I just purchased an American Professional fender jazz fretless and did my own setup for the first time. Saved me over 100 dollars and it sounds great. Im also leaving on the flats so I dont wear down the rosewood neck. There are certain things bassist can do themselves up to a point. But a professional is always going to be needed if one cant handle the repair.
A few weeks ago, during one of your live streams, I asked whether a P or a J was better suited to Flats. Your recommendation was, to paraphrase, either on, go for it and have fun! I put them on my Fender Jazz along with a Babicz Full Contact Bridge. Wow I did the full set up and brother, it's a blast. Almost seems like a different bass. Thanks for all you do. P.S. I bought 2 shirts last winter. One for me and one for my adult son. Love 'em too.
I love your instruction video, teaching with a touch of humor language. Very helpful and complete for a first time fretless bass setup. BTW do you have any video for electric acoustic fretless bass, specially for intonation adjustment where the bridge for individual string is not available?
dunno if you guys gives a damn but if you are bored like me during the covid times then you can stream pretty much all the latest series on InstaFlixxer. I've been watching with my gf for the last few days :)
Question for ya Dave: Have you encountered back plates on the Fender Jazz basses not matching up to the neck screw holes??? Talking about a Squire neck, not matching the off the shelf back plate from say Guitar Center selling supposedly Fender parts...
Yea she's mine.. I was part of the Act but I fell a long time ago.. I try and keep the same radius and raise the strings, if required, to just above their buzz point.. and I don't touch the Pup height since Dave worked it ;-)
Thanks +Kevin_Lynch. I was thinking this bass looked like fun provided the quality is there. Clearly your experience is good. I may have to look into this further...
mr7wi The quality is definitely there. Also, check out Andertons UA-cam channel - they do a comprehensive comparison of the Mexican Fender Jazz Bass, American Fender Jazz Bass & the Squire Jazz Bass.
TrappenWeisseGuy ; I have an active MIM Fender Jazz that was built in 2001 & the quality is excellent. So 15-20 years ago might not be an accurate statement. 20 plus years ago maybe.
Never understood the plastic numbers, either - how could you mistake one string for another? I make jewelry out of them so send 'em my way and avoid the landfill.
My experience with my fretless squire is that it’s a complete piece of crap unless you love high action. I’ve had cheap Ibanez basses that I can play endlessly with far lower action. What can I do to get the action as low as possible and keep it from buzzing short of trashing it and buying a 1000+ dollar fender?
So nice to see a new vid Dave after a shitty day at work.I was going to send you a nasty message something like"Get off your lazy ass and crank out some videos" LOL
"Flat as piss on a plate" - still chucklin' Mexican is fine. I just added a MIM Precision to my hoard. She's a beaut'. Seller had fitted Creamery '65 pups and an Omega Badass bridge. Oh and changed the white scratch-plate to a black one. I had long regretted selling my old maple Precision. Over the years I kept noticing that Precision sound missing from my tone arsenal. Well, not no more... :)
support.fender.com/hc/en-us/articles/214343843-How-do-I-set-up-my-bass-guitar-properly- To leave some work for you: Dave likes the numbers a bit different.
yeah in fact I like to have my action more on ~4/64", my main concern was about the truss rod relief and the nut action :/ pickup height is something I'm experimenting about
Dave's World of Fun Stuff ....I'm kind of trying to get some knowledge of properly setting up my multiple guitars. On the other hand you do really sound like Chong in The Wash.
Hey Dave, Love what your doing. I just purchased my first neck through fretless and I love it. I guess having no metal frets is nice too and the tones I get! I purchased it as a new but defective Bass( nasty string buzz). They made that very clear and I had to confirm that I read the description. I love fixing things and the challenge it brings; plus i learned the working of a musical instrument. What is your thought on these type of buys?
On a Rosewood Finger board with the standard finish from Fender, Roundwound strings eat the heck out of the Fingerboard. To use Round wound strings on a Rosewood fingerboard without the damage you need to put a hard coat on the fingerboard surface. Jaco used a Boat Epoxy on his Jazz bass necks and I've seen a tutorial on UA-cam on coating a fingerboard with a "Crazy Glue" type of substance, don't remember the technical name for the coating used. If you find a Squire Fretless JazzBass made in Indonesia you'll find that the fingerboard is "Ebonol", which is basically just a plastic wood. I have one of these with upgraded custom shop Jazz Bass pickups and it's suprisingly good. Inexpensive too.
Cyanoacrylate is the tech term, and it works. I spread the thin kind over my fretless neck last year - like 12 coats. My roundwounds haven't made a mark yet. I got my action down to 4/64 also.
Gary Sealy rotosound swingbass 66 please. And don't be afraid of neckeating business. I got one for 20 years now. only once I have the neck a new finish. The better sound of those rounwounds are absolutely worth the extra mile... Got the exact bass from the video. I use it every time I go out with the band. Never let me down. And with some care it will look stunning!
Por favor, cuando des medidas de alturas porque no las escribes,? al no entender suficiente el Ingles , los de otros idiomas no nos enteramos. Te lo agradecerian Todos los de Idiomas diferenters. Perdona y muchas . UN CORDIAL SALUDO
12/64ths?? and it should be half of that which is 6/64ths or 3/32nds...obviously not a machinist, but a riot to watch. Important info IF you happen to have a micrometer or digital calipers it's .0937. Thanks Dave, keep "Chrank'in 'em out".
Man, that really depends what kind of strings you are using. What he describes is actually rather low for some tapewound strings. On a fretless the relief and action have a HUGE influence on tone, so it depends what you are looking for...
Except he says right in the video it's the same as setting up a fretted bass. You just use the finger board instead of a fret. You should probably pay attention...
IDK. I learned very little from this vid. He didn't SHOW any of the adjustments being made, didn't explain why he was doing it, or any of the measurements either. ???? I moved on.
some people can accept being off pitch by just a little...im not one of them. it's like nails on a chalkboard. Some people can play fretless .. there's no doubt in the right situation it's ok. like jazz or playing by yourself .. I played with a bass player who went out and bought a fretless because he thought it would be cool...it was awful...like listening to that awful singer that everyone tells her she gas a great voice but can't stay on pitch...but she sings all the time because she thinks she's great
Ever heard of Jaco Pastorius? If you haven't, I suggest you do some listening. Also do you think there are frets on an upright Bass? Upright Bass has been around for hundreds of years, pretty good run for being a "Bad Idea".
I just purchased an American Professional fender jazz fretless and did my own setup for the first time. Saved me over 100 dollars and it sounds great. Im also leaving on the flats so I dont wear down the rosewood neck. There are certain things bassist can do themselves up to a point. But a professional is always going to be needed if one cant handle the repair.
You are freaking hilarious dude hahahah. Love the video, very helpful with me setting up my first bass made completely from scratch. Thank you 🤘🏼
A few weeks ago, during one of your live streams, I asked whether a P or a J was better suited to Flats. Your recommendation was, to paraphrase, either on, go for it and have fun!
I put them on my Fender Jazz along with a Babicz Full Contact Bridge. Wow I did the full set up and brother, it's a blast. Almost seems like a different bass.
Thanks for all you do.
P.S. I bought 2 shirts last winter. One for me and one for my adult son. Love 'em too.
fretless is nice..cool too have the fret markers to... nice guitar.cool slapper!!!!!!!!
I love your instruction video, teaching with a touch of humor language. Very helpful and complete for a first time fretless bass setup. BTW do you have any video for electric acoustic fretless bass, specially for intonation adjustment where the bridge for individual string is not available?
BTW....you're the funniest guitar tech on UA-cam.
Thanks
dunno if you guys gives a damn but if you are bored like me during the covid times then you can stream pretty much all the latest series on InstaFlixxer. I've been watching with my gf for the last few days :)
@Jabari Salvador Definitely, have been using instaflixxer for months myself :D
Question for ya Dave: Have you encountered back plates on the Fender Jazz basses not matching up to the neck screw holes??? Talking about a Squire neck, not matching the off the shelf back plate from say Guitar Center selling supposedly Fender parts...
no
The owner/operator of that bass must be one of The Wellendas High wire act. Keep it up Dave. I always enjoy your work.
Yea she's mine.. I was part of the Act but I fell a long time ago.. I try and keep the same radius and raise the strings, if required, to just above their buzz point.. and I don't touch the Pup height since Dave worked it ;-)
thanks
Come on Dave, dazzle us with some of your best Jaco chops. ;)
Dave....you remind me so so much of Dave Liddle...who used to be Paul Weller's guitar tech....exact same attitude...hilarious....😁
Dave, glad you did the fretless, i got one about 2 months ago and wasn't sure about the set up! Thanks Muchly....
Hey that thing sounds great in your hands Davey.
The nut area of my fretless jazz is exactly like that. They had to shave some rosewood off behind the nut to accomodate the strings
I see you halved the time of your intro. way to listen to your audience. cheers!
Are the made in Mexico fender basses not too bad ?
Jeff Hebert They're actually great basses! I own a couple MIM Fender J Basses (1 active & 1 passive) and they sound amazing.
Thanks +Kevin_Lynch. I was thinking this bass looked like fun provided the quality is there. Clearly your experience is good. I may have to look into this further...
mr7wi The quality is definitely there. Also, check out Andertons UA-cam channel - they do a comprehensive comparison of the Mexican Fender Jazz Bass, American Fender Jazz Bass & the Squire Jazz Bass.
Depends on when they were made. Modern ones are good. Those from 15-20 years ago, not so much.
TrappenWeisseGuy ; I have an active MIM Fender Jazz that was built in 2001 & the quality is excellent. So 15-20 years ago might not be an accurate statement. 20 plus years ago maybe.
Never understood the plastic numbers, either - how could you mistake one string for another? I make jewelry out of them so send 'em my way and avoid the landfill.
I've seen other MIM factory fretless basses and they must cut those grooves in the nut end of the fingerboard at the factory
Dave, I’ve been wanting one FOREVER, this is very useful when I do get one, and is there any way I can cover up the white lines?
There are blank fingerboard models
IamUncledeuce awesome!
My experience with my fretless squire is that it’s a complete piece of crap unless you love high action. I’ve had cheap Ibanez basses that I can play endlessly with far lower action. What can I do to get the action as low as possible and keep it from buzzing short of trashing it and buying a 1000+ dollar fender?
Higher tension strings.
What is the height for the strings at the nut?
What measurement are you going by with the gauges?
exactly!! I learned nothing from this. A waste of time.
love la Bella Flats :) what gauge would you personally use for flats?
Dave's World of Fun Stuff
That's what I have been using for years. I prefer Rotos or D'adarios.
sweet, been using that gauge of la bella flats on my stingray, sounds fantastic :)
Smooooth Daddy "O"!!!
So nice to see a new vid Dave after a shitty day at work.I was going to send you a nasty message something like"Get off your lazy ass and crank out some videos" LOL
With my fretless it seems the strings smack against the fretboard and I have had it set up by two different people
Dave's World of Fun Stuff fair enough.
"Flat as piss on a plate" - still chucklin'
Mexican is fine. I just added a MIM Precision to my hoard. She's a beaut'.
Seller had fitted Creamery '65 pups and an Omega Badass bridge. Oh and changed the white scratch-plate to a black one.
I had long regretted selling my old maple Precision. Over the years I kept noticing that Precision sound missing from my tone arsenal. Well, not no more... :)
Hey Dave, could you please tell me what are the height numbers you are using to properly set nut / truss rod / action / pickup height?
Thanks :)
I know you are saiyng it on video but I don't really understand spoken english very well, heh
support.fender.com/hc/en-us/articles/214343843-How-do-I-set-up-my-bass-guitar-properly- To leave some work for you: Dave likes the numbers a bit different.
I never would doubt your numbers.
yeah in fact I like to have my action more on ~4/64", my main concern was about the truss rod relief and the nut action :/ pickup height is something I'm experimenting about
Dave usual sets the neck relief at .12 and nut at .20 or maybe it's .012 and .020....
fretless, hence, no fret buss, hah! Dave, that's just crazy talk! Cheers from Mike in Fernwood, tonight
How high should the pickups be s set at? I have the same MIM fretless so it really needs a good set up.
Dave's World of Fun Stuff ....I'm kind of trying to get some knowledge of properly setting up my multiple guitars. On the other hand you do really sound like Chong in The Wash.
Hey Dave, Love what your doing. I just purchased my first neck through fretless and I love it. I guess having no metal frets is nice too and the tones I get! I purchased it as a new but defective Bass( nasty string buzz). They made that very clear and I had to confirm that I read the description. I love fixing things and the challenge it brings; plus i learned the working of a musical instrument. What is your thought on these type of buys?
Flatwounds on a fretless,whose idea was that? rotosound roundwounds thank you very much!
the idea of someone who doesn't want to buy a new neck in 5 years, roundwounds will eat up a fretless neck.
On a Rosewood Finger board with the standard finish from Fender, Roundwound strings eat the heck out of the Fingerboard. To use Round wound strings on a Rosewood fingerboard without the damage you need to put a hard coat on the fingerboard surface. Jaco used a Boat Epoxy on his Jazz bass necks and I've seen a tutorial on UA-cam on coating a fingerboard with a "Crazy Glue" type of substance, don't remember the technical name for the coating used. If you find a Squire Fretless JazzBass made in Indonesia you'll find that the fingerboard is "Ebonol", which is basically just a plastic wood. I have one of these with upgraded custom shop Jazz Bass pickups and it's suprisingly good. Inexpensive too.
Cyanoacrylate is the tech term, and it works. I spread the thin kind over my fretless neck last year - like 12 coats. My roundwounds haven't made a mark yet. I got my action down to 4/64 also.
Gary Sealy rotosound swingbass 66 please. And don't be afraid of neckeating business. I got one for 20 years now. only once I have the neck a new finish. The better sound of those rounwounds are absolutely worth the extra mile... Got the exact bass from the video. I use it every time I go out with the band. Never let me down. And with some care it will look stunning!
12 coats of superglue? LMAO! Epoxy maybe...but superglue?!?!
...and D'Addario flats...and you needn't mess with ANY of that nonsense!
Por favor, cuando des medidas de alturas porque no las escribes,? al no entender suficiente el Ingles , los de otros idiomas no nos enteramos. Te lo agradecerian Todos los de Idiomas diferenters. Perdona y muchas . UN CORDIAL SALUDO
Scratchtacular.
12/64ths?? and it should be half of that which is 6/64ths or 3/32nds...obviously not a machinist, but a riot to watch. Important info IF you happen to have a micrometer or digital calipers it's .0937. Thanks Dave, keep "Chrank'in 'em out".
Man, that really depends what kind of strings you are using. What he describes is actually rather low for some tapewound strings. On a fretless the relief and action have a HUGE influence on tone, so it depends what you are looking for...
To dave or anyone else out there. I
cask music!
12 thou gauge at the 7th fret ...(less)...🤔🤔🤔🤓🤓🤓🤓
THANKS ON THIS ONE DAVE ~ GOING TO PULL OUT MY FRETLESS BASSES AND GO THROUGH THEM ~ CARLOS GUITARLOS 90042
Whoo hoo, Carlos is a legend, Dave! Check out his stuff....
....but your not giving us any valuable info on how to really set up the fretless... too bad.
Except he says right in the video it's the same as setting up a fretted bass. You just use the finger board instead of a fret. You should probably pay attention...
IDK. I learned very little from this vid. He didn't SHOW any of the adjustments being made, didn't explain why he was doing it, or any of the measurements either. ???? I moved on.
nonsense
As a guitar player I'm asking all you bass players....just say no to fretless. It's a bad idea. trust me
WorshipGuitarPlayer defenitly not knowing what you are talking about... man... what about Jaco....
too late. I've been playing fretless for 40 years
some people can accept being off pitch by just a little...im not one of them. it's like nails on a chalkboard. Some people can play fretless .. there's no doubt in the right situation it's ok. like jazz or playing by yourself .. I played with a bass player who went out and bought a fretless because he thought it would be cool...it was awful...like listening to that awful singer that everyone tells her she gas a great voice but can't stay on pitch...but she sings all the time because she thinks she's great
WorshipGuitarPlayer because you don't know how to play one? I don't wanna be that guy but ever since I started fretless I don't wanna go back
Ever heard of Jaco Pastorius? If you haven't, I suggest you do some listening. Also do you think there are frets on an upright Bass? Upright Bass has been around for hundreds of years, pretty good run for being a "Bad Idea".