Help with the 'action'?

Nocturnal_Pulse wrote:I really don't like my string to neck distance and would like to lower the action.

Do you recommend me a way to do it?

You should have a small allen key supplied with your bass to adjust the small allen head srews on each bridge saddle

Or should I find a repairer?

You could try it yourself then if you mess it up you can bring it to a Luthier

Do I have to adjust it everytime I change strings?

Only if you change the string guage or type of strings (flatwound)

I've read that the action has to be as low as it gets so the buzz is minimum.

Not everyone is happy with this, if you play very softly with your plucking hand then low action is good. But on the other hand a more agressive player requires a medium to high action. How low your action can go also depends on the quality of the frets on the neck, sometimes the fret heights are uneven (expensive basses usually have better fretwork hence the price). With fretless necks uneveness in the wood of the fretboard can determine how low your action can go.

Can you give me some info please?

High action can also be caused by bowing of the neck, this will require adjustment of the truss rod (not a difficult job if you are patient). Lastly high action at the higher frets on the neck can be caused by the way the neck sits in the pocket of the body, this requires shimming

# Click here # for a guide on setting up bass guitars

DubHertz wrote:

Nocturnal_Pulse wrote:I really don't like my string to neck distance and would like to lower the action.

Do you recommend me a way to do it?

You should have a small allen key supplied with your bass to adjust the small allen head srews on each bridge saddle

Yes I have 2 keys for the head screws one bigger and one smaller (in diameter)

Or should I find a repairer?

You could try it yourself then if you mess it up you can bring it to a Luthier

lol the cost would be more if I mess up my guitar lol but you have a point: risk and get taught

Do I have to adjust it everytime I change strings?

Only if you change the string guage or type of strings (flatwound)

Don't have the intention to change the string gauge to flawound so we are ok

I've read that the action has to be as low as it gets so the buzz is minimum.

Not everyone is happy with this, if you play very softly with your plucking hand then low action is good. But on the other hand a more agressive player requires a medium to high action. How low your action can go also depends on the quality of the frets on the neck, sometimes the fret heights are uneven (expensive basses usually have better fretwork hence the price). With fretless necks uneveness in the wood of the fretboard can determine how low your action can go.

I can't really tell that i am a soft player or a hard player, in the level I am now, I really am in a very medium state of playing. I mean, my hands hurt if I play in a very quick tempo like 146 and my muscles hurt a lot sometimes. I ve tried my best friends' bass (BC Rich) which has low action and I was really jealous because I would play so easily in every tempo and every level of aggression.

That for fretwork I second that, my bass is a starter one and cheap I don't know if it's installments and work are crafty and neat or would cause trouble if I low the action. It seems that I been using it with it's default action which must be half of centimeter or more away from the fretboard and that hurts a lot as I start playing difficult songs (for me) that need stretching further my hands..

Can you give me some info please?

High action can also be caused by bowing of the neck, this will require adjustment of the truss rod (not a difficult job if you are patient). Lastly high action at the higher frets on the neck can be caused by the way the neck sits in the pocket of the body, this requires shimming

Nope I've checked the neck and it's straight; no curves at all. For now.

# Click here # for a guide on setting up bass guitars

I am now checking the pdf you attached, I want to thank you very much for all the info you gave me, they are priceless!

DubHertz wrote:Yep, thats some seriously high action

Using the small allen key turn the screws on each saddle counterclockwise, I would start with one full turn each screw - do this on all saddles, retune then see if it is comfortable to play without any buzzing on the frets. Follow this procedure until you are at a height that you are a happy with.

The fretboard usually has a curved radius and the strings should follow this radius in terms of height. Tunemybass.com has some radius guages that you can print onto card for final adjustment. But for now just apply the same amount of turns to each screw on each saddle.

ThreeLetterSyndrom wrote:Lower your pickups according to your strings, then.