How do you set up your bass guitar?

Obviously the ideal is to have a professional do it for you – you can’t be a skilled hand and experience to get the perfect set up. However, sometimes just a minor tweak is required,  or getting a full set up isn’t affordable or practical.

Adjustments on the Bass

So, what is adjustable? Apart from the obvious one (tuning), there are four main things that are checked and adjusted during a set up:

• String height
• Intonation
• Trust rod (neck/fret board relief)
• Pick up height

The first two are made via adjustments to the bridge. Trust rod adjustment is more tricky, while pick up height is relatively straight forward. Additionally a good set up should also look at the condition of the frets and fretboard, and also check the nut for ware. If you are already someone who sets up your own bass, hopefully you’ll pick up some additional tips, but do share what you’ve learnt as well! If it is all new to you, don’t be intimidated. Think of it as a way to better understand your bass.

To be continued…

Related Bass Posts

• Fret Dressing – a Proper Polishing
• Setting String Height – Adjusting Your Action
• Tips for Selling a Bass
• Choosing a Bass Cab – Part II
• Choosing a Bass Cab – Part I

The most recent departure is the custom Moses job featured in the “graphite bass” post. So, buying and selling basses has been part of life over the last decade. Here are some tips when selling your bass…

• Try to get an idea of a ‘fair price’ for the bass – with ebay and on-line sites, this is much easier than it used to be. Have realistic expectations and know what reasonable bounds of negotiation are.
• Put on the bass’s best face – give it a good wipe down with a soft cloth to get it clean and free from greasy finger marks. Check it is set up as best as it can be, and that nothing is about to come loose.
• Get some good pictures of the bass – good lighting is more important than a good camera here, use bright, natural day light, or collect together some angle poise lamps – don’t use a built-in camera flash. Get a number of shots, most basses are just too good to fit into one picture.
• Be clear and honest about the condition of the bass – anything less will come back at you, one way or another. Are there bumps, scratches, buckle rash?

Last, but not least, I’ve met some great people through the basses that have come and gone over the years – be friendly and keep in touch!

What tips would you add?

Related Bass Posts

• Choosing a Bass Cab – Part II
• Choosing a Bass Cab – Part I
• Bass Gear Mag
• Everyone on Bass?
• Darbucka London Gig – Take Two

There seems to be a big range in the power output (Watts). How does a bassist know what power they need?

Mark: Answering the first question’s questions [see list in Part I] is the starting point. You have to know what your needs will be. It’s like buying a car. What will it be used for? You don’t buy a sub compact if you need to haul lumber. Likewise you don’t invest in a dump truck if you are commuting. Although there is more, the three basic things to consider are:

• How loud do I need to get?
• What’s the power rating of my cabs?
• What’s the impedance of my cabs?

If you are playing mostly small clubs with a 1×12 or 1×15 that’s rated at 300 to 400 watts at 8 Ohms, it’s a good idea to have an amp with the same power & impedance rating. Likewise, if you are using a 1,000 watt @ 4 Ohm 8×10 cab, common sense suggests an amp that at least matches the power & impedance rating.

There are exceptions to be sure with power, but never with impedance. Because of their playing styles some artists can get by with less power than the cabinet is rated for. Personally, I tend to err on the side of more power than I need, so I don’t get caught in a bad situation. In other words, I’d rather have too much power & have to turn down than to not have enough power & cannot turn up.

Lastly, make sure your cabs match the impedance of your amp! Yesterday a major world class artist called me for advice on cabinets. He wanted to add an 8 Ohm 1×15 cabinet to his 2×10 which is 4 Ohms. That would equal a 2.6 Ohm load. His amp only goes down to 4 Ohms & barely had enough power for the first cab. If he purchased the 1×15 his amp would be shutting down on him because of the impedance load being to low for the amp. I suggested he invest in a larger amp first, since he barely had enough power for his first cabinet. Plus, if he wanted to drive a second cabinet he either needs an amp that will go down to 2 Ohms or one that is stereo so he can run one cab per side.

Here’s what the most common way players add cabinets together looks like for impedance:

Parallel speaker configurations | Total system Impedance

• Two 8 ohm cabinets = 4 ohms
• One 8 ohm cabinet and one 4 ohm cabinet = 2.6 ohms
• Two 4 ohm cabinets = 2 ohms
• Three 8 ohm cabinets = 2.6 ohms
• Two 8 ohm cabinets and one 4 ohm cabinet = 2 ohms
• One 8 ohm cabinet and two 4 ohm cabinets = 1.6 ohms

People talk about different ‘trade offs’ in cab designs. What are these and which matter most to a player?

What matters most is if a cabinet works for you. Some designs are inefficient, meaning they take a lot more power to get the volume you need. Some are designed for lots of boom, but lack any clarity. Some are designed to be compact or light, but often come up short on bass & volume. Some are designed to be very cost effective, but they have to cut cost somewhere (Don’t expect Ferrari performance out of a Yugo). Some sound great at low volumes, but choke when they need to get loud.

One-way designs are normally left to sub woofers, although there are exceptions. It’s difficult to cover the full range of the bass with one speaker or multiples of the same driver. They can be smaller & less expensive, but at the cost of sound quality.

Two-way is the most popular, having one or more identical woofers & one compression horn. Although better, it seldom addresses the midrange needs & many times over emphasizes the lows & highs to compensate.
 
Three-way systems add a midrange driver to fill in that missing hole. Unfortunately some systems are thrown together poorly with unnatural & nasally drivers. Look for ones that are balanced & sound natural.

Four-way designs take it to the ultimate level by breaking the sonic spectrum up into four different areas of sound and then isolating the drivers to focus on those areas.

You usually get what you pay for. Don’t expect a miracle from a cheap product. If however your needs are very simple or limited don’t be bullied into something you don’t need.

 
What else should a bass player think about in choosing a cabinet?

Reliability. Being a consumer, I’m always looking for a great deal. The trick is to know when a less expensive product is a great deal & when it might cost you more in the long run after breaking down in the middle of a gig. Afterwards you’ll most likely replace it. After two cheap cabs that never sounded that great, you could have invested in the better piece of gear right up front that would sound better & last longer. How does this happen?

The cost of a product is based in part on the cost & quality of its components. Companies can spec whatever type of parts to use for a given model. For example, a price competitive model might use cheaper drivers, wire, crossover components, wood, carpet, etc. to keep the cost down. Their choices can not only change the cost, but it may also affect the sound & the reliability. You would think this is an obvious conclusion, but consumers still seemed surprised over product failures of cheap gear & are shocked at the same time by the cost of more reliable & costly high-end gear.

If you are tired of buying cabs that have problems or if you play a lot making money with your gear, consider investing in a better product. It’s a cheaper & safer way to go in the long run. However, if it’s a hobby or you seldom play outside of your bedroom, what’s the point (unless you want the tone you’ve dreamed about)?

Although failure can happen to the best of products, they can be kept to an absolute minimum with higher testing standards, superior components, better matching of components & stringent assembly techniques. Of course all of this does cost more. Only you can tell if it’s worth it in your unique situation.

Many thanks to Mark for sharing his insights with us. Happy bassing!

Related Bass Posts

• Choosing a Bass Cab – Part I
• MiniGroves from Accugroove
• Tips for Selling a Bass
• TC Electronic Classic450 Bass Amp
• Setting up a Bass Guitar

I first met Mark Wright of Accugroove several years ago. I was so impressed by Mark’s knowledge, passion and the quality of the bass cabs his company makes, that I purchased one. the Tri 110 is still a central part of my rig today.

Mark is passionate about quality bass sound, and is a keen player himself, so I was very pleased to catch up with him… Here is the Q&A from the interview:

What should a bassist’s main considerations be when choosing a cab?

Mark: There are many.

• What type of bass you play? (number of strings, active/passive, etc.)
• Style of music you play? (Hard rock, smooth jazz, country, etc.)
• How many people are in the band?
• How loud do you get?
• What type of venues do you play? (Small clubs, large outdoor gig, etc.)
• Do you also run DI? (PA support)
• What type of amp do you have? (Watts & impedance)
• What can you physically carry? (Portability)
• What can you financially afford?

Which is more important to the sound: Layout (eg 4 x 10 vs 1 x 15 etc…) or manufacturer?

Mark: Neither. We get hung up on the type of cabs or a manufacturer because of other people’s comments, advertising or urban legend. What works for one player won’t work for another. One manufacturer’s 4×10 may sound great while anothers falls short. In the same way a company’s 1×15 may be a killer, but their 2×12 a dog.

The bottom line is that it matters less about the configuration & the company & has more to do with if a cabinet is built correctly in the first place. Many companies build a very simple & basic “get-me-by” box regardless of what their ads say. Therefore you’ll get very simple & basic “get-me-by results”. Find a cab that is designed right, built right & works for your specific needs.

What makes the best cab for a 4, 5 or a 6+ string bass?

Mark: A 4 string player can fully utilize & appreciate cabinets built for 5 & 6 string players, but they do not have to have them. A cabinet built correctly for a 5 string bass, should easily handle a 6 & a 4. That’s due to the 5 normally having a low B string. A 6 normally has a high C added, but that’s easier to reproduce than a low B. The challenge is that the average cabinet is designed for the mass market & for a 4 string. They barely do that well, so they can’t be expected to do much for a 5 string. To reproduce a solid B string you need a cabinet design that gives you tight lows that are not floppy & woofy. The challenge is to not focus so much on the low end that you loose the mids & highs.

In part II: Choosing cab power, understanding impedance and other things to think about…

Related Bass Posts

• Choosing a Bass Cab – Part II
• MiniGroves from Accugroove
• Tips for Selling a Bass
• TC Electronic Classic450 Bass Amp
• Setting up a Bass Guitar