

 

[Bart B]

please dont adjust your bridge..

Maybe a stupid question, but why not?

 

[oli@bass]

Maybe a stupid question, but why not?

Because, if the bass was properly set up before, and became less perfect due to climate changes, it's always due to the neck wood moving, and never because the (steel) bridge parts magically dejusting themselves.

PS: Also, if somebody has to ask about neck relief, it's very unlikely that they are able to properly set up a bridge.

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

Because, if the bass was properly set up before, and became less perfect due to climate changes, it's always due to the neck wood moving, and never because the (steel) bridge parts magically dejusting themselves...

exactly.

 

[syciprider]

Because, if the bass was properly set up before, and became less perfect due to climate changes, it's always due to the neck wood moving, and never because the (steel) bridge parts magically dejusting themselves.

PS: Also, if somebody has to ask about neck relief, it's very unlikely that they are able to properly set up a bridge.

I digress. Raising and lowering a saddle isn't rocket science. And you can always see what happens right away. Contrast this with turning the truss rod and giving the wood a few hours to react to it. When I get a new EBMM it is normally setup a tad high for my taste so I do my gross adjustments @ the truss to very little relief and lower the saddles until I get buzz or slightly muted notes then raise them back until the buzz/mute just stops. I can't do it that fine with a truss rod. If by chance my set up changes due to climate (which I never experienced anyway), I simply adjust the saddle height again.

I understand that you MIGHT get uneven volume issues if you mess with the saddles (they have them set up to follow the radius of the fingerboard so the E and G saddles sit lower than A and D) but this was never my experience. I think the trade off of never having to tweak my truss (which in other brands is known to break or strip) is worth it.

Disclaimer: WRT BP I am not giving advice in this particular post. I am only demonstrating how I adjust my bass. My bad for giving out advice earlier. The correct answer is contact EBMM CS

 

[oli@bass]

With all due respect...

Raising and lowering a saddle isn't rocket science.

No it isn't. But if someone does not have any experience with it, they can mess up the set up of the instrument pretty badly (yet not irreversibly). All that while trying to attack a problem with the wrong countermeasures.

And you can always see what happens right away. Contrast this with turning the truss rod and giving the wood a few hours to react to it [...] I can't do it that fine with a truss rod.

All the EBMM necks (!) I've had, reacted very immediate and accurate to small adjustments (less than a quarter turn).

When I get a new EBMM it is normally setup a tad high for my taste so I do my gross adjustments @ the truss to very little relief and lower the saddles until I get buzz or slightly muted notes then raise them back until the buzz/mute just stops.

Which is the absolute correct way to do it, since you are talking about a initial set up for your playing style and taste. I do the same.

If by chance my set up changes due to climate (which I never experienced anyway), I simply adjust the saddle height again.

Now it goes wrong. You suggest doing something that does not cure the problem! According to the OP, the neck even does have a slight back bow, meaning that the truss rod is tightened too much. The trussrod must be released to get rid of the back bow.
As long as the neck bow is not correct, adjusting the saddles will not get back a correct setup. That's what the trussrod is for. And EBMM made it very easy to adjust with their nifty trussrod wheel.

The correct answer is contact EBMM CS

IMO, the correct answer for a setup is to contact your local luthier.

 

[oli@bass]

Would hanging the bass on the wall mess with that at all?.

I've just observed this. Since I started hanging my basses 3 weeks ago, I already had to slightly adjust the trussrods on several of them. It's logical. The body weight counteracts the string tension similar to the trussrod, thus straightening the neck.

- Strings: Pull the neck in a bow
- Trussrod: Pushes against the neck bow
- Body weight: Pulls the necks straight when hanging the instrument


HTH

 

[guenter]

I've just observed this. Since I started hanging my basses 3 weeks ago, I already had to slightly adjust the trussrods on several of them. It's logical. The body weight counteracts the string tension similar to the trussrod, thus straightening the neck.

- Strings: Pull the neck in a bow
- Trussrod: Pushes against the neck bow
- Body weight: Pulls the necks straight when hanging the instrument


HTH

I would have guessed that the body weight (<4kg) is more or less neglectable in comparison to the string tension (>>50kg) (and therefore should have no big influence on the neck bow)

(Cannot check this right now: how much does the bass strings get out of tune when the bass is hanging at a wall? This should tell us something about the force ratio weight/tension).

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

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