The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Fender Basses => Topic started by: rahock on February 04, 2010, 09:56:37 AM
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Measuring at the 12th fret , where are you Precsion players setting your height?
I just started playing my 70 P again and it is sounding great , but last set up on it I had it set a bit too high. I tend to go for a bit on the high side anyway , but I went a little overboard . I've hit a point where it causes cramps and fatigue to my hand.
I was getting a little fret rattle and I took the action up to eliminate it. I think I need to negotiate with the fret rattle or take it in for some work.
Anyway , I'm very curious what you guys set your Ps at, particularly those of you who go to high side.
Thanks,
Rick
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Whatever the bass, I slide a silver dollar under the E string at the 12th fret...use it for a feeler gauge.
G string side is proportionately lower.
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i just raise the strings bit by bit until i get where it feels comfortable. i do wish i had a silver dollar, though. :)
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i just raise the strings bit by bit until i get where it feels comfortable. i do wish i had a silver dollar, though. :)
This is pretty much what I do. Comfort and fret rattle are my guiding factors.
Silver dollar........hmmm, I wonder if four quarters or ten dimes would work the same ;)
Rick
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some folks don't mind the strings bouncing off the frets but i hate it. i also like a higher action due to the abg playing. unplugged i don't want to hear any metallic noise out of the electric, just free ringing strings.
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I'm probably at a medium action. I try to pluck horizontally r/than vertically, buy I'm not as successful as I'd like to be. Working on dynamics is also an ongoing challenge. I don't mind a tiny bit of fret clack since I know it's not audible in performance, but I try to minimize it...I figure that rather than plucking or picking hard, I ought to moderate my effort and let the amp do its work. In the surf music I play there are also many numbers with rapid repetitive bass patterns (Penetration and Baja come to mind), and I find that if I pluck or pick hard my hand and arm tend to tense up, which results in hand fatigue much more quickly.
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Ok, I just set the action on my 70 and my 51. Playing a bit hard in the low F position on the E string , I am at the breaking point where fret rattle is about to begin and if I hit it hard it WILL rattle. It feels good to me, but I know it's higher than most players would tolerate. My E strings on both are beyond the height of the thickness of a silver dollar. In fact the G string on my 70 is right at the silver dollar thickness , my 51 is slightly higher yet :o.
Like nofi , I play an ABG quite a bit and that equates to digging in hard with the picking hand. Since I started playing ABG a lot several years ago, the action on my electrics has come up considerably . The action on my ABGs was very high and the action on my electrics was comparitively very low, and when I would switch from ABG to electric I would be all but ripping the strings off and listening to nothing but fret rattle :o
Now that the electrics are set much higher everything feels good to me, but when other bass players pick up one of my basses they look at me like I'm a freak :-[
I was just trying to get a little temperature check on everyone elses settings just to see exactly how much of a freak I've become ;)
I have determined I am considerably over the silver dollar limit..... I need thicker money.
Rick
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That actually sounds about right.
I usually set it a little "loose" on the dollar with rounds....a little "tighter" w/ flats. G string is usually at the dollar on the 15th fret. Yes, I am kind of OCD about this.
I set it where I get an o-k sound with a flat pick...that is usually where I have zero fret noise and a real good sound w/ my fingers.
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I guess I've never really measured - the silver dollar feeler guage is probably close though. Don't forget the truss rod - I find that a little relief in the neck goes a ways to control the rattle. On rare occasions - like when I get a new bass I often check the neck angle (shims) as well.
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Thanks guys, I appreciate the silver dollar method , it's a good realistic baseline. In the past when I found something that felt good and kept fret rattle down, I would measure it with a feeler guage or a steel ruler and write it down somewhere for future reference. I would also usually forget where I put the piece of paper I wrote it on and I sure as hell never remember without it ;D.
Silver dollar thing is good. :)
Rick
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I use round wounds and I like my action LOW. I drop the saddle all the way down and slowly bring it up to the point where fretting at the 12th fret the note sounds then I'm done, I don't mind a little fret buzz ;)
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A little buzz is acceptable for me, I think it makes the sound more "alive" or something.
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+1 on a little buzz being ok. Live, nobody hears the buzz.