I mentioned to a friend, who has played stringed instruments for years, that I got some new strings, and wanted to put them on and do a setup, and he was just aghast that I would try to do that myself. I was like, “it’s the very first lesson in the course I’m doing” and he was like, shocked.
Is it super out of pocket to try to do this myself? I am concerned about the strings a little. I have no idea what’s on the bass I got right now, and I didn’t even think about the gague and the nut. I got some Ernie Ball Super Slinky Nickel Rounds that are 45-100 gague.
Nice - one last question. I forgot to order stuff to clean the fretboard with. And I don’t want to wait now lol. If I change the strings can I clean the fretboard afterwards with the strings on it?
You can, but don’t have to, tape the strings behind the neck while you work. I’ve used the blue painter’s tape when I’ve done it. I don’t normally bother though.
Easy peasy. Lots of great YT videos walking you through the process. I bought a neck rest and mat from Amazon for about 25 bucks. The neck rest makes it easier to work on, IMO. The remainder are basic tools; hex wrenches, screwdrivers, side cutter to trim the strings, tuner of some kind.
I can’t imagine not setting up my own instruments, it makes it so you can keep it just how you want it as the humidity changes. There’s also the saving money already mentioned.
I had the same fears when I did it for the first time - what happens if I mess it up so badly I can’t put it back together?
But as everyone else said, it isn’t as hard as it sounds, and while it does take some time in the beginning, it is such a good skill to develop tat it’s worth it.
I feel getting over the setup nerves are almost a right of passage! I had mine too. I’m always surprised at friends who are insanely talented musicians who absolutely will not touch any repairs or setups on electric guitars/basses too.
My only word of caution, coming from personal experience, is that doing your own setups can be a gateway to swapping out pickups and then next thing you know you’ve completely gutted your bass so you can experiment with different pots
Slippery slopes aside, just go slow when you’re making adjustments and you’ll be fine. It’s a fantastic skill to learn! Best of luck!
DIY.
It should get you there to 75% the more you do it the higher quality setup you do. Most shops can get to 80-85%, plex+setup can get you to 90-95% potential. Top pros can squeeze the last 5% of performance to your preference.
Not at all out of line. There are great set up vids on youtube, look for the one put out by Elixir Strings. I want to know as much about my guitar as I can. Learning how to set it up is great education and money saver.
Paying someone to do something as personal as a setup seems out of line to me.
Seasonal changes, dissimilar string types with different tension, all require a change in the setup.
Optimal action height can vary due to fret level, HOW you play (pick, hard finger style, slap, light touch)
String gauge , core type, core diameter all affect how the string vibrates: this influences the relief ( stiff strings like say, Jamerson flats, Roto 77 etc) can function fine with LESS relief, and FAR lower action.
As opposed to Roto 35-98 rounds may require more relief, (the bow in the middle of the neck) Due to the larger amplitude of movement with a more flexible string.
Harder playing and pick playing may benefit from higher action/ more relief.
I personally set all of my basses by “feel” and playing in. My necks tend to be NEARLY FLAT With SLIGHTLY higher action at the bridge, why one may ask? This keeps a more consistent feel and string height for more of the playing area, up to about the 10th fret.
An often overlooked yet CRITICAL part of setting up a guitar is the nut height.
That’s a primary motivator for me. My buddy pays $100-$150 a pop have it done and I can’t swing that lol. Plus my toxic trait is I think I can probably do anything until I can’t lol.
First time I did it I went through the bass and measured everything as it was, by going through a setup video and noting all the important measurements. That way, at the very least you can get back to square one.
Then I did a setup, and then F-ed it up on purpose, and did it again, and then a third time. At that point, you are basically a pro.
It takes a bit longer to start understanding how you like your bass setup. This is actually harder than setting it up! I started with some things way too high, and dialed them in. Then, I applied that to each of my basses, noting things that were in need of a difference somewhere (1/2 a mm here, mm there, etc). I keep a giant spreadsheet of every instrument and how I like it set up, what I modded on it, etc. With 35+ instruments, I would never remember what the hell I did where. Plus, I am an engineer, and love spreadsheets with specs in them.
