#707909 - 10/20/05 05:44 AM
How High is Your Action?
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Big Daddy from Motown
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Measured from the crown of the 12th fret to the bottom of the string, how high is Your action?
Low to high on my P Bass w/roundwounds
E=8/64
A=7/64
D=7/64
G=7/64
I was surprised to see how all of my strings were to the same height. I usually just tweek each string untill I don't get any fret rattle.
I play hard so the action is high for most people. How does yours compare?
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#707910 - 10/20/05 06:04 AM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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uber
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what is that in metric ?, a ma feeling a bit thick today ! 
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#707911 - 10/20/05 06:07 AM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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Big Daddy from Motown
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In 64ths of an inch.
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#707912 - 10/20/05 06:53 AM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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C. Alexander C.
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Low to high on my Warwick w with 45-105 s/s roundwounds:
E=7/64"
A=6/64"
D=6/64"
G=5/64"
...approximately: I need a better ruler!
Alex
P.S. Continuing to support the Imperial (English) system...
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#707913 - 10/20/05 08:24 AM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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Big Daddy from Motown
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Alex I'm impressed! That's pretty manly action for a youngster from the motherland.
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#707914 - 10/20/05 08:31 AM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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getz76
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"Manly" action, Big Daddy? Trying to imply something?
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#707915 - 10/20/05 08:46 AM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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C. Alexander C.
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Originally posted by Big Daddy from Motown:
Alex I'm impressed! That's pretty manly action for a youngster from the motherland.
E=16/64"
A=15/64"
D=14/64"
G=13/64"
Alexandra
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#707916 - 10/20/05 09:14 AM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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tnb
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I set my action as low as I can and still get a great tone, good sustain and no annoying fret buzz.
Real bassists don't need devices that measure a 64th of an inch. 
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#707917 - 10/20/05 10:57 AM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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getz76
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I'm with Thomas, my actions is as low as possible while avoiding fret buzz.
I finger my right hand on top of the neck pickup of a Jazz Bass. This means to have low action I have a relatively light touch. I usually have a lot of gain dialed into any amp I use due to this. I have had success with this; when I want to get nasty, I cheat my right hand over the bridge, dig in hard, avoid fret buzz, but get amp overdrive.
Works for me. My low actions is manly.
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#707918 - 10/20/05 11:02 AM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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Big Daddy from Motown
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Alex I was only kidding, of course. I always appreciate your sense of humor and didn't mean to offend anyone. Plese accept my apology.
These days I am keeping my action as low as possible as I am fighting off overuse tendonitis.
I read the bass mags that some manufacturers specs claim action heights as low as 3/64ths. I was just curious if anyone was playing with action that low.
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#707919 - 10/20/05 11:06 AM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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C. Alexander C.
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Originally posted by Big Daddy from Motown:
Alex I was only kidding, of course.
Originally posted by Big Daddy from Motown:
I read the bass mags that some manufacturers specs claim action heights as low as 3/64ths. I was just curious if anyone was playing with action that low.
Alex
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#707921 - 10/20/05 12:19 PM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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bc_dup1
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I gather Jeff Berlin likes a low action and a featherlight touch these days. Anyone interested in telling him to his face that his action isn't manly enough?
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#707922 - 10/20/05 08:51 PM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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Tom Capasso
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I don't have a ruler at hand. I do know that I have slightly higher action on the B, and it gets closer to the board as you go across the strings. This sometimes has an odd appearance given the radius of the board. I'd say mine is probably medium to medium low, but not "low as you can go".
Tom
_________________________
www.stoneflyrocks.com Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt
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#707923 - 10/20/05 09:48 PM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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RHINO_ROB
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i usually set all of my basses up to 5/64" to 3/32" depending neck relief(usually .015"). the better the quality of the bass the lower i can set it. i have been trying to play with a lighter touch. the lower action helps with that.
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#707924 - 10/20/05 10:06 PM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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Dave Sisk
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I haven't measured mine, but may have to go do that now. I know the action on the Stingray5 was really low...with the decrease in humidity here in NC, I was starting to get too much string buzz, so I've actually raised it a bit, which seems to make some of the finger picking technique I'm working on sound a little more "thumpy" and a little less "grindy". The action on my fretless is really low as well, the strings on it have less tension as well, so it seems to be just about perfect to get a really dark thumpy sound with not too much mwah or to get lots of mwah, depending on how much light-touch I use on the fingerboard. The EUB has really pretty high action of course, and I'm not sure how I'm going to setup the hot-rodded Hohner Jack V when I finish it's re-vamping.
All that said, I think I'll measure the Stingray and the Dean fretless next time I'm upstairs...
And I agree...low action does force a light touch, high action seems to inspire more aggressive picking (for me, anyway).
Dave
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Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs.
- Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006
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#707925 - 10/20/05 10:25 PM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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robb.
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i'm going to guess medium-low. mr. gearhead suggests 6/64" on the bass side and 5/64" on the treble side. i have generally followed that.
robb.
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#707926 - 10/21/05 10:03 AM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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57pbass
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As mentioned earlier...
My goal also is good sustain and good tone..
I set the action as low as I can w/o fret buzz..
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#707927 - 10/21/05 10:14 AM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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mattulator
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I'm with the "Low as you can go" crowd - but I play very agressively so I imagine mine would be higher than most.
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Wading \wād-ing\ v. The most common means through which a dry-fly fisherman becomes a wet fly-fisherman.
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#707929 - 10/21/05 10:41 AM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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Big Daddy from Motown
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posted by BC
I gather Jeff Berlin likes a low action and a featherlight touch these days. Anyone interested in telling him to his face that his action isn't manly enough?
From big daddy;
No problem telling Jeff Berlin anything ,i've met him and He has a sense of humor.
It was a joke, lighten up.
To Matt and 57 Pbass
I don't quite understand taking a moral stand that you set your action for miminal fret buzz and good tone. Of course you do! As do I.
However I was interested to find out just how high or low that was. Different strings and or basses will allow different string heights, I was simply trying to get some data on what different people were use to.
This isn't about some idiot saying high action is good and low action is bad. I'm just fishing for information.
Now a note for Alex.
Your fretless action is high enough to get you ready for the upright bass. As a friend of mine said " His strings are so high, they can't even talk to his bass."
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#707930 - 10/21/05 11:02 AM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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getz76
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That's cool, BDfM. I was just giving you some grief because I've heard a lot of beginning players come under the influence of "higher is better," to the point where it is dangerous. I got that when I just started playing, but luckily I got some proper instruction early and had myself set straight. Extremely high action can do physical damage. I've seen some basses in Guitar Center that look like they're more suited for shooting arrows than playing bass.
It's tough, though. Every instrument is different; measurements in a vacuum won't help without the context of the instrument in question. I can tweak a set up and even do a basic setup, but I still consider my techs to be masters that can get far better results than I when it comes to adjust the three variables after I have made my string selection (nut, truss rod, and bridge).
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#707932 - 10/21/05 02:55 PM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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dhomer
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Mine is as low as it will go without buzzing as well, seasonally adjusted... I was wondering for several years now whether manufacturers ever tried a compound radius on bass necks... The fingerboard radius goes flatter as you go towards the body, and action can really be set close.. it works on guitars....
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#707933 - 10/22/05 07:06 AM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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C. Alexander C.
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Originally posted by dhomer:
The fingerboard radius goes flatter as you go towards the body, and action can really be set close.. it works on guitars....
Alex
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#707934 - 10/22/05 08:20 AM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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Luke73
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That was the first time I've ever measured the action on my bass. I measure the pickup height when I set it up, and I'm pretty careful setting up the relief, but don't measure the action - rather just adjust the action to a comfortable height without fret buzz.
Anyway, it was interesting to see the figures posted above, and to note that my action is as follows:
(Warwick Rockbass Corvette 4 string with DR Sunbeams 45-105):
E: 7/64
A: 6/64
D: 6/64
G: 6/64
Is that high, low, or medium? I guess it doesn't matter. It's comfortable and sounds good 
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#707935 - 10/22/05 12:41 PM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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C. Alexander C.
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Well now that we've established that 95%+ of us have our action as low as we can go without buzzing, it would be interesting to find out what that equates to for each of us; particularly those of us that have multiple basses. Come on, pick up some kind of linear measuring device and enlighten us!
Alex
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#707936 - 10/23/05 11:21 AM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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Dave Martin
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I have mine high - I like the tone that comes from playing hard. It's not as high as some I've seen (The late Dee Murray's basses were unplayable to me, but he seemed to do just fine with them..), but they're a lot higher than you'd see on a bass in a music store....
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#707937 - 10/23/05 12:26 PM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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Big Daddy from Motown
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Dave break out the 6 inch lufkin rule and give us some hard figures . Measure from the top of the 12th fret to the bottom of each string.
I have always liked the tone and percussive qualities I get from playing hard. On the other hand speed seems to come with a lighter touch and lower action.
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#707938 - 10/23/05 12:39 PM
Re: How High is Your Action?
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Bottomgottem
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E - 9/64
A - 8/64
D - 7/64
G - 6/64
I had never thought to measure it either. This seems to be high compared to some of the others, though it is comfortable for me.
_________________________
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er, I realised it was a joke, BDFM, as my reply was also intended to be.
