Urwordsbreakmed said:
from the fret there is almost no space lol if it take EB thin pick and try to slip it under it moves the string
Edit: I initially wrote this as a full "guide", but went back to Tom's post and decided I'd add to his instead because his was better in most places...
maddog said:
Try starting from scratch.
Step 1: Set the neck flat. Tighten the trussroad and check the string height at the 6th fret while pressing at 1 and 12. The string should just be riding the fret. Tapping the string while fretted and listening to the fret buzz works for me as a good indicator of a flat neck. Tightening the trussrod should be turning the capstan wheel away from you as you are holding it like you are playing. Righty-Tighty Lefty-Loosey or if you've taken a physics class, apply the right hand rule.
I use a slightly different approach, using a capo at the first fret and I fret with my left hand at the 17th fret. I use these frets because it gives the largest range in which the truss rod operates... you tend to see larger differences for the same amount of adjustment.
I do measure the relief, because I know what works for me. Necks do need some relief because of the way strings vibrate when you play them. I currently have my bass set to 0.014" which is as low as it goes without getting buzz at the lower frets.
EB thin picks are 0.46mm, which is 0.018"
A "standard" credit card is 0.76mm which is 0.030" There will be some variability though.
That's pretty much the normal range. In practice you won't see many basses with less than 0.018" or more than 0.030"
A medium pick would be a more reliable indication of the upper range of relief.
Some people advocate an even larger amount of neck relief. Ken Smith reckons 1 to 2mm (0.039" to 0.079"). In my opinion that's excessive, but Ken's pretty experienced...
I'd say set the relief to the thin pick width first of all. Turn the truss rod right to decrease the amount of relief, left to increase it.
maddog said:
Step2: Set the action using the 12th fret. I use a 3/32" allen wrench to measure the string height. Pass it between the string and the 12th fret and watch if the string moves or if there is a gap. Adjust saddle height accordingly.
That's a good tip for measuring string height, one I'll probably use in the future. The action on my bass is slightly higher, at 1/8" at the 12th fret.
maddog said:
Step3: Check for fret buzz from the 4th fret to the 24th fret. If so, raise the height. If string height seems excessive, maybe the fret heights need to be checked. Use a small straight edge to check 3 succesive frets. If the straight edge totters or doesn't touch the middle fret, the frets need looking at.
Bear in mind you'll need to use several straight edges with different sizes, so they only cover three frets. Check them parallel to the strings.
maddog said:
Step4: After finding the perfect string height, check for buzz around the 1st thru 4th fret. If found, loosen the trussrod so neck relief is added. To loosen the trussrod turn the capstan wheel towards yourself while you are holding the bass like you are playing it.
Yep (lefties would do the opposite, obviously)
maddog said:
Make sure to turn the capstan wheel in small increments. It doesn't take much. My 4 Bong-er ended up staying very close to flat when I put some TI powerbass strings on it.
You'll probably need to adjust the intonation now. Tune to pitch using a decent electronic tuner. See if it's in tune when you play at the 12th fret. If it's flat, you've got too much string length and need to move the saddles towards the nut. If it's sharp, move them the other way.
Go back and check everything over because adjusting intonation will affect the string height slightly.
You might try going up a gauge of strings. Heavier strings have more tension, move less when you sound them and will tend to buzz less against the frets for the same given action.
It's worth mentioning that you can get too obsessed by fret buzz. You can get any bass to buzz if you try and it may be that you're unconsciously doing this. Do you hear the buzz when the bass is amplified?
Also, when I play unamplified I often hear little buzzes coming from the frets. When I check, it's usually a technique issue. If you press the string down too far from the fret, you often get these buzzes.
any way i can fix that on my own?
