Going from 45-100 to 45-105 on yammybb434

[Stranger Danger]

Bass doesn’t matter. You’re vastly overthinking this

 

[Lava]

Youve done it on this 434 no issues either the low e getting stuck or buckling fromt the nut slot not being wide enough?

Nope, but that is not a boutique bass and no manufacturer is going to mass produce a bass with a nut cut specifically to a particular string gauge even if that string is proprietary.

 

[SJan3]

It seems that you are assuming all BB434’s are made to exact tolerances. They are not.
Even the best QC cannot account for variance of wood density or truss rod tension.
It’s unlikely that you’ll have an issue, but certainly not guaranteed, regardless of other people’s experiences.

Glad someone said it. This is a MINOR change and personal experience with a BB434 is not needed. But I'd personally assume from over 55 years of playing that a 1/4 turn of the neck may be all that's required. Maybe the slightest height and intonation adjustment at the bridge And if the neck is stiff enough you may not need any adjustments at all. So the educated answer is, "who knows" until you make the change.

 

[S.F.Sorrow]

These are assumptions and predictions. In looking for the tried and true experience from people who have done what i want to do with exactly what i have. Because i dont want to file nuts, or pay for a setup. It was setup from the factory perfect and its brand new so id like to make as little amount of changes as possible. If that means just keeping the stock strings and not adding the ones i want, i rather do that.

Well, none of us have actually seen your bass. If you want something better than assumptions and predictions you will have to bring the bass to a luthier/workshop. If you don't want uncertain assumptions and predictions from strangers on an online discussion site, you shouldn't come to talkbass for help. Seriously! The amount of misinformation around here can be quite shocking at at times.

You're also making some rather large assumptions yourself:

-That the unknown BB434 owner you want to answer your question has the necessary experience to actually answer your question correctly.

-That the overall condition and setup of all brand new BB434 basses is EXACTLY the same. It's not, even with Yamaha who probably have the best QC in the business.

-That all 45-105 sets of strings actually measure 45-105. They most certainly don't. One thing is manufacturing tolerances, which can vary a bit. Another thing is that these numbers are sometimes used just because they're "industry standards" and sell better, while the strings in question can actually be slightly different gauges.


FWIW, I've worked at guitar workshop for the past 10 years or so, and although we get probably 10 times as many guitars as basses, and 10 times as many Fenders as Yamahas, I've still worked on quite a few BBs, old and new. I also currently own a BBP34 and I have owned and tested several other BBs (including Indonesian).

I have always changed to 45-105 on my BBs. But I have also always filed the nut slots lower because they were too high from the factory (although the MIJ BBP34 was VERY close to perfection, probably the best I've ever seen on a factory made bass). Did 45-105 fit into the nut slot before filing? I think so, but to be honest I can't remember. But I do know that the type of mass manufactured synthetic nuts that the BB434s come with are usually molded to work with 45-105.

However, I do know for certain that the factory setup has NOT been perfect on ANY brand new Indonesian BB I've tested. They are generally better than most in this price range, but not perfect. And even if they (theoretically) left the factory with a perfect setup they will most likely benefit from some adjustment after shipping around half the world and several climate zones.

But what exactly is a "perfect" setup anyway? Factory setups (even the good ones) usually leave a bit of safety margin because parts/wood can shift during shipping, and probably also to accomodate players who likes a slightly higher action. It's always MUCH easier to file a nut lower than to make it higher. If you prefer a slightly higher action than most, maybe it's perfect for YOU, even though the setup probably isn't what most luthiers and experienced bass players would call "perfect".

Now, back to the size of your nut slots with 45-105 strings. You really should be able to evaluate this yourself. If there's an air gap (even a TINY one) beneath any of the strings with 45-105, the nut slot is too narrow. This will affect the tone, the tuning stability and you also risk breaking the nut. If the strings are seated properly in the nut slots, you're fine. This really isn't any more complicated than that. But none of us can tell you if this is the case with YOUR bass. We will have to make assumptions based on personal experience. If you don't want that, why are you here?

You also asked about truss rod adjustments:

If you want to retain the same amount of neck relief (which according to you is perfect) you will obviously need to tighten the truss rod slightly when changing to heavier gauge strings. That's the whole point of the truss rod, more or less.

 

[lugod]

Threw them on yesterday. Went on flawless. Nut accommodated just fine. It added about a **** hair worrh of relief. So i tightened the truss about half of an 8th of a turn and got back to where i was and all is well. Thank you

Well, none of us have actually seen your bass. If you want something better than assumptions and predictions you will have to bring the bass to a luthier/workshop. If you don't want uncertain assumptions and predictions from strangers on an online discussion site, you shouldn't come to talkbass for help. Seriously! The amount of misinformation around here can be quite shocking at at times.

You're also making some rather large assumptions yourself:

-That the unknown BB434 owner you want to answer your question has the necessary experience to actually answer your question correctly.

-That the overall condition and setup of all brand new BB434 basses is EXACTLY the same. It's not, even with Yamaha who probably have the best QC in the business.

-That all 45-105 sets of strings actually measure 45-105. They most certainly don't. One thing is manufacturing tolerances, which can vary a bit. Another thing is that these numbers are sometimes used just because they're "industry standards" and sell better, while the strings in question can actually be slightly different gauges.


FWIW, I've worked at guitar workshop for the past 10 years or so, and although we get probably 10 times as many guitars as basses, and 10 times as many Fenders as Yamahas, I've still worked on quite a few BBs, old and new. I also currently own a BBP34 and I have owned and tested several other BBs (including Indonesian).

I have always changed to 45-105 on my BBs. But I have also always filed the nut slots lower because they were too high from the factory (although the MIJ BBP34 was VERY close to perfection, probably the best I've ever seen on a factory made bass). Did 45-105 fit into the nut slot before filing? I think so, but to be honest I can't remember. But I do know that the type of mass manufactured synthetic nuts that the BB434s come with are usually molded to work with 45-105.

However, I do know for certain that the factory setup has NOT been perfect on ANY brand new Indonesian BB I've tested. They are generally better than most in this price range, but not perfect. And even if they (theoretically) left the factory with a perfect setup they will most likely benefit from some adjustment after shipping around half the world and several climate zones.

But what exactly is a "perfect" setup anyway? Factory setups (even the good ones) usually leave a bit of safety margin because parts/wood can shift during shipping, and probably also to accomodate players who likes a slightly higher action. It's always MUCH easier to file a nut lower than to make it higher. If you prefer a slightly higher action than most, maybe it's perfect for YOU, even though the setup probably isn't what most luthiers and experienced bass players would call "perfect".

Now, back to the size of your nut slots with 45-105 strings. You really should be able to evaluate this yourself. If there's an air gap (even a TINY one) beneath any of the strings with 45-105, the nut slot is too narrow. This will affect the tone, the tuning stability and you also risk breaking the nut. If the strings are seated properly in the nut slots, you're fine. This really isn't any more complicated than that. But none of us can tell you if this is the case with YOUR bass. We will have to make assumptions based on personal experience. If you don't want that, why are you here?

You also asked about truss rod adjustments:

If you want to retain the same amount of neck relief (which according to you is perfect) you will obviously need to tighten the truss rod slightly when changing to heavier gauge strings. That's the whole point of the truss rod, more or less.

 

[SJan3]

Threw them on yesterday. Went on flawless. Nut accommodated just fine. It added about a **** hair worrh of relief. So i tightened the truss about half of an 8th of a turn and got back to where i was and all is well. Thank you

See that? Welcome to talkbass.

 

[zortation]

Any truss rod adjustments?

Possibly a minor tweak