Acoustic and electric guitar and bass guitar setup specifications all of the following specifications are for guitars basses with the standard gauges of gretsch strings that the guitar or bass is equipped with from the factory. Setting up a guitar involves working with the bridge, nut, and neck adjustments to dial in the playing action to suit the player. With the guitar on its side, look down the fingerboard edge for overall straightness, backbow, relief forward bow and humps, as well as high or uneven frets. We are an authorized dealer for all the brands we have. Frets on a bass guitar can develop a buz over time, this can easily be fixed with a good setup. A setup includes adjusting the relief on the neck, tweaking the action at the nut and bridge, cleaning the finger board, finetuning the intonation, setting the height. Im going to be replacing the strings and recording an album in the next couple of months, so i feel like i should have it set up. Read it, then read it again and make it an indispensable part of your instrument maintenance toolkit. Fender continues to be on the cutting edge of bass guitar development and offers a. The first step to dialing in your bass guitar s setup is tuning your bass to pitch and setting your neck to the proper relief. The bass playalong series will help you play your favorite songs quickly and easily.
Ive been blown away by the improvements in playability and sound clarity that come from minor adjustments to the guitar s setup. View and download fender jazz bass owners manual online. Bass guitars play really well when setup correctly. Gibson designs its guitar necks to complement and enhance the. The ultimate guide to the perfect bass setup free pdf downloadable bass guitar book let. In some short circuit conditions this might lead to lethal accidents. The four strings of a bass are g, d, a, and e, from the highest pitched to the lowest pitched. All of our bass tab pdf is printable and downloadable so you can enjoy it for years to come.
That means it plays in tune, it sounds good, it feels comfortable to fret and pluck the strings, and it just suits your playing style in general. For best results in changing strings and performing setups and adjustments, we recommend using the tools listed below. Fender bass adjustment and care the following setup procedures and specifications are for you fender bass as equipped with the strings. Setups and adjustments are considered to be routine. By continuing to use our site you consent to use our cookies. But these are some good references to get you on the right track to dialing in the perfect bass setup for you. Fender bass guitars manual american musical supply. We provide topquality instruments, setups, repairs, and professional advice.
After browsing our selection of free bass tab pdf, view our video lessons to help you get started learning your favorite songs from start to finish. Electric bass guitar setup guide intro bass gear studybass. As part of its final assembly, weve handadjusted it. With the relief set up correctly, the height of the string above the 8th fret should measure about 0,5 mm. The ultimate guide to the perfect bass setup version 1. Bass guitar now lets apply this to the bass guitar. If the string is higher concave neck, one should tighten the. If you plan to change string gauges, you may need to adjust the specs somewhat to compensate for the changes in string sizes. The point of setting up your bass guitar is to make it play well. This refers to the amount your neck bows away from the strings. Electric guitar setup to put your guitar in top playing shape, follow the five steps presented here.
See what our customers have said about our guitars. The e string is the thickest string closest to your face as youre holding the bass. Play the electric bass by the number system background there are 7 tones or notes in a major scale or key. Your bass guitar is solidly built with the best materials and craftsmanship. Im proficient with tools, i repairbuild pedals and amps, not to mention motorcycles and cars.
There are two methods you can use to tune a bass guitar. Its about the way your instrument sounds and plays and is a very personal thing that varies from one player to the next. After playing, wipe the entire guitar down, including strings, with a good polishing cloth. Below, you will find all the information you need to setup your guitar, the right way. So what separates these cheap guitars from those costing five or ten times as much. Later that year, fender introduced the worlds first commercially successful solidbody electric bass guitar, the precision bass, soon followed by its companion bassman amp. Whether electric bass is your main instrument or youre a guitarist who doubles on 4string, its important to keep your axe in tiptop shape. Great electric bass guitar setup while it is certainly possible to give your bass a great setup just using some basic tools and your eyeballs, we have found that the job is considerably easier with the right tools.
Adjusting the bridge string action after installing the strings, tuning the instrument initially, and setting up the neck relief, we can adjust their strings height over the frets. A playable guitar that sounds amazing requires a settingup process, only then will your guitar play well. The height of each saddle is usually set up by adjusting. The science of electric guitars and guitar electronics. Firebird or thunderbird iv bass neck is made of nineply mahogany and walnut or all mahogany laminates, and it extends completely through the body. If your strings are old, not staying in tune, or have lost their mojo, youll want to install a new set first. All guitars sold online or inperson are custom setup for better playability and sound.
Instrument string height bass side string height treble side electric guitars 464 464 basses 664 564 figure f. Setup a practice schedule that you can manage, be consistent, challenge yourself and realize everyone learns at a different rate. Basic guitar setup 101 abridged, charles tauber, 2015 2 preface to the 2015 revision the original version of this article, basic guitar setup 101, was written in 1996 at a time when relatively little information was publicly available to the aspiring luthier, repair person or doityourselfer. Make sure that you also practice these exercises with a real drummer. Oinstruments need to be set up a few times a year, mainly due to sea. Mayones electric bass guitar users manual mayones guitars.
If you are not comfortable performing any of these adjustments to your instrument, take it to an authorized fender service center for a setup. Here is a free printable guitar action gauge i posted on my personal site for anyone who is looking to reset the action on their guitar or bass. Or if you are looking at the guitar neck with the head to the. When connecting or disconnecting cables, turn off the amplifier and other equipment or reduce the volume. Enjoy the lowest prices and best selection of bass at guitar center. In section 2 i have also included some accompaniment ideas for keyboards or guitar to lay down some harmonic support over the bass. Quick setup specifications for the fender precision, jazz, and jaguar bass.
The neck will feel even string distance to neck and the pitch intonation will be correct throughout the fret range. An ultimate guide to guitar setup project electric guitar. Setup and adjustment made easy to adjust the truss. The twin amp appeared in 1952 as the first model in one of the worlds most. I also put a quick description of what youre trying to do and you can also look up videos on youtube for more assistance or leave me questions in the comments below. Just follow the tab, listen to the cd to hear how the bass should sound, and then play along using the separate backing tracks. Heres a musthave easy reference guide to help you with your own guitar setups. In this handy guide, nashville guitar tech and luthier tony nagy explains how the pros do a bass setup. So, you might ask, why should i learn how to set up my bass if a professional guitar maker or luthier. The following setup procedures and specifications are for you fender bass as equipped with the strings that come on the instrument as standard equipment from the factory. The strings of the bass should be tuned to the notes e, a, d, and g. Instrument manuals and wiring schematics guitars by leo. Acoustic and electric guitar and bass guitar setup.
Located in the heart of new yorkos times square, sadowsky guitars is regularly visited by such bass celebrities as will lee, marcus miller, and darryl jones, all of whom rely on roger for custom instruments and setup work. In this stepby step tutorial, nagy walks you through the. Free bass tabs printable, downloadable pdf bass tabs. First, sight the neck just to see what condition its in. Shop sweetwater insync sweetcare events careers used gear marketplace 800. Please take the time to read this instruction manual, which will give you enough information, tips and tricks to ensure you enjoy the build process and get the absolute best from your pit bull guitars kit. Under the bridge of the guitar there often is a grounding cable, which makes you part of the electric circuit when touching the strings.