I bought a Glarry GPbass before, but I found the action too high and wanted to modify it. I am a Bass beginner and want to lower the height of the nut, and replace the strings. What tools do I need to use? I've watched some videos, but still worried about messing up. Can an experienced modder give me some simple steps and things to watch out for?
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How can a new player lower the nut and change the Bass strings?
- Thread starter Yetta_
- Start date
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- Tags
- #bass #bassmodification
Go to the "Set up and Repair" department within Talkbass.
Hardware, Setup & Repair [BG]
lots of topics here on the subject.
Hardware, Setup & Repair [BG]
lots of topics here on the subject.
glarrys are almost always in need of a neck shim to lower the action enough for many. you might also try the glarry club for some info/guidance:
Official Exquisite/Glarry/Burning Fire Bass Club?
and, post a pic of your glarry, get a club number, join the fray/fun!
Since you are a self proclaimed beginner, I’d suggest that you share your method of determining that the nut needs modification.
Let’s be certain of that before making any changes that you can’t undo without a bunch of work or expense.
The setup resources above are great learning tools and there are many experienced folks here willing to help.
Let’s be certain of that before making any changes that you can’t undo without a bunch of work or expense.
The setup resources above are great learning tools and there are many experienced folks here willing to help.
Nut slot depth affects the ease (or difficulty) of pressing the string down at the first fret. Some will argue the first two or three frets.
What it doesn't do is change the string height over the rest of the neck.
String height is adjusted at the bridge. It is done by changing the saddle height over the base plate.
What it doesn't do is change the string height over the rest of the neck.
String height is adjusted at the bridge. It is done by changing the saddle height over the base plate.
I personally think that the proper nut height is one of the most important, and also most overlooked factors in a good bass setup. A correctly cut nut can dramatically affect the overall feel of the bass. Most basses come from the factory with a really high nut for this very reason. It allows the player to "fine tune" the setup to his or her playing style. This is why I recommend that everyone learn to do their own bass maintenance.
Just my 2 cents
Just my 2 cents
As a beginner, just take it to a pro, how do you know the nuts too high?
Way too many other things could cause poor playability, a pro will know.
You've got truss rod, bridge end adjustments, and of course nut adjustment.
Intonation and strings also can have huge effect.
The nut end is usually the last thing to check on.
This is not going to be a YouTube DIY solution.
Well other than the strings, have at that.
Good luck,
Dirk
Way too many other things could cause poor playability, a pro will know.
You've got truss rod, bridge end adjustments, and of course nut adjustment.
Intonation and strings also can have huge effect.
The nut end is usually the last thing to check on.
This is not going to be a YouTube DIY solution.
Well other than the strings, have at that.
Good luck,
Dirk
^THIS^ And, I'll add that adjusting the first fret action height is usually done AFTER everything else in the setup is done. Personally, I like mine at 0.020"; which works great - if the neck relief is set; the string height is correct; and there are no high frets to mess things up. 1st fret action is the cherry on top of the cupcake; get the cupcake right, first...
My understanding is that you can't know what the nut needs until you have set the string heights at the bridge saddles. And you can't know what the string heights need until you have set the neck relief properly. And you can't know any of these things (with any precision) without measuring them with the correct tools. I was so appalled by the lack of setup knowledge on Reddit that I recently wrote up a setup blog post to help folks there.