How I set up my bass (and the “rasp” secret)
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
- People often ask me how I get that "raspy" sound when I play.
And, I've got a confession...
A lot of it (as in, a HUGE amount) is in the way I actually set up my basses.
That's why in my earlier videos I didn't have "that rasp" and in my newer videos over the last few years, I have bucket loads of rasp.
I changed the way I was setting up my basses!
So... I thought it's was about time I show you how I set up my basses...
As in, the EXACT measurements.
And even cooler - you can do it with only a few tools that you'll likely have lying around your house.
==============================================================
GET MORE BASS TIPS 👇
_________________________________________________________________
🙌 Be the first to know - SUBSCRIBE now → bit.ly/sub-to-...
🔓 Unlock your FREE trial to transform your bass playing → bit.ly/3fXt4cI
ABOUT SCOTT’S BASS LESSONS (SBL)
_________________________________________________________________
As the largest online bass education platform in the world, with an ever-expanding course library and 40,000+ active members, Scott’s Bass Lessons (SBL) has everything you need to master the bass, all in one place.
Featuring beginner level bass lessons, engaging courses from expert instructors, step-by-step development curricula, direct feedback on your playing, real-time mentorship from A-list bassists and a thriving and incredibly supportive community, SBL is the perfect platform to uplevel your bass playing, whether you’re a total beginner, or an advanced pro-level bassist.
Try SBL Membership today! → bit.ly/3fXt4cI
RECOMMENDED BASS PLAYLIST
_________________________________________________________________
Catch up with SBL Content you’ve missed:
➡️ • SBL Full Video Playlist
#bassguitarlessons #bassforbeginners #easybasslines
LINKS & OTHER RESOURCES
_________________________________________________________________
Tune in to our Weekly Podcast:
🎧 sblpodcast.buz...
Explore our free courses:
🎸 freebasscourses...
Try our FREE GrooveTrainer App:
📱 scottsbassless...
I am new to playing bass and it was pretty scary to lower those strings on my own! I was sweating blood and water, worried about me ruining my bass but actually I really managed to lower them to a good distance thanks to your clip.. woohoo!
That's gonna be me later this week. I'm waiting for my bass and amp to ship.
Nicster1604 same am scared to death I just got mine
Same here, just got my bass a few weeks ago and came across this video. Wish me luck!!
You're on the right path. Do yourself a favor and watch some "Dave's World of Fun Stuff" videos as well.
It's very easy to setup your own instruments once you do it a few times. I prefer to do it by the numbers, as that removes a lot if variables. You can get the tools for pretty cheap.
I’m in this situation now. I’m a little confused though, are the strings supposed to be the same height at every fret?
I lowered my action by getting married.
merqury5 Hahahaha great one
😂😂😂😂😂
jajaja
Boom!
Then you picked the wrong one. Sorry for your luck!
I have been playing for 38 years. You are the ONLY bass channel I subscribe to on RUclips. You are the only person who consistently provides information I could trust any students with.
I started playing the Bass around 51 years ago (badly) and to be honest, we never ever knew how to adjust the Bass’s. But thanks to The Bass God Scott and You Tube, everything is possible. I wish to God I could live my life again and really enjoy my various Bass Guitars over the years. All you young players out there, hark to Scott’s words and the Music World is yours. Thank you Scott. 🇬🇧🇦🇺🇺🇸🇳🇿🇨🇦
There's one more issue important for a great set-up: the nut height (mostly an issue on cheaper basses).
Agreed ! Much more difficult to adjust though.
Not really. You can pull them out and use a fine grit sandpaper to slowly get it where it needs to be. Just take it slow so you don't go too far.
Yep first fret action can deter alot of people from playing an instrument.
Why is setup so unagreeable most of the time?
@@DatBoi-mo9vc massively late response but just in the off chance you still care: it's a combination of a good setup being subjective and people's differing DIY skills changing what some see as an easy thing to fix (in this case, nut height, an issue that I've fixed in the past but I know people who see it as nigh-impossible)
Finally, my bass doesn't feel like a military assault course for the fingers. Cheers Scott!
😂🤣 A military assault course? That’s funny because that’s exactly how mine felt as well!
“Orange Sprague” refers to the manufacturer and model type of the tone capacitor. Once manufactured by Sprague, then Vishay/Sprague(1993), the “Orange Drop” line is now manufactured by Cornell Dubilier. The “Orange Drop” caps are a radial leaded Mylar capacitor. They’re called “Orange Drop” caps because they’re dipped in an orange plastic coating. The main point is that they are a high quality Mylar capacitor, and not a ceramic disc capacitor. The “Orange Drop” cap has attained a level of fame in the amplifier world. That reputation has spilled over into tone circuits for guitars.
I bet women turn into the Sahara desert down there around you.
@@brianlynn6154 as a loser that's charmed a bunch of women with knowledge, though i was far too unaware to take advantage, i have to say knowing things does work but be aware you're getting the interest or you'll remain unlaid.
Wanted to say the biggest thank you for this. Thought I was a pretty good guitar technician for about 17 years, but turns out I was massively over estimating the fretboard curve and I just assumed all this time I couldn't get the action any lower. My muddy 6 string Yamaha is suddenly full of life and this could revolutionise my playing. Incredible! Thank you!
I don`t hate glossy necks, because I know how to use 600-1000 grid sandpaper. ;)
Well, then it's not glossy any more, is it, dummy?
whoosh
fine grade steel wool works pretty good too.
...Or a Scotch Brite pad. (It's like plastic steel wool.)
@@hunkydorian is it difficult to make friends with that attitude?
Been using the "rasp" for years. I love the low action. It's not about strength for me, it's about technique.
Glad to see you with Czech brand.
I am proud that my country can make somethinh usefull and enjoyable.
Keep bassing, may your strings entertain as many people as possible!
Your country has some fine builders.
Totally love your videos man. I just started playing again after a 20 year hiatus. You've been a true help and inspiration my friend.
Killer tips on setting up on bass especially that elbow thing. Many thanks Scott!
It's handy just in case you don't have a capodaster for the first fret.
Saw Gary Willis do it first.
My thought process: "Scott's fingers on his left hand look quite thin ... OMG HE'S NOT WEARING THE GLOVE!!"
Scotty , another winner! Loving the “Bow wah bab” sound . I’ve always been a bit afraid of fiddling with my instruments but now I’m going to give it ago. See your always inspirational.
Whatever adjustment you make, you can un do.
Probably the most lucid explanation of Bass setup I have seen. Good geekspeek::plainspeak ratio. The part about the ability to access the rasp at will is the critical bit. It took me three years of casual fiddling to figure that out on my own. It all came together for me when you demo-ed and gave it a name. Thanks Scott&friends
When tightening the truss rod, always loosen string tension first, by loosening the strings.
Nah. Don't be a pussy.
Agreed. I usually drop 2-3 semitones on all strings, I find that's enough tension off the truss rod. It can take a couple of runs to get the action set evenly because the tension return brings the neck up very slightly.
Thanks Scott (and anyone else involved)! My Jazz and I are in a better place thanks to this video. It gave me the confidence to do my first setup, which included having to remove the neck to get at the truss rod Phillips head. Scary going in/happiness coming out.
I have a bass with a sanded neck and great action. Then I've recently bought a fender dimension bass with high action and the glossiest neck i have ever seen. Never played gloss before. The transition is still in progress but i think i like it. After a while of playing, your hands become sweaty and the neck becomes silk to play.
Urethane gloss and Nitro gloss are two really different glosses. Urethane feels like hardened rubber while Nitro feels much more natural.
I remember playing a Yamaha BB with a neck that was disgustingly glossy.
It felt like clear spray paint that didn't fully dry.
It was half - sticky. Every time I tried to move my thumb around it would get stuck, yucky.
Not a good experience
For checking neck relief, I think it is more consistent to fret at first (maybe capo) and the twelfth fret to see how much relief there is. This would be more consistent since basses may have 19, 20, 21 or 24 frets which means the relief of the neck would show up different.
Or where neck meets body
I agree satin necks feel much better. Gonna give the action a tweak lower on my 5string this weekend. It's good to have bit of rasp when u dig in a little.
I just adjusted my bass’s truss rod for the first time because of this. Thank you so much. It’s like a different bass now.
'Smidge' Scott, short for smidgeon. 1' 26" I love these videos and will be signing up for the academy as soon as I have built myself a Bass.
Satin neck finishes seem to feel so much smoother to me at least...Thanks Scott for your contributions to the bass community...You are truly appreciated!
I know I'm a tad late coming to this party but please please don't use WD40 on the truss rod, WD40 isn't a lubricant, ACF50 is the way to go, used sparingly of course.
That is the coolest bass I have seen in a while. Must be nice to be gifted stuff like that.
Action is a personal thing. Some people like their action a little on the high side some people like a really low action (like the strings have been painted on the fretboard). It's a matter of choice I suppose.
I always loosen strings before adjusting truss rod as advised by other guys here. Take into account total tension on 5 string bass when it's in tune can exceed 200kg, so it's worth it and it takes just 5 minutes more.
Sprague “Orange Drop” capacitor. Basically a capacitor with a polyester dielectric and an orange outer cover hence the name “Orange Drop.”
Some insist that they produce better “tone” than other capacitors but it is the actual capacitance value that shapes the tone rather than the “brand” or composition!
If you already have a Mylar, Polystyrene, or Mica capacitor and replace it with an “Orange Drop” of the same value (.022 uf, for example), you will most likely not have noticeable change of tone. The advantages of an “Orange Drop” is that they are high quality with a better “tolerance” meaning a much lower variance in the specified value meaning a manufacturer using “Orange Drops” in their tone circuit will have better tonal consistency from one instrument to the next.
One type of capacitor that should never be used in a tone circuit is a ceramic capacitor as they tend to be microphonic. If your bass has a ceramic capacitor, it would be a good idea to have it replaced and an “Orange Drop” would work well. If you have a Mylar or polystyrene cap, I wouldn’t bother unless you wanted to change the capacitance value to attenuate either higher or lower frequencies.
And if you want to swap out capacitors, it is better to get them from an electrical parts supplier rather than Stew Mac or some other guitar place where they are trying to sell you some “snake oil” and will charge you accordingly!
Hope this helps
Thank you!
It's not about better tone, but better capability of retaining the original capacitance along the years. They have less degradation due ageing. Oil caps, for instance, will eventually leak and lose their capacitance, with a faster degradation.
@@leonardocontesini5386 that's confusing, because I've seen sites advertise exotic Oil Caps, such as those made in Soviet Russia. Since their technology developed more slowly, they were still using them almost exclusively as the rest of the world moved on. Maybe they're "snake oil", but there's enough interest in them to be in demand, so at least some people seem to think they do give better tone.
@@squirlmy I think it's a matter of vintage looks or maintenance of the original specs - something that affect their market value. Oil caps are prone to leaking, which degrades their capacitance.
As most manufacturers do use ceramic caps, especially anywhere under a grand, Orange Drops are often enough of an upgrade materials-wise to be worth it.
As far as cost, the finer the tolerance, the more "rejects" you're paying for in the price of your caps. I've bought packs of 22 and 47nF caps from Fry's and other general electrical suppliers, which are guaranteed to be within 10% of their labeled spec. Most of the ones I've gotten are right at 10% off-spec, and maybe 1 in a dozen was within 1%. So, Sprague's markup is inherent in the manufacturing tolerances of these components; they are selling the best 3 or 4 per dozen that are within 5% of spec, and the rest get resold for use in situations where 10% really is close enough.
BTW, parallel capacitance sums, so if you want *exactly* the cap spec on a budget, find one that's under-spec but as close as possible, and tweak it the rest of the way with a few 1nF caps in parallel.
Thanks for the help Scott. I set up my bass by following this video. My measurements are different, only slightly higher than yours, but it feels great for both finger and pick playing. Very comfortable and still gets that raspiness. No buzzing in my mixes either so really stoked about that. Great video. Thanks again!
Great advise Scott... thx. Just one note your viewers may be interested in is that if you regularly play using the 18th to 24 frets, you will definitely pick up some fret buzz by lowering the bridge adjustments to that level unless your frets have been ground with a slight "Fade-Away" from the 18th to 24th which in most cases is unlikely. It's certainly an art setting up a bass guitar. I've found the truss rod adjustment impacts on string feel & if set too low, the strings buzz more when lifting your fingers after playing a note.
Great Vid..... I often wondered about your "G" string height (action) as you seem easily able to twang the string when playing Slap.
Love that bass. I know this is after the fact and you won't see this, but I just have to say that I love your style. You passion and enthusiasm is infectious. Just what the doctor has ordered for me. Keep up the great work, my friend.
Your channel is so precious bro!
Just, THANK YOU for sharing!
I learned so much. 🤓👍
Agree on the neck. I specify an unfinished neck on my basses and finish them once a year with Tung oil. Smoothest neck you can find.
Love the videos!
Sprague Orangedrops are a brand of capacitor used for tone controls in a lot of high-end guitars. The name comes from the sweet believe it or not!
Other companies make orangedrops also.
@@tim7of717 ... And other companies make cars. Do you want the Lexus (Sprague) or the *other company's* car (Daewoo, Fiat, ...) just because they both have 4 wheels & an engine that runs. *Quality* does make a difference or the those who like quality wouldn't care.
@@JunkMailBoxStuff Lexus' are just toyotas with leather and chrome, bad example.
Im a member at SBLA...I've been exploring True Temperment Frets, Scalloped fingerboards, Taylor tuning, String types and their manufacturing techniques, as well as Tone-woods and Hardward and the way they affect the (bass) Guitar. The bass community would love a one stop video going over the "finer points" of bass instrumentation.
You forgot to do intonation for the nation...use a feeler .018 guage and a capo for setting relief, I've never seen the elbow method thats ghetto awesome!!!!
Right i use a .015 gauge feeler for my set up and always check radius to assure its not disturbed.
Dude I just gave my Warwick that raspy sounds, thanks you Scott's bass lessons. I got 2.5 mm action, I had 3.5mm before.
5:00 for anything actually important
Hey, you know, he was sharing something that obviously excited him. He wanted us to have a little taste of what he experienced. He wanted to share something with us. There’s nothing wrong with that.
@61 Cygni Great news, someone already commented with the time stamp for you! But if that's too much work, and you like Scott's content but only want applicable bass knowledge and none of the fluff, you can join his paid service where you can get exactly that! scottsbasslessons.com/
This guy is so joyful!
glossy necks are nice to watch
satin necks are nice to play
btw nice video, actually didnt even think about that trick with the action before
greg goso the proper way is to use a capo on the 1st fret and hold the string down at the fret where the neck meets the body (not the way he did it) then check your clearance at the mid point between fret 1 and where you're holding down the string.
I like my glossy neck God knows how fast my left hand would be on a satin neck
David Dupuis - Exactly. Also, why tune using the harmonic? All very well showing us how he does it, but ‘about the thickness of a credit card’ is a lot thicker than any of my feeler gauges and not exact enough to achieve what this video aims to provide. As for the arm holding down the strings and no capo 🙄. The lack of capo suggests that ALL nuts are the same and we know that ain’t true. Great player, but not a brilliant lesson in how to set up a bass IMHO. You could do a lot worse going over to Fodera’s website and watching Jason going through everything you need to know about setting up a bass. Slightly longwinded, but very thorough www.fodera.com/how-to-set-up-your-fodera/
Bass mike I would but my only bass is a MM Stingray old smoothie and id lose money trading it in for like a regular Stingray I think.
I guess I could swap the neck out
Didn’t know you could do that. Always looked for strings closer to the neck for easier and faster play...
The additional rasp was a great bonus. Significantly changed the way I sound and I’m more comfortable playing!!
Great stuff, to check the action it's more accurate to use feeler gauges
Extremely helpful assessment. The Upper Nut - Elbow on Mid Bridge stunning, I ran to my bass and wow, game changer. The whole video deserves applause.
Please mate, if you end up having a double rod bass for setup, do share your wisdom.
Might be worth mentioning that the bass will need to ''settle'' over time and might need some slight adjustments again. Great video.
The Fender Jazz Bass was over 4mm from factory and now barely over 2mm. Such a difference on action and just a bit in tone. Thank you so much! Cheers from Chile! :D
Proper way to measure your neck relief is to fret the 1st and 15th fret and measure from the top of the 7th fret to the bottom of the high and low E strings (G for bass). Average neck relief there should measure .005" to .008" (5 to 8 thousandths). The easiest way to do this is to capo fret 1 and finger fret 12 (with your off hand), then use a feeler gauge to measure at the 7th fret. I went to college for lutherie, and this is how my teachers taught us, and this is how I do it at work.
*make sure to take all measurements while holding the instrument as if it were being played. If it's sitting flat on its back, gravity can affect the measurements.
Is it possible to apply exactly the same formula or approach to every single instrument and the requirements of every single player?
@@paulanderson79 Yes, that works for all guitars and basses. It's a little different for instruments like mandolin and banjo, though. Also, neck relief for classical guitars is usually a little higher, though I set my classical to .008". The .005"-.008" measurements are just averages. Some players may want it higher or lower. It really all depends on what the player wants. Less than .005" is likely to cause buzzing, though. When I do a setup for a customer I usually have them play for me to watch their technique and ask some questions to get their preferences, then adjust it according to that. Someone with a light touch who plays fast I will usually set closer to .005", and a heavy handed guitarist who plays rough I would go closer to .008". Then, after the setup, I have them play again and fine tune the action if they think it feels too high/low. I take notes for each customer after every setup so that I can duplicate the results the next time they come back.
It is much, much easier to show than to type an explanation. If you want some good info on this process, look up videos by Dan Erlewine on setting neck relief and action height. He is a luthier legend, and a master at setups. He's maybe the most famous guitar repair tech in the world, and he has great instructional videos all over RUclips.
@@ericmorrell806 Thank you for very interesting information. Basically you're saying is that there is a fairly narrow range of what is correct and player and player style dictates where you 'park' things within that range.
@@paulanderson79 Pretty much. To a beginner guitarist .003" may be nearly undetectable, but to an experienced or, more so, a master musician, even .001" is a noticeable change in feel for action and/or neck relief. I've been playing 21 years, and I can tell when my action is off by more than .001". Being a trained luthier I'm probably pickier about my setup than some players, but I set up my main guitars about every 3 months as the seasons in MN change. I can tell that the instrument has moved. That .003" range is not as narrow as you may think. It all comes down to the player. Good guitar techs are ones who know how to set up a guitar to a player and their play style, and can duplicate that feel when needed. It takes lots of practice and detailed notes to keep picky players coming back. After hundreds of setups the feel becomes second nature and measurements become more guidelines than anything....if that makes sense.
@@paulanderson79 I'm by no means a master luthier or anything, but I had really good teachers and lots of training. Everything I know is what they taught me, but after doing it for several years now, I'm getting to understand how my teachers could do entire setups pretty much by feel. They only really measured to double check their work. It's incredible to watch those guys eyeball the action, turn the truss rod one time, and get it just right almost every time on the 1st try even with a guitar they've only held once. Those guys have been pros for 30+ years, though!
And now my Fender American Pro P-bass is AWSOME. Thanks a lot! The action on this thing was super high! had it for 7 months too so was about time
I also bought a set of radius gauges for $11.00. The gages fit under the strings.
HATE Glossy Necks!
I go satin, or I Go Sand Paper 💯🖤🤠
From a 40 year Bass Player/Singer/Songwriter that Sets up my Own Ax's since I got tired of paying for it in 1993 , I Really dig these Vids..keep it LOBRO!
Steel wool does a nice job for putting satin on a glossy neck. The word us older folks use is "growl", not raspy sound. Buzz sucks, growl is awesome when used correctly. A couple of things I would suggest showing folks are how to intonate the bass you just adjusted the truss and saddles on. That done, you might at least mention shimming the neck (for those without micro-tilt necks). Yes, it matters for those without neck-throughs because sometimes to get the correct relief and action throughout the entirety of the fretboard, that's what needs to happen. Also, I didn't hear mention of the fact that one should put on a fresh set of strings when redoing the setup, unless they NEVER change their strings (like Jamerson or Rocco). All that said, you still did a good job of explaining things. Oh, and BTW, it's 1/4 turn every 20 minutes, to allow the neck to stabilize under the new tension, so adjust, check action, wait or play 20 minutes, then adjust again and repeat if needs be. Carry on, geez!
The criteria for a fretless are quite different and less forgiving. I bought a fender tony Franklin fretless precision off of a guy which was a few weeks old. He said he had it set up professionally; it had a bow in the neck like you wouldn’t believe. I lowballed him because there was significant risk that the neck wouldn’t release; it was an extreme situation. I brought it home and adjusted it flat, and it hasn’t moved in 6 years. An absolutely dialled in beast of a bass
Best way to lower your action is to keep using words like snatch to describe small measurements.
Phlop Alopagus snadge*
snatch is something entirely different!
Hey Scott - GForce here - the orange sprague capacitor was used for many years in many basses ( Fender in particular) in the vintage tone circuits of passive basses. Part of the reason for that awesome vintage tone.
Scott just use a capo at the first fret. 😎👍
oh shit man, you're fuckin genius :Dddd
Put the capo on top of the first fret, not in front of it. Because a capo can add to much pressure on the string, and elevate it...
I like his method, can be done in a music shop or anywhere anytime you might be looking at an instrument you might buy
Great video thanks Scott, would have been nice to see some of their basses up close. One thing maybe worth mentioning is the intonation check.i.e. explain the truss and action change - check the 12th fret harmonic is the same as it frettted and also which way to adjust the bridge pieces. Cheers again.
I would have checked the intonation especially if I lowered the bridge. Thanks for the video..
Intonation would only need to be checked after the truss rod adjustment. Tightening it with increase the distance making the notes sharp loosening it causes the opposite(but would over all not be as noticeable unless your neck is a straight canoe) saddle height will lower the tone as it decreases the tension tune back up and your good to go.
Not necessarily if you’re just bringing it back exactly where it was
I used to totally agree with you, but now I think glossy necks are the best. It teaches you how to fret with a looser hand, leading to smoother playing with less pain. Glossy necks are only awkward to play if you have a strong grip and rely on the neck too much as an anchor. The lacquer also makes it so easy to clean and maintain.
Sprague Orange Drop caps, supposedly, give a 'vintage' tone.
Yes Scott, you are exactly right. And folks do understand that this is a kind of getto tune like he is sayin. But Scott, I finely found this out when summer came and my alembic neck relaxed a little and my higher strings were kind of "buzzin" as you put it. But this is what finely gave me the growl that I have been seeking all these years. I have never been able to get a good bass player to explain this. And granted with them being that low if you are thumb slapping it's going to make you develop much better technique! Aloha from Paul, Hilo Hawaii.
Aloha, Paul! It's amazing how a relaxed neck and some buzzin strings can give you that sought-after growl. Keep groovin'! 🎸
I've been playing bass for 20+ years and thought the "rasp" sound I love so much was inherent in individual instruments, not the configuration. THANK YOU so much for sharing this "secret" tweak. I just gave my fretless a free upgrade to the sound I've always wanted it to have. I can't thank you enough!
Question: I lowered my bridge to give my bass a conservative amount of "rasp", and it gives me a clean sound with just a hint of rasp color for casual playing. Perfect. I was messing around and discovered that if I pull back on the neck slightly and pull back on the body with my chest as the fulcrum, I can crank up the amount of rasp as needed. Will this damage the instrument in any way? Is there an established technique to do this more effectively without losing agility?
As long as your not doing it for extended periods of time and or hearing the neck creek a bunch you should be fine. There is potential to possible assist in a twist in the neck to develope so i would be cautious (this would only happen if its really humid where you or your bass are kept.
This is the video I've been looking for since I got my new P bass. THANK YOU. Going to give a setup another go tonight with this knowledge. Thanks!
Hey everybody! Don't forget to loosen the strings before you tighten that truss rod. Its probably OK if your loosening for more relief. When tightening though the little threads on the truss rod have to move all that wood and added the string tension you can strip out the nut. cheers:)
Some sources claim it is better to keep the strings tuned to pitch when adjusting the truss rod. I don't know which advice is the sounder of the two.
You actually shouldn't losen the strings before that.
Yes! Interesting, It seems I've lit a flame here. But what is the reasoning behind not slacking the strings. I always loosen then before raising the action or tightening the truss rod then I retune and measure.
Same here. When adjusting the intonation to make the string longer I slacken but when shortening the string I don't bother. Also when I'm adding relief to the neck I don't bother as the added tension of the strings is just helping the neck to move. I also understand for practical reasons of not wasting time in the video Scott didn't bother when removing some relief in the neck to straighten it. I did cringe a smidge though. lol :)
I honestly don’t know which approach is correct but I imagine that the school of thought saying to keep the strings tuned to pitch thinks there is something worthwhile in keeping tension on the neck as adjustments are made, perhaps because the strings will be under similar tension after the adjustment is complete.
Sprague orange drop capacitors are a high quality capacitor used in audio circuits and offer low noise, good reliability and consistency. They are orange in colour. They are often found or used as upgrades in guitars and amplifiers including valve amplifiers.
Got a soundgear gr400 from some point in the 90’s that has a gloss finish on the neck and I must say
Can wait to fix my lotus p bass with a satin neck
Scotch brite the neck and give it some oil treatment.
Followed the process and landed pretty much where you did on yours Scott. I prefer it - thanks!
You didn't mention intonation...seems like there is much more to these adjustments than you mention
intonation doesn't really adjust action though eh ? i mean sometimes you have to adjust it after you adjust action to keep your tuning.. but for video length sake i understand why he left it out since it's not really part of the action adjustment. but yeh he could have mentioned quick at the end to double check it afterwards
@@rchrd3353 the video said "Bass Setup". And intonation, pickup height, fret polishing, & many others are also part of how you set up a bass or a guitar in general. The title was pretty misleading since the vid ended up being only action adjustment instead of a real set up.
My theory is that the bass seems to be of high quality so he didn't need to do the other stuff and only needed to adjust action via truss rod and bridge.
But still, pretty misleading title for the most part.
Silly man...you don't remember the ads in Pop Electronics......"Don't be vague, ask for Sprague"! :) Love your show.
YAY! (For hatred of glossy necks @ 4:30)
Wait why do u hate it
Greetings from Durango, Colorado! Dude, you rock! I just got a new rig. Ray 35 with an Eden 300 watt head and a goliath jr cab. Love your work.
No intonation adjustment? Usually when you adjust the truss rod and saddle height, you end up readjusting intonation too... :|
that's true. it throws things out of whack.
Hi. I’m a 67 yr old bass player, never play anymore tho. Of course I was in a girls band in high school. (Who wasn’t in 64-66 ?LOL). It was hard, I had a cheap bass and tiny hands and oh the blisters trying to get calluses on my fingers. I never could read music or write songs myself but this pattern i figured out all by myself! but I didn’t know the all the info you show derives from it. I’ve had my 63 Hofner McCartney bass since the late 80’s. What a wonderful bass, so easy for tiny hands to play. If only I’d had it then I could have learned so much more and faster..... I love the bass, my favorite bass parts are Hey Bulldog, Lady Madonna, Silly Love Longs, Billie Jean, anything Stevie Wonder, what can I say? I just love the deep thumping sound. Hey, I like you !!!
Yours, Cathy Crompton. Btw, why the glove? also I have peripheral neuropathy which is why I don’t play anymore, maybe with a glove my fingers wouldn’t hurt so much. Where do you get that glove.?
Capo between the 1st fret and the nut. Push down on 17th fret. 0.3mm between the string and the 7th fret. After that about 2.1 to 2.5mm of space between the bottom of the string and the 12th fret, depending on your preference. That's how I roll.
Sprague is the company that makes the capacitor. Their orange drop series (comes in various values) is a polypropylene cap, which is one of the best for audio (often used in audio amps) for its low dissipation and stability.
Just FYI when he says “Mils” he means “mm” not the Standard Mil = 1/1000 inch
1 mm = 0.1 cm = 0.0394 in
For viewers in Standard Measurement countries.
Samuel Soyebo That was driving me bonkers. Like, 3 mil?! You wouldn’t even be able to see that gap.
@@tonekilltech you'd be surprised. I've done hundreds (probably a couple thousand by now) of setups, and average neck relief for most players is between 5 and 8 thousandths of an inch. Also, when fretted at the 3rd fret, the strings should clear fret one by 2 to 4 thousandths of an inch for proper nut slot depth. I don't even measure anymore because I can eyeball it within about a thousandth. It takes training, but you can definitely see measurements that small.
Standard Measurement? That would be the customary units used by the one country that is steadfastly refusing metric/SI unlike the rest of the world.
Only all US Customary Units are defined in terms of the metric standards, so its mostly extra maths for sake of enjoying your freedom units. You know, the ones used by the old empire...
When I check the relief, I usually will fret at the first, as you do, but then I put my pinky on the 17th fret or so or right where the neck neck and body first meet, and then stretch my thumb over to the 9th fret or so. Never thought about using my arm to press the strings down lol
Wow, thank you for the tip for that raspy sound! I always wondered how to get this. Would you also recommend this setup for a pbass with flatwounds?
Good quick setup guide. Very simmilar to how I do it when the initial setup is reasonable. But I take the time to check intonation, I also do that when I change strings, important if you change gauge or brand.
I believe you need to slack the strings before doing the Truss Rod or Bridge Saddle adjustment.
Why use more torque than necessary?
Nah, not worth the effort. Shops don't.
Yay!!! You're the only reason why I dared to sand off the neck on my p bass. You have great taste mate!
Quick question re: neck relief. Did you mean business card, rather than credit card? Credit card is thick (0.75 mm), which would be a lot of relief. Business card is ~ 0.3 mm which is about the minimum recommended by most bass manufacturers.
Kevin Kretsch Luthiers don’t recommend less than 0,25mm
I set my basses at 0,15mm and they play like butter 😁😎
Perfect timing that I switched my pbass to a lighter gauge of strings and thus needed to do some adjustments and you post this vid! I know the basics and have done setups, but the idea of using the string itself as a straight edge somehow never occurred to me! 😣😃👌👍 time to dial my baby in!
Oh man what a cool adjustment, fot me to get this effect i bend the whole instrument. By pulling back with my forearm and countering the pressure with my fretting hand
the capacitor is for tone yhea, basically only high freq. can go through a capacitor (or at least with no resistance)(which range and how much resistance depends on the capacitor) and what a tone knob does it clears path to the capacitor that then leads to the ground so basically all the high freq. leak to the ground because that is the path of least resistance for high freq. therefore you have less highs in your tone
oh my god you met verdine white?😭😭 your so lucky he’s my idol!!!
Scott, remember: the best way to adjust the neck relief would be bending the neck FIRST and only after, with the neck bent, tighten the truss rod (a quarter or half round, whatever). This because the truss rod is a tiny tool after all, and it has to contrast a massive amount of wood! Good chanches are that the truss rod coils, I mean where the bolt is tighten, could be ruined by the effort and consequently invalidate the rod function. In other words, it could not work/hold anymore. :)
How do you mean bending the neck first? By pushing on it manually?
Sometimes glossy necks make me feel like I'm not as poor🥺
You always blow me away with your playing
Could you do a collaboration with Dave Reaume from Dave's World of Fun Stuff channel? He's really thorough on bass setups, is a bass player himself. It would be really interesting.
Yes penny black support here..
Sprague orange capacitor; Sprague (R) is a manufacturer name--Orange is the color.
The Orange "Drop" capacitor line introduced in the 60s heralded the capacitors of the modern era-with stability,
resistance to temperature variation, low moisture absorption, excellent characteristics in AC circuits, no
microphonics, and other desirable attributes.
I think more important may be tha value of the cap. (i.e. 4.7 uf, /10v etc.) than the color (colour??) .. whatever
@@supadupahilton6848 You missed the point! Average people don't refer to electronics by their value and never will...
WD40 = Water Displacement. Not a lubricant as such.
technically not exactly a lubricant, but people use it that way, and I don't see any reason to hash out the chemistry/physics every time it's brought up. Usually I just nod my head, and pretend not to notice.
Feeler guages are best for string height. Also keep in mind that your basses tuning will change slightly when adjusting the truss rod, so recheck tuning after each adjustment as this difference in tension affects the tension of the rod.
If you don’t have feeler gauges then picks will get you there ;)
Was Verdine actually playing his bass at that show? He has been known to mime and play along to canned bass tracks. Just curious.
not surprised, can't imagine playing with that much tightness while dancing and singing
Does look a little suspect in the video...theres no question he recorded the lines years ago but live...hmmm
I saw him last year playing and it was live. Mind blowing!
Great video as always, Scott! By the way, that beautiful AV bass is made by luthier Aleš Vychodil here in Czech Republic. Damn, I'd love to get one AV bass myself. Not anytime soon though as I don't need another bass - I need to work on my playing.
Also, I too prefer satin necks. Never felt right to play glossy, even though they look great.
Loosen strings before adjusting the truss rod!! Otherwise you're fighting the string resistance
Actually the pros don't loosen the strings before adjusting the truss rod :) it's really unnecessary
HamOnTheCob there are obviously a lot of different opinions on this topic so I'll just let it be😊
Just saying that I learned this from my teacher who plays for probably about 40 years now. But considering that the electric bass is not a really old instrument there are a lot of techniques to setup/play etc.
On really expensive and well build instruments you can adjust it with the strings all tuned up. On lesser quality instruments I totally agree. I've seen rounded out trussrod screws waaay to often. Completely ruins your neck, if you don't wanna split the neck and the fretboard, which is never fun.
I use to do that way. But i know some people say is better not.
Vishay Sprague is the manufacturer of the capacitor used in your bass. It is a high voltage DC capacitor that is made of polyester film. They are manufactured in many values at many different voltage ratings.
Literally EVERY fender bass setup height is ridiculously high.
Dude. I just bought my jazz bass, the rattle is insane. wayyyyy too high
George Gray That’s because it’s not setup properly lol.
That was kinda useful. I don't go to any academies because there is youtube and many people like to teach bless their heart
Heavy Casey neistadt vibes in this vid.
Btw
Smudge, smidge,
Yay! My hand sticks so much on a glossy necks.. love the satin necks so much!