Well done. Self setups end up better than any luthier will do for you, for the basic stuff. No one knows the feel better than you!
More advanced stuff can also be learned but I definitely have a point where it’s going to the luthier. One upcoming example is a full fret job on a bass with a binding.
Minor fretwork I do myself but the binding terrifies me, and as Iwill be getting stainless, I want a pro on it.
This may be a dumb question, but how long does a setup normally take at a music store and/or luthier? My bass has not had an actual setup done on it since i’ve owned it (which is only a couple months). I think that one may have been done at the store when it was new to them, but I don’t know for sure, and even if it was, who knows when it was done compared to when i bought it. But I don’t want to be without my instrument for a couple weeks or anything.
Alternately, if I were to follow one of the myriad of “do your own setup videos” on youtube (likely using our very own @JoshFossgreen 's video), how finicky are they to actually do? Like, so many of the videos make it seem pretty easy, but are they deceptive and someone on their first try is likely to royally mess up their instrument?
It doesn’t take very long, if the luthier can get to your instrument it probably takes 15-30 minutes. It’s really depends on your bass. Cheaper bass may have more to adjusts more premium basses usually come almost spot on right out of the box.
Not really, royally? The only thing I could think of is the truss rod but you really have to go beyond the limit to damage the truss rod, and worse it could happen is you strip the nut. Unless it’s made out of unobtanium there’s no way a truss rod can break the neck, you just have to replace the new rod, it’s pretty straightforward but not cheap labor. Everything else can be set back to the original ball park.
I highly recommend buying a used bass like and especially a Squier P bass or Jazz bass and use that as a platform for your setup practice or mods.
The setup itself only take about an hour. Even less with some guys who have really honed their skills doing it. Longer than that would typically mean the instrument needs more than just a basic setup.
But with some shops the waiting time may be quite long. Your bass may be sitting there for weeks waiting it’s turn. It’s just one more reason why we should become competent at doing our own tech work as much as possible.
That is SO not me! 
Cries in Australian dollars
The going rate in my area is currently AU$149 plus strings. So a setup is basically around AU$230.
I think I’ll be waiting to finish B2B and be due for a string change before I go for the setup.
It’s really pretty straight forward and not difficult to do as long as you follow the steps in order and have a few tools. Really recommend learning to do it yourself. Will save you money and you can set the action just how you like it.
Aside from Josh’s video, John Carruthers as a series of YT video’s
Here’s an extensive video by MusicNomad (guitar tool co.)
This comment/story kinda fits here I think. I went to our local guitar center type place yesterday to check out some basses. I was surprised at the state of the set ups on the ones they had there. It’s a Fender dealer so it was mostly those and squires, also have a few Yamaha’s. All actions were super high. I’m not just being picky, but a lot of them were almost unplayable. I don’t know how they sell any guitars at all. But, it made me appreciate the value of a good set up. My Black Friday 150 dollar sonic p bass plays better than their 2300 American ultras.
This is the golden ticket right here.
So many shops don’t take the time to set up their instruments.
Another thing I’ve noticed is that consignment instruments will often have terrible setups. And for the consignment instruments, the shop doesn’t have any investment in it, so they’re not going to do anything.
But the consignor didn’t set it up to play/sell before they brought it in!
It’s like selling a car/house as-is instead of getting it looking pretty and enticing.
Doesn’t make sense, but I don’t imagine most Guitar Center employees are invested in their giant corporate overlords.
Just do it yourself. You can do it.
You’d think if they wanted to sell the instruments, they’d actually set them up properly in house and not just leave them as they come from the manufacturer. But most stores don’t seem to do that.
There’s a simple explanation to that phenomenon, neck relief. It’s more common in winter than any other seasons. Once upon a time those basses had a decent “showroom” setup especially the American Ultra. If you go there at the right time of the day it would have been a different story.
I can relate as my shed alone house a few basses and I’m now only limiting to 4-5 basses I play each sessions because they are all need to be adjusted 
Yep, had to tighten a truss rod today in fact, and not just a little.
By now I believe most of us have had that same GC experience and to a large degree I understand it. Given the sheer number of instruments hanging in the walls and elsewhere each store would need a full time tech doing nothing more than checking the setups and fixing them each and every day of the year.
The proper approach is probably to evaluate everything else we can can and then decide that IF this guitar or bass was set up properly would I buy it. If so and I trusted their tech I’d ask for it to be set up with a fresh set of strings or I would ask for a discount to cover my time doing it and a set of strings of my choice N/C.
The only other option would be to bring a set of tools with and do a setup on every one you wanted to try out before your played it. That’s not very practical at all.
That’s one of the facts of life when we own guitars and basses. Twice a year truss rod adjustments are about the same as periodically checking the tires in your car for proper inflation. We just do it.
Totally agree, this was a few weeks ago. Inside gets really dry here in the winter with the heat running. Especially as compared to non winter months. I do think that if my business was selling guitars, I’d have a tech making sure they were playable. I think in retail, if you give people a reason not to buy, they won’t.
Unless you have to take the neck off… 
Smaller shops are often able to do this so their inventory is kept in better shape. If not most will do a full setup for you before you pay and walk out the door with your new bass. But they can do it because of having far less inventory to begin with.
GC will often do a setup upon request before you buy it provided they have a tech or even a sales person capable of doing on hand. They’re also accustomed to those buyers who don’t want a “floor demo” and will instead bring a boxed one out or order one for you new in the box. But chances are 50/50 that one will need a setup as well which is why we encourage players to learn to do this on your own.
That’s a simple procedure as well. Only takes a few minutes to loosen four screws, remove the neck, check and/or clean out the neck pocket, reinstall the neck, and tighten the screws.
If it needs shimming you can buy a pack of 3 shims; .25°, .50°, and 1° on Amazon for $10.00; Amazon.com. The .25° or .50° will typically get the job done.
Oh it’s at least 4-5 times a year for me. Wild humidity swings here.
