When handing my bass back to me, and in the job notes the luthier mentioned something that I’d like to ask about.
Essentially he had to tighten the truss rod to the limit and also shim the neck in order to get the action down to a playable height.
He said in future I might just need to sell it and buy another bass.
I’m halfway through bassbuzz so haven’t been attempting any meaningful slap techniques yet, but hope to get at least a basic skill level soon. I looked at Josh’s string heights at the start of the course and mine do seem higher. It’s a '05/06 Jazz bass deluxe series.
Could this bass be salvaged or should I start looking around for a new bass sooner rather than later?
I can post a photo later.
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Yes. The photo’s would make it easier.
Some things to think about…
- Do you like playing this bass?
- Do you like the way it feels?
- Do you like the way it sounds?
- Do you like they way it looks?
- Do you like a low action or are you okay with a higher action?
Specifically the last one. I like to dig in in when I play and if the action is too low (like how most people like a low action) I get too much fret buzz and rattle.
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Thanks very much I’ll take that picture after work.
Additionally there is a buzz on the 12th fret of the G which he couldn’t get rid of, due to the other measures he took with the neck. I do like the look and feel of the bass but don’t necessarily have a strong attachment.
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I’d take it to someone else and ask for a second opinion.
Maybe he just doesn’t know what to do with it.
He could also be right if the bass was a dud or abused in the past, but never hurts to ask someone else. If you like the bass, maybe its just another neck you need, etc.
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My first bass was an ibanez gsr200 that had a wonky fretboard. Paid for a setup and dude did the best he could, but the thing drove me nuts due to persistent fret buzz. Selling it was best decision i made since taking up bass. I HATED playing that thing. You wont practice if you don’t like it
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He seems to be one of the leading guys here in Brisbane and I felt pretty confident in the handover. I’m no expert of course!
Sorry for the orientation and I couldn’t find a ruler that starts at 0mm! Anyway to my eye it looked like the E string is 5mm above the wood of the fretboard at the last fret. If this is in the realms of normal I’ll happily keep things as is.
If it looks a bit high, I’ll consider other avenues in due course.
I bought this in around 2006 and it’s spent plenty of time doing nothing, has travelled in a container from the UK to Australia.
Thanks again for your opinions!
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Usually it’s best to measure string gap from the top of the fret wire to the bottom of the string. Rulers are bad for this due to the offset 0; some luthiers rulers are better, but in general I’ve had better luck using allen wrenches to feel string height, sliding them under the string.
12th fret is generally best for this measure (the midpoint of the string). Right now a bass I have with a medium to medium low action is at about 2.25mm there.
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This is the 12th fret and my wife seems to have claimed my ruler. It’s mine again now
I don’t think I can get much more precise, what do you think? It feels like excessive travel to me.
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Yep that looks like a solid 4mm there at least, close to double the height of mine.
I would aim for 2.5mm or so. I personally prefer lower than that.
If the bridge saddles are lowered all the way and he had to shim the neck to get there then you might be looking at something you can’t easily fix. Second opinion from another luthier seems like a decent idea.
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Cheers, great advice all round. I don’t want to hamper my progress so I’ll shop around i think.
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Just remember: low action isn’t necessarily “better” - it depends on your playing style etc. See the questions that @eric.kiser asked further above in this thread.
But, yeah, for most people, 4mm is a tad high 
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That’s high for sure.
I look to last fret at 3mm max and go lower from there.
Are the saddles bottomed out?
Is the nut height low as possible?
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I am no luthier, but that looks crazy high action to me and also looks like the neck is angling up quite a bit. I would def get a second opinion on that.
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Could be as simple as someone swapped the bridge out for an incompatible one etc. have to look at the whole system. Start from ground up and see what the trouble is. Maybe your luthier didn’t think it worth the time. Maybe another will.
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@moore.jez I had the same problem with my Peavey. The previous owner left the strings tuned, but the truss rod not engaged for over a year in the garage. As a result, I couldn’t get the truss rod cranked down enough to lower the neck relief.
I used the advice from this forum, and straightened out the neck. She plays like a dream now.
This is the thread: Peavey Milestone Truss rod question
And in particular, @Korrigan 's comment:
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Interesting points here, the guitar never had a setup back in 06 and i bought it new, so it’s had dormant years with strings on.
The stock bridge kept lowering by itself back then so I replaced it with a badass bass 2 bridge, which I believe to be designed for fenders.
The luthier mentioned something about a ski jump neck, I guess that means it’s bowed.
I’ll look at the video thanks, I’m not blessed with much free time (un)fortunately so I’ll hesitate to embark on a project!
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OK, so basically the neck is warped badly.
May be repairable, may not be.
May be worth it to you if the bass has meaning, may not be if it doesn’t.
Not sure why he bothered to set it up if he knew the neck was that bad (which it seems it is).
Neck needs a clamping/heating/flattening at the very least.
You will not like playing it with that high of an action, not in the least and not a good way to learn.
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Yes he said it was at the limit and may drift out again, I think that’s what’s happened.
He actually said I would probably end up selling it (although I would definitely mention the issues when putting it up for sale!)
You know when someone with much more knowledge on a subject is waxing lyrical to you as if you are at the same level? It mostly goes over your head as you nod sagely, trying not to seem completely ignorant . . .
I didn’t measure the string heights when I picked it up a month ago annoyingly.
That video was great advice, great to have tricks like that in the toolbox. I might even try tinkering with it if I end up with a new bass.
Cheers,
Jeremy
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I am not a luthier and many people are much more knowledgeable. but if it’s seriously that bad and you are learning I would be worried about it hampering your progress and overall enjoyment. I would think even a dirt cheapo with a reasonable setup would be a step up?
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Could also swap out the neck, but yeah. Sounds like new bass time to me too.
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