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Standard
Bass Guitar Maintenance And Setup |
| Changing Strings |
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| Truss Rod Adjustment |
| Bridge
Saddle Height Adjustment |
| Shimming
The Neck |
| Pickup
Height |
| Intonation |
| Wiring Diagrams |
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| Important: before you attempt
to do any of the following procedures, please carefully and thoroughly
read the entire page, then read each section as you do that procedure
of your set up. For best results, do your set up procedures in the
same order that they are found on this page. If you have little or
no experience setting up guitars or working with hand tools, I suggest
that with exception of changing strings, you first learn do set ups
or any other maintenance and modifications on an inexpensive instrument. |
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| Changing
Strings |
| If you are new at doing any bass
guitar maintenance, it would be best for your instrument that you
to change one string at a time to avoid a major change of tension
all at once on the neck if all the strings were removed. You will
need a pair of diagonal cutters or a string winder that has a string
cutter on the end. After unwinding the old string from the tuning
peg, straighten it as best you can and then carefully remove the string.
You might want to save it as a back up in case you break the new string.
I like to bend up the end of the old string at the bridge, so when
I start to push it out, the ball end doesn't scratch the end of the
bass before I can grab it. Carefully pushing the old string through
the bridge holes as you pull from the rear side can help get it out
easier. With the string out of the way, it's a convenient time to
clean the areas of the neck, body and bridge that are hard to get
to when the string in place. |
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| When you have the new string ready
to install, make a very slight bend in the leading end of the string
before you push it through the hole of the bridge. Push the string
through the hole with the bend up so you can grab it easier and it
doesn't go under the bridge saddles. If your bass is designed so that
you can load the string through the back, bending the leading end
won't be necessary and just pass the string through the ferrule. In
either case, carefully guide the string through the hole and over
the bridge saddle. Hold the string, especially the ball end away from
the body of the bass so not to tear up the finish. When the string
is completely through, cut the leading end approximately 3 inches
past the intended tuner post. For best results, the string should
neatly wind around the post 2 to 3 times. |
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| With a needle nose pliers, make
a 90° bend in the string approximately 1/2 to 3/4 inch from the
leading end. Put the bent end of the string in the hole in the in
the center of the slot of the tuning post. The string should be wound
from the side of the tuning post that makes it look most parallel
with it's direction over the fingerboard, which with most bass guitars
is usually the side opposite the tuner key. Now hold the leading end
down with your thumb and the rest of the string up with your index
finger as you wind the tuner key to bring the string to pitch. |
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| Now hold the leading end down
with your thumb and the rest of the string up with your index finger
as you wind the tuner key with your other hand to bring the string
to pitch. You want the first winding of the string to be at the top
of the post, the last winding at the bottom of the post. Keep the
string from crossing over itself on the post. As the slack of the
string is taken up, be certain that the string is positioned in its
saddle and nut slot. Before you bring the string up to pitch, position
the string under its retainer on the headstock if there is one for
it. Do not tighten too quickly, you can break or damage the string
if it goes past its normally tuned pitch. Follow the same procedure
for the remaining strings. |
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Truss
Rod Adjustment
Truss rod adjustments
are something I advise a player who has had no experience at this,
to learn on an inexpensive instrument. Improper adjustments can
wind up in a costly trip to a repair shop visit with your nice
bass. Most basses have the truss rod adjustment at the head, where
you might have to first remove the truss rod cover. Some adjust
at the body end of the neck and the neck might have to be removed
on some cases, like Fenders made before the 80's. Turning the
truss rod adjustment to the right (clockwise) reduces forward
bow, no matter which end of the neck the adjustment is made. Turning
the truss rod adjustment to the left (counter clockwise) reduces
back bow, no matter which end of the neck the adjustment is made.
The truss rod adjustment should never exceed more than 1/8 turn
at once. It might take two or three days to get your neck to the
proper adjustment. Never force the adjustment to turn. If you
can't turn it, it may already be at the end of it's traveling
distance on the rod. Forcing it can break the truss rod and /or
pop the fingerboard off the neck. To tell if your neck needs an
adjustment, using the tuned strings as a straight edge, get a
guitar capo and capo the strings at the first fret. After putting
on the capo, holding the string down at the last fret, you should
be able to slide a piece of loose leaf paper between the string
and the 9th fret, with the string baredly moving at all. Or you
can hold the string down with your first finger on your left hand
and hold the string down at the last fret with your other hand.
With your pinky on your left hand go to the furthest fret you
cab reach with it and tap down on the string. It shouldn't move
much, just enough to hear a tiny plink noise. If there was no
sound, your neck is too straight or has a back bow and the truss
rod adjustment has to be loosened (turned left). If the string
has to be pushed down a bit and the plink is loud, the truss rod
adjustment has to be tightened (turned to the right). Exactly
how much relief the neck of your bass should have, will depend
on the strings you use and your playing style. If your strings
are buzzing against the first few frets, your neck might need
a little more relief
Truss rod adjustments on Rickenbacker 4000, 4001 and 4002 basses
need to be performed differently and is covered on the Rickenbacker
bass maintenance page. Rickenbacker 4003 and 4004 basses can have
their truss rods adjusted as described above. Rickenbacker basses
have 2 truss rods in the necks for more accurate adjustments.
Some manufacturers will also put two truss rods in the necks of
their multistring basses, especially basses with 8 or twelve strings.
The Fender Precision made in Mexico Fender Precision has the adjustment
at the head and takes a 3/16" Allen wrench (below, left).
The Musicman basses have a very cleverly designed truss rod adjustment
wheel. You insert an Allen wrench or thin screwdriver into one
of the holes to turn the wheel (below, right).
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Bridge
Saddle Height Adjustment |
| Adjusting the bridge saddles is
usually done by turning screws, one on each side of the bridge saddle.
The screws are usually adjusted with an allen wrench usually a 1/16"
allen wrench is the right size. Many guitar manufacturers will supply
a bridge adjustment allen wrench with a new instrument. Turning the
screw clockwise raises the bridge saddle, therefore raising the string
height. Turning the screw counterclockwise lowers the saddle, therefore
lowers the string height. The height of the strings are usually 3/16"
from the bottom of the E string to the top of the 12th fret. The first
string can be slightly closer to the fret. The overall string height
as well as the string to string height on your bass should depend
on your style of playing, type of strings used and the radius (curvature)
of the fingerboard. After you have changed the string height, you
will have to retune the string since lowering the height of a string
will loosen it and raising the height of a string will tighten it. |
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Shimming
the Neck |
| This step is for bolt on necks
only. Shimming the neck is done if all of the above steps are performed
correctly and string height is still unsatisfactory. Loosen the strings
and remove them from the tuning posts. Loosen and remove the neck
mounting screws at the back of the body. Carefully separate the neck
from the body. There may already be a shim in place that might have
to be added to if the string action is too high or removed if the
string action is too low. If you need to add a shim, cut the end of
a match book cover approximately 1/4 to 3/8" from the end and
place it in the neck pocket. Depending on exactly where you place
it in the neck pocket can increase or decrease the desired effect.
In the deepest part of the neck pocket, the shim will have a small
effect on the neck angle which is most likely all you'll need, but
you may need to move it a little closer to the center a bit for more
effect on the neck angle. Centering the shim between the front and
rear neck mounting screws will give no effect. Placing it towards
the front neck mounting screws will change the neck angle the opposite
direction and increase string height. If you are having trouble keeping
the shim exactly where you need it, a tiny bit of Avery glue stick
can help keep it in place until you mount the neck back on the body.
When mounting the neck back on the body, and you realize that your
bass that does not have a tight neck joint, make sure the neck is
lined up well before completely tightening the mounting screws. With
the neck mounting screws only slightly snug, use the reinstalled strings
with barely any tension of them to judge the neck alignment. When
the alignment looks correct, tighten the neck mounting screws. The
neck mounting screws are among the few screws on your bass that should
be very tight when you are done. Then reinstall your strings on the
machine heads and tune them to pitch. Shimming the neck too much can
cause the strings to buzz against the upper frets. After shimming
the neck you may have to readjust the height of the bridge saddles. |
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Pickup
Height |
It’s best to
adjust your pickups with your bass plugged into your amplifier so
you can get the output you desire, quicker and easier. Don't have
the volume level on your amp too loud as you most likely will make
some popping noises during the procedure.
Pickup height is adjusted by the screws on the sides of the pickups.
Single coil pickups usually have one screw on each side. Humbucking
pickups usually have two screws on each side, but some may have one
screw on one side and two on the other side. On most basses, turning
the screws to the right (clockwise) lowers the pickup. Turning the
screws to the left (counterclockwise) raises the pickup. There are
usually springs that on the shaft of the screw between the pickup
and the body to hold the pickup to the height that is set by the screw.
If you want a reference point, set your pickup height to 5/32"
between the top of the pole pieces and the bottoms of the strings.
Some pickups, like those made by Bartolini or EMG do not have exposed
pole pieces. So set the 5/32" height from the top of the pickup
to the bottoms of the strings. Depending on your playing style and
music you play and the type of pickup, you might want to lower or
raise the pickup slightly to get the sound you want. The closer the
pickups are to the strings, the louder the output from your bass will
be, but if the pickups are too close, your notes will have less sustain
and you can have unwanted distortion and the notes might sound odd,
especially on the upper frets. |
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Intonation |
| This step is done last in a set
up procedure since all of the previous steps can affect intonation.
After changing strings, and your bass seems to not need a set up,
you should still check the intonation of the strings, especially if
you've changed gauges, brand or construction type. You'll need a dependable
tuner, small screwdriver and an instrument cable. Plug your bass into
the tuner using an instrument cable. Turn all volume and tone controls
to maximum on a bass with passive electronics. If your bass has active
electronics, turn the volume to maximum and the tone controls the
center (detente) position. Hold your bass in playing position and
play the first string open. Make sure the string is perfectly tuned,
and then play the first string at the twelfth fret. If the tuner shows
that the 12th fret note is sharp when the open note is in tune, You
must increase the length on the string by moving the bridge saddle
in the direction away from the headstock. First loosen the string,
the turn the saddle intonation adjustment screw to the right (clockwise).
If the tuner shows that the 12th fret note is flat when the open note
is in tune, You must decrease the length of the string by moving the
bridge saddle in the direction towards the headstock. First loosen
the string, the turn the saddle intonation adjustment screw to the
right to correct a sharp 12th fret note or to the left to correct
a flat 12th fret note. How much you will have to turn the screw depends
on how much adjustment it needs. Approximating will come with experience.
Bring the string back up to pitch and check the note at the 12th fret
again. It might take several tries to get it perfectly intonated.
Repeat the same procedure with the rest of the strings. The picture
on the left shows a Fender Precision bridge, the picture on the right,
a Musicman StingRay5 bridge. |
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Wiring
Diagrams |
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| It is important that you realize
that some of the uninsulated (ground) leads in these diagrams were
drawn longer than they actually should be, so they would appear clearer
in the drawings. When wiring, you should actually keep all the uninsulated
wire leads, hot or grounded, to a minimum length for neatness and
to avoid having exposed wires touch each other. |
| You wil need Adobe Reader to view these PDF
files |
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| Basic
P-Bass Wiring Diagram PDF |
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| Basic
J-Bass Wiring Diagram PDF |
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| Volume
Volume Tone Wiring Diagram PDF |
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2004 - 2008 JOEY'S BASS NOTES
All rights reserved |
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