Looking for advice .....

clarkey

clarkey

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Hi all ...

Ok .. I'll try to keep this brief ...

New to the forum ... for that matter new to the bass .... I'm a sax player by trade but thought I would give this a go .. Always been interested in learning to play something else ...

So ... I'm a big believer in buying the best I can afford because its easy to outgrow an instrument and end up throwing more money to get better equipment ...

I searched around and decided I wanted a warwick $$ after reading several forums ...

anyway .... came across a second hand german 1996 double buck for the right money and bought it ... This bass came from a recording studio and has extremely high action ...

my question is .. what sort of setup is good for a beginner?? high/low action??

I play a little guitar and like the action on that low but dont think its possible or practical to have bass action too low ....

many thanks for any advice ..

Clarkey
 
About the setup, I believe low action would be best for a beginner, kinder to your left hand. I hate buzzing, so I go for as low action as I can, without buzzing. Have a look at this post, I had found it a very nice brief piece of information for a decent setup:



The whole thread is an interesting exchange imho.

Welcome and best of luck.
 
do you have pics of the bass and the serial? Because the Double buck didn't exist in 1996, they began making them in 2005 if I'm right.
 
ooopppss...

Sorry Flipper .... my mistake .... its a 2006 ... its serial is J-128621-06

That was an interesting read jester ... I think even I can set it up sort of ok following that!!!!! Thanks

Clarkey
 
No prob man, glad to be of help! Do stick around. :)
 
I intend to .... I have been reading this forum for a month or so before I bought my warwick .... just deciding on the model ..... There seems to be alot of help on here for all grades of player so im sure i will be picking brains and taking tips for some time yet .......
 
Do ask questions even about "silly" stuff, you 'll be amazed at the interesting conversations that can come about.
 
Oh I will be ....... some will probly be daft and obvious ..... like i said ... i have been a reed and brass honker for the last 25 years .......
 
Welcome to the forum Clarkey! I too, made the switch from sax to bass. I would definitely recommend setting the action as low as you can go until encountering fret-buzz, it so much easier and faster to play.
 
like some guys are saying as low as possiable with out fret buzz it's easyer to play and you might want to try different gauge strings till you find something you like.and there are no dumb silly or to basic a question.wee all have to start somewhere.
 
yeah ..... think i need to set it low ..... my fear is the truss rod adjustment ... there appears to be quite a substantial bow on the neck (after looking at my Ibanez 6 string)
 
you should do it, little by little, no chance of actually damaging the neck if you're cautious.
 
You should help your truss rod bow your neck back by pulling on the headstock while adjusting. Have a look at the step with the hand-knee-foot thing:



I would also suggest hex core strings vs round core (DR LoRiders would be my choice) as it seems you can set them lower because they are stiffer and make a narrower oscillation so there's less buzz. I have found this is actually true, comparing LoRiders with HiBeams (DR again) of the same gauge (40).
 
Hey Clarkey, and welcome to the forum.

I don't really agree with the rest of the guys. I would use a regular action, like... the factory settings, which is pretty low anyway.

Then you will build the right strenghts for the right way of playing the instrument. There other things to learn too about bass, so you will have enough time to build the strength.

A very good advice I found on internet was to use first the higher position, 7 - 9 untill your left hand position builds nicely, then to move to the lower positions.

My 2 eurocents.
 
Welcome Clarkey!

I'm leaning more toward Flo's opinion on this - I learned on an old crappy P-bass with action you could bungee-jump from. Looking back, it really helped with my control and allowed me to play with a much lighter left hand as I progressed.

I'm also, though, convinced that low action will help you play faster more quickly into the learning process. BUT, that's not necessarily a good thing...

At any rate, we're all glad you're here and hope that you do, indeed, stick around and shoot the bull with us.
 
ok ..... I had a go ..... and all seems to have gone well .... The action is nice and low and no buzzing over the entire neck ...... one small issue is I cant seem to get the E string intonation set .... (always seems flat) the harmonics at fret 12 sound fine but fretted 12th is flat if that makes sense .... any advice??????

Clarkey
 
I would say your nut an bridge are too low Clarkey, by the way welcome.
 
Thanks Negyuh .... raised bridgeand nut 1/4 mm and sorted the intonation problem ..... so there is a too low setting .... hhmmm ....

now need to buy a good bass amp for a reasonable price ..... any suggestions??? .... what are the TKO peavey's like????

anyone in the north west interested in teaching a newbie?????????
 
Welcome to the forum Clarkey.

We have much in common. I am also a saxophonist, have lived in the northwest (born in Oregon but i'm in Arizona now), and am relatively new to bass (about a year).

I wish I knew more about amps. I am very inexperienced with this matter but I will try to help anyways. When I first started playing, I would practice with a friend's squier sp-10 guitar amp. About a 3 months later I bought a new Ampeg B200r combo amp on clearance from Sam Ash for $299 (a very similar Ampeg sells for $550). My advice would be to shop and audition as many as you can until a 'golden oppurtunity' arises.
 
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Leronious .... cool .... When I said North west ... I meant NW England ...... (Beatle land) ....
 
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