Great tips. Very helpful for bass players starting out or long time bass players who can play but aren't sure how to do a proper set-up. On another note. Jeff Berlin and B.Bruford, A.Holdsworth & D. Stewart are to blame for my lifetime of joy and poverty. I decided very early on that I would dedicate my life to music. One day I bumped my head and thought I should go to College and study Accounting. After 2 years of School I secured a job at an Insurance company. Had the job for 2 days and that night went to see Berlin, Bruford, Holdsworth & Stewart perform at The El Mocambo in Toronto. They knocked me out! They were amazing. Quit my job at the Insurance company the next day and before the month was up I had joined a band and was back on the road. 2 years of school down the drain. So here I am 40 odd years later with no pension, no money and a 13 year old VW. Thanks Jeff.
I know what you mean. The album - One of a Kind by Bill Buford - is my favorite jazz fusion album. A shame Allan Holdsworth has passed away and Buford has retired to teaching. Well, even Mozart and Beethoven died and left us with many treasures. Jeff Berlin is touring hopefully in a town near you. I've been playing classic rock since the 70's. That too is a dying art form as kids today don't know what good music is and only the few are diligent enough to explore the likes of Bill Buford or Jeff Berlin. I am plagued with living in a part of the country that only likes country, hip-hop and grunge. Yuck.
One of the best bass players in the world taking his bass to one best guitar and bass techs in the world. That was awesome now I understand why everyone likes Mr Glaser. His patience with his customers and dedication to his craft really makes all the difference.
You cannot…CANNOT….over-appreciate a skilled luthier and tech. I really appreciate this video, and everyone’s time in putting it together. Very gracious.
I've heard probably dozens of explanations of how to set nut height. Almost all of them are wrong. This is the first clear and correct explanation I've heard, a revelation! Thanks!
I think the feeler-gauge method should work if you're setting the action to factory specs. He says that method is only invalid because the action varies
I've done instrument repair for over 6 years and I can tell Joe knows his stuff. Lots of people get caught up in measuring and specs and things like that but setting up an instrument to play well is about feel. Every guitar is different. Instrument repair is an art. I would like to meet Joe one day. Perhaps if I make it out to Nashville again.
Two lovely gentlemen...thanks for demystifying the mystical. Mr Berlin, thanks for your wonderful contribution to our musical world..if only you could have seen the faces of my two young children some years back when they heard for the first time your recording of Joe Frazier...spontaneous joy and laughter.
Nice to see the masters collaborate agreeably!! Jeff Berlin... I used to read your articles in guitar player magazine back in the early 80's!! Always instructive, always enjoyable!!!! Thank you very much for the lead!!! The whole neck has always been your forte' not just the first 5 frets... I got that right away! Thanks again!!
Great video and great information. It's about time bass players stop having so much taboo about how to set up their basses and making inexperienced players feel like they should be afraid of their own instruments. Of course you shouldn't make any sort of rough adjustments and depending on what the issue is you should definitely find a professional to help you out. But stop telling players that they should never adjust the truss rod and other things themselves. After all, you want your bass to be set up in a way that you like, and many times local Luthiers might give you a good set up, but it might not be what you're looking for. Most other instrumentalists learn how to adjust their instruments as part of their normal learning process of their instrument. This should be the case for us bass players too. Thank you Jeff for continuing to elevate bass didactics.
Excellent video Jeff, I’ve done a little bit of work with a couple of luthiers a bit over the years and the information in the video is exactly what I’ve been taught. No nonsense, to the point and honest. Thanks very much for posting.
A lot of great tips here. The first time I filed a nut, I wound up having to replace the nut - twice! By then I understood how to file a nut! very rewarding.
It was a great affirmation for doing the intonation , in that he does it exactly like I do, so that was great. I basically figured it out myself about 25 years ago but it was great to finally see a pro doing it. I'd love the nut adjustment , that was good for me and thank you Jeff for this and for the Bertolini pickup suggestions a few years ago.
I saw Jeff perform in NYC with Allan Holdsworth = O.M.G. - those 2, make you want to Lock-yourself-in-a room . . . and Study Music Theory. 2 phenomenal musicians. oNe LovE from NYC
Thanks for this video. I learned quite bit; thought I knew everything important about "home setup" for a bass, but I picked up a number of really good tips -- and I now realize I need to take my bass in to a luthier to get the nut worked on.
I really got some good understanding and I thank you guys so very much, my bass is my baby and I do like to take good care of my baby and doing it myself makes it even more personal to me Thank you Mr. Joe and thank you Mr. Jeff for bringing us along with you to have your baby checked out by such a knowledgeable professional like Mr. Joe is look forward for more videos thks. Paul
Video is perfect. I like that you didn't tune the guitar 85 times while making the adjustments. Great tip on setting inotation without tuning the strings all the way. This is a no nonsense simple method of adjustment. No measuring just adjusting it to the way it feels and sounds best. That's how it's done. 🙂
It really takes no time to use a KORG tuner on the open string set to A=440 and compare the notes intonation at the 12 fret (Octave).You can also compare the octave harmonic to the fretted octave.
Excellent video! About filing your nut; it's always good to go light and incrementally. You can always remove more as needed, but you can't put any back (not a fan of the 'paper' fix). One effective way I've found to raise a nut slot is a mixture of baking soda and CA (super) glue, which is much better than paper, but I've only used that on bone nuts and I'm not sure about the numerous other nut material being used these days. Anyway, some good tips shown here and every musician should know how to setup and tweak their instrument.
The subject of a properly set up and intonated bass guitar is of vital importance to beginning players. Yet, it's hardly ever addressed. I spent years thinking I had defective ears because as a self taught player I never saw or heard intonation addressed. As a result when I tried to learn bass parts from recordings the notes on my neck were out of tune no matter what my tuner said.
Thanks for the vid! These tips were enough for me to stop the buzzing in my strings and get better intonation. Not perfect by any means, but way better.
Hmm, 'Joe Glaser'; there's a bass tune in there, somewhere Jeff? Thanks for this video that I stumbled across while checking out the Cort Rithimic Jeff Berlin bass.
This is ABSOLUTELY what I needed. I just finished building my first bass (my first build...I have 5 others) and now I'm totally confident I can set it up. Thank you!
I check my neck relief by fretting a string at the first and about fifteenth frets. Then, midway, you look at how high the string is off a fret. That's a dimension every player should be familiar with. Just a hint on the way to making your bass feel good to you.
Yes. Push 1st and 17th fret and about imo the minimum clearence between tring and 8th fret is a thockness of a printer paper. Which is about 0.0018" or 0.05mm. This is absolutely minimum. Neck with good setup can't be perfect straigh. The maximum for me is about 0.011" or 0.3mm. But that high is good only if you play hard, high action and use light gauge strings. More than 0.01" or 0.3mm? You must tighten your trus rod for sure. With good basses should be just a tad of clearence. Almost straight.
when i buy a bass,no tools or paper work never come with the bass,,,,,,so .its good that these vids r available,,,,,,from now on ,i will ask for papers and tools!. thanks guy,,,i apreciate this stuff.
Tune with the tuner as the truss adjustment has moved the entire tuning changing the tension of the strings. In other words, truss adjustment then tune to pitch. Every time you adjust the rod tune to pitch.
Do all truss rod adjustments with loose strings. Otherwise you can strip the truss rod threads, or even snap the truss rod, then bring instrument back to pitch for truss rod measurement.
I think i need to know the standard gap between strings and the fretboard especially the difference between first fret and 12th fret as it explained Anyway thank you for this tips. You guys are legend
That was brilliant just enough gab and lots of solid information but where is the part about setting string height at the bridge? It seems like a part is missing
Because his bass string height (action) was already perfect, they skipped it. Usually you would follow the radius curve of the neck at the bridge saddles. Keeping the bridge saddle level side to side. Usually the action would be determined by each different player. Jeff likes a low action. Some players like a higher action. Go to Fender spec for their recommended string height specs.
Killer Killer video....fornow on I o ow exactly what to do....Invest in a great luthier like this guy!Killer video Luvin the info....teaxhes one big thing if ya dont know what your doing,bring it to the ones that do!Thanks to ya both! ✌
It's very easy to go too far filing the nut. Proceed with caution. I'd also love to know how low those strings are......distance from top of last fret to the bottom of each string.
Hey Jeff, have you ever tried a 6 string bass? This is not at all a "you should get more strings because you're so good" argument, rather that you have such a nice melodic style that the high C string would probably sound very good in your style.
The only difference in how I set up my bass is that I start with the string action, then adjust the neck so that it's completely flat when tuned, check the action again to make sure it's still in place, then I do intonation.
@@grantkoeller8911 If you can't play with a flat neck, it means there's something you need to fix, like maybe your expectations about string action. Or maybe you just need to level the frets. My bass plays fine with a flat neck and manufacturer suggested string action. Why do you think most guitars come out of the factory with graduated string action? It's to accommodate a flat neck, which they usually have when shipped. That's how you're supposed to play them. The neck relief thing is a myth; it's a fix they tell you at guitar stores because they don't want to tell you that the instrument needs fret work (most noobs don't understand that guitars don't come out of the factory in perfect condition), they don't want to do the work (or maybe their tech just doesn't know how), or because some players have fantasy expectations about low action. Low action is actually less playable in some respects; for example, it makes vibratos and bends more difficult. It also means less control over dynamics. Low action isn't a fix for tension caused by neck relief; straightening the neck and properly graduating the string action is the fix. A bass plays just fine with a flat neck and the manufacturer recommended string action; mine plays like butter. If it doesn't, then you need to level the frets. If you absolutely need it to be lower for tapping or some such, then you have to make a tradeoff and give the neck some relief. Just like if you tune lower than standard, you might need to raise the action and make some after market mods to the bridge. It all depends on what you're going for, and what you can tolerate.
A bit of a dangerous video. It seems like a chunk of the video is missing at the beginning. You can't just begin cranking a truss rod without actually measuring the relief beforehand. Requires a capo and feeler gauges. Should have also given an explanation regarding bowing / back bowing as for the reasoning of a truss rod adjustment.
silverdroid for a regular person, I agree. For joe, he don’t. Quite honestly as subjective as a bass is, I only measure for my string height. Truss rod adjustments do require more feel than measurements. Depends on if you want crystal clear notes or if you want a little rasp.
"You can't just begin cranking a truss rod without actually measuring the relief beforehand. Requires a capo and feeler gauges." nonsense. use your eyes, use your hands/fingers, use the string itself as a straight edge. I've *never* used a capo or a feeler gauge or a ruler on any of my over-fifty instruments. but you need to be careful with truss rod adjustments, particularly on older instruments, for other reasons. especially ricks. & like the cort there, my ibanez musician basses naturally have slightly more relief at the bass side, by design.
if you have a bolt on neck then sometimes you may need a shim between the neck and bass … and the magnet pulling on the string can result in false harmonics
I agree the nut is everthing i bought a digital gage and im blowing people away with my set- ups... i also balance pickups and pole pieces playing through loud studio monitors
i have a weird issue with my 1995 US fender. i get the 12th fret and open to intonate fine (on the G string) but the 5th fret note is always off a little. the nut action seems fine though, the truss rod is fine and the overall action is where i like it i got the frets releveled and crowned a few years ago so the frets are not dented either , what could be causing this issue any one got any clues ?
You need a camera man who understands what you mean, when you say what you say.. he's not showing the "it" and you're not checking what he's showing.. that's what I got.. but thank you for all the 'good' you are sharing.. God bless.
Baking soda and super glue is only a temporary and messy fix until you replace the nut. But as Joe says...a paper ( or thin card) shim under the nut makes no sonic or visual difference.
Great tips. Very helpful for bass players starting out or long time bass players who can play but aren't sure how to do a proper set-up. On another note. Jeff Berlin and B.Bruford, A.Holdsworth & D. Stewart are to blame for my lifetime of joy and poverty. I decided very early on that I would dedicate my life to music. One day I bumped my head and thought I should go to College and study Accounting. After 2 years of School I secured a job at an Insurance company. Had the job for 2 days and that night went to see Berlin, Bruford, Holdsworth & Stewart perform at The El Mocambo in Toronto. They knocked me out! They were amazing. Quit my job at the Insurance company the next day and before the month was up I had joined a band and was back on the road. 2 years of school down the drain. So here I am 40 odd years later with no pension, no money and a 13 year old VW. Thanks Jeff.
I know what you mean. The album - One of a Kind by Bill Buford - is my favorite jazz fusion album. A shame Allan Holdsworth has passed away and Buford has retired to teaching. Well, even Mozart and Beethoven died and left us with many treasures. Jeff Berlin is touring hopefully in a town near you. I've been playing classic rock since the 70's. That too is a dying art form as kids today don't know what good music is and only the few are diligent enough to explore the likes of Bill Buford or Jeff Berlin. I am plagued with living in a part of the country that only likes country, hip-hop and grunge. Yuck.
True story!
💙
Mr. Berlins eccentricities are exceeded by his extraordinary bass playing. Thank you!
One of the best bass players in the world taking his bass to one best guitar and bass techs in the world. That was awesome now I understand why everyone likes Mr Glaser. His patience with his customers and dedication to his craft really makes all the difference.
You cannot…CANNOT….over-appreciate a skilled luthier and tech.
I really appreciate this video, and everyone’s time in putting it together.
Very gracious.
I've heard probably dozens of explanations of how to set nut height. Almost all of them are wrong. This is the first clear and correct explanation I've heard, a revelation! Thanks!
I think the feeler-gauge method should work if you're setting the action to factory specs. He says that method is only invalid because the action varies
Jeff!! No words for how much I enjoy hearing and watching you play! Thank you! Oh... and thanks for the setup help!
I've been playing for nearly 30 years & there was some info in here that I was not aware of. Always learning. Very cool.
I've done instrument repair for over 6 years and I can tell Joe knows his stuff. Lots of people get caught up in measuring and specs and things like that but setting up an instrument to play well is about feel. Every guitar is different. Instrument repair is an art. I would like to meet Joe one day. Perhaps if I make it out to Nashville again.
It’s about time a clear and detailed setup for the bass is done. Thanks.
💚
Very impressed with Joe Glaser! Thanks for the video Jeff.
My pleasure! 🧡
Now...all I need is a bus ticket to Nashville. I'll always think of Joe whenever I am setting up one of my bass guitars.
Two lovely gentlemen...thanks for demystifying the mystical. Mr Berlin, thanks for your wonderful contribution to our musical world..if only you could have seen the faces of my two young children some years back when they heard for the first time your recording of Joe Frazier...spontaneous joy and laughter.
🧡
Jeff is tops, as good as it gets!!!! a true master. Joe really did a nice job on that setup!! Excellent!
Farout gentlemen.... Thanks Jeff for the intro and thanks Joe for your knowledge. Blessings...
Nice to see the masters collaborate agreeably!! Jeff Berlin... I used to read your articles in guitar player magazine back in the early 80's!! Always instructive, always enjoyable!!!! Thank you very much for the lead!!! The whole neck has always been your forte' not just the first 5 frets... I got that right away! Thanks again!!
Great video and great information. It's about time bass players stop having so much taboo about how to set up their basses and making inexperienced players feel like they should be afraid of their own instruments. Of course you shouldn't make any sort of rough adjustments and depending on what the issue is you should definitely find a professional to help you out. But stop telling players that they should never adjust the truss rod and other things themselves. After all, you want your bass to be set up in a way that you like, and many times local Luthiers might give you a good set up, but it might not be what you're looking for. Most other instrumentalists learn how to adjust their instruments as part of their normal learning process of their instrument. This should be the case for us bass players too. Thank you Jeff for continuing to elevate bass didactics.
Excellent video Jeff, I’ve done a little bit of work with a couple of luthiers a bit over the years and the information in the video is exactly what I’ve been taught. No nonsense, to the point and honest. Thanks very much for posting.
It's a joy to watch a couple pros at work.
A lot of great tips here. The first time I filed a nut, I wound up having to replace the nut - twice! By then I understood how to file a nut! very rewarding.
It was a great affirmation for doing the intonation , in that he does it exactly like I do, so that was great. I basically figured it out myself about 25 years ago but it was great to finally see a pro doing it. I'd love the nut adjustment , that was good for me and thank you Jeff for this and for the Bertolini pickup suggestions a few years ago.
That explanation for setting the nut height I came at just the right time. My son’s bass needs some setup and now I can follow along. Thanks.
I saw Jeff perform in NYC with Allan Holdsworth = O.M.G. - those 2, make you want to Lock-yourself-in-a room . . . and Study Music Theory. 2 phenomenal musicians. oNe LovE from NYC
Great tips, nice looking Cort! 😎👌
Love it. I tech electric guitar/bass but I've taken my acoustic instruments to Joe's shop for decades.
Id like to hang out with Joe for a week and watch him work on guitar & bass he seems like a great guy and a good teacher
💛
Nice video, adds a few tips & tricks to setting up a bass. Check out his left hand reach at 21:30! Oh my! My tiny size 5 fingers are in awe!
Wonderfull .. thanks Jeff and Joe.
Thanks for this video. I learned quite bit; thought I knew everything important about "home setup" for a bass, but I picked up a number of really good tips -- and I now realize I need to take my bass in to a luthier to get the nut worked on.
Great to hear, Dave!
3:18 to “That’s a really clever way to remember that” 😭 my sarcastic ass was thinking the same thing
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Who knew that plumbers made good luthiers?
I was thinking the same thing
I really got some good understanding and I thank you guys so very much, my bass is my baby and I do like to take good care of my baby and doing it myself makes it even more personal to me Thank you Mr. Joe and thank you Mr. Jeff for bringing us along with you to have your baby checked out by such a knowledgeable professional like Mr. Joe is look forward for more videos thks. Paul
Video is perfect. I like that you didn't tune the guitar 85 times while making the adjustments. Great tip on setting inotation without tuning the strings all the way. This is a no nonsense simple method of adjustment. No measuring just adjusting it to the way it feels and sounds best. That's how it's done. 🙂
It really takes no time to use a KORG tuner on the open string set to A=440 and compare the notes intonation at the 12 fret (Octave).You can also compare the octave harmonic to the fretted octave.
Jeff rocks. He is an original unsung hero
Excellent video! About filing your nut; it's always good to go light and incrementally. You can always remove more as needed, but you can't put any back (not a fan of the 'paper' fix). One effective way I've found to raise a nut slot is a mixture of baking soda and CA (super) glue, which is much better than paper, but I've only used that on bone nuts and I'm not sure about the numerous other nut material being used these days. Anyway, some good tips shown here and every musician should know how to setup and tweak their instrument.
thin coat of epoxy could also work if you remove to much from the nut.
Thanks Jeff, I never heard of that righty tighty, lefty loosey thing before. I'm going to use that from now on
Man Jeff!
your bass sounds almost like an acoustic bass guitar.
Fantastic
The subject of a properly set up and intonated bass guitar is of vital importance to beginning players. Yet, it's hardly ever addressed. I spent years thinking I had defective ears because as a self taught player I never saw or heard intonation addressed. As a result when I tried to learn bass parts from recordings the notes on my neck were out of tune no matter what my tuner said.
Best setup demo I've seen, very informative. Thanks
That song at the end is hilarious!!!! 😂🙌🏾
🙂👍
Great video refresher on setup, very informative. Thanks for posting.
Thanks for the vid! These tips were enough for me to stop the buzzing in my strings and get better intonation. Not perfect by any means, but way better.
Hey Joe, thanks for the word on Pops!
Great video cheers.. I've just bought one of Jeff's basses and i'm loving it..
I'm glad that you enjoy the bass!
Hmm, 'Joe Glaser'; there's a bass tune in there, somewhere Jeff? Thanks for this video that I stumbled across while checking out the Cort Rithimic Jeff Berlin bass.
"We should probably plug into the tuner that'd be great."
Yes
Great video just what I needed.
Great Video Jeff !!!
Thanks so much for a great video and very informed
What a great informative video. Happiness and blessings Jeff!
🧡💛
It’s a good idea for any instrumentalist to associate themselves with a competent repair person.
Great video and huge of information. I learn a lot.
The way of life : learn, learn, learn...
👍🧡
@@lumpyjazz You are the Best, Jeff !
Thanks for doing this video. Great info and excellent presentation.
Glad that it helped!
This is ABSOLUTELY what I needed. I just finished building my first bass (my first build...I have 5 others) and now I'm totally confident I can set it up. Thank you!
Damn, those violin lessons Jeff had to take as a kid certainly paid off!
gorgeous instrument
I wondered if I too would learn something new.And I did :>) clear focus now on nut hight .Thank you very very much.
great lesson
"There goes my Nashville studio career right there" A controversial bass legend, but still a bass legend.
Is he living in Nashville now? I studied under him in LA 200 years ago. Learned a lot.
I check my neck relief by fretting a string at the first and about fifteenth frets. Then, midway, you look at how high the string is off a fret.
That's a dimension every player should be familiar with. Just a hint on the way to making your bass feel good to you.
Yes. Push 1st and 17th fret and about imo the minimum clearence between tring and 8th fret is a thockness of a printer paper. Which is about 0.0018" or 0.05mm. This is absolutely minimum. Neck with good setup can't be perfect straigh. The maximum for me is about 0.011" or 0.3mm. But that high is good only if you play hard, high action and use light gauge strings. More than 0.01" or 0.3mm? You must tighten your trus rod for sure. With good basses should be just a tad of clearence. Almost straight.
totally agree however ,in the video, he sights the neck with his eyes
when i buy a bass,no tools or paper work never come with the bass,,,,,,so .its good that these vids r available,,,,,,from now on ,i will ask for papers and tools!. thanks guy,,,i apreciate this stuff.
Great info for sure!
Thanks Jeff!
A very informative video. Thanks guys for doing it.
Thank You , Jeff.
Thanks Joe, Thanks Jeff
Thoroughly enjoyed this video!
Good one. Thank you brother. Very helpful. How about adjustable nuts? Would surely appreciate some advice on adjusting those.
💜
Have heard some great things about this bass
CORT Jeff Berlin Model
Tune with the tuner as the truss adjustment has moved the entire tuning changing the tension of the strings. In other words, truss adjustment then tune to pitch. Every time you adjust the rod tune to pitch.
Do all truss rod adjustments with loose strings. Otherwise you can strip the truss rod threads, or even snap the truss rod, then bring instrument back to pitch for truss rod measurement.
Grant Koeller you really think you can break a metal bar or strip it’s threads with string tension?
@@eds6889 Many truss rods have snapped or stripped throughout history.
@@grantkoeller8911 sure pal, what ever.
@@eds6889 he's right, sometimes it's best to bend the neck then take up the slack with the nut. Older Rickenbackers you HAD to do it this way
Dig the diddy... thanks for the tune up info...
Butters the expert repairman up by saying he's the best in the area. Then proceeds to tell everyone, you can do this yourself. Gotta love it. 😅
He did say some things are better left to the repair
tech, however anything can be corrected if screwed up by do it yourselfer.
I think i need to know the standard gap between strings and the fretboard especially the difference between first fret and 12th fret as it explained
Anyway thank you for this tips.
You guys are legend
the width of a business card
A business card is about .013" thousandth of an inch.
Very good info
That was brilliant just enough gab and lots of solid information but where is the part about setting string height at the bridge? It seems like a part is missing
Because his bass string height (action) was already perfect, they skipped it. Usually you would follow the radius curve of the neck at the bridge saddles. Keeping the bridge saddle level side to side. Usually the action would be determined by each different player. Jeff likes a low action. Some players like a higher action. Go to Fender spec for their recommended string height specs.
Much thanks for this video :)
Killer Killer video....fornow on I o ow exactly what to do....Invest in a great luthier like this guy!Killer video Luvin the info....teaxhes one big thing if ya dont know what your doing,bring it to the ones that do!Thanks to ya both! ✌
excellent
Thx jeff for The tips
Excellent! Thanks!
jeff berlin "didn't know" about intonating a bass. astonishing.
Way to go Jeff love the song
Thank you Jim. Just playing off the cuff is fun for me. :)
It's very easy to go too far filing the nut. Proceed with caution. I'd also love to know how low those strings are......distance from top of last fret to the bottom of each string.
Most people measure string action at the 12th fret.
Hey Jeff, have you ever tried a 6 string bass?
This is not at all a "you should get more strings because you're so good" argument, rather that you have such a nice melodic style that the high C string would probably sound very good in your style.
He obviously doesn't need one, bro.
The only difference in how I set up my bass is that I start with the string action, then adjust the neck so that it's completely flat when tuned, check the action again to make sure it's still in place, then I do intonation.
A flat neck will have string buzz, a neck needs neck relief. A tiny slight curve when you sight down the neck.
@@grantkoeller8911 If you can't play with a flat neck, it means there's something you need to fix, like maybe your expectations about string action. Or maybe you just need to level the frets. My bass plays fine with a flat neck and manufacturer suggested string action.
Why do you think most guitars come out of the factory with graduated string action? It's to accommodate a flat neck, which they usually have when shipped. That's how you're supposed to play them. The neck relief thing is a myth; it's a fix they tell you at guitar stores because they don't want to tell you that the instrument needs fret work (most noobs don't understand that guitars don't come out of the factory in perfect condition), they don't want to do the work (or maybe their tech just doesn't know how), or because some players have fantasy expectations about low action. Low action is actually less playable in some respects; for example, it makes vibratos and bends more difficult. It also means less control over dynamics. Low action isn't a fix for tension caused by neck relief; straightening the neck and properly graduating the string action is the fix.
A bass plays just fine with a flat neck and the manufacturer recommended string action; mine plays like butter. If it doesn't, then you need to level the frets. If you absolutely need it to be lower for tapping or some such, then you have to make a tradeoff and give the neck some relief. Just like if you tune lower than standard, you might need to raise the action and make some after market mods to the bridge.
It all depends on what you're going for, and what you can tolerate.
A bit of a dangerous video. It seems like a chunk of the video is missing at the beginning. You can't just begin cranking a truss rod without actually measuring the relief beforehand. Requires a capo and feeler gauges. Should have also given an explanation regarding bowing / back bowing as for the reasoning of a truss rod adjustment.
silverdroid for a regular person, I agree. For joe, he don’t. Quite honestly as subjective as a bass is, I only measure for my string height. Truss rod adjustments do require more feel than measurements. Depends on if you want crystal clear notes or if you want a little rasp.
"You can't just begin cranking a truss rod without actually measuring the relief beforehand. Requires a capo and feeler gauges."
nonsense. use your eyes, use your hands/fingers, use the string itself as a straight edge. I've *never* used a capo or a feeler gauge or a ruler on any of my over-fifty instruments. but you need to be careful with truss rod adjustments, particularly on older instruments, for other reasons. especially ricks. & like the cort there, my ibanez musician basses naturally have slightly more relief at the bass side, by design.
I should have seen it 20 years ago :D
Jeff Hi!! your best record is vox humana champion, players and pump it!! i love those albums!
💜
if you have a bolt on neck then sometimes you may need a shim between the neck and bass … and the magnet pulling on the string can result in false harmonics
Thats called neck angle, that is when the bridge is maxed out heightwise with no adjustability left.
Very informative
I agree the nut is everthing i bought a digital gage and im blowing people away with my set- ups... i also balance pickups and pole pieces playing through loud studio monitors
Jeff, you mention that you like your frets "flat" (I assume as opposed to "crowned"). Why do you like the frets flat? Thanks!
Grande Joe!
So you want more relief on the thick strings side on any guitar. They use to call this a bent neck. Wow ! I thought all my guitars have neck problems.
Alright thanks
very helpful thxs
We should plug into the tuner 😄😄😄
For glider pilots, Glaser is a well known name. D and G were building airplanes, guess what G stands for.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DG_Flugzeugbau
cool
i have a weird issue with my 1995 US fender. i get the 12th fret and open to intonate fine (on the G string) but the 5th fret note is always off a little. the nut action seems fine though, the truss rod is fine and the overall action is where i like it i got the frets releveled and crowned a few years ago so the frets are not dented either , what could be causing this issue any one got any clues ?
You need a camera man who understands what you mean, when you say what you say.. he's not showing the "it" and you're not checking what he's showing.. that's what I got.. but thank you for all the 'good' you are sharing.. God bless.
I just bought one of the bass s . For some reason I dont have the right allen key size in my set. Is it a weird size?
raising a nut groove that is cut too low is the baking soda and super glue trick
Baking soda and super glue is only a temporary and messy fix until you replace the nut. But as Joe says...a paper ( or thin card) shim under the nut makes no sonic or visual difference.