Need advice on setting up my bongo.

[HEWLIO]

I just took my dads 70's stingray for a spin for old times sake (the bass i grew up with) And the action, the sound is just nasty on that bass. I have a gig coming up on jan 7th, and i want to get my bongo set up like that.

The stingrays action is really close to the neck and the string are very loose. On my bongo its the opposite, the strings are tight and action is high. The neck is straight and not much of a dip in it. if i am going to have to adjust the saddles im gonna take it to a professional. is there anything i can do to get my bongo to be more like my dads stingray without adjusting the saddles? I was thinking thinner strings because i think my bongo strings are thick compared to the stingray.

Im not sure if the sound is coming from the new strings or what but it sounds awesome. My strings are quite old

 

[adouglas]

You may need to adjust the saddle height, but probably not.

To get lower tension you do need to use lighter strings (you're right about that), and that will in turn require you to adjust the intonation. So you may want to take it to a pro anyway.

Here's the thing... there ain't no such thing as a free lunch. Lower tension and lower action mean more buzz, especially if you play hard.

New strings vs. old makes a HUGE difference in tone all by itself. Try changing strings before you do anything else and see how it sounds.

 

[HEWLIO]

Well i looked at the neck again but looking down at the head stock this time and noticed that it had quite a bow. I tightened it about a full turn of the wheel and the action is a little better. But, theres alway a but. The E string and A string sound very dull when not plugged in and that really bothers me. Its been like that for a while. So what should i do? I talked to my dad about it and he said he set up the stingray. I think what i will do first is have him set it up and if that doesn't work ill take it to a professional. Anyone have any other suggestions?

 

[maddog]

have your dad do a setup and if that doesn't work take it to a professional.

 

[bovinehost]

I just took my dads 70's stingray for a spin for old times sake (the bass i grew up with) And the action, the sound is just nasty on that bass. I have a gig coming up on jan 7th, and i want to get my bongo set up like that.

Listen, it's not rocket science....but it can seem like it if you're not completely comfortable with setting up a bass. Who did the setup on the Stingray? What sort of strings are on it? Do you play hard or do you use a light touch? It goes on and on, really. I find a Bongo really easy to adjust, but then I've done it hundreds if not thousands of times.

The stingrays action is really close to the neck and the string are very loose. On my bongo its the opposite, the strings are tight and action is high. The neck is straight and not much of a dip in it.

But then you also said there's quite a bit of relief. If you don't know what you're doing - no shame in that, although you should learn - take it to someone who does and have them compare it to your dad's Stingray and tell them, "That's what I want, how do I get it?"

I promise you that it can be done.

Jack

 

[Basspro]

let the bass sit for a few hours then check down the neck again for relief,If there is still alot of bow tighten
it another 1/4 -1/2 turn.You also may need to lower the string saddles.

 

[HEWLIO]

Listen, it's not rocket science....but it can seem like it if you're not completely comfortable with setting up a bass. Who did the setup on the Stingray? What sort of strings are on it? Do you play hard or do you use a light touch? It goes on and on, really. I find a Bongo really easy to adjust, but then I've done it hundreds if not thousands of times.



But then you also said there's quite a bit of relief. If you don't know what you're doing - no shame in that, although you should learn - take it to someone who does and have them compare it to your dad's Stingray and tell them, "That's what I want, how do I get it?"

I promise you that it can be done.

Jack

My dad set it up. Ernie ball 45-105 now. I have to play with a pick so i play kinda hard to get that funk/fretless/jaco kinda sound.

when i looked at it the first time i looked from the bridge to the headstock. it looked good but then just now i look from the headstock to the bridge and it defiantly needed to be tightened. So i tightened it and i have another problem, the e and a strings have no sustain after the 10th fret. and barely any sustain on the frets before that. is that caused by improper truss rod? or improper bridge saddles. This thing is pretty screwed up, at least thats how i feel. it doesnt feel like a 1500$ bass anymore. it feels like the crapy pevey bass i played once in high school. Its ganna take 2 weeks to have my dad set it up for me, so tomorrow before practice im going to take it over to the local music shop and have the guy look at it. I may bring the stingray. I believe he is an ernie ball dealer. so i am going to buy some smaller strings while im at it. Right now it has 45-65-85-105 Ernie's on it.

 

[Grand Wazoo]

check out this link: http://www.jerzydrozdbasses.com/akcndfr54jdhrei567/Ultimate_Guide_ver100.pdf

 

[HEWLIO]

k quick update, i lowered the bridge saddles and it is 100 times better. It was pretty easy too. I have some fret buzz but it doent bother me because the stingray has a little bit too. All it needs now is some thinner strings and i will be all set.

 

[Bloodfist]

At this point, I'm gonna recommend that you quit messing with the bass and wait until someone who knows how to set it up properly can adjust it. Last thing you want to do is to mess up that bass.

 

[adouglas]

Hewlio, there's something important that you should understand about setup.

Everything is interrelated. If you lower the saddles and it's the way you like it now, it won't be when you put on different strings. If you lower the saddles and the strings get too close to the pickups, you'll wind up damping them because of the magnetic field and you might have to change the pickup height. If you change the pickup height and then make another adjustment, the strings might wind up too far away so you'll have to adjust the height again.... If you put on lighter strings, you'll have to adjust the trussrod, and also adjust the saddles for intonation....

And so on, around and around we go.

It's not as complicated as it sounds, really. Just be aware that it's an integrated system and nothing happens in isolation.

There are only four adjustable things on most basses (including MM basses), if you don't count shimming the neck.

- Trussrod (relief, also called neck bow)
- Saddle length (intonation)
- Saddle height (string height after you've got the trussrod set right)
- Pickup height

Knowing what every one of these things do to the setup and how the adjustment of each affects the others will give you good results with ease. Not having a clear understanding tends to lead to frustration.

 

[Powman]

Nicely explained adouglas.

 

[HEWLIO]

Hewlio, there's something important that you should understand about setup.

Everything is interrelated. If you lower the saddles and it's the way you like it now, it won't be when you put on different strings. If you lower the saddles and the strings get too close to the pickups, you'll wind up damping them because of the magnetic field and you might have to change the pickup height. If you change the pickup height and then make another adjustment, the strings might wind up too far away so you'll have to adjust the height again.... If you put on lighter strings, you'll have to adjust the trussrod, and also adjust the saddles for intonation....

And so on, around and around we go.

It's not as complicated as it sounds, really. Just be aware that it's an integrated system and nothing happens in isolation.

There are only four adjustable things on most basses (including MM basses), if you don't count shimming the neck.

- Trussrod (relief, also called neck bow)
- Saddle length (intonation)
- Saddle height (string height after you've got the trussrod set right)
- Pickup height

Knowing what every one of these things do to the setup and how the adjustment of each affects the others will give you good results with ease. Not having a clear understanding tends to lead to frustration.

ya but the thing is. i already knew all the stuff you said except for the magnetic field part. But still i think that is ok. I didn't lower it that much. just enough so that it is perfect. and i like it much better now. As for the intonation all the strings are good except for the e string. that was pretty dull. How do you know which way to go with that? if you put the saddle closer to the bridge is does what? and vise versa? thats the only thing left i have to do.

 

[Subscript]

ya but the thing is. i already knew all the stuff you said except for the magnetic field part. But still i think that is ok. I didn't lower it that much. just enough so that it is perfect. and i like it much better now. As for the intonation all the strings are good except for the e string. that was pretty dull. How do you know which way to go with that? if you put the saddle closer to the bridge is does what? and vise versa? thats the only thing left i have to do.

It sets the intonation flatter. You can look up guides for setting intonation, but a quick explanation is

1) tune up all your strings
2) plug into a tuner, and compare the harmonic above the 12th fret with the fretted note.
3) if the fretted note is sharper than the harmonic, move the saddles towards the bridge. If it's flatter, move the saddles away from the bridge.
4) retune, and repeat until the harmonic matches the fretted note.

Intonation is the last thing you set after truss rod adjustments and saddle height.

 

[projectapollo]

On my bongo its the opposite, the strings are tight and action is high. I was thinking thinner strings because i think my bongo strings are thick compared to the stingray.

If your bass has high tension strings on it -- it will cause both of your symptoms -- lack of string flexibility and raised action. Sooo, you might want to go back to the factory super slinky strings before you fiddle too much with the set-up. This may resolve a lot of your issues. That would be step one for me.

 

[Big Poppa]

the strings arent the problem.....i cringe when the saddlesstart getting adjusted and the truss rodd over tweaked and the pickups raised and all of thsoe combo can make it less than intended or designed or originally delivered.