Any good 4 string bass to reccomend ??
- Thread starter angeldogleslie
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angeldogleslie
Member
hmmmmmmm hey my frens bass's neck is slightly warped so actions and buzz are very common so any chance to repair dem ? or mus he get a new bass?
That depends on how warped the neck is. Many times, it's just a case of a setup gone wrong - i.e. Too much/Too little neck relief, saddles are too high/too low... You can ask your friend to check out this website by Gary Willis. A few twists of an allen key should solve his problem.
The next possible reason could be because of worn frets... that you'd better lleave to an experienced luthier to deal with. Then again, if the bass only costs $100, you might wanna recommend him to get a straightedge to search out the worn frets and crown them.
If it turns out that the neck is really warped, he might want to consider buying a new neck from Warmoth or a similar company. That's of course if the bass has a bolt-on neck.
The next possible reason could be because of worn frets... that you'd better lleave to an experienced luthier to deal with. Then again, if the bass only costs $100, you might wanna recommend him to get a straightedge to search out the worn frets and crown them.
If it turns out that the neck is really warped, he might want to consider buying a new neck from Warmoth or a similar company. That's of course if the bass has a bolt-on neck.
hofner said:
8O I have never heard of bending a neck to achieve some kinda tremolo effect b4... that sounds mighty bizzare if you ask me. Necks of basses have to be super stiff in order to manage the tension of the strings and for increased sustain on notes.
But if you wanna look at it at another angle, all basses (in fact, all guitars as well...) can have their necks "bent" without breaking. That's what the trussrod is for - to adjust the amount of relief in the neck of your bass/guitar. Turn clockwise to straighten out the neck, and anti-clockwise to give more relief. I don't suggest you turn the allen-key more than 1/2 rotation in a day. In fact, you should feel/hear an audible change after 1/4 turn.
angeldogleslie
Member
So if its worn frets so i can actually ask for a change in the frets lar. Hmmm Replacing the frets would it cost alot ?
angeldogleslie said:
Err... yeah, you could ask to change the fret, but you'd have to change ALL the frets... and that'd be mighty costly. Think in the $200+++ region. If all you need to do is file down a fret or two, that wouldn't be as expensive then.
I suggest for your friend to try out what I suggested. Just bringing it down to someone that charges might cost you about $50+++ just for him to tell you what's wrong with your bass and do some minor adjustments.
Hofner - I don't use msn. If you wanna learn more about the trussrod, check up the link I posted earlier or search it up on google. Tons of info there.
angeldogleslie
Member
cherns said:
So you could actually file the frets down ? i didnt noe tat hm does it have any side effects ?? Its just to reduce fret buzz ????
Yes, you can file frets down (that's what the mean by crowning) but I wouldn't advise you to do it by yourself 'cos if you do it wrongly, even by just a little, it'll affect all the rest of your frets as well. Worst case scenario is that you keep doing it wrongly so you keep filing all the frets till there's no more fret left.... then you'll just have to re-fret the whole thing, which may turn out to be a very unprofitable exercise depending on the value of the bass.
I seem to get the idea that you don't understand where fret buzz comes from though... my apologies if I'm mistaken. Let me try to explain it to the best of my knowledge then.
Fret buzz can be the result of many things - these are the most common
1) The frets are not completely level (i.e. worn frets, bad fret job...)
2) There is too little relief in the neck (i.e. neck is too straight)
3) The saddle is too low
4) The neck is warped...
Anyways, so you can see that filing down a fret or two may not be the solution to your friend's dilemma. Tell him to figure out what's wrong and then work his way from there.
I seem to get the idea that you don't understand where fret buzz comes from though... my apologies if I'm mistaken. Let me try to explain it to the best of my knowledge then.
Fret buzz can be the result of many things - these are the most common
1) The frets are not completely level (i.e. worn frets, bad fret job...)
2) There is too little relief in the neck (i.e. neck is too straight)
3) The saddle is too low
4) The neck is warped...
Anyways, so you can see that filing down a fret or two may not be the solution to your friend's dilemma. Tell him to figure out what's wrong and then work his way from there.
yah .. certianly some people like u mention 'billy sheenhan' do some inwards bending of neck to producing strings bending sound.. it is just to add ' taste' to certian music.. there is even a bass player randy coven add a winding bar on his custom bass also .. people do funny thing to bass ..
i always feel that the most important part of a bass guitar is the neck .. without a good neck or a neck that suit your playing no matter how good the pickup is or how good the brand is it is nothing.. cause most of the other part can be easily upgraded.. if the comfort is not at the neck there is nothing much u can do .. if u give me a bass try every frets check every single fret to see if there is any buzz.. i know not all bass are perfect... but certian if i feel that the tension of the neck is tight i will give it up meaning truss rod over adjusted. or u can see the neck curve inwards or outwards or even unbalance curve meaning u can give up on the bass.. and if the tension of the string is set very high where u can do it by adjusting the bridge i will not choose the bass.
if i'm not wrong.. there is certian height for the string action.. as follows..
4thE 3.0 + or - 0.2.mm
3thA 2.9 + or - 0.2.mm
2thD 2.8 + or - 0.2.mm
1thG 2.7 + or - 0.2.mm
as a guide.. cause some people may adjust the bridge to prevent the buzzing sound of the bass when the neck is bend..
i always feel that the most important part of a bass guitar is the neck .. without a good neck or a neck that suit your playing no matter how good the pickup is or how good the brand is it is nothing.. cause most of the other part can be easily upgraded.. if the comfort is not at the neck there is nothing much u can do .. if u give me a bass try every frets check every single fret to see if there is any buzz.. i know not all bass are perfect... but certian if i feel that the tension of the neck is tight i will give it up meaning truss rod over adjusted. or u can see the neck curve inwards or outwards or even unbalance curve meaning u can give up on the bass.. and if the tension of the string is set very high where u can do it by adjusting the bridge i will not choose the bass.
if i'm not wrong.. there is certian height for the string action.. as follows..
4thE 3.0 + or - 0.2.mm
3thA 2.9 + or - 0.2.mm
2thD 2.8 + or - 0.2.mm
1thG 2.7 + or - 0.2.mm
as a guide.. cause some people may adjust the bridge to prevent the buzzing sound of the bass when the neck is bend..
angeldogleslie
Member
i noe about fret buzz but the crowning thing i'm not really sure. CAn i just file the frets to make it easier to play ? since its lower den i believe its easier to press n ur hand can move arnd faster
hmmm my suggestion is better not and dont think there is a need.. i dont think there is a different in filing frets... might as well brush up your skill rather to do something funny.. might end up spoil your guitar.. unless u are so expert that u want to go into depth like scallop your neck or modifed your pickup settings adding new pickup change fretboard or even customise your bass to any of your dream stuff..
fretless6
New member
angeldogleslie said:
Ok this is what the crowning thing is about. Basically as wear and tear of playing kicks in, certain frets which you play over more frequently get worn faster. What you end up with is certain frets being lower, causing fret buzz at those positions.
The procedure is the level the frets by filing the taller frets down to match the height of the lower frets, usually with a sanding block. But by doing this, you end up with flat frets. What the crowning process is, is to shape the head of the frets to a curve again. Quite simply, it's not a job for the novice. Fret work is one of the most intricate parts of guitar construction/setup. An amatuer job could make your guitar virtually unplayable.
angeldogleslie
Member
oh ok haha guys any good pick ups avail ? are they changeable ?
Seymour Duncan
http://www.seymourduncan.com/
they have series of good bass pickups depend on what u need and what u want...
http://www.seymourduncan.com/
they have series of good bass pickups depend on what u need and what u want...
angeldogleslie
Member
hmmm any comments on ibanez basses ??
I loved my SR990 - it was from the first batch of SR basses made and back then, they were made in Japan. The build quality was superb... the neck was super fast and the action was super low. I played it for 8 years without any problems (except for the control knobs and the jack, but those are easily solved). It had afr p/j pups which weren't terribly fantastic, but they did the job nonetheless 
Most of the SR basses pale in comparison to the older ones... the build quality has gone down and I don't think the tone has made any marked improvements.
I think an old Roadstar II (that's in good shape) would be an excellent axe to rock with if you can find one.
Most of the SR basses pale in comparison to the older ones... the build quality has gone down and I don't think the tone has made any marked improvements.
I think an old Roadstar II (that's in good shape) would be an excellent axe to rock with if you can find one.
angeldogleslie
Member
hmmmmmm
i tink that the sr basses are ex rite cus now i'm intendin to get either the edb 500 and the sr500(2004) yea so i wanna find out about them. Lsat time how much u got ur sr990 for ? close to 1000 ?
i tink that the sr basses are ex rite cus now i'm intendin to get either the edb 500 and the sr500(2004) yea so i wanna find out about them. Lsat time how much u got ur sr990 for ? close to 1000 ?