Set-up help (flat notes in middle?)

1

So I just bought a Sterling Stingray and I began playing with the set up.

  • I got the truss rod perfect with very slight concave and gauge lightly touching.

  • Intonation: (oof)

  • G string 12fr perfect
    – 3fr-11fr sharp 7 cents, 12fr+ are fine.

  • D string 12fr perfect
    – 3fr-11fr perfect, 13fr+ gradually flatter 5-15cents

  • A string 12fr 12 cents flat, bridge screw maxed out

  • E string 12fr 12 cents flat, bridge screw maxed out

E/A notes gradually get flatter 1fr to 18fr, but are in tune 19-21fr??

  • I lowered the string heights medium/low no fret buzz.

Various online sources have said it could be the factory strings (I just kept them on)

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2

Update for any followers… lol…

I found a little more screw to get the E/A strings mostly in tune for the notes that matter <–15fr

I opted to leave the G 12fr slightly flat so that corrected the lower notes.

So my only gripe here is that I think the bridge was mounted too far back…

Update 2: Apparently raising and lowering strings impacts where the bridge needs to be, so it’s even more in tune than before with some more adjustments.

It’s almost like there is a science to this…

3

Hi,

I ordered a sterling stingray for myself (still waiting for it to arrive… :upside_down_face: )
Maybe you know this already , setting up the truss rod on a stingray is a bit different than with other basses. found that out because I want to set it up myself

Maybe that is the issue?

4

This is super common and just means you need to set the intonation, which is part of a normal setup.

There is :slight_smile:

  1. Adjust truss rod.
  2. Set action height.
  3. Set intonation.

In that order, always.

Now. Since you have maxxed the screws - yeah that sucks, I have seen this. The first thing to do is change strings. Sometimes this fixes it.

The next thing to check is if there is a noticeable warp in the neck affecting the geometry. Since the intonation is literally nothing more than making the length of the string correct for the current neck geometry, there’s only so many levers you have to pull here, and so checking the geometry itself makes sense as a next step.

It’s really unlikely the bridge is mispositioned.

Yeah, changing the height at the bridge changes the geometry, so unusually high or low actions can affect intonation too (hence the order of adjustments is important).

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5

I played this game recently with one of mine.
You have three variables that all act in slightly different ways.
I wanted a super low action but would have had to compromise the intonation, so I lifted the strings slightly and all was good in the world again.

6

Thanks for the insight - instead of doing 2 3 I did 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 lol.

I was able to get the bridge back into the saddle marks but A string is still unusually maxed out.

I think it will be a beast when I get some new strings on it. I want to be done paying people to set up my basses and I think I’m about there :smiley:

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7

Yeah, action is funny because you gotta set it and play like you will when you get excited to see if there is fret buzz.

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8

I came across this issue because I found the adjustment nut to be rather odd, but same principle of loosen/tighten!

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9

Reply to myself: Changed strings and re-intonated now the bridge looks alittle more normal.

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10

Love me some DR string, :heart:

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11

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For sure!! I’m addicted to them. Gonna swap to whites next time I change strings :wink:

If you order on Amazon they really aren’t that expensive either, $20 every 2-3 months. Only problem is now I have 2 basses I keep DRs on he he

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