| a |
| Standard
Bass Guitar Maintenance And Setup |
|
|
|
| |
| Intro |
 |
| Changing
Strings |
| Truss
Rod Adjustment |
| Bridge
Saddle Height Adjustment |
| Shimming
The Neck |
| Pickup
Height |
| Intonation |
| Wiring
Diagrams |
| |
Intro:
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. |
|
Changing
Strings:
It is best to change strings one at a time to avoid a major
change of tension all at once on the neck. 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. Put your finger under the
ball end of the string you are removing, as you start to push
the string out, so the ball end don't scratch the end of the
bass. Carefully pushing the old string through the tailpiece
holes as you pull from the rear side can help get it out easier.
When the strings are out of the way, it's a good time to clean
the areas of the neck, body and bridge that are hard to get
to when the strings are in place. |
| |
|
| 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. |
| |
|
| 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. |
| |
|
| 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. |
| |
|
| top |
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 barely 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). |
|
|
| top
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. |
|
|
| top
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. |
| |
|
| top
Pickup
Height: |
| 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. 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. As a reference point you should 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. |
top
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. |
| |
|
| |
|
| top
|
| Wiring
Diagrams: |
| NOTE:
Due to theft of my wiring diagrams by some websites that do
not comply with the Joeys Bass Notes Terms
of Use page, my wiring diagrams are no longer available.
They may appear in a future publication. At that time, I will
let visitors of this website know where the diagrams can be
found. Until then I sincerely apologize for any inconvience.
Blame the infringers who use the work of other people to make
money without a bit of their own content to make money, not
me. |
| |
|
| |
|
|
| ©
2004 - 2012 JOEY'S BASS NOTES
All rights reserved
|
|
a |
|
