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Chapter 2

Adjusting the Instrument

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Changing the Strings

Before adjusting the instrument, you should change the strings. This is very important

because, as the strings age, their properties change and the adjustment won't be correct.

Also, if you decide to change the strings later on, all of the adjustments you have done

previously will no longer work and you will have to adjust the instrument again. If you don't

have any new strings, I would advise you to hold off on making the adjustments until you

do.

You should only make adjustments to the instrument if the strings have been on it for less

than a week and if they have been on for less than 4-5 days, it's even better.

With new strings, you assure good intonation and each time you change them, the

instrument will already be correctly adjusted.

Remember that it isn't necessary to take the strings off all at once. It is preferable to

change them one at a time and it doesn't matter if you start with the highest one or the

lowest one.

1. Once you have removed the old string, place the new one across the bridge.

2. Stretch it using the hand furthest away from the tuning head where it will be connected.

3. Cut the string with wire cutters 3-4 inches above the tuning head.

4. Normally, all current tuning heads, whether "Gotoh" or "Schaller," have a hole running

through the center. Thread the string through the hole about ½" to 1" and then begin to

wind the string clockwise with your ﬁngers.

5. You can use the tuning head to help you wind up all of the remaining string until it

begins to tighten.

6. Then, tighten it to the correct tension for that string with the aid of a tuner.

7. Repeat this process with the remaining strings.

8. The number of times you will have to turn the string around the axis of the tuning head

will vary depending on the gauge of the string. The lower strings, such as the B and E

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strings, should require 2 or no more than 3 turns. The A and D strings should require 3

or no more than 4 turns and the remaining high strings should require 4 or no more

than 5 turns, except for the very thin, unbraided strings, which will need approximately

6 to 8 turns.

9. Once you have put on all of the strings, retune each one of them to the correct pitch

(see the tuning table here).

Pre-Adjustment of the Bridge - Height

Before adjusting the neck, we have to adjust the approximate height of the strings over the

bridge. If we don't do it at this point, the neck adjustment won't be correct because if the

strings are too close to the bridge or too far away, this will lead to an incorrect estimate of

the true position of the neck.

Bridge Curvature Templates

To adjust the height of the strings, you should use a curvature template. If you don't have

one, you can use the ones included in this Guide. These templates will help you adjust the

bridge to the curvature of the ﬁngerboard. In this way, the strings will be at the correct

distance from it. A bass rarely has a ﬂat ﬁngerboard, although a few more modern

instruments do, such as Barcelona™ or the new Oracle™. The curvature is measured in

inches and can vary considerably, from 7 ½" to 20" or more. The ERB-type multi-string

basses can reach a curvature of 90" and may have a ﬂat ﬁngerboard. The greater the

number of inches, the ﬂatter the ﬁngerboard will be.

Fig. 1 Example of a Type A template for a 12" curvature

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10"

Fig. 2 Example of a Type B template for a 10" curvature

Measuring the Curvature of the Fingerboard

First, before adjusting the height of the strings, you have to determine the true curvature of

the ﬁngerboard. If you already know it, you can skip this step.

You will need to remove all of the strings to be able to measure it using the templates

provided in this Guide. Once you know the curvature, you will only need to use the

template that corresponds to your instrument's ﬁngerboard.

Adjusting the Height of the Strings

It is very important that the strings be at a consistent distance from the surface of the

ﬁngerboard (the frets). First, you will need to adjust the height of the two outer strings, that

is, the thinnest and the thickest.

12"

Fig. 3 Curvature template used to adjust the distance of the

strings relative to the curvature of the ﬁngerboard.

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Fig. 4

Approximate Reference Heights:

StSándard Basses

Bass

approximate thin string height

approximate thick string height

4 strings

G (Sol) 1,8 - 2,0 mm

E (Mi) 2,0 - 2,5 mm

5 strings with Low B

G (Sol) 1,8 - 2,0 mm

B (Si) 2,2 - 2,7 mm

5 strings with High C

C (Do) 1,7 - 1,9 mm

E (Mi) 2,0 - 2,5 mm

6 strings

C (Do) 1,7 - 1,9 mm

B (Si) 2,2 - 2,7 mm

Extended Range Basses

Extended R

Bajo

approximate thin string height

approximate thick string height

7 strings

F (Fa) 1,6 - 1,8 mm

B (Si) 2,2 - 2,7 mm

8 strings

1,5 - 1,7 mm *)

2,2 - 2,7 mm *)

9 strings

1,5 - 1,7 mm *)

2,6 - 3,0 mm *)

10 strings

1,1 - 1,5 mm *)

2,6 - 3,0 mm *)

11 strings

1,1 - 1,5 mm *)

2,5 - 3,0 mm *)

*) The values of the strings are not speciﬁed because ERB-type instruments can easily accommodate

alternative tunings.

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Once you have adjusted the height of the outer strings, adjust the height of the remaining

strings using the template with the same curvature as the ﬁngerboard (Fig. 4). You will

need to cut out all of the templates to determine the true curvature of your instrument's

ﬁngerboard.

Two Types of Templates

There are two types of templates: Type A ( Fig. 1) and Type B ( Fig. 2). The Type A

templates are slightly more precise because they measure from the underside of the

strings, which prevents any errors resulting from the varying thickness of the strings.

In Fig. 5 you can see that the measuring surfaces are different. In the case of the Type A

template, the measuring surface is from the underside of the strings, but in the case of the

Type B template, the measuring surface is from the exposed side.

Strings

Measuring surfaces

12"

Strings

Fig. 5

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Neck Adjustment

The neck adjustment is the most delicate part of the whole process and requires the

highest level of expertise. As I have already mentioned, if you don't have any experience

adjusting your own instrument, practice ﬁrst on another one that isn't being used. If you

follow all of the instructions that are laid out here, the neck of your instrument will not be at

risk.

Why Does the Neck Have a Truss-Rod and What Does It Do?

If adjusting and tuning your own instrument is all new to you, then you have probably

asked yourself this question more than once.

In general, all basses have a truss-rod, except for those that have a neck made of carbonﬁber (we will discuss those necks later on) or those that are very inexpensive.

The truss-rod runs along the inside of the neck across its length from the head stock to the

point where it connects to the body. The truss-rod, itself, may vary, but its function is

always the same: to counterbalance the tension of the strings and hold the neck in the

correct position and shape when it comes to making an optimal adjustment. There are

both ﬁxed and adjustable truss-rods.

Fixed Truss-Rods

The only purpose of ﬁxed truss-rods is to reinforce the neck and these are usually round or

ﬂat steel, titanium, aluminum or carbon-ﬁber rods. We won't spend a lot of time discussing

this type of truss-rod, since it doesn't allow for making precision adjustments to the neck.

Adjustable Truss-Rods

This type of truss-rod comes in several different formats and can function in several

different ways.

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The simplest format is the one used in the basses made by Fender®, for example the Jazz

Bass®, Precision Bass® or the MusicMan® and is basically a round rod approximately

3/16" in diameter.

It is connected to the neck on one side and is threaded with a head on the other side. This

long, threaded screw can be tightened at the head of the truss-rod and is usually slightly

bent inside the channel ( Fig. 6).

Neck in a neutral or straight position

Fig. 6

When we loosen the truss-rod, the tension of the strings (red arrow) increases as the

tension of the truss-rod (green arrow) gives way, causing the neck to begin bending

forward ( Fig. 7), resulting in a depression in the middle.

The neck begins to bow backwards

By loosening the truss-rod,

Tension of the strings

we increase its length

Tension of the truss-rod

Fig. 7

When we tighten the truss-rod, the tension of the strings (red arrow) is no longer sufﬁcient

to compensate for the tension of the truss-rod (green arrow), causing the neck to bend

backwards ( Fig. 8) and rise in the middle.

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The neck begins to bow

forward

tension de las cuerdas

By tightening the trussTension of the trussFig. 8

Now, you will probably ask, "What good does this do? Isn't it good enough to have a

completely straight neck that is strong enough to resist bending no matter which gauge of

strings I'm using?"

Well, here's the point. An optimally adjusted neck shouldn't be straight.

You will discover that the truss-rod doesn't just compensate for the tension of the strings,

but rather it does so in a very precise way, depending on their gauge.

Logic would tell us that once the neck is balanced, it should be completely straight, but in

reality, it doesn't work that way. In Fig. 9, you can see what happens: when a string

vibrates, that vibration reaches its maximum width right in the middle of the string at 1

and a straight neck doesn't leave it enough room, so it begins to hit the neck more or less

at 2

Fig. 9

This unwanted effect is commonly called "buzzing" and in order to avoid it, we have to

raise the strings at the bridge, 3 in Fig. 10.

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After raising the strings, the instrument won't buzz 1, but you will ﬁnd that it isn't very

comfortable to play, especially in the higher positions 2. To prevent this problem, you

must slightly arch ( Fig. 11) the neck 4 in such a way so that it accommodates the natural

shape of the strings as they vibrate. By doing this, we make sure that the bass doesn't

buzz, so we can then lower the strings at the bridge 3, achieving a more consistent string

height over the neck 12, which will give us much more playing comfort all along its

length as opposed to the awkwardness we feel when the neck is completely straight.

Fig. 10

Fig. 11

Now, you are probably wondering, "How much should the neck arch and how do I

measure it?"

And here we come to the big secret in this unique The Ultimate Guide to The Perfect

Bass Setup ! :-)))))

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How to Measure the Arc

You should always correctly tune the instrument before proceeding. To measure the

current arc of your instrument, you should sit in a comfortable position and support it on

your knee just as if you were going to play it.

Depress the string at the ﬁrst fret with the index ﬁnger of your left hand until it makes

contact ( Fig. 11a) and then do the same thing with your right index ﬁnger at the last fret on

the neck ( Fig. 11b).

Now, observe the string over the 7th through the 9th frets or thereabouts. If the string is

touching all of them, this means that the neck is straight or may even be bent backwards,

as in Fig. 8.

Fig. 11a

Fig. 11b

0,3 - 1,0 mm

Fig. 11c

If the string doesn't touch the 7th through the 9th frets and there is some distance between

the two, this means that there is an arc. Now, all we have to do is measure this distance to

ﬁnd out if it is correct.

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Fig. 12

To measure the arc, you will need another person to help you or else you will need a capo

( Fig. 12) so that you can hold the strings down at the ﬁrst fret. You will also need a set of

gauges, as I mentioned in the Tools section of Chapter 1. If you don't have a capo, you

Fig. 13

can improvise using a pencil and a rubber band ( Fig. 13).

Place the capo at the ﬁrst fret so that the strings are touching it. While you are sitting and

holding your instrument as if you were going to play it, hold the string down at the last fret

with your right index ﬁnger and use a gauge to measure the distance between the string

and the 7th through the 9th frets. This distance should normally be between .3mm and

1mm, depending on your instrument and playing style. This is not an exact science, but

rather an Art and you will have to experiment a little in order to ﬁnd the optimal distance

that works for you.

If you don't care so much about having high strings, then this distance can be very slight,

approximately .3mm. If you prefer rather low strings, this distance should be a little

greater. However, it isn't recommended to have a distance greater than 1mm because in

spite of the fact that the bass won't buzz on the ﬁrst frets, it will start to buzz on the last

ones. On the other hand, if the neck buzzes on the ﬁrst frets, then we should increase the

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distance between the fret and the underside of the string. As a matter of fact, this is the

indicator we will use to carry out the whole adjustment process.

Fig. 14

In Fig. 14 you can see that the bass buzzes at the ﬁrst frets 1 and stops buzzing more or

less at the middle of the neck 2 and doesn't buzz at all at the last frets 3, which is a

sign that you need to loosen the truss-rod because the neck isn't arched or it is bowed

back, as you can see in relation to the straight line A-A.

Fig. 15

In Fig. 15 the instrument is arched in the correct direction but too much so. The

instrument doesn't buzz at the ﬁrst frets or in the middle, but it will buzz at the last frets,

which is a sign that the neck should be straightened by tightening the truss-rod. In the

case of most common truss-rods, you will need to tighten the head a quarter-turn

clockwise.

So, now you know the basic mechanics of how the truss-rod works and the

procedures for adjusting it. Next we are going to adjust the neck step by step.

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The Neck Adjustment Process

1. As a general rule, the bass should be tuned using standard tuning or whatever tuning

you normally use. Tune it now if you haven't already.

2. Determine the arc of the neck, as described in the previous section.

3. The neck should have a slight arc and the distance between the 7th through the 9th frets

and the underside of the strings should be