String Heights on a P ?

[rahock]

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

[patman]

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.

[nofi]

i just raise the strings bit by bit until i get where it feels comfortable. i do wish i had a silver dollar, though.

[rahock]

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

[nofi]

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.

[Pilgrim]

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.

[rahock]

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 .

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
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

[patman]

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.

[Lightyear]

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.

[rahock]

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 .
Silver dollar thing is good.
Rick

[godofthunder]

 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

[exiledarchangel]

A little buzz is acceptable for me, I think it makes the sound more "alive" or something.

[Aussie Mark]

+1 on a little buzz being ok.  Live, nobody hears the buzz.