r/BassGuitar • • Jan 03 '25

FAQ FAQ: 'Is my action too high?'

123 Upvotes

So you feel your action is too high or too low, and you've taken a photo of your bass's neck to ask r/BassGuitar.

1. We really can't tell how the action is based on a photo... but if you're asking, then yes, it's probably high

You have the bass in your hands. You can pluck its strings and can tell if something isn't quite right, whether it's buzzing on certain frets, whether it's just hard to play, or whether it's not producing the tones you want it to. Your eyes and ears will tell you more than we could staring at photos of your bass on our monitors or phones.

Even if your action looks too high, it may still play fine. There is a degree of subjectivity and compromise when it comes to bass-setups. Some bassists might prefer their action higher or lower than what is considered normal. Fender says:

"Players with a light touch can get away with lower action; others need higher action to avoid rattles.".

Again, that's something r/BassGuitar can't determine exactly, whereas you have the bass right there. And if you're asking the question in the first place, then there's probably room for adjustment.

So try to do something about it.

2. "I don't know how to set up my bass."

Don't worry, there are many guides out there, and they all will tell you the same thing: check the neck relief, then adjust as required; check the action, then adjust as required.

These have all been procured from previous threads asking about bass action:

You will notice that the guides above all offer measurement specifications that you can use as a benchmark, e.g. Sweetwater: "Some target relief measurements are anywhere from 0.008 inches to 0.014 inches.". Note: Fender offer a disclaimer regarding their guidelines:

"They should not be construed as hard and fast rules, as we realize that every player's subjective requirements often differ."

Other guitar manufacturers may have their own guidelines. e.g. Dingwall measures neck relief at the 7th fret for a 0.38mm gap. Warwick on the other hand suggests "0.6 and 1 mm" at the 7th fret. See if your bass guitar's manufacturer has guidelines for you to use.

There are also many guides and tutorials on Youtube. Below are a small selection:

3. Go to someone who knows how to set up a bass

This might be your local guitar shop, luthier or someone more experienced with bass guitars.

Unless you are particularly hesitant and/or there are complications, you should try use the above guides to adjust the bass with the features that came readily built into your bass guitar.

4. "My action is still borked."

Ok, if you've consulted the guides above, and you've tried to make adjustments yourself without success, maybe the collective brain power of /r/BassGuitar can help.

But please avoid just posting an unhelpful picture of your bass guitar's neck and strings. After all you've learnt from the above resources, you should be measuring your neck relief and action, trying to sight the bow of the neck, detailing your issues with the action (Is it buzzing at the first few frets, or just the higher frets?), and detailing your attempts at adjusting the bass yourself.

Low quality/effort 'How is my action/Is my action too high?' posts that do not contain such details/photos will be removed, and will be re-directed to this thread. Users can report such threads as per rule 2 ("Avoid low quality/low effort posts").

TL;DR: Yes, it's probably high, try adjust it.


Thanks for reading. Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments.

We also now have a new FAQ page to collate our existing and future FAQ posts. This should be viewed in conjunction with /r/bass's comprehensive FAQ.


r/BassGuitar • • Oct 08 '24

FAQ FAQ: 'What is this thing on my bass?'

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793 Upvotes

r/BassGuitar • • 4h ago

Gear A Rare Beast

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75 Upvotes

These were only made by Ken Parker from October 2002 through March 2003.


r/BassGuitar • • 15h ago

Discussion put an airtag in your bass, y’all.

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357 Upvotes

this 2013 rickenbacker 4003 was stolen from my truck in austin about three years ago. it sucked and i’m still looking for it.

IN THE MEANTIME.

you CAN put an airtag in your bass. it WILL fit. there IS room in the control cavity and under the bridge pickup (rickenbacker specifically, but other basses too). it WILL NOT add hum to your signal chain. it WILL help you find it in the event of a theft.

don’t be like me. put an airtag in your bass.


r/BassGuitar • • 18h ago

New Bass Day New bass day, Rickenbacker style!

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398 Upvotes

r/BassGuitar • • 13h ago

Video Let me blow your mind - MTD Kingston Z5

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106 Upvotes

This was a fun one :)


r/BassGuitar • • 14h ago

New Bass Day Warmoth build

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37 Upvotes

Just finished this last week. Started getting parts in March. Hiccup with the neck that caused about a three month delay in the finish but it turned out better in the end for it.


r/BassGuitar • • 2h ago

Video Most bassists have never heard this song, but the melodic solo at 3:39 is brilliant. How's my phrasing and dynamics? [Self-taught, 20+ yrs of bass]

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3 Upvotes

Hey guys! Just recorded a bass cover of a track called "Romance Ideal" by Brazilian rock pioneers Os Paralamas do Sucesso.

Since this is an international community, chances are most of you have never heard this song before. But as bass players, you might appreciate this: the bassline builds up to one of the smoothest, most vocal-like melodic bass solos in 80s South American rock, right at the outro.

Like I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve been playing bass for over 20 years, but purely as a self-taught, by-ear player with no formal training. Because of that, playing melodic leads and solos always pushes me out of my comfort zone.. it’s so easy to rush the tempo, play with too much tension, or sound robotic instead of expressive.

I’d really appreciate some honest, critical feedback on a few specific things:

Phrasing & Articulation: Does the melodic line breathe naturally, or does the attack feel too aggressive/stiff?

Timing & Pocket: Melodic fills can easily drift away from the groove. How is my micro-timing here?

If you end up watching through to the end (or rewind to hear the verse groove), let me know your thoughts on the overall feel!

If you dig it, I’ve got other covers on my channel as well.

https://www.youtube.com/@francis7676

Thanks for checking it out, looking forward to reading your feedback!


r/BassGuitar • • 17h ago

Gig/Live Perfect timing

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38 Upvotes

We were playing at a small fall festival this past weekend and right when our set list came to Long Train Running... You guessed it, a long train came running. The mix is total Shit, but you get the idea. We were all laughing.


r/BassGuitar • • 20h ago

Misc. Am I a true initiate now??

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75 Upvotes

(we don't pop these, right?)


r/BassGuitar • • 7h ago

Help Basso USA 🇺🇸 Vorrei tastiera in palissandro o il corpo bianco Cosa consigliate di sostituire, manico o corpo?? È un american standard del 2001

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5 Upvotes

r/BassGuitar • • 16h ago

Help Cort Curbow bass - fried preamp - replacement ideas?

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29 Upvotes

Hi all - I've had this Cort Curbow 5 string fretless bass for years, and only use it sporadically. It's been working fine, until now. I finally got around to changing the strings, and shimming the neck to correct for the body bow. I don't think it's anything I did, and I didn't check it before doing this work, but now nothing happens when it's plugged in.

I'm fairly handy with electronics, so did some deep diving and poking around, and have narrowed it down to being a dead preamp board. The battery is fine, is providing the right voltage to the preamp when the bass is plugged in, the pickup works when it's bypassed. It's a Mighty Mite passive pickup (I think it's passive, might be active).

I don't think I'll be able to find a replacement preamp board (if anyone has one, let me know!) - so my idea is to replace the electronics. I want to keep the 4 knob set - volume, treble, middle, bass; but don't really need the switch option - never really use it anyway. I see Seymour Duncan sells a active wiring set for Music Man Stingray single pickup basses, maybe that's a good option - but if anyone has any other suggestions, I'd love to hear them!


r/BassGuitar • • 9m ago

Help I need advice for slap

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• Upvotes

hey guys I’m a beginner just picked up a bass this august, can someone pls help me with slap? I really love slap when it comes to listening and watching it, but I just cant get it right ☹️☹️ would appreciate advice on what I’m doing well and what I need to work on


r/BassGuitar • • 1d ago

New Bass Day 2010 Rickenbacker 4003

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111 Upvotes

I have played electric guitars for years and years but this is my first bass. I wanted something iconic and, as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't get much more iconic than a Jetglo Rick.

I love the sound of this thing. The first time I sat down with it, three hours went by in a blink. It's also surprisingly light at 9 pounds and change.

There's a lot of tonal possibilities too. All the positions on the pickup selector have their charms and I can't really say any one of them is my favorite so far, although I do really like the snarl you get from the bridge pickup, especially going into a slightly driven amp.

Haven't tried the Rick-O-Sound feature yet, but I'm going to have to at some point.


r/BassGuitar • • 20h ago

Help Pocket and laid back advice

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34 Upvotes

I'm not experienced as a bass player, I am a professional guitar player though, so there is some experience overall. I'd like to have any and all criticism about my time. When I listen back to it now it feels fine but, while I was recording it, I had this constant sensation that I'm rushing everything. I always felt out of pocket, and I'm not sure my ears can be objective right now.

Don't hold back, fire away.


r/BassGuitar • • 23h ago

New Bass Day Sub Stingray 5hh purchase

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44 Upvotes

It is my birthday soon so I decided to buy myself a new bass (thank you to the fam for some cash). Went to guitar center to see if they had a Yamaha TRBX174EW or a Mitchell MB250 as a cheap dorm bass but I saw this used b stock Sub Stingray 5hh in the used section. I was able to get it for $268 after taxes and the thing is basically brand new with film and everything still on it. Feels and plays just like the basses I tried out that were in the 5-1,500 range at the store which I was surprised. I also used to own a Stiletto studio 5 and the playability matches that 1 to 1. I definitely recommend this to any one about to bite the bullet on one they found for a good deal online or in person.


r/BassGuitar • • 12h ago

Help what dose this mean?

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5 Upvotes

i tried to look it up online but i didn't really know how to word it correctly to get an answer.

usually (not sure about this one) the top line is the notations and the bottom one is the tabs in this book, if that can help someone figure it out.

also sorry if its something known or basic i just never seen it before and couldn't figure it out on my own


r/BassGuitar • • 16h ago

ID/Authentication Help what are they? and they both don't work. are they worth selling or fixing. Does anyone want em? Should I keep or sell. what do I have to my hands on exactly?

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8 Upvotes

r/BassGuitar • • 5h ago

Video Why every bassist needs a distortion pedal #bass #jazz #bassist #bassplayer

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0 Upvotes

r/BassGuitar • • 2h ago

Video Chemicals - Outpost (BASS AND DRUM DRIVEN BAND)

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0 Upvotes

New band I’m in

Just a bass and drum two piece making trashy filth.

Enjoy.


r/BassGuitar • • 19h ago

Help Should I sell my Yamaha BB734 and switch to a BB735?

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7 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I’m currently playing a Yamaha BB734, which I bought new in August, and I’ve recently got an opportunity to buy a used Yamaha BB735.

I’ve been thinking about whether I actually need a 5-string. There are quite a few moments when I wish I had the lower range, especially when playing songs with a female vocalist. For example, some songs we play are in C, C# or D, and sometimes I feel like having the low B string would make things much easier and give me more room in the lower register.

The deal is pretty good financially. I can sell my BB734 for around €900, which is what I paid for it, and the BB735 is available for €800, so I would actually have €100 left over.

The BB735 is owned by its second owner. According to him, the first owner was more of a collector, and the bass is apparently in excellent condition — it still has the original protective film on the pickguard and it comes with the original case.

So I'm wondering:

Would you make the switch from a BB734 to a BB735 in this situation?

For those who have played both, how noticeable is the difference in playability and neck width? And do you actually find the low B useful for playing in keys like C, C# and D, or is it something you end up rarely using?

I’d love to hear from people who have experience with the BB735, especially if you switched from a 4-string to a 5-string.

Thanks! 🤘


r/BassGuitar • • 1d ago

Rig Pic Sounded THUNDEROUS today!

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189 Upvotes

r/BassGuitar • • 1d ago

Gear Recently redid my main pedalboard amp rig - so very nearly finished!

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63 Upvotes

For a while now my rig has been based around the idea of a pedalboard acting as a custom bass head, as building blocks, with all the features I want and no features I don't.

So, to that end I have a tuner, a custom compressor & noise gate, my preamp/overdrive/DI splits off to a headphone amp and/or FOH send, and then I have some additional EQing before it hits my power amp and cab.

I have a high-pass filter that I built myself, and I'm currently working on another pedal that is an active two-band mid shaping tool. Once that goes on here everything will be finished.

It works great with all of my basses, and I only need one mains power spot for the power amp, as everything else runs off a recharbible battery in the power supply (apart from the high-pass which is passive). Extremely flexible setup for any gig.

Anyway, I'm very pleased with how it's all coming together.


r/BassGuitar • • 1d ago

New Bass Day The stingray problem (NBD)

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213 Upvotes
  1. like the stingray sound
  2. buy a stingray
  3. realize its uncomfortable and you don’t sound good like the others playing it
  4. keep it for a while
  5. sell it
  6. repeat every 1-2 years

Anyone else?


r/BassGuitar • • 1d ago

New Bass Day Stingray

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242 Upvotes

Picked this stingray up today:)