The only time an instrument needs to be set up is when it is out of adjustment. You should also ask for a new set of strings, and a fresh battery if it's an active bass. just ask the store owner if the nut looks OK. (4) The pickup height is also adjustable this affects the sound (too close to the strings is not good too far away can be too quiet).Īs you progress as a player, you will form opinions about adjustments 1 and 2 - but to start, rely on someone in the store.Ī more complicated part of a setup is checking the nut, and possibly re-filing it or replacing it.
#Setting up bass guitar how to#
You can see if the intonation is correct by comparing (a) the fretted note when you play the string at the 12th fret with (b) the harmonic at the 12th fret (unfretted note) - ask the folks at the shop to show you how to do this. (3) The other adjustment at the bridge is the length of the string, by moving the saddle back or forward - this is to set the intonation (is the string in tune all the way up the neck?).
(2) The "action" (how high the strings sit off the neck) is adjusted at the bridge, usually via small set screws that can move each saddle up or down (on some basses this isn't adjustable for each string separately). (1) The neck has an adjustable truss rod (a metal rod) set into it that can be adjusted to provide more or less "relief" (bow) - to start, you want a little relief (upward bow) so the strings have some room to vibrate without rattling against the frets. A setup, in its simplest form, involves adjusting the adjustable parts on the bass so it plays easily.
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