Nice work, like the tip on helping the trust rod.

The Ernie ball music man website specifically instructs truss rod adjustments be done with sting tension.

@RockSleeper

3 жыл бұрын

That is correct, and all of these adjustments should have been done in playing position.

@sethnicholls7861

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah this guy doesn't get it, he's not working on an old school P Bass lol.

@alexanderjamesINC

3 жыл бұрын

Hey, thanks Seth. Really appreciate that comment. We all have our different opinions.

@alexanderjamesINC

3 жыл бұрын

It's simply just an opinion. I have seen too many destroyed truss rods.

@Bass-ne6dl

2 жыл бұрын

@@boblove2912 I agree I’ve owned two and have never had any issues what so ever and the necks are not weak. the people who make these bass guitars specifically state neck adjustments should be done with string tension hopefully not to many people will copy what this guy tells you in the video

Great set up Alexander, bass plays like a dream!

***IMPORTANT*** Typical and final Truss rod, intonation, and action adjustments should be done in the main tuning intended for the guitar, and in playing position since gravity and resting position will have affect on the curvature of the neck, thus affecting all those other elements. You are also supposed to give the guitar time between adjustments of the truss rod for the wood to stabilize in its position. Continuously tightening and releasing tension on the neck will give inconsistent results during this process since the wood will not have time to stabilize.

@KeinBierVorVierAlter

3 жыл бұрын

Good i found your comment. Just wanted to write the exact same thing.

@alexanderjamesINC

3 жыл бұрын

When that bass goes out the door, it is always checked again for playability and what not. I will try and make my videos more thorough next time.

Thanks, I like the sequence 1) truss rod adjustment, 2) string height, 3) intonation at the 12th fret. Logical sequence of events - good job!

@alexanderjamesINC

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing!

One important thing missing on the video: pickup height. It's very special on stingrays and even more important on HH configurations. It's not just a matter of taste. If you follow ernieball recommandations you'll end up with a 100% parallel pickup that will probably produce way too much low end and a boomy sound without even touching the bass active knob. By using a gain/decibel metter you can spot the level difference bewteen the low and the high strings. The setting depends then of how hard you pluck the strings... Too bad not a lot of videos explain that

Alexander, you did a nice job explaining things in a concise manner. That makes things easier to learn and remember. Thanks for posting.

@alexanderjamesINC

6 жыл бұрын

Tom Parks I really appreciate that. That comment is the reason I make these videos. Thanks again.

@01frugalbassist85

6 жыл бұрын

Alexander, Your welcome sir. I have a question; In your experience, have you seen the Sterling Ray or Stingray bass need repeated truss rod adjustments when new? Like once a month for first couple months of ownership. Just curious of your answer.

@alexanderjamesINC

6 жыл бұрын

Yeah for sure. I have worked on a hand full of them now and numerous ones needed a lot of neck adjustment. I am not exactly sure why, but many of the necks I have encountered from Ernie Ball (bass) have been unstable or down right weak.

@01frugalbassist85

6 жыл бұрын

Wow, so much for quality control !! That's what I was wondering though, if it was a common problem or just me. I bought a Ray35QM Neptune Blue, about 2 months ago from a local dealer and I have taken it back once already for fret noise and a truss rod adj. The neck on mine had no relief at all after playing it for a week or so. Now, at 6 weeks having it back, it won't stay in tune and the neck hasn't held the adjustment. I've bought many new and used guitars and basses over the last 30+ years and have never seen anything quite like this. Beautiful instrument otherwise, but useless like it is. Thanks again, sir. Your input has helped me decide what to do !!

If the rod needs minor adjustment, strings do not need to be loosen - just help the neck bending back while turning the truss rod. And I never adjust the saddles under tension, can damage the screws (especially vintage instruments), I get them up while the strings are loose, tune the guitar a bit below pitch (to take some of the tension off) and then lower the saddles to the right height. I also tune the octaves by playing the harmonics (not open string) on the 12th and compare it to 12th fretted tone, and do it again to check at the 19th fret the same way. Easy.

@bassintermediary1960

4 жыл бұрын

It looked like he pulled the strings up while he adjusted the saddles

@michaelbrown2443

2 жыл бұрын

I agree with all these points!

I really don't want to pile on here, but I have to disagree with much of your advice (bass player with 40 years experience, learned from some of the the best in the biz for how to setup a bass guitar - Zon, Sadowsky, Tobias, Custom archtop luthiers, etc.) First, relief should be set in the playing position. Laying the bass down and using the string to check relief (again with the bass laying down and not in the playing position) after constantly loosening and tightening the strings is just a really bad approach and this was pretty much the first thing that all of the folks mentioned above say about setting basses up (do it in the playing position).The best, way to do it is to have a straight edge (can purchase at Stew Mac), and in the playing position, lay it down the fretboard, and then use a feeler gauge (also can be purchased at Stew Mac) and slide that between the 7th fret and the straight edge. I set my basses to .018" using a .018" feeler gauge in this manner. I have two Stingrays and you absolutely should turn the truss rod with the strings tensioned up to the tuning you will be playing in (Standard, drop D, etc.). If you head over to Roger Sadowsky's (absolute legend in the bass building industry) website he has a video on this and states pretty directly that you do not need to loosen the strings. The only time I would do this is an older bass or a bass where the truss rod feels stuck and you have to apply significant force to turn it. I have owned over 30 basses and I have never had a truss rod that was hard to turn like this but it can happen. The two Stingrays I have you need maybe something like 2-3 nm (not a lot) to turn the truss rod adjustment. If you have to tighten the truss rod, do so in about 1/8 - 1/4 turns. Gently bend the neck at the headstock with your hands (again in the playing position) towards the direction you are trying to adjust after you make your adjustment (as this will help things along a bit - you don't need to crank on it, just a gently push or pull for about a second) and check the relief as stated above. Repeat until you achieve the appropriate relief. Second, string height. Use a 6 inch ruler with 1/64ths markings (again can be purchased at Stew Mac). In the playing position, hold the string down at the first fret to remove any effect of the nut. Measure under the strings to the top of the 12th fret. For reference, I like to have my E string at 5/64ths and my G string at 4/64ths (with the middle strings following the radius and gradually getting lower) for finger playing (if that is what is predominant on that particular bass) and for pick playing, the E string is set to 6/64ths and G string set to 5/64ths as the style of music I play is pretty agressive (so basically everything is 1/64th higher for pick playing. Again, critical to check string height in the playing position. The roasted maple necks on EBMM Stingrays are rock solid as they essentially cook the water out of them. The necks on my basses are adjusted, and when I check back for any fine adjustments a day or so later, they are in the same exact relief measurement (.018") that I set them to previously. Major changes in humidity or temperature will change the relief in all wood necks. But the roasted maple necks on Stingrays are absolutely solid.

Thanks for the informative video. It helped...

@alexanderjamesINC

6 жыл бұрын

Sandip Roy I'm so glad. Thanks for watching!

Thank you brother, very, very helpful! Respect from Russia!

@alexanderjamesINC

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind words! Respect back at you from Canada!

Gostei da dica 👍🏽

Awesome thank you so much 👍🏻

@alexanderjamesINC

3 жыл бұрын

You're welcome! Thanks for commenting.

Great help, thanks

@alexanderjamesINC

3 жыл бұрын

Glad it helped

Hi Alexander, I am a bit confused. You adjusted the neck relief via truss rod referencing open string from nut to bridge saddles at whatever height the bridge saddles were at. Fender and Musicman exclude the bridge for neck relief adjustment and instead measure clearance a fret 1/2 way between nut and 12 fret with string resting on 12th fret. Musicman capos the 2nd fret. After that they adjust string height via bridge saddles. I don't get it? I understand your radius adjustment which I thought was spot on.

@ryangault3010

6 ай бұрын

Exactly what I commented! How can this be accurate if your string height/saddles can effect it!

Do you know how the truss nut attaches to the rod. I have a bass with it missing and I see the replacement part on the sterling website.

The pickup seems set very high and close to the strings.

Thanks for explaining, I never knew which direction the saddles needed to go to be sharp or flat

@RockSleeper

3 жыл бұрын

If the 12th note fret is sharp, think about giving it more length of string to lower the pitch and vica versa for flat. Also Just know most of these adjustments should have been in the main-use tuning intended for your guitar, without releasing tension between truss rod adjustments, and in playing position since gravity and the kind of resting position he used in this affect the curvature of the next.

@jamestown57

3 жыл бұрын

@@RockSleeper it's just something that I knew about since I started but never really learned about. All my players are fine but I should probably check my first bass, it probably needs a tune up by now. I just want to find a pup for it before I really do anything more with it

@alexanderjamesINC

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for spreading the knowledge.

I wouldn't let you touch any of my basses.

@williamfrancis1719

4 жыл бұрын

@@oscarguevara1059 I don't like his setup process or his thought process.

@trevaudio

4 жыл бұрын

William Francis Agreed......I have never seen anybody set up a bass like that....neck relief and action are two completely different things !

Why are you checking radius from the top of the strings? Difference in string diameter will change radius. I would think it should be adjusted from the bottom

@alexanderjamesINC

6 жыл бұрын

Richard Walley for sure. Both schools of thought can be used on a guitar if need be. Both create different feels and it really depends on the customer. I have even had customers that hate when the strings match the radius of the fretboard. Everybody likes a different feeling, so sometimes you have to set it up in non traditional ways.

Thriller

Being the idiot that I am I have always set up my guitars and basses using my eyes and ears. In other words checking the relief with my eye since I only have one LOL. But seriously a string tuned to pitch is an excellent straightedge to check the relief and then adjusting saddle height just so the string doesn't buzz by fretting up and down the neck. And having Perfect Pitch I adjusted the intonation by ear. Not really I adjusted the intonation with a tuner. I have found Ernie Ball Music Man to be the most intuitive guitar or Bass to adjust. P.S. an aged and well used instrument cannot be set to Fresh factory specs. Develop finesse in your adjustments and always check your adjustments in playing position. Concerning pickup height adjustment that is a totally selective operation. I have set pick up to factory specs and found that many times the magnetic pull kills the sustain. Check out Roger Fishers pickup height on his Stratocaster on the video Barracuda by Heart

6:10 supposed to loosen string tension before raising bridge saddles.

@RockSleeper

3 жыл бұрын

and he should have used an under-string gauge, or better yet, used a ruler/feeler gauges to adjust the action on each string since radius gauges are mainly to obtain a general position, not the final position.

Man! You're rough with that bass and seema to be rushed. It gave me anxiety! Glad i do my own setups

@alexanderjamesINC

5 ай бұрын

Rough? It's not a baby. Have you seen musicians and their gear before? As long as you know what you are doing, moving fast comes with professional experience. Once you work at that enough, you will feel confident to move with speed. It's about efficiency in motion.

@faronjohnson3478

2 ай бұрын

Dude, that's a $2,000 plus bass. You're rubbing your hands all over it, tossing g down your tools and seem disrespectful. I don't care what professional musicians do with their gear, as I take a lot of pride in all of my gear. And that truss rod adjustment was down right scary. So you're a professional? Bahaa

Hi alexander, my Korg tuner has Hertz an Cents. Should they give a different result? which do you prefer / recommend? Thanks, Dave.

@alexanderjamesINC

5 ай бұрын

I prefer cents. Sorry for replying 8 months late hahahaha.

what is the ideal space between the pick up and the strings? that gap? how much?

@disfunctionaldiecast7908

4 жыл бұрын

Its up to you, you find its sweet spot

Great stuff! I'm almost unintimidated to lower my action on mine. What size allen wrench for the truss adjustment?

@alexanderjamesINC

2 жыл бұрын

I forget what it is off the top of my head. 4 or 5 mm maybe.

@laurahigle4962

2 жыл бұрын

@@alexanderjamesINC Thanks!

How can that be an accurate truss rod adjustment/measurement, when adjusting string height will change your 2mm? Every thing I've ever learned says that you must fret the low F on the E string and then where the fret board meets the body. Then string height cant play any part in the accuracy of your adjustment..

@alexanderjamesINC

5 ай бұрын

Numerous ways to do it.

I noticed that 45-105 strings on StingRay may be too much and it makes bow anyway. I think that this bass is made for lower gauge strings because with 45-100 and lower this bass can be set dead flat. With 45-105 in my StingRay it's almost never possible. Btw. Those StingRays have 11' radius, not 9,5'. I don't measure anything just set it by touch and on ear because every string is different in tension and output is different too so setting string height and pickup height with any rulers are pointless if strings are not balanced tension and you change gauges/brands. For example D string is almost always the heaviest and E the lightest and need to be a little bit higher to get similar tension and sound under the finger. Of course it's good to increase height of each strings from G to E but never in a way like on this video. And setup intonation with bass laying down on the table...OMG Really?!

@alexanderjamesINC

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your comment and suggestion.

I have fret noise on my F note of my D string. Every other note is fine. I wonder if my bass is bowed, or I may need a fret job.

@alexanderjamesINC

Жыл бұрын

Definitely fret work.

@thescatman5029

Жыл бұрын

@alexanderjames3931 Thanks. Actually, I took it to Rudy's, in NYC. (The store I bought it from, in 2005). It was bowed, but the other way. Tweaked the truss rod. It's good, now!

That Allen key is what size ?? Please and thanks for the response

@alexanderjamesINC

2 жыл бұрын

I forget what size off the top of my head. 4 or 5mm I think

How high do you recommend the pickups are set on a hh4 model?

@alexanderjamesINC

7 жыл бұрын

It really comes down to personal preference of the customer. Too low and the pickup with sound lifeless, too high and the amp may overdrive a tad. Try and aim for a height that sounds good to you and then adjust each pickup for even volume between neck and bridge.

@brianbaker5640

4 жыл бұрын

Ernie Ball recommends If you have a single pickup bass set the pickup height to 6/32" from the plastic pickup cover to the bottom of the G string. Adjust the bass side of the pickup to be parallel with the pickguard. If you have a dual pickup bass set the bridge pickup to the specs above. Follow the same procedure for the neck pickup except set that to 8/32". Look for the bass set up on this page for all the specs. www.music-man.com/faq

Nice video. Question - When you're adjusting the saddles, how exactly do you determine the sharp versus flat and where it needs to ultimately end up? Is it a matter of preference, or is there an ideal "sweet spot?"

@alexanderjamesINC

7 жыл бұрын

Sorry for the late reply Jason. I don't know if I showed it in the video but every time I am plucking the string, I reference the pitch with a tuner. If the string is flat, the saddle needs to come towards the nut and vice versa for sharp. I hope that makes sense.

@pabloessgalhardo5317

6 жыл бұрын

chord length, a shorter chord has an higher pitch

No pickup height adjustment? Cheeseburgers!!!

Ah yes, need the infamous third hand. Noone ever has one…

I was allways told to alter the truss rod while in tune?

@alexanderjamesINC

7 жыл бұрын

You can and should only ever adjust the trust rod (with tension on the strings) when loosening off the truss rod. Never try and force the neck into fixing relief while there is string tension. This can sometimes lead to a broken truss rod. To play it absolutely safe, adjust the truss rod with no string tension, tune up, check the adjustment, take off tension and repeat until you have the neck where you want it. This way you can avoid doing any damage if you are not exactly confident in truss rod adjustment.

@rickb1266

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks, this was very helpful, I've been doing some of the setup wrong all this time.

@RootsBassCanada

6 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I’m in the process of adjusting my trussrod on my Stingray right now. I just loosened the strings. I didn’t know that I have to. Hopefully everything works out.

@JohnECocaine

6 жыл бұрын

This guy is an amateur.

Would you say those standard stingray necks that are finished with gunstock oil are more prone to neck warpage? I prefer lacquer finished necks for that reason (and the fact that they don't get as dirty) and it's one of the reasons I'm wary of getting a standard 3 band ray. I do have an older MIA Music Man SUB which is awesome and neck holds great, but those have a lacquer finish.

@alexanderjamesINC

7 жыл бұрын

I don't think they would be more prone to warping because of the finish. The reason being; a properly made neck (with proper grain direction and drying time and construction technique) won't move on you at all. I have made necks with no finish, but these were built with every aspect of good strong neck design in mind and they are fine to this day. Rock solid.

@mouthmw

7 жыл бұрын

I think even Ernie Ball admits they're a bit more susceptible to weather changes. I'd never trust an unfinished neck to be as stable as a lacquered one. A lot of people have given up on gunstock oil finished Stingrays because of this. Those necks can indeed be finicky in an unstable weather climate. My MM SUB is a rock in that regard. Too bad Ernie Ball doesn't offer a lacquer finish for their standard rays as well.

@alexanderjamesINC

7 жыл бұрын

The lacquer would definitely stop any type of major moisture or temperature changes from effecting the instrument right away but it is not a fail safe for poor storage conditions. All instruments should be kept at roughly 45% humidity and at room temperature (when possible of course). They should always be kept in their case when not in use. In all honesty, a really well built neck made of a slightly oily wood (any type of rosewood or ebony for example) can be finished with nothing. Ernie ball just doesn't make their necks too well IMHO. Their wood grain choice is everywhere and pieces are used the would easily be put in a "project wood" bin at my shop. I have repaired many Ernie Ball basses for the exact same issues. Don't get me wrong, they do sound killer though!

@mouthmw

7 жыл бұрын

I know what you mean man. Nothing can really save a bad piece of wood, lacquer or not. I do have to admit, I always thought EB takes great wood pieces for their necks since they're kind of known to be the best mass production company quality wise. I'll be checking out the 3 band all maple neck Stingray (oil&wax finish unfortunately) next week, but I kind of doubt I'll be replacing my S.U.B. with it (not to mention, mine's a 2 band eq). I barely have to touch that neck for adjustment once I've set it up to my liking. It just holds. Probably because it's your run of the mill straight grain maple under that black paint. I guess that's another topic though, highly figured woods vs straight grain.

@alexanderjamesINC

7 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I hear you. You definitely have a well made neck then. I am not saying all of them are bad. Some were probably made on a Tuesday, others on a Friday hahaha.

All Bass necks should be made with Carbon Fiber Support Rods to help strengthen the necks

@haroldboyd6584

Жыл бұрын

All guitars and basses should use the hot rod truss rod available through stewmac. I put a hot rod truss rod in my Carvin LB76 and it instantly gave the neck more stable feel and more precise adjustment

“ It’s always good to work in small steps” he says after turning the truss rod spoke wheel 25 times.

@alexanderjamesINC

3 жыл бұрын

hey, thanks for the comment

Shouldn’t you adjust the intonation in the playing position?

@alexanderjamesINC

5 ай бұрын

Do it and see how much of a difference it makes. Especially when a particular customer may press harder or lighter than someone else. Always tailor to the customer, not just what a text book tells you to do.

@flukyreview9128

5 ай бұрын

@@alexanderjamesINC it makes a whole difference. Do you play with the instrument on a table or play it in a playing position? As all musicians, your customers, they pay you to set up their instruments properly and to their preferences. 40 years of experience weighs more than books😂😂😂

02:28 who was it?

@alexanderjamesINC

3 жыл бұрын

Hahahaha I forget

i was about to say "don't turn it 17 times dummy" but good job.

4:50 you didn't check the neck for straightness.

@RockSleeper

3 жыл бұрын

he did a lot of things wrong in this

@alexanderjamesINC

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your constant comments @RockSleeper

@alexanderjamesINC

3 жыл бұрын

I will try and make my videos more thorough in the future. Sorry about that.