Make Your Sh*tty Bass Play Like a DREAM (5 Steps)
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- Опубліковано 2 тра 2024
- 👉 My full beginner bass course: yeah.bassbuzz.com/setup
Can a simple bass setup make a cheapo bass sound as good as a $1000 axe?
In this video I’ll show you how to set up your bass with a dummy-proof step-by-step method. (just TRY and screw this up, I dare you)
You’ll save a ton of money doing this yourself, and all you have to do is waltz through the five bass set-up steps I show you in the video:
1. Adjust Your Trussrod
This gives the neck the right amount of bow for buzz free playing.
2. Set Your Bridge Saddle Height
Get the strings the right distance from the fretboard so they’re easy to play (still with no buzzing).
3. Check the Nut
Measure to find out if you need professional help (the bass, not you personally).
4. Tune Up Intonation
Get your notes in tune ALL over the neck.
5. Pickup Height
Dial in solid volume without distortion.
Chapters:
0:00 How to Setup Your Bass
1:30 Step 1: Trussrod
5:00 Step 2: Bridge
8:21 Step 3: Nut
9:47 Step 4: Intonation
12:21 Step 5: Pickups
14:57 Can Gio Tell?
You read all the way through this video description… you must really like bass lessons. Subscribe so you don’t miss the next one - yeah.bassbuzz.com/subscribe
That's Gio Benedetti rockin' the blindfold - www.giobenedetti.com/
#BassSetup #BassBuzz
I hope this vid helps you nail your first setup! If you’re an experienced setter-upper (?), please share your favorite tips you wish you’d known as a n00b to help out the bass fam. 🎸
If you are lazy you can just look down the at the neck from the headstock and see if there is curve and adjust until you get it right
I always had SO much trouble "sighting" the neck like that. I know some people can do it though.
Not exactly a tip, but the way I remember the intonation thing is that when you fret a string up the neck, you're making it shorter and that's why you get a higher pitch. So if your intonation's out and the notes are too high, the string is too short!
@BRETT I would agree for those who are not gigging musicians because if you're rehearsing 1-2x weekly, practicing on your own 5-7x a week, and gigging 1-2x monthly, it's a good idea to set up your bass once every 3-4 months. At that point, it gets pretty expensive.
I'll also say that if you do learn to do it on your own, it's pretty easy. You basically just need the correct allen wrenches and proper measuring tools
This video series is all you need ua-cam.com/video/te44eWXd9pc/v-deo.html this is how I learned to set up my own bass -- recommend setting it up to default specs the first time and then tweak from there to see what you like
Man, you really are the bass dad we all need.
Clear bass of daddy issues.
As a bass, drum and guitar tech I can tell you none of this stuff is hard. Takes repetition just like learning to play. Eventually its burned into your brain and you will become a thousand lazy musicians hero and you'll never have to worry about a band members instrument being less than gig/studio ready again! You'll also never have to pay to have work done again either. It's a win win win situation.
Thanks bass dad!
just don´t let him go to buy cigarrettes
Amen to that, bass Dad!
babe wake up bassbuzz just uploaded the exact vid that I need
Fr tho
like i didn't even know my bass came with alan wrenches till i watched this 😭
innit
Holy shit, first bass player with a girlfriend
Tobias: "I'm looking for something that says 'Dad likes Bass'".
Clerk: "You mean 'Bass Daddy'"?
I got a bass for Christmas, a squier precision bass. I’m self taught and I always thought that maybe my technique was bad and that’s why sometimes the notes buzz, but after doing all these steps that you mentioned there is little to no buzz at all. Thanks for these tips, really helpful!!
I think a little buzz on bass is neccessary honestly at least on the low string. Just a preference I guess.🤷♂️
A bass should have a touch of buzz. That's how you get the grind.
It's a Squier... not a squier.
omg i did too! twinz hahaha
Well c'mon now... a squire precision is hardly a shitty bass
But still a cheap one.
@@zeenedin9013 There are far cheaper ones out there than genuine Fenders, even if it is just a squire
@@ajburdett882 of course, but still, a squire is a budget bass.
@@zeenedin9013And if the title of the video said "Budget Bass" I wouldn't have made the comment
I'm still lost on this. In the 2000s we all hated Squires, so what happened? The quality certainly didn't improve. I think everyone just got nostalgic.
Learning to do my own setups was a total game changer. I spent a lot of years playing basses that were NOT ideally setup because I didn't have resources to learn and I was afraid to mess around and learn the hard way. Thanks to UA-cam and videos like this my instruments have been much more playable for years now.
AFAIK, the setup routine costs under $100 at guitar workshop, and you really need to do it only when you change the caliber of the strings.
So it's not necessary to play the instrument set up poorly, actually
From my experience:
1. Lower the string height a bit (too high and it's hard to play, too low and it buzzes)
2. Brush lightly and polish the neck (the original finish is often sticky)
3. Invest in good strings (most factory ones on cheap basses are shit)
4. Tune the bass properly, adjust the saddle as needed
5. Play a lot and revisit the setup in a few weeks
Cheers!
What separates good strings from bad strings?
@@mykelfam6984 build quality, feel, and sound
it does actually make a difference
i recommend dr hi beams
@@mykelfam6984 $$$$$
Wdym polish the neck, like with sandpaper??
I picked up a Sire Marcus Miller bass off the rack at a store. I'd never played one before. The fretboard and neck all had a glossy finish, and I didn't realize until then how much I dislike a glossy finish on the neck! Makes my hand stick if there's any moisture at all. I have a Sandberg with a slim-profile neck that's a smooth satin finish, and is the fastest neck I've played on any bass. My Yamaha BroadBass 735a came with black matte paint on the neck, but over time from playing it, it's becoming glossy and is slowing me down. I'm gonna need to buff it with some super-fine steel wool or something, I think, to rough it up again.
"Pickups are these magic blocks created by wizards to transform the vibrations of the strings into amplified bass sorcery." 🤣🤣
Finally a lesson that explains the whole process of a setup, not only the how, but the why as well and what expectations you may have once each step is performed! Thanks from an absolute beginner.
This video actually saved my pbass. I was going to sell it for half the price out of frustration...all it needed was a trust rod adjustment. Safe and easy thanks ❤
Special note for owners of Rickenbacker basses (such as 4001, 4003):
1) If your truss rod needs adjusting, it's a nightmare due to the awful design
2) If your bridge needs adjusting for string height, it's a nightmare due to the awful design
3) If your nut needs adjusting, no special issues except for this being a job for a pro anyway
4) If your intonation needs adjusting, it's a nightmare due to the awful design
5) If your pickup height needs adjusting, it's just like any other bass. As long as you've removed that plastic pickup cover over the bridge pickup, the removal of which is a nightmare, due to the awful design...
Hahaha, I guess you're not very happy with the Rick!
@@michalkbass You guess correctly! I have a walnut 4003. It's turned out to be a 'don't meet your heroes' experience. There are build quality issues with it as well.
My Fender jazz bass was half the price and is twice as good...
@@HandbrakeBiscuit Sorry to hear that. I guess I'll keep my Pbass then...
Spot the fuck on.... my 4003 has been a nightmare... due to the awful design.
I am also a ricky owner who had to deal with its poor qualities. Setup was a pain, but it plays great now, and the strange neck contouring feels like home to me. I just wish the sound was as versatile as a jazz! In every single gig I've played, I always reach for it over the ricky. Maybe when I finally play with a hard rock band, the rick can shine.
...and then I'll have to worry about it walking away on me or somebody spilling a beer on it.
I have always loved doing setups. Being a lad of low funds back in the mid 70s, learning to make my budget pieces play as well as possible was very necessary.
These tutorials you make are A+. Little or no movie director background music, fun and funny, snappy and we don't need to see your beloved dog. But most of all, talent as an educator and of course bassist. thanks
I have no clue why I thought eating soup through this video is a good idea. Almost spilled some of it laughing multiple times.
This video came just in time for my first "in the box" Squier (before, I only played a used one, which was already set up for a music store's display shelf). Following the Josh's steps really made a night-and-day difference for what an out-of-the-box bass feels like to play. Thanks, Josh.
I've had my bass a little over a month, and did my first ever truss rod adjustment a few days ago to eliminate some fret buzz. As I was retuning my strings, I noticed that my pickups were a little loose, so I mentally congratulated Ibanez on their *excellent* quality control and tightened the screws down.
When I played it the next day, I noticed that not only was the fret buzz gone, but my bass just overall sounded better, too. Mellower, but more ring-y. More sustain, you might say. What an amazing truss rod adjustment I had done 😃
Now I know that the improved sound was actually due to me lowering the pickups.😅 I'm so glad Josh posted this video and I never told that embarrassing story on the internet.
In my time selling basses I was blown away how much better a lot of squires were set up than MiM fenders. Some of those things had high enough action for hippies to slack line on
I hate it when adjusting my truss rod causes economic downturn... 😢
Hey Josh - I just want to thank you for this video. I recently had my bass set up by a local shop ('cos I was afraid of the truss rod), but I wasn't happy with the job. Instead of going back and forth with the shop, I FINALLY overcame my fear of truss rod adjustments (thanks to you) and, following your awesome guide, was able to get my bass very comfortable to play. Your step by step instructions were super easy to follow. Thank you again SO much!
This has to be one of the most helpful tutorials I've found on my journey into the lower frequency world (and I've dug deep!). It covers everything I need to know, and having spent a couple of years struggling to play a guitar with an awful set-up in the past, before giving up on guitars for the next 50 years, this is going to save me so much grief when my new (second hand) cheapish bass arrives next week.
My sincere thanks from across the Big Pond, BB!
Another good test for the nut height is to use a tuner. First of all, make sure the bass is properly intoned at the octave/12th fret. Once you are happy with that, then hold down the note at the first fret. You will probably find that it's a little sharp if the nut is set too high (it's almost like you're bending the string just to fret it). Setting it right makes it so much easier to play as well as making it sound sweet. It isn't too hard to do this yourself with a set of nut files if you can afford them. Just remember there's no turning back if you go too far (well, there's a couple of fixes that can work, or buy a new nut; a good excuse for an upgrade).
Cool test!
Thank you! I followed Josh's instructions and had the open strings and 12th frets perfectly in sync but my first few frets were sharp. Now I know why and am ordering nut files.
Excellent. You have taken control of your own bass playing comfort. And showed everyone!
So VERY helpful and informative while being entertaining at the same time, thank you! Got my first bass/first electric guitar this week and out of the box it has a terrible buzz but even after reading what I could I was still uneasy to start doing adjustments beyond just tuning. I feel much more confident on how to approach this now. BassBuzz, count me as a fan (and subscribed)!
Such a great video. It's time to finally check the bow of my neck. I've been afraid to touch it, but you have given me courage.
The amount of detail and clarity is incredible! Thanks Josh!
Best setup walkthrough I’ve seen. Thanks for making it clear.
Can't believe you didn't mention "righty tighty lefty loosey" mnemonic regarding truss rod adjustment. Sounds dumb but it truly works :)
But to mnemonic rule something is missing: from which point of view?
All well and good.....unless you have a Pedulla. With a hankering to be different, these go in the opposite direction.
@@jphvneteventually you don’t think about the pov
I just bought a bass ukulele, worked out the tuning is the same as a guitar and found your videos.
Every time I watch and play along with one, I end up almost transported with joy at how accessible you make it all.
I've been wrestling with guitars for 25 years, and yours are the first videos about stringed instruments which truly resonate with me - to such an extent that I've even worked out that I've actually been fitting some fairly intense basslines in my 6 string playing, and although I've only been playing the U-bass the inside of two weeks (at this datestamp), I'm so much further along with my little bass than I could've dreamed; you've also helped to finally unlock looking for alternative notes and counter-riffs, and I'm even rapidly progressing with Tabs!
I progressed so far in the first week, that my local music advisor has invited me to play the bass in their Uke Group - and I've already written/conceived TWO different simple (and obviously simple and naive) basslines for our next full rehearsal!
...and anyone thinking that this sort of thing can only happen up to a certain age needs to think again.
I'm 61.
My FORTY year old self would be jealous of this.
My TWENTY year old self would think I'm one of the coolest old farts on the planet.
You're part of me discovering myself, and rediscovering life and all that stuff - like one of those corny movies.
Hell, yeah, I'm subscribed, and I'm glad to 'meet' you.
Thank you so very much.
Really good video. Most other videos on the subject of bass setup tend to be overwhelming or intimidating. This, by contrast, eliminates all the extra nonsense and confines the discussion to the essentials. Great job!
I've learned a lot from your videos, but this one might be the best one yet!
I bought a new bass that I absolutely love, but the E string was buzzing, and the B string buzzed a little as well. Checking the B string, it was also a bit flat at the 12th fret. I followed the steps in the video, and by raising the bridge height on B and E, and changing the string length on the B, I got rid of the buzzing!
The bass feels amazing to play now, and I'm happy I didn't need to take it in for a setup.
Thank you, Josh, for making our days better with your videos 😎
Thanks for watching!
❤
Amazing, I just set my friends' bass yesterday, but completely missed some tips on 4th step and that last! Oh boy.
Love you.
Just wanted to say that you’re one of my favorite bass channels. I used it when I first started, and I still use it to see what else you have to say, as well as forward it to my beginning friends.
Incredibly thorough and helpful guide, Josh. Thank you. I have always taken my guitars to a good tech, because good techs are magicians, but I’ll run your tests here on my bass to check the setup.
Thanks, what a great resource your channel is. I did the truss rod check just now and discovered my bass needs to be tightened a bit. And now I know how easy it is to do that.
Finally ran with my idea, nice! Awesome stream Josh. Loved the interview by the way, you're still the most interesting and coolest bass channel on here :)
Thanks for this, Josh! It helped me finally nail my setup. Telling us where to fret when measuring and especially how to pull up on the strings when adjusting for intonation. This was like my 3rd or 4th setup, but it came out perfectly. (Former Beginner-to-Badass student here, by the way. TOTALLY recommend it for people just starting out!)
THANK YOU!!! In addition to the very useful advice in your videos, I appreciate your great sense of humor.
My CARVIN came from factory (17 years ago) in pretty good shape but the truss rod needed adjustment. Thank God I had a buddy who knew how! This video will help a lot maintaining my guitar. I’m really grateful for your channel, Josh! I re-watch and practice to a BB video about 6-7 times a week. Jamming.
Thanks Brett!
Keep 'em coming brother! Learnt heaps from this vid
Thank you for this. Setup was always super scary for me and I basically never touched anything. This was the first resource anyone has ever made that makes it actually easy to understand and doable lmao
That was explained so perfectly. I enjoy doing all my own set-ups & maintenance on my guitars and bass. (add a little fret end dressing) and it plays like a Custom-shop. Great stuff presented here. oNe LovE from NYC
Hi Josh, I followed every step carefully and now both of my basses play like a dream -a 4 string Fender PJ and a 6 string Ibanez-. I can't believe how simple it was and how well it turned out, just like a pro (and you also saved me a lot of money!) Thank you so much and greetings from Argentina!
yooooo the turquoise jazz is my exact bass model! made me smile to see it in a video haha
Nice! It's a killer bass.
@@BassBuzz for sure. it was my first (and only, so far) and i couldn't be happier about it!
And the cheap one is my only model🥺😭 haven’t watched vid yet I hope it’s good things
Excellent video guys, you got it all covered, and correctly for that matter. The hardest part of setting up the bass for me is getting the volume even across strings. It's easy to do with P-style pickups but beyond this, rarely do pickupas have pole pieces arranged exactly as they should in order to follow the contour of the strings and the end result is that you need to ask yourself what kind of compromise you want between strings volume consistency and action consistency. Usually E and G strings need to be higher than ideal, i.e. they must have higher action in order to get more even volume.
This is a Fantastic Video that covers all the Bass adjustment mysteries You MUST know!!
Love your videos, man, even though I play a guitar, not a bass. The production is golden, tips are quite helpful - not to mention your sense of humor!
Never condescending always pleasant always helpful never feels and never feels self serving . Favorite bass channel
Always irratating and trying to be witty and funny. Boring.
I've been a bass player for 30 years and I have one bass, a Fender Jazz Bass, and I love how easy you make things, its very understandable that even a brand new bass player can really get to the next level of bass playing thanks to you! Love what you do and hope you continue being awesome!
Thanks so much for the explanation. I took my bass into a shop recently because I have no knowledge of setups. Cool to be able to get an idea of what they’re doing and how to start doing it myself.
never thought i would have fun playing bass until i followed your steps, thanks sm dude!
Thank you so much for this, I'm setting up an inexpensive bass and the action is sooooo high. This will be useful to make it more fun to play.
Thank you for such a comprehensive video, this is so helpful!
I starting learning bass in 2004 (still learning) my co-workers at the time taught me about setups and different ways to do it and string changes. They didn't explain to me people usually dont learn that early on so I was surprised to learn that some folks are afraid to maintain their own instrument. I was doing my own setups before I could play a major scale.
So fast forward 6 months and I was playing with another bass player. Been playing for about 10 years and clowned me for my cheap bass. We tried each others and he was surprised that mine sounded better and felt better. Not because mine was a better instrument. He didn't know setups were a thing.
If the Fretted note is Flat move the saddle Forward towards the Frets.
Great video, and it solved a couple of doubts I had about string-to-pickup distance. I watched a couple of vids on this issue, and they NEVER actually tell you about it. Sadly, my terror about messing with the truss rod remains, but this encourages me to at least try it sometime. I played my bass for a whole darn year, factory setup, and when I regained the use of my hands, I decided to beat the fear of tuning it myself. My second source of doubt and cowardice is also, intonation. I've had a couple of tuning issues lately, so I fear the dreaded moment of saying goodbye to my beloved strings is near. I guess it's the right time to be bold and neurotically dip into a well deserved setup...
I just picked up a used 5-string bass. Now for the setup!
Just subscribed!
The intonation part changed my whole view on tuning. No wonder my bass sounded ok open but bad when I played... Thank you!
Instructions unclear... I dropped the bass and now my grandma is breakdancing
Thanks for this clear discussion on how to do this setup. I've gone down this road a lot and simply gave up.
I remember when I started playing, grooving out my LTD with a B string to make it a BEAD bass, and then when I went back to E had all these issues until I swapped the nut. Still never knew the card trick until now, wondering how many other of my axes have this issue.
After 20 years and an arsenal of different styles, you literally covered every BASS. Thank you and it looks like I have to repeat this process 17 times now!
Great channel, dude! You have PERFECT didactics!
Quality instruction 👏👏
I got the exact same Jazz Bass in same colour since 2017. I can't believe the buzzing wasn't me. I'm going to fix the bass this weekend on Stream and see how far I can get it.
Thank you very much for the amazing help!
The best bass setup video! Very helpful and informative!
Thank you for this. You helped me so much
In 2008 I adjusted my truss rod and crashed the economy. Never again.
Love that tidepool with the maple fretboard. What a beauty.
excellent video, been playing for years and still learned a few new things
Great video! I would have never attempted adjusting my trussrod otherwise 😅 BUT I did fix the buzzing issue with my strings. Thank you! 👍
Thank you so much for this video. I have been searching for so many years for a video like this. There are some, but they use so many tools that I don't have or things are too complicated and not well explained😭😭
All done. It's like magic. Thank you SO much.
I recognized “Higher and Higher” at 1:40 instantly because of your fantastic course 🙏
Really helpful video about that topic. Many years ago, when I was just starting out, I wish I had all that information.
I used to play a lot with extreme action. It was really challenging, but I assumed that it should be like that).
I set up my $79 Glarry Jazz Bass and spent a little time sanding the neck and fret edges, reshaping the dorky looking head, and now it plays and sounds as good as some expensive Fender Jazz Basses. It was my first bass and the one I learned to play on l. it has a particularly sound I love and I wouldn't trade it for a real Jazz Bass.
Nice!
This is my favorite video of yours so far! It was worth stopping my house cleaning just to watch once it was suggested by UA-cam. Well, back to work I guess, then I can get to perfecting my bass!
Yeah bro ... excellent video ... I knew a big part of the steps but you added some really important and delicate features ... Thanks so much ;-)
I watched 3/4 of the way when I realized I don't have a bass...
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this incredible video. I would have needed this 30 years ago. 😂 I was always amazed when others played their bass guitar with ease and my fingers cramped up.
As my son wanted a drum kit for Christmas, I got my old bass guitar out of the attic. I was amazed at how good a condition it was in. I put on new strings and set up the bass according to your tutorial and I couldn't believe it. THE BASS NOW PLAYS SO GREAT!!! Now, after 30 years, I'm playing again with pleasure, even if I'm a bit "rusty".
Thank you Josh for this super helpful video!
Does this process apply to short scale basses too, or are there any modifications to the process?
I'm starting with a Squire bass, and gave it a full tune-up. The strings are low, no buzz, and is a dream to play. It's a good starter bass for the light price tag, will be ugrading as I learn. Cheers! ☕️
Awesome and a bit of a matrix glitch as I was just preparing my tools for thrust rod adjustment and your new vid popped up. Nice on Josh
Very helpful. Thanks Josh!
Wonderful video! I'm outta wreckin my bass right now!
And I'm thrilled!
If you are adjusting the truss rod and it doesn't want to turn it can be easier if you loosen all the strings at the tuners and then adjust the truss rod. Just remember to tune everything back up again before checking the string height. Loosing the string can also help with adjust the saddles without scratching the bridge up. Yes, it tedious to constantly tune over and over, but sometimes them the shakes.
My Ibanez SR655E truss rod wouldn't turn easily, and it was set close to correct anyway, so I just skipped that step. But sometime I'll try loosing the strings and see if that helps. Thanks!
I want to say thank you so much, i have my bass (first instrument in my life) for 4 days now and i was stressing about my bass buzzing the whole time! One thing about me, if something goes wrong, and i dont know how to fix it, i give up veeerry fast. But i tried the steps you gave me and i think its better now, so thank you for calming me down :) also i prefer your channel over the fender play lessons 🤫
That shirt is awesome! Went to a Glenn Hughes concert last year and the very first song he played was Stormbringer. What an album!
Thanks so much for this video. I bought my first bass about 9 months ago, and the music store said they set it up, but I don't think they tried very hard. I also recently switched to thicker 50-120 D'Addario strings and I've been having a lot of buzz for a while. Took me quite a while but it's feeling so much better and I was able to completely eliminate all buzz and get the tuning right for all the frets. You've been so helpful so far as I've been learning. I watched several of your videos to get started, and tried a couple other people's too, but you just make the best bass videos on the platform, no contest.
@vaporizedkerbal do you play in E standard or do you drop tune? I use those same strings but play D standard and Drop C
@@NodakSavage I just do E standard usually but very occasionally I do drop D. I don't like how loose the string gets though so I try to avoid that
The editing in your videos is top notch
What a super video, real practical no nonsense advice, thank you. The cheap ones are never set up right. You have more likely a better chance of good setup with the expensive ones.
I love watching setup videos because everyone does them slightly different. Its more an art than a science.
Just bought an Ibanez Mikro. Was almost ready to trash it, suddenly remembered "set up". Very helpful video. Thanks !!
Thank you for this video! I bought a Danelectro Longhorn bass from Sam Ash, like, 14 years ago and never messed with it. Finally took it to a local tech a year ago who made some adjustments to it, but I still have a little trouble staying in tune. It’s got a wood bridge, which can make adjustments difficult. But I see professionals using this bass and it goes for $600-$700 online (not cheap), so maybe I just need to make ALL the adjustments you mention in this video. Recorded with it recently, and it sounds amazing, I just want to make sure it’s all set up properly.
This is great information. I'm very anxious about tampering with my bass setup in case I get it wrong, making it sound rubbish, and then can't revert back to what I had before.
Pretty hard to mess it up, unless you set it all on fire or throw it off a building.
@@BassBuzz Thank you for the reassurance! Now to go and find those alan keys...
dude - amazing vids. I mean - freakin good man. Under rated for sure.
I just bought my first bass a week ago and i just discovered yesterday it was buzzing only when pressing the first fret. I was too scared to touch the truss rod so only went on the bridge adjustment. It removed the buzz but action became to high, so i finally decided to adjust the truss rod and readjust the bridge subsequently. Now its so much easier to play.
Excellent video. I wish information had been so easy to find 30 years ago when I first picked up a bass.
FINALLY SOMEONE THAT EXPLAINS IT, Thank you Josh
Honestly, as a new player, this has been very informative. I always found it scary and did bring it to a pro when I got my first bass just to know what it feels like to play a well set up instrument, but I'll eventually learn how to do the setups myself. With all the conflicting information and strong opinions on the *best* setup, I was really confused. Though this video made it go from being quite scary to not so bad. Thanks for the video!
Grabbed a sqire p bass for $150, used (but barely ever touched). Set that baby up and man, this thing feels like an $800 bass! Saved few bucks and it's now my workhorse
I really like the way you show how to set up a bass with simple tools, no special string height measurement tools and sorts.
I play bass for 40 years now and I always did setups myself so by now I'm able to setup a bass without measuring, just by ear, touch and sight.
Even though a standard way of setup is good, it all depends highly on the used strings and your personal playing style. I prefer a lower action because I don't play slap or pluck, fingerstyle only. I also prefer stiffer strings on a fretless because it makes playing easier and you can go with an even lower action. I also do nut work myself as I build basses too.
One thing I should mention is that even if you have setup your bass perfectly, it still sounds cr**p... try other strings before anything else. I've had some basses that just didn't sound good at all, until I used different strings that made them sing. Patience is indeed a virtue.