HOW TO SETUP A BASS - HIGH OR LOW ACTION - BASS SETUP TUTORIAL

[@TheBassWizard]

Pt.2 - How to set up your INTONATION video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2LJhZurq76le9k *Support me on Patreon* -> patreon.com/TheBassWizard ▼*Donations are appreciated and help me to keep uploading high quality content for you:* ►PayPal email: [e-mail] ►Bitcoin address: 38LxHw2yMgUEGJCB7XykLvVub4qytsidJj

[@Bananflugan]

5.08 - what song is that? Love that bassline!

[@kmorris1914]

At age 55 during this COVID19 nightmare I decided to pursue an over 25 year quest, learn to play the Bass Guitar. One month ago I got a Squire Affinity P Bass with P and J pickups. I am learning so much and loving it. I noticed I could not slap on my E string. Watching this video I noticed the bridge brackets were all at different levels and the E string was very high. I lowered the action and not only can I slap but my fingers feel much more relaxed and playing scales is much easier. I even hear that pop you discussed. Thanks!

[@grantkoeller8911]

Bridge saddles must follow the neck radius, each saddles 2 screws should be level, yet still following the neck radius.

[@donh5794]

@@grantkoeller8911 How does the bridge saddle adjustment follow the neck radius?

[@grantkoeller8911]

@@donh5794 The neck radius is a curve, so your bridge saddles need to be the same exact curve.

[@donh5794]

@@grantkoeller8911 Thanks!

[@per-magnusmansnerus3953]

Hi! I did just the same, bought my self a bass guitar and started lurning this Great instrument 👍😊. And this video was a Great help plus understanding with out "over doin' it" 👍 Super👍

[@TheStratman007]

I'm a retired professor, and this is an OUTSTANDING tutorial. Thank you very much, sir.

[@flipdiggler6023]

You my friend make the best bass tutorial videos on KZbin. To any beginners looking for learning videos to improve their playing , this guy explains the bass in a ways that’s easy to absorb and doesn’t get off track with stories and rubbish talk. He knows his stuff , but doesn’t flaunt it which impresses me most of all. He explains very intuitively and you pick up on lots of little bonus tips that help you out ,whereas other people giving lessons on KZbin have been a waste Of good practice time I should’ve been getting. Thanks for sharing your knowledge my friend.

[@chasewayne241]

I know. Right

[@zamirgeorgie14]

Yeah

[@Kyser96]

I've had a Squier Bass since I was a kid, and I've always HATED it. Turns out a half inch action on a bass isn't normal. I always thought bassists had roided up finger muscles or something. edit: holy shit this is amazing. Feeling kinda stupid that I could've been loving and learning this instrument for the past 15 years but never picked it up because I never knew I needed to adjust the action.

[@the_bassiah]

Wow that is really crazy!

[@animaterob]

same

[@grantkoeller8911]

Action wise, (String height) at 12th fret, 1/2" inch (32/64") is too high, 3/8" inch (24 /64" inch) is too high, 1/4" inch (16/64") is too high, 1/8" inch (8/64") is too high.

[@grantkoeller8911]

The proper height would be,... 6/64" inch for low E and A strings 5/64" inch for the D and G strings

[@grantkoeller8911]

I have seen so many pawn shop basses with massive 3/8" inch action!!!!! (24 /64" inch) !!!

[@mousebear4219]

Just started playing bass, felt the action was too high but was afraid to fiddle with it but this helped me so much! Thanks.

[@slapmyfunkybass]

How can anyone dislike this, the guy’s just giving advice - since when did passing on knowledge become a bad thing :(

[@thesmilingvagrants]

Haters will hate

[@emersonsrandomvideos248]

Those dislikes came from failed guitarist lols

[@Pupenhausen]

Negativity fuels negative people. Pressing dislike is one step towards towards achieving their daily goal.

[@MarlonVanderLinde]

Emptiness breeds toxicity. They exist everywhere, in every walk of life. Just accept them, they need acceptance and love more than most. :)

[@besugitaaiko]

before truss rod ajusting its important decrease tension of string if you dont want damage neck or truss rod!

[@rorycharlton2665]

Great video. One thing not mentioned is checking your intonation after lowering or raising your strings. 12 fret EADG notes should be in tune with your open string EADG notes. Making big adjustments lowering or raising will most likely affect the intonation and you will need to adjust the saddle position. If the fretted notes are sharp then move the saddle position backwards, and if rotes are flat move the saddle position forward.

[@PaulKopco]

This is what I thought he would be doing -- this is what "set up" means to me.

[@TheBassWizard]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2LJhZurq76le9k

[@TheBassWizard]

@@PaulKopco kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2LJhZurq76le9k

[@adamsunderland0823]

I had to move me e string almost all the way back before it was in tune with it's self...

[@samm5763]

Great video, I thought I knew everything about action hight but I learned quite allot within the first half.

[@utubeThesugi]

me too , detune the string is a tips i didn't know !

[@louie9373]

Yeah a lot of people want to teach in this roundabout way that either revolves around a specific tool or philosophy that mostly serves to uphold tradition. With Marcelo the methods are direct, the tools interchangeable, and he isn't trying to preserve his grandfather's teachings.

[@Billkwando]

@@utubeThesugi Detuning isn't really necessary for any of these adjustments, but he's just approaching it with an abundance of caution, which never hurts when you're instructing beginners, or folks who might by heavy handed with tools.

[@donh5794]

@@Billkwando How can the saddle adjustment be raised, if necessary, without detuning the strings if they are tight. Only makes sense to detune before doing it.

[@icywinterwind3219]

Using this tutorial as well as the intonation tutorial, I was able to set up my brand new bass in no time flat and it now plays great. Thanks Marc for these videos, saved me a lot of money getting a "professional" setup and I now have the pride of knowing I can work on my instrument myself.

[@danmayes4657]

JUST GREAT! Now I have an excuse for my wife why I need more basses! Great video

[@BassicVIC]

Dan Mayes No my friend.... No excuse, no reason, logic, statement, explanation, science, evidence ... nothing will convince our wives of the why we need more basses. Sorry. She even might seem to agree ... momentarily ....but she will just think the same, no matter what you say.

[@none-d3c]

Let me tell you a secret . If all your bases are the same colour they dont notice . For the love of God they must never Know . The consequences could be catastrophic .

[@BassicVIC]

Mary Monica OF COURSE !!!!!!!!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 That’s so true. If anybody ask our wives what bass has he got? He’d say “a brown one” , or whatever colour your Bass happens to be. That’s soooo true. She’d never say “Oh! I’ve heard him say a thousand times he’s got a vintage 1973 Precision Fender bass with sunburst finish with new bridge and pickups.” No. I don’t think so. He could have a brown chinese 50p bass or the original James Jamerson P bass in his possession and she would be absolutely clueless anyway. For her it’s just.... “brown”. One can have as many as one desires and afford and she’d never notice! All she sees is the colour. I thank thee Mary Monica. ☺️☺️☺️☺️ In gratitude, and in return, I can tell you any man’s secret women want to unlock and you’d want to now. Just one☝🏻

[@zettabutt9323]

5 string high low and mid action 4 in the same plus flat wound and round wound strings is a total of 12 but with acoustic its 14 but you also have active or passive pickups and double or single makes the total 50 basses that are very necessary

[@emersonsrandomvideos248]

Dan, just give your wife more basses to cook and more basses for you to get hook you'll be fine...

[@sdmaro1428]

man this made my bass go from sounding like something i didn’t like to hear, so something i love and will practice on every day, love bro thankyou

[@SilentGin]

I picked up the Bass half a year ago, made decent progress but always felt dumb how other bassists are able to fly around the fretboard when the E string needs so much pressure, especially using my pinky finger was a nightmare. Now after this video and a little bit of help from my Dad (he plays the Guitar and built one too), it went pretty smooth and let me tell you that this is a game changer. It almost takes no effort to press down strings on the fretboard, tapping and slapping actually work and the pinky finger came into play just naturally now. Thank you a lot!

[@grayonplum]

Thank you! This was a huge help for me and my mom, you just saved her 65 dollars!

[@mouseanalyse]

The smile on your face when you hear the snap in the new bass you just set up. Priceless. 👌 Clear, practical video! Very useful!

[@SonicXRage]

My first bass setup took like 2 days and by the end of it, I was exhausted. I'm not even kidding.

[@bobt5778]

Outstanding video. One of the few videos that explains why you may want low or high action. I'm also happy that I'm not the only person who checks the relief by tapping!

[@joethompson79]

Thank you for explaining this so in depth. I've always been curious when I'd hear people talk about "action".

[@plane15man]

I've been playing bass for almost 8 years now and never knew any of this stuff... Thanks for helping me sound way better than I ever did before...

[@Metalblaze124]

Fantastic video bro. Been playing guitar for 25 years and just picked up a bass, very informative and well laid out so a musician can set up for what they want to play and sound like. Bravo sir

[@donh5794]

Best video I have seen on adjusting the action. Explained in good detail and not too long and not too short.

[@Rauzwel]

You're very good at explaining things without adding any BS like bad jokes or playing with your kids. It's appreciated more than you know!

[@yilee3228]

Thank you very much indeed. I thought I needed to bring my bass to a local instrument guy by paying loads of money but thanks to you, I could fix it without spending any money.

[@grantkoeller8911]

It's not loads of money, it's the same money that's spent on fast food, movie theater popcorn.or overpriced Starbucks coffee.

[@karthurhyer]

When I was in a band I had high action so I could dig in for a clean punch. Now I play melodies in my living room with very close action for ease and speed. It's totally what's comfortable to you.

[@Raven-136]

I am a complete beginner and happened across your video and all I can say is thank you very simply explained. :)

[@it0moribasket799]

Watched a bunch of videos on adjusting your bass' action but this was the only one that was clear enough for a beginner like me to understand

[@kennyjones1004]

I came here to see how to adjust your action. I’m leaving with a wealth of knowledge. Great video!

[@WaddlesTheBassist21]

THANK YOU SO MUCH, this is 100 per cent the best setup tutorial on the internet

[@FD_and_B]

wish these sorts of things were around 10 years ago when i was a kid. thanks for making this easy, subscribed

[@fogkapitany414]

Thank you for this. I got a bass 6 months ago, and after a string change, the action went sky high and was unable to correct it. There are no guitar shops nearby here so i kinda gave up on it for a while (stress, lack of time, etc.) but today i watched this and my bass become MUCH EASIER TO PLAY ON! This is incredible. My hand doesnt hurt anymore while fretting higher notes. Thank you!!!

[@alastairwinner]

Followed this process on my 90's 4 string Stingray. I can't believe how bad the setup had gotten over the years. My fingers are very grateful!!

[@Dragonlich420]

You forgot the intonation step after lowering/raising the saddles. But you nailed everything else and then some. lol just noticed the link after posting the comment, good job bro!

[@manuelshargorodsky4442]

You're playing the around the world intro like it's nothing and it makes me wanna cry HOW R U SO GUD

[@EdEditz]

This noob is very much indebted to you. The action on my Steinberger XT25 was way too high as set from the factory. Now I lowered it it plays so much lighter. Awesome! Thank you!

[@DJYukie]

Just got my first bass guitar today. Got to go through all these vids now. Excited to learn!

[@seanmolzhon2764]

What a humble, intelligent, thorough, gifted, tone beasting dude, and a refreshing change of pace, that I'm enjoying watching. And nobody even plays bass in my fam lol. Gotta admire a guy who embraces all styles of music, & knows the names, work & history of many, not just one genera of great bass players. Definitely not afraid of discomfort neither, or the potential for embarrassment from unfamiliarity i see. Best of all, you're embracing a willingness to learn while displaying a broad appreciation for your craft. Way to be young man! Much respect. You deserve everything you earn in your future to come. Not to mention, a great f'n taste in gear lol! Although a drummer myself, I can't help but love the sound of those EB basses. Rock on sir!

[@rhoodj]

Taking time to write all those lines that is hige.... wow..

[@LinkLayerLogic]

This is the first video that I've found that actually talks about how the actions affects tone and playing instead of just how to change the action.

[@CPurdiePlays]

Just spent a bunch of money on a new bass and was going to spend over $100 to pay someone to do this for me. Truss rod scares me. This video gives me the confidence I need to go home and do it myself. Thank you.

[@terjelangeland9633]

This is the best tutorial I've found on this topic so far

[@davidfinkledrums]

Appreciate that break down...over the years I guess mine loosened up a bit. Was so gradual I had thought it wrongly to be my diff strings and therefore diff tension. I was wrong...and now after watching this I'm set up good to go again and crissakes I'm greased lightin' now...thanks buddy for the very clear and concise explanation.

[@nunyerbiz6569]

I'm a guitar player and know anything about the physical aspects of a bass. Or should I say I Didn't know anything. I feel like I know enough now to evaluate a low end violin style bass I'm looking at. Outstanding video! Great content and the presentation excels. I will sit through a painful video to learn something, but few are compelling. And there are lots of other videos, as you say, on the same topic, but if anyone is still confused after watching this video, they should probably give up. Liked and subscribed.

[@Docsjeff]

Perfect video.I’ve played guitar for 40 years and just started on bass 6 months ago. I play them,but have always been afraid to adjust Anything on a stringed instrument. This was so helpful and very clear to understand.I bought a new MIM P bass and the action was too high for my liking. After watching this video a couple times and applying these ideas I’ve got it playing SOOOOO much better. Thank you very much for your help.

[@pdornai]

Awesome advice. I've always been afraid to touch the truss rod but now not so much. Also I'm so glad that up close your shiny bass is just as grimy as mine 😁

[@TheBassWizard]

That's actually just the plastic that I haven't removed from the pickguard yet, that's why it looks like that haha

[@LetzBeaFranque]

This is the top discussion and demonstration of the use of different actions for different purposes.

[@emersonsrandomvideos248]

Ok here's my take: I took the advice since the second hand bass (i bought 8 months ago) hasn't been adjusted since it is showing an obvious sign of bowing. Its really miles high between the fret and the string in some places. I really took this man's word. Lo and behold, my bass right now feels like brand new! Before, it was impossible to slapp and tapp. Now, i'm almost there. I'm not a luthier btw.

[@oscarantonmusic]

thank you man ! really helpful !

[@jmunguia784]

I lost my shit when I saw my bass had 2 truss rods. I didnt know what to do lol

[@licccio2133]

6 string bass?

[@copperfish543]

Gotta be a Rick

[@minceraftfornite4334]

@@licccio2133 6 string bass have 2 truss rods I genuinely don’t know

[@jimpennock4666]

Indeed. Thanks Mr. Feldman. This old bass I have was pretty gnarly. Much better now.

[@jaydoode15]

Best setup video on youtube by far, straight and to the point. Thanks so much!

[@pdglock19]

wow. What a perfect explanation of verything on action and great examples. Love this channel now.

[@spicydoge3847]

My bass was buzzing all over the place and I played around with the action. Turned out some of the strings were super high, while others were super low. Thanks to this video I was able to amend the problem and I can finally enjoy my bass the proper way.

[@bevdiamond6826]

Thanks Marcelo That explains why my bass has gone haywire since moving to the desert from a cold wet climate.

[@TheSguimbal]

Thank you sooo much. I have a stingray 5 since 2013 and i was sure something was not optimal. As soon i watched your tutorial i have tuned my bass and now it sounds great ! Many thanks

[@richardpalladino9169]

I have been playing bass for over 30 yrs , you know your stuff

[@drbassface]

I always keep a small screwdriver with me...I can adjust the neck on the fly on the MM wheel...to have low or higher action. Very cool adjustment option. Yay Musicman truss wheel!

[@Strat91]

Hey im getting string "clacking" ob ny MM bass. Its like the strings hitting the frets when i play. Ive tried raising the action a bit but its still there

[@texasviking1]

@@Strat91 you need to adjust your truss rod for a bit more neck relief.

[@maruandnicolatana940]

This is the best explanation for set up I've seen. Thanks for sharing

[@sliggumzz]

this is perfect i literally didn’t this with 0 prior knowledge during my lunch period at school give or take 45min 10/10

[@davidzedner4286]

I’ve discovered my new bass hero. Marcelo is an amazing player and a fantastic teacher!

[@maxdmusic216]

AN excellent video, very well presented and explained. One thing that would be a useful addition is to give measurements for the action that you have set, whether it is say 2.2 mm top G string down to 2.5 mm bottom E string at 17th fret, for example. That would give people a very useful guideline.

[@daledebruycker2273]

Great advice, that is often overlooked, even by experienced players. Thank you!

[@brianbergmusic5288]

Thanks! I especially like the comparisons in this video -- helped a lot. I definitely gotta setup my 5 string bass (my only one) in a lower action. Hard rock and metal benefits greatly from the treble-inducing growl of fretbuzz and the snappiness of the attack.

[@migueljimenez1939]

Great video! That's the way to explain it. This will help many of us to play more comfortable and feel that we control our instrument and not the other way... I don't know how much time I've lost to learn this stuff. Your video would had saved me so much time. Thanks!

[@thebassgum]

Thanks Man - Helped me a lot on adjusting my pre owned Warwick Thumb which was a mess when i got it.

[@fjammusic]

Marco thanks for making this easy to understand. I just finished my setup. Nice and Clear Bro!! Thanks

[@Russell_Sprouts_937]

I was having an issue getting the sound I wanted. This helped. I appreciate this video.

[@hartzellphilippoligrates8651]

much better if you adjust the action, is to make sure to have a new set of strings always coz used string are flattened on that side that hits the frets and will make your adjustments mess up.. but this is the best tutorial about adjusting your action in youtube ever..nice work bro you are amazing. you are a very good teacher

[@matthewnations1564]

I’m really glad I found this because when I put my bass back together it will have a new neck with an extra fret. Now I know to check the measurement and notes. Thanks!

[@malkn1754]

thank you! I'm new to bass and I ordered one recently and it just came in. I tried playing it but there was one fret that kept making a buzzing noise. Turns out it was the action that needed adjusting

[@juijttenbroek]

Wow I have seen manny videos about setting your bass up but never understand. Now with your video I get it. Thanks!!

[@DManBreaux]

Thank you! I’m a new player and was wondering why the slap technique was not working well. Just made the adjustments and Bam, that fixed it! Neck was warped and strings way too far off the fretboard.

[@TheJeanieBeans]

Thanks so much for this video! I know its 2 yrs old, but I just got my first Sterling bass and now I finally know how to set it up just right. It's so much more comfortable to play now. :)

[@meljantorresbass2655]

One of the best instructional video regarding hardware of bass so far.

[@Secretsofsociety]

Thanks for this. Was about to go to a music shop but this explained it to me well.

[@Secretsofsociety]

I never adjusted my bass and it's extremely high.

[@TommasoPaba]

Definitely the best explanation I've watched on KZbin!

[@chrisalertaalpha4291]

I have a ibanez 655 with medium low action. Just got a schecter stilleto extreme 5 today and went with low action, sounds great.

[@primovictorian]

Thanks for the video! I got this buzzing around the 4th fret for my B and G string, and watching your video gave me the information I needed to fix my action. Thank you!

[@patt5229]

I’m planning on getting a bass but was slightly scared cause I don’t know how the truss rod worked. This cleared everything up for me. Thank you

[@samiam8641]

I played bass for years before I had the courage to touch my truss rods. I’ve found that quarter-turn adjustments work, but you still don’t really know if it’s right till it sits, in-tune, overnight.

[@Lysdexia]

This is so helpful! I bought an Epiphone Toby bass (very high action to improve my play as per your practice hack video) and now I know how to make it play a whole lot better. I'll put it back to *difficult* action of course. Thank you for all the energy and guidance - I'm really very grateful for your help.

[@sunjamrblues]

I'm a longtime guitar player, and not very familiar with bass setup. I just bought a new short scale bass which needs a lot of setup work, so this video has been very helpful. The bass is a Squier Bronco which is poorly built using cheap components, and will take a lot of work to make it nice. The bridge is total junk, flimsy and not possible to adjust the intonation or action of individual strings, so I've ordered a new better bridge. The pickup is also substandard, so I'll have to replace that. But I like the size and shape of the body and neck, so all the work will be worth it. Thanks for the video!

[@lzkdjsflkasjz]

The comparison of the sound between the two basses with different action settings was really instructive. I already knew how to set action to where it felt good but I didn't fully understand the influence on tone. This demo made it clear. A great video.

[@ztopalusic]

The color of that MM Stingray 5 is amazing

[@wolfsbaynebass]

Thank you so much for this! You’re very informative and helpful! I actually have bone issues which makes playing painful sometimes, and the difference after adjusting the action feels life saving. Thank you a million times over 😊

[@rekozma]

Thank you for doing this. Bought my first bass in 30 years. Learned right handed when I was 18 life happened and sold it when I was 19. Picked up a lefty a week ago to learn it the way I couldn't afford to back then. I have my Ibanez set up at 2.5mm on the E and A and 2mm on the D and G. Seems to work well for me. But to know how to adjust it right will help down the road. Cheers from a old hippie.

[@totomoyap8648]

My suggestion is check and adjust the action on 18th fret ( gap between top of fret wire and bottom of the string ) on SR5. Start with 2.5mm on B to 2.0mm on G string as starting point. This possible make all the string follow the fretboard radius for better playing feel. Hopehelp Edit. Set the neck relief on 7th or 8th fret . Try .010 neck relief for low action and light touch play. On aggressive pick style prefer low action + dirty fret buzz (non chocking tone ), try .014. For gorilla hand, more neck relief and sky high action are the best ！

[@KillerBl8]

Thank Marcelo, I have always been afraid to adjust my basses even though the action is higher than a hippy. Will now do them with confidence.

[@TC-de9kn]

How do I know how hard to press on the strings and is that on the fret itself or above or below them

Very good video. Have been having a tough time setting up my basses. This cleared up a lot! Thanks!

[@michaelmaldonado1240]

thanks for explaining this process. your teaching style is a good one. Michael

[@subsilkdj]

Thank you so much for this - finally felt comfortable to adjust my truss rod on my P-bass and the action is so much better now its only slightly curved in the middle rather than a full on C shape as it came. Exactly how I wanted it but struggled for ages!

[@treovercoakley2404]

It's like everything else beginning always feel hard but you get use to it after a while

[@chasewayne241]

Man. This guy is amazing.

[@grantkoeller8911]

Truss rod adjustments, tightening or loosening should always be made with the strings at low tension, Always loosen strings first! Adjust your truss rod, then bring back up to pitch

[@davidsharples5149]

Ernie Ball says not to loosen strings when making truss rod adjustments with their basses..

[@grantkoeller8911]

I'll check this out thanks!@@davidsharples5149. Ok, I looked at Fender, and they say to lower string tension.

[@grantkoeller8911]

@@davidsharples5149 You can drive a car without wearing a seatbelt too. I'm erroring on the safe side.

[@josiahachese3679]

So glad i saved your video for a later watch ...its been awesomely helpful..tho i got a fairly used bass and never discovered some wrongs which have been using for 2months, but after watching this video, am really enjoying my Bass😋 its sounds a lot more better than 2months ago. I set it the way i want...Cheers🥂Man

[@fraliubass]

I would like to hear you talk about pick up height adjustment and how string gauges affect tone and playability sometime.

[@immortallix]

Thanks for describing the action and how to properly adjust the saddles. Most vids are just like "here's the saddle, adjust it"

[@gtfilter]

Do you have to detune when adjusting the truss rod?

[@grantkoeller8911]

It's always a great idea to remove string tension when adjusting the truss rod. Otherwise you could strip or even snap your truss rod. and that is game over.

[@SabbaYT]

I kept only the high G string just to check the action

[@land.1368]

Not all all, id even recommend against it, you want to have all strings in tune so you can see how much the neck is going to bend, ive never stripped an allen key head by having strings under tension.

[@DrDave322]

Awesome! Thanks for doing this video. The advice on how you set up your bass up for slap was very helpful!

[@SP-uq5gp]

Great video. Good to hear the comparison between basses before you make the changes - best part of the vid !

[@mariusdrako]

Woww This guy is definitely the bass wizard, very grateful for this info treasure

[@laurahigle4962]

Wow. Just awesome - all around. I learned so much and am not intimidated about doing this. Thank you. Well done!!

[@treovercoakley2404]

With high action you are more in control yeah you might have a sore finger or hand but you get use to it after a while