Fixes to reduce string tension.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Eduardo Barbosa

I hope this is relevant,
In my experience the height of the nut dramatically changed the feel of my basses.
I have it as low as I possibly can with no buzzes.

I re-cut almost every Nut if too high to as low as possible. The danger here is changing string gauges. If using a larger diameter gauge and you need it low and then go to a thinner gauge after lowering the Nut, then you might get buzzes. The fixes depending on the exact problem or degree of it is to either slightly shim the Nut or, shave the fingerboard back from the half position to the Nut or from somewhere in-between.

The music we play is hard enough. Why fight the bass more than you have to?

[Brian Gencarelli]

Thanks all, for your detailed responses!

@Arnold- Thanks for your ideas. I can easily play with the tailpiece and the post. I was thinking that. I know you have a very fancy high saddle, and I wil probably be up your way in July. I hope to drop by the shop and bring the bass. I might play with the saddle height in the mean time. Also, I will throw a different G string on there to see if it feels better. I just like the way these sound on the bass. I don't believe there is excessive camber on the board, but I will get out my straight edge and turn out the lights.

@Eduardo- The nut is pretty low. I will double check with a couple of business cards, but it should be really close.

@Ken and Eric- I know that my overstand needs to be corrected, that is a fact. I am planning on bringing the bass with me to see Arnold this summer, so maybe he will be able to look it over and come up with a plan. I just need a "band-aid" right now. The bass is not unplayable, but it is harder to play that I would like. I am playing unaccompanied Bach, and a few other things that the tension makes harder to articulate with the left hand.

@All, the bass sounds really good. I just want to optimize it's playability. In the long term, I want to look at a neck reset and shortening the string length. In the short term, I want to try the most effective things I can comfortably do quickly to make it feel better to play. I can handle TP wires, bridge, FB dressing, SP movement, installing a different saddle, etc... and I should have a little time this weekend. (Thanks Presidents!)

I appreciate the suggestions,
Brian

[Anselm Hauke]

Originally Posted by Brian Gencarelli

@Eduardo- The nut is pretty low. I will double check with a couple of business cards, but it should be really close.

i think ONE card should be enough

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Anselm Hauke

i think ONE card should be enough

I agree but one card at the very most. On my basses that I have tweaked, you can feel the bass squeeze a piece of paper against the nut because I take it down almost to the board.

While you have your 'straight edge' out, check along the neck/fingerboard joint to see if the neck under the board is perfectly straight. Depending on how true your straightedge is, check everything with both sides of the tool. We have machined steel and aluminum ones here. They are sent out on occasion to be re-trued.

For the 'band aid' fix as you put it, lower the Nut almost to the board so that the single card is squeezed tight when slid under the string when it tries to touch the nut unless your board is perfectly flat. If flat and I highly doubt that, one card height for medium playing and two for animal attack hard playing.

On the sound post, place it right under the bridge foot, centered one post diameter below it. Further down or out might make the bass feel tighter regardless of the sound difference.

On the TP length, 2 octaves and a fourth in sound for the after-length but the A and E will be sharp with a regular TP so just the G and D tuned. The G to a C and the D to a G. That's your starting point for the tailwire but if you let the TP up more towards the bridge, at least you will know where 'one/1' is if you have to go back.

On the TP wire over the saddle, like you cut notches in the bridge, I cut notches in the saddle deep enough so the wires are in place and do not slide away. The width that comes out of the tailpiece to the endpin collar in a continuous taper if any is fine for me. No drastic pushing them tighter or further apart hokus-pokus in my book. Just secure so it does its job.

Down the road, as far as your neck-set goes or you string length, remember that shortening the length will push the notes higher towards the bridge unless the Top is cut or the bridge is moved up. I have had many 43's-44's shortened to 42" and it's not so easy to get the notes around the octave where you want them as the body of the bass with its shoulders were designed for that length you have now. Maybe the design is good or maybe not or maybe shortening will put the notes in even a better place. The good thing is as you mentioned is you are coming to Arnold's and he is one of the best in regards to placing where the notes go and so on. Working with him on several restorations and set-ups has greatly broadened my knowledge of the 'whole picture' concept in regards to this particular issue with basses that are too long. If you have an Eb neck, it's easier to shorten. If it's a D at 43", then you or rather Arnold has his work cut out to do this job in regards to note placement near the octave area.

[Brian Gencarelli]

Ken,

Wow, thanks for that detailed reply. My straight edge is a pinnacle that I paid $40 for just for this very thing. It is really true...

I will make sure that it is "one" business card, I have always heard two cards, so that is why I said that. I plan on putting it in "the bass clamp" today and tweaking the set up, TP wire, etc... seeing how that feels. Thanks for the pointers.

On our northern excursion, my wife has family in Conn., I plan on hitting all of the major shops on the way there or back. We are celebrating our 10th anniversary this year so we are going to take a couple of weeks and visit her family, and I get to see some areas that I haven't seen since I was very small. I have been to NY plenty of times, that's where my Dad was from, but I haven't been to NE much. We are going to plan the itinerary around the shops and "Diners, Drive-In's, and Dives". Should be a lot of fun!

Best,
Brian