bass action

[backstab21]

does lowering the action of the bass affect the tone?

 

[3notesAbar]

My personal opinion:

1) Lowering the action of strings is the equivalent of raising the height of your pickups.

2) Altering your plucking technique will change your tone drastically. This applies to plucking at different strengths, plucking at different areas of your bass, and even the angle which your finger leaves the strings to create an attack. Lowering your action would usually result in either changing your technique to 'preserve' your old tone, or getting a new sound i.e. Steve harris/John Entwhistle or wooten when soloing (pressing more than plucking hard).

 

[backstab21]

now my problem is that the string are quite hard to press. should i lower the action or get lighter strings? thanks.

 

[3notesAbar]

Try lowering your strings. check for buzzing. If you dont like the tone, lower your pickups. If that dosent work, hmm... sorry la.

 

[backstab21]

haha thanks

 

[exin]

does lowering the action of the bass affect the tone?

i totally agree with what 3notesAbar said. Well, IMO i think lower the action will affect your playing somehow or another. I used to play with relatively high action, but i'm a light-touch player, means i don't like to use alot of strength to play most of the time. I had to deal with high action for a while cos my old bass neck warped and i didn't have the money to go fix it and also the truss rod tighten until cannot tighten anymore.

Anyway, you can try lowering the action if you want to, all i can say that once you lower the action things wil get different. You'll find it easier to slap, but at the same time you have to regulate your playing strength ... unless you want to lower your pickups ...

 

[thatfrog]

Yes, it affects your tone, especially if you're using a cheap bass (like me).

I've had to screw my pickups to the lowest height that I can (I'm afraid I'll break something if I screw it any tighter), and I still have to have pretty high action for the E and G strings because MY PICKUP IS THE WRONG SIZE (bloody Samick, but it's cheap, so..). If I lower the action the bass just sounds SUPER crappy.

Luckily I like high action.

But I still want it a little bit lower la :?

 

[backstab21]

haha thanks guys

 

[Guest]

speaking of lowering or heightening action, someone PLS tell me how much it will cost and at where i can go to to heighten my action... and i have a VERY low budget so, someone halp me pls!!!

 

[amberbrew]

as a bass pro, i know nothing about bass, so i'll just reply just to add to my no. of posts.

 

[Guest]

walao...bo liao eh...

 

[amberbrew]

haha, you fan of linkin park?

 

[Guest]

no...my real name is chester...seriously

 

[backstab21]

hi chester, whats your budget?

 

[Guest]

um...preferably less than $50

 

[backstab21]

where you buy it from? i think sweelee offering 25 for set up, but they can only start work at the end of this month due to the aftermath of the sale. if you need to do it urgently, try guitar workshop( bras basah complex) or guitar connection and luther music (both at peninsula). just bring your bass there and ask for set up.

 

[Guest]

so they're all below $50? yay! thanx man!

 

[backstab21]

so they're all below $50? yay! thanx man!

ya!

 

[amberbrew]

yup i went with backstab21 just now to workshop together with a gay and we checked the prices.

chester is a nice name uh.

 

[backstab21]

are you hot?