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Jimmy Eppard, besides being an
accomplished guitarist and bassist, is also more
than likely the last person to touch your new
SPECTOR®
Bass or Guitar before it left the
SPECTOR®
Workshop. He has spent years working
side-by-side with Stuart and he knows
SPECTOR®
instruments like few others. He's Stuart's
Master Tech.
Jimmy was kind enough to offer
the following information for setting up your new
SPECTOR®
Bass after it arrives from the factory to you. |
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Jimmy sets up a
SPECTOR® CODA™
Bass
at Winter NAMM 2010 |
A new Spector bass owner recently emailed a request
for me to provide a detailed description of my set
up procedure.
I came up with this rather long
winded diatribe.
Really - it's as brief &
concise as I could make it! I think it was Einstein
who said "Everything should be explained as
simply as possible...BUT NO SIMPLER!"
Hopefully this will
help some folks out & most of this information is
applicable to guitars as well...enjoy!!
Jimmy Eppard |
SPECTOR® BASS SETUP
We will begin with the instrument accurately
tuned to concert pitch.
If you use an alternate
tuning: tune the instrument
to whatever is 'normal'
for your application.
All measurements will be
made while holding the
instrument in it's playing
position. |
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ABOUT STRINGS |
Have you ever removed a string from an
instrument & had it spin around like a
spring when removing it from the bridge or
the tuner post?
This is a
string that was installed
incorrectly and the core got twisted. This is an
acute problem with round core strings (DR, etc). Hex
cores are somewhat more resistant to twisting but
it's still possible.
A twisted string will never
sound 100% right! It may show up as a 'dead' note,
inconsistent intonation, a weird out of tune
harmonic or 'ghost note' in some notes... It'll drive
you crazy!
The best thing is to wind the string
on the post and tune it up, then detune it until you
can pull the ball out of the bridge and determine
that the string is in a completely relaxed mode.
***Its also important that the strings be
stretched to the point that they do not drop in
pitch when tugged aggressively (deflection of 3/4"
or more) from a point near the end of the
fingerboard. Don't proceed until you are satisfied
that the full tension has been achieved. |
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NECK RELIEF |
The amount of 'bow' (or lack of) in
the neck when under tension
Check neck relief
by depressing the low E string @ the 2nd & last fret
. Observe the space between the bottom of the string
& the top of the 9th fret, A standard weight
business card or a thin guitar pick is a good
amount of relief to start with for a bass guitar. A
regular guitar can do with considerably less. Adjust
relief with the truss rod. Be sure to fully
insert the 4mm wrench before adjusting. Clockwise =
less relief, CCW = more.
As a final check,
sight down the neck from either end. If it is
obviously
backbowed but the relief looks okay it's
possible that the frets were leveled with the neck
in a backbowed state. In this rare situation I
adjust the neck to be straight by eye & proceed from
there. If it's too much though, a leveling / crown /
polish job is indicated for the optimum set up.
Sometimes when sighting a neck you will see more
relief on the bass side than the treble side. This
is okay as long as neither side is backbowed.
***Optimum
Relief
/ action settings are really
determined the player's technique - if you have an
aggressive picking / plucking technique you will
need more relief / higher action. A player with a
very light touch can have a neck that is almost
straight & buzz free action that is very low.
***It's best, during the initial set up, to have
the relief set a bit on the straight side because it
will enable a more accurate assessment of the nut
height spec later.
***I use the second fret
as a benchmark for this measurement because a lot of
manufacturers (us included) leave the 1st fret high
& grind level, crown & polish the rest. This
gives the lowest notes some extra room where the
string excursion is greatest.
***The truss
rod in your bass is a 'dual action' type. This means
it is capable of pushing the neck forward as well as
pulling it back. If the adjuster nut feels
'loose' you have reached the null point. The rod may
rattle if left in this position so snug it up
slightly one way or the other. Chances are you will
be well
beyond the null point but I mention this
just in case!
***I usually don't recommend
using a capo, but then I do this by eye. I think the
players touch is an important variable here but a
Shubb type capo with the tension adjusted to the
minimum required to hold the string down should be
okay. |
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STRING ACTION |
***All action
adjustments will be made @ the bridge. Action
measurements will be made from the top of the 12th
fret to the bottom of each open string.
***Use a 2mm wrench to unlock the 2 screws located
on either side of the bridge. The bridge saddles
should be 'angled back' slightly; opposite of the
headstock angle. It's a good idea to get these
roughed in now so that later (finer) adjustments can
be made more easily.
I use a 6" steel
machinist's rule graduated in 64ths to make the
following measurements. I also wear an optivisor so
that I can see them. Your
mileage may vary. While holding the
instrument in it's playing position, adjust bridge
saddle height to achieve the following clearances:
E - 5/64, A - 4.6/64, D - 4.3/64, G - 4/64 |
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STRING HEIGHT AT NUT |
The goal here is to
achieve a consistent feel across the fingerboard.
Depress each string @ the 1st fret They should all
feel about the same. I don't have an exact
measurement for this but the open string should be
as low as possible without any buzzing on the 1st
fret. You will need proper nut files to cut the
slots deeper, if necessary.
I use .105, .085, .065,
.046. If you try to adjust this spec with a lot of
forward bow in the neck you run the risk of
cutting the slots too low. This is fixable but it's
a pain in the ass, so be careful!
***If nut
slot depth is changed you may need to re-adjust the
action height. |
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INTONATION ADJUSTMENTS |
There are a lot of opinions on the best way to
achieve an accurate intonation set up. This is how I
do it & why. Your mileage
may vary.
***Use a high quality
chromatic tuner. I use a Sabian ST-1500 that I find
quite satisfactory for this purpose. I also have a
couple of old Conn strobe tuners that are very
accurate, but they're not chromatic. FYI, I have
done full setups using the strobes that I have
checked afterward with the Sabian and I am very
satisfied with the Sabian's accuracy compared to
these MUCH more expensive units.
***It's very
important to play the string the same way you play
the instrument on the gig. It's also critical that
the instrument be held in playing position when
making any of these adjustments.
I play the
open string & tune it to pitch . I then compare it
to the fretted note @ the 13th fret. I do it this
way because the tuner gets less 'confused'
trying to read the same note. If the tuner starts
going crazy (which sometimes happens), I find that
playing a tritone will reset it in a couple of
seconds.
If the fretted note is sharp
compared to the tuned open string it means that the
distance between the 12th fret & the bridge is too
short and the saddle must be moved back (away
from the neck).
If the fretted note is flat
compared to the tuned open string it means that the
distance between the 12th fret & the bridge is too
long and the saddle must be moved forward
(toward
the neck).
Check the action height &
re-adjust, if necessary after moving the bridge
saddles. |
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EVALUATE PLAYABILITY |
| Play the bass. If you notice you're getting some
buzzing or fretting out - a little more neck relief
&/or higher action may be indicated. Conversely, if
it's playing clean & clear all over you may want to
lower the action slightly. These are judgments that
only you - the player, can make to optimize the
set up to your personal style. |
_________________
If it sounds good...IT IS GOOD!
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