afterwards i tried to loosen the thing and of the strings raised and then i tried to set it up as normal and it lowered accordingly. this means everythings ok right? im in the clear right? that was the most painful snap ive ever heard. sheesh
- Thread starter kevins
- Start date
strummer
Enormous Member
Ifr it works, it works
Hellboy
Well-known member
You´re fine, I´d say. That has happend to me too. Can be friction between materials or minor corrosion on metal parts that snaps free..... Look at it as a minor earth quake. A bass quake.....! As Strummer said, if it works, it works......
As long as you take it easy and doesn´t make BIG adjustments on the truss rod all at once, then you are fine. Can be a good thing to relieve pressure from the neck when pulling the truss....
//Jan
As long as you take it easy and doesn´t make BIG adjustments on the truss rod all at once, then you are fine. Can be a good thing to relieve pressure from the neck when pulling the truss....
//Jan
Bloodfist
Well-known member
Its happened to me me as well on several basses. Just the sound of friction.
danny-79
Well-known member
+2
True its a scary sound but it happens, usually when adjustment hasn't been made for a while.
True its a scary sound but it happens, usually when adjustment hasn't been made for a while.
Lax
Well-known member
Already heard those kind of sound in the music shops I've been, was natural for the guy who was setting them (but that's really scary for sure)
everythings fine! and it plays beautiful again! however ive had a most hellish time setting up everything as opposed to just turning the trussrod for the first time.
i changed pickup covers and ended up putting the strings back on and accidentally not putting the g string back in its slot on the bridge saddle. i spent an hour or two sitting there pondering "why doesnt the g sound as loud as the rest of the bass? and lo and behold it was cause it wasnt in the saddle.
later i put it back and it was still too quiet and it was due to the neck being too straight. the thing was impossible to turn with no relief and then the snap came. and i remember when i killed a home-made p-bass like that so i started turning the trussrod the other way to see if i could raise the action then lower it.
later i remembered the business card thing and the 12th and 2nd fret thing and got the neck to good relief and found that adjusting the bridge is a FAR better idea than the truss rod.
no offense here but the FAQ on this site does lean towards using the truss rod as a primary lowering raising of strings mechanism which is not necessarily safe for the health of the bass. i think for idiots and first time newbies like me they should indicate something along the lines of "THIS IS NOT THE PRIMARY LOWERING RAISING STRINGS DEVICE THIS IS TO KEEP NECK FROM BUZZING AND TO STOP DEAD SPOTS"
i changed pickup covers and ended up putting the strings back on and accidentally not putting the g string back in its slot on the bridge saddle. i spent an hour or two sitting there pondering "why doesnt the g sound as loud as the rest of the bass? and lo and behold it was cause it wasnt in the saddle.
later i put it back and it was still too quiet and it was due to the neck being too straight. the thing was impossible to turn with no relief and then the snap came. and i remember when i killed a home-made p-bass like that so i started turning the trussrod the other way to see if i could raise the action then lower it.
later i remembered the business card thing and the 12th and 2nd fret thing and got the neck to good relief and found that adjusting the bridge is a FAR better idea than the truss rod.
no offense here but the FAQ on this site does lean towards using the truss rod as a primary lowering raising of strings mechanism which is not necessarily safe for the health of the bass. i think for idiots and first time newbies like me they should indicate something along the lines of "THIS IS NOT THE PRIMARY LOWERING RAISING STRINGS DEVICE THIS IS TO KEEP NECK FROM BUZZING AND TO STOP DEAD SPOTS"
Hellboy
Well-known member
Sorry but you are wrong. If the bass is well setup from start then there is no need to mess with the bridge saddles or anything else other than the truss rod. Humidity changes through the year in many places and this affect the wood in the neck. Make sure that the bass is well setup and intonated. Then make minor adjustments of the truss when needed. Most often some time before the summer and late fall when humidity changes the most. Won´t harm the bass at all. Promise. Trust the FAQ´s. Once you´ve setup the bass properly, leave the bridge saddles be and use the truss rod.
In the case that someone or yourself has messed about with the bass so it´s not setup properly regarding intonation and saddle height, either let someone experienced do the setup for you or do it yourself if you have the knowledge to do so. After that, nothing else than minor truss rod adjustments are needed.
Sincerely//Jan
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i dont know... i mean its probobly my fault from neglecting to do so, but i havent touched the saddles in 5 or so years!
so was it a good idea to make sure the neck had the business car thickness between frets and string when i held down the 2nd and 12th and to adjust the neck so that it had just that. and then to adjust the saddles according to factory height?
maddog
Well-known member
taking pressure off the trussrod when adjusting it is a perfectly acceptable thing to do.
Hellboy
Well-known member
I usually press down the string at first and last fret and make sure that the relief is as should. Around half a millimeter gap (or alittle less) around the 7th fret. Do this when the bass is hanging in it´s strap on you as when you play your bass. If you lay it down on it´s back flat on a table, then the string height can change. Business card thickness is a good measure. And then I adjust saddle hight and intonate after that. So, yes, you did it right.
//J
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Hellboy
Well-known member
This is abit hard to describe in words (at least for a daft prick from Sweden) but I often put the bass down on the floor standing straight up on the strap holder. And then I place one foot (right) in front of the bass so that it can´t slide and then I place one knee (left) on the back of the neck around the 12th fret. And then I grab the neck with my left hand up by the neck saddle and pull back alittle (!!) to relieve preassure from the truss rod. And then I pull the truss rod with my right hand. Small adjustments.
Sounds like a tricky thing to do when putting it in words but it works. Even without losing balance and falling to the floor oneself......
As Maddog says, can be a good thing to take some pressure off the the trussrod. At least when pulling the rod....//J
I usually press down the string at first and last fret and make sure that the relief is as should. Around half a millimeter gap (or alittle less) around the 7th fret. Do this when the bass is hanging in it´s strap on you as when you play your bass. If you lay it down on it´s back flat on a table, then the string height can change. Business card thickness is a good measure. And then I adjust saddle hight and intonate after that. So, yes, you did it right.
//J
thanks very much! i didnt want to post another insufferable "the g string is quieter" thread lol. but it was after i changed pickup covers. It turns out the neck was far too straight and dampening the sound of the g and the d, which is what happens when the neck has no relief and when you're attack is too light to cause the D and G to buzz. the g still buzzes when i attack the string with a pick as hard as i can but has great volume and doesnt buzz when i attack it with my playing style.
but i figure years of neglect on the saddles called for adjusting them
. also made me realize that those guys who think the G string is quieter really need to learn how to set up an instrument right.
oli@bass
Well-known member
