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5 String Bass String Height…
I could use some advice on setting an appropriate string height for a 5 string bass and just some general setup advice. I’m particularly concerned with the low B string since I don’t encounter these often. I’m wondering how you all like to adjust this string and if there are any rules of thumb when dealing with these types of instruments. The strings are 50-135 and here are the measurements I took with the neck straight.
String height at the first fret:
B – .080″E – .050″
A – .040″
D – .030″
G – .020″
String height at 12th fret:
B – .160″
E – .130″
A – .100″
D – .090″
G – .090″
There are a few guides that cover bass setups, two that I can think of are from Fender and also Sadowsky, but I don’t believe they cover the string height at the first fret, and perhaps only briefly mention the use of a low B string. Thank you!
-David
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4 Replies
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Here’s what i do with a 5 string bass. I pretend the B string isn’t there and set it up like a 4 string EADG first. Then I go back and do the low B last. I measure action in 64ths so your measurements are foreign to me, but i might have 7/64″ on the B and 5/64″ on the G. Every guitar wants what it wants, so start with numbers and then tweak it by feel. That nut action is really high, too. Since you’re measuring off the first fret…If I were you, I would put a capo at the first fret and rough in your 12th fret action first, then go back and do your nut…then the 12th again. Lots of good methods that work for figuring nut action, but pretty sure all of them are gonna be lower than what you have. We use the method of holding down the string just past the 2nd fret, and making sure we have a small gap between the string and the first fret while pressed down. When i say small, I’m talking .003″ – .008″. Glaser came up with a really neat “Nut Slot Gauge” we use to measure that. Find it at musiccitybridge.com
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You should check out the loothalong. Evan Gluck is on there every day and is an expert on bass set up. He just shot a bass set up video for Stewmac as well.
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@Als_guitar_workshop I’ll see if I can catch him on there. The bass I’m working on is troublesome apart from just the setup concerns. The fretboard is uneven which in turn means the frets are uneven, but not in a way that’s easy to deal with. Roughly speaking, the fretboard/frets are low from the nut to fret 3, then high from 4 to 9, then low until 16, then gradually increasing to 24. If it were my bass I’d resurface the fretboard and do a full refret, but I don’t think the customer will want to go for that so it’s likely going to be a matter of making the best of a bad situation.
Also, I’m a bit late in responding but thanks for the advice @parrisguitars
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Yeah I hear you. I’ve started declining those types of jobs, I usually tell the customer not to do the work at all if they don’t want to do the full job because there is too big of a chance that they still won’t be happy. If they insist then I give them a written disclaimer so they are clear that the job is a “best we can do” situation. And I charge it by the hour with a high estimate that accounts for the extra time necessary to do the work. That usually is enough to help them decide it’s not worth doing. Good luck!
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