Remember that intonation should be done last, after you adjust the action. All you need to is TRAIN. T = tune (which should be done after each tweak). R = refief (adjusting truss rod) A = action I = intonation N = noodle on your beautifully set up instrument.
This is the best bass setup video I have seen to date. Stew Mac brought in a dedicated bass player setup bassist to share decades of experience. I encouraged all bassists regardless of skill level. I learned things and have 50+ years under my bass playing belt.
Bit disappointed, got the notification for this video and was really hoping for some tips for how to look after my Bass in its new tank and get him to feel settled in at home
Great video guys thank you... But I do have one point about fret polishing and using steel wool. The magnets in the P/Us will (no matter how hard you try to avoid it) attract the small pieces of steel that do break off when polishing. those little pieces may affect the output and or sound of your P/Us. . Better to use Stoctch Brite pads or purchase some fret erasers. Thx again, ATB. Lovely outro Cici, could have listened to more of that ; )
Watch out with those fret collars made of metal. They can scratch your fret board too as you rub and polish. I'd put masking tape on the under-side of the fret collar to protect your fret board.
Thank you so much for this, I just bought my eldest niece her first bass, and immediately knew I had some work to do on it but that I was completely out of my element. This is exactly what I was looking for.
Changing the strings is a good shout. My personal experience is that the strings tend to be very poor quality, especially on more budget brands and if you change them out for a decent quality set it can make a big change in terms of the sound quality and ease of playing. When you do that, you also need to mind that you may need to reset the intonation and possibly adjust the neck, especially if you are changing string gauges.
Really enjoy Anderton’s videos. I Like these 2 who are clearly very good Bass players. I am not a Luthier, but I set up and maintain all my own guitars and Bass. If you have never set up your own Bass before I would strongly suggest ignoring this particular video and go elsewhere to learn these skills. As I say, I like these 2 but that was truly hopeless. Certain with some preparation you could do so much better.
Excellent guide, thanks for posting. I would just add that when re-stringing, the final turn of the string on the tuning peg should be at the lowest point. Particularly on the E string, this will give the maximum breakaway angle on the nut. As you wind the string, just keep some downward pressure and tension and it should naturally coil like this. If you don't do this, you will probably have tuning / stability issues.
Agree to that! If the headstock is not angeled, like the bass here, it should definitely have more than 2 winds. 4-5 is better. Should not affect the "stay in tune" issue at all. If a string breaks (always at the bridge) you will then also have enough lenght left to reuse it :)
As much as i appreciate all of your content guys, there are some notable errors with the information provided in this video. For example, the intonation explanation from Cici isn't correct (wrong way around) Also, truss rods do not affect intonation really at all (unless maybe extremely off). Finally, all guitars/bass do need some relief in the neck - a perfectly straight will cause issues as there is no room for the string to vibrate. This is more important on a bass than a guitar. Looking down the neck isn't an accurate way to look at the neck relief either, you would be better doing a basic 1st/last fret and touch at 12th fret test at the very least. Regarding action on the saddles, there is no mention that you are meant to keep these to the radius on the fretboard, meaning you would likely make playability worse if you just adjust them unknowingly. I love your channel but had to comment on this video. All the best.
Additionally, the harmonic is a very poor indicator of fret intonation as the harmonic would not be off key compared to the bridge intonation; it should be a fretted note as far as I know.
Nice vid. Re: 17 mins, I have to admit, I find my headstock tuner doesn't work so well on the lower bass strongs (especially if I'm in a rehearsal room or similar with other instruments making noise); the in-line tuner seems to work better for that.
It looks weird the way that you have the instrument laid out. I'm used to seeing maintenance being done with the bass laid out at 90° to the playing position.
So why did you not show the intonation procedure... Not even did you press down the string at 12. fret! Which is crucial 😉. Setting the action btw must be done before intonation check/ adjust. Wonderful Dune tune there ar the end 🎸
Oh my stars this was like watching cats trying to make dinner at a cook stove. I am guessing 90% is due to nerves of being recorded. There was a lot of info that could have been scripted better instead of following topic categories. The one big thing mentioned i used to do at 15 or 16 was never stretch new strings to get them to stay in tune better. I learned that much later in life after switching from Ernie Ball to the German brand, Pyramid.
just a suggestion to the captain and his team , cici could need some help with all that has happened to her and Dave (the house being fooded ) could there be a fundraiser to help them ? or something to help them .
22:10 The Octave harmonic will always be in tune with the open string. To check intonation, you need to actually fret the note.
Good point.
Remember that intonation should be done last, after you adjust the action.
All you need to is TRAIN.
T = tune (which should be done after each tweak).
R = refief (adjusting truss rod)
A = action
I = intonation
N = noodle on your beautifully set up instrument.
…as for more “tips and tricks” videos…
All bass content, is very welcome and appreciated! Great stuff, cheers
They're back! It's going to be a great day
perfect timing - I'm just finishing building a bass with my daughter and this info will help !
This is the best bass setup video I have seen to date. Stew Mac brought in a dedicated bass player setup bassist to share decades of experience. I encouraged all bassists regardless of skill level. I learned things and have 50+ years under my bass playing belt.
Cici that outro lick was buttery smooth. So good.
Bit disappointed, got the notification for this video and was really hoping for some tips for how to look after my Bass in its new tank and get him to feel settled in at home
Wrap it in tin foil and put it in the dishwasher. Secret tip. 😂
Great video guys thank you... But I do have one point about fret polishing and using steel wool. The magnets in the P/Us will (no matter how hard you try to avoid it) attract the small pieces of steel that do break off when polishing. those little pieces may affect the output and or sound of your P/Us. . Better to use Stoctch Brite pads or purchase some fret erasers. Thx again, ATB. Lovely outro Cici, could have listened to more of that ; )
Watch out with those fret collars made of metal. They can scratch your fret board too as you rub and polish. I'd put masking tape on the under-side of the fret collar to protect your fret board.
Love these bass vids...and Lee you're subconsciously hilarious😂.keep up the great work guys🎉
Yes more bass vids and more vids with these two they are great together
An excellent video! Thanks for making this, very helpful for an old geezer who is a new bass player. :-)
I started playing Bass recently but still found this helpful
top notch job cc as always,
Thank you for this vid! Just got a new P-bass and definitely need to set it up as the action is quite high. I needed this video!
A Micro VR! Awesome!!
We need to hear some Bass VI and some guitar through that beastie!
Oooowwwhhhh yeah baby, this bass got his mojo back!
I love you guys!
like the level42 outro 👍
Thank you so much for this, I just bought my eldest niece her first bass, and immediately knew I had some work to do on it but that I was completely out of my element. This is exactly what I was looking for.
Satisfying to watch. I do a clean and setup everytime i restring.
Changing the strings is a good shout. My personal experience is that the strings tend to be very poor quality, especially on more budget brands and if you change them out for a decent quality set it can make a big change in terms of the sound quality and ease of playing. When you do that, you also need to mind that you may need to reset the intonation and possibly adjust the neck, especially if you are changing string gauges.
Really enjoy Anderton’s videos. I Like these 2 who are clearly very good Bass players.
I am not a Luthier, but I set up and maintain all my own guitars and Bass.
If you have never set up your own Bass before I would strongly suggest ignoring this particular video and go elsewhere to learn these skills.
As I say, I like these 2 but that was truly hopeless.
Certain with some preparation you could do so much better.
Agreed. Not a great video.
Excellent guide, thanks for posting. I would just add that when re-stringing, the final turn of the string on the tuning peg should be at the lowest point. Particularly on the E string, this will give the maximum breakaway angle on the nut. As you wind the string, just keep some downward pressure and tension and it should naturally coil like this. If you don't do this, you will probably have tuning / stability issues.
Agree to that! If the headstock is not angeled, like the bass here, it should definitely have more than 2 winds. 4-5 is better. Should not affect the "stay in tune" issue at all. If a string breaks (always at the bridge) you will then also have enough lenght left to reuse it :)
As much as i appreciate all of your content guys, there are some notable errors with the information provided in this video. For example, the intonation explanation from Cici isn't correct (wrong way around) Also, truss rods do not affect intonation really at all (unless maybe extremely off). Finally, all guitars/bass do need some relief in the neck - a perfectly straight will cause issues as there is no room for the string to vibrate. This is more important on a bass than a guitar. Looking down the neck isn't an accurate way to look at the neck relief either, you would be better doing a basic 1st/last fret and touch at 12th fret test at the very least. Regarding action on the saddles, there is no mention that you are meant to keep these to the radius on the fretboard, meaning you would likely make playability worse if you just adjust them unknowingly. I love your channel but had to comment on this video. All the best.
Additionally, the harmonic is a very poor indicator of fret intonation as the harmonic would not be off key compared to the bridge intonation; it should be a fretted note as far as I know.
Did he really use a harmonic to test the intonation?
Pushing the Strings with your Thumb, to bend the Strings at the Saddle, the Nut and the Tuners will give you superior tuning stability.
Nice vid. Re: 17 mins, I have to admit, I find my headstock tuner doesn't work so well on the lower bass strongs (especially if I'm in a rehearsal room or similar with other instruments making noise); the in-line tuner seems to work better for that.
I need to do an in-depth on the bass I built. It is likely wonky.
Why haven’t you guys done a Sound like Blur yet????
It looks weird the way that you have the instrument laid out.
I'm used to seeing maintenance being done with the bass laid out at 90° to the playing position.
Lee is being a bit tight with the Montepresso. The bloke from Monty's cakes it on, leaves it a while, then rubs it off
(And then the Montepresso too😈)
So why did you not show the intonation procedure... Not even did you press down the string at 12. fret! Which is crucial 😉.
Setting the action btw must be done before intonation check/ adjust.
Wonderful Dune tune there ar the end 🎸
Oh my stars this was like watching cats trying to make dinner at a cook stove. I am guessing 90% is due to nerves of being recorded. There was a lot of info that could have been scripted better instead of following topic categories. The one big thing mentioned i used to do at 15 or 16 was never stretch new strings to get them to stay in tune better. I learned that much later in life after switching from Ernie Ball to the German brand, Pyramid.
Don Alias bobbing behind Jaco says it all
just a suggestion to the captain and his team , cici could need some help with all that has happened to her and Dave (the house being fooded ) could there be a fundraiser to help them ? or something to help them .
I used to play first base! Sorry that was too easy...
Talking of things ‘pale and dry’, what ever happened to Chapman? Just curious.👍😎
Rob
Well, it's no Dave's World of Fun Stuff, but what is?
I see, Ernie Ball didn't pay to show their cool Wonder Wipes eh?