Ernie Ball Stingray Bass Setup - Fix it Friday #2 AJG 

The Ernie ball music man website specifically instructs truss rod adjustments be done with sting tension.

One important thing missing on the video: pickup height. It's very special on stingrays and even more important on HH configurations. It's not just a matter of taste. If you follow ernieball recommandations you'll end up with a 100% parallel pickup that will probably produce way too much low end and a boomy sound without even touching the bass active knob. By using a gain/decibel metter you can spot the level difference bewteen the low and the high strings. The setting depends then of how hard you pluck the strings... Too bad not a lot of videos explain that

Nice work, like the tip on helping the trust rod.

Thanks, I like the sequence 1) truss rod adjustment, 2) string height, 3) intonation at the 12th fret. Logical sequence of events - good job!

***IMPORTANT*** Typical and final Truss rod, intonation, and action adjustments should be done in the main tuning intended for the guitar, and in playing position since gravity and resting position will have affect on the curvature of the neck, thus affecting all those other elements. You are also supposed to give the guitar time between adjustments of the truss rod for the wood to stabilize in its position. Continuously tightening and releasing tension on the neck will give inconsistent results during this process since the wood will not have time to stabilize.

I really don't want to pile on here, but I have to disagree with much of your advice (bass player with 40 years experience, learned from some of the the best in the biz for how to setup a bass guitar - Zon, Sadowsky, Tobias, Custom archtop luthiers, etc.) First, relief should be set in the playing position. Laying the bass down and using the string to check relief (again with the bass laying down and not in the playing position) after constantly loosening and tightening the strings is just a really bad approach and this was pretty much the first thing that all of the folks mentioned above say about setting basses up (do it in the playing position).The best, way to do it is to have a straight edge (can purchase at Stew Mac), and in the playing position, lay it down the fretboard, and then use a feeler gauge (also can be purchased at Stew Mac) and slide that between the 7th fret and the straight edge. I set my basses to .018" using a .018" feeler gauge in this manner. I have two Stingrays and you absolutely should turn the truss rod with the strings tensioned up to the tuning you will be playing in (Standard, drop D, etc.). If you head over to Roger Sadowsky's (absolute legend in the bass building industry) website he has a video on this and states pretty directly that you do not need to loosen the strings. The only time I would do this is an older bass or a bass where the truss rod feels stuck and you have to apply significant force to turn it. I have owned over 30 basses and I have never had a truss rod that was hard to turn like this but it can happen. The two Stingrays I have you need maybe something like 2-3 nm (not a lot) to turn the truss rod adjustment. If you have to tighten the truss rod, do so in about 1/8 - 1/4 turns. Gently bend the neck at the headstock with your hands (again in the playing position) towards the direction you are trying to adjust after you make your adjustment (as this will help things along a bit - you don't need to crank on it, just a gently push or pull for about a second) and check the relief as stated above. Repeat until you achieve the appropriate relief. Second, string height. Use a 6 inch ruler with 1/64ths markings (again can be purchased at Stew Mac). In the playing position, hold the string down at the first fret to remove any effect of the nut. Measure under the strings to the top of the 12th fret. For reference, I like to have my E string at 5/64ths and my G string at 4/64ths (with the middle strings following the radius and gradually getting lower) for finger playing (if that is what is predominant on that particular bass) and for pick playing, the E string is set to 6/64ths and G string set to 5/64ths as the style of music I play is pretty agressive (so basically everything is 1/64th higher for pick playing. Again, critical to check string height in the playing position. The roasted maple necks on EBMM Stingrays are rock solid as they essentially cook the water out of them. The necks on my basses are adjusted, and when I check back for any fine adjustments a day or so later, they are in the same exact relief measurement (.018") that I set them to previously. Major changes in humidity or temperature will change the relief in all wood necks. But the roasted maple necks on Stingrays are absolutely solid.

Great set up Alexander, bass plays like a dream!

If the rod needs minor adjustment, strings do not need to be loosen - just help the neck bending back while turning the truss rod. And I never adjust the saddles under tension, can damage the screws (especially vintage instruments), I get them up while the strings are loose, tune the guitar a bit below pitch (to take some of the tension off) and then lower the saddles to the right height. I also tune the octaves by playing the harmonics (not open string) on the 12th and compare it to 12th fretted tone, and do it again to check at the 19th fret the same way. Easy.

Thanks for the informative video. It helped...

Great help, thanks

Alexander, you did a nice job explaining things in a concise manner. That makes things easier to learn and remember. Thanks for posting.

Awesome thank you so much 👍🏻

Gostei da dica 👍🏽

Thank you brother, very, very helpful! Respect from Russia!

The pickup seems set very high and close to the strings.

Being the idiot that I am I have always set up my guitars and basses using my eyes and ears. In other words checking the relief with my eye since I only have one LOL. But seriously a string tuned to pitch is an excellent straightedge to check the relief and then adjusting saddle height just so the string doesn't buzz by fretting up and down the neck. And having Perfect Pitch I adjusted the intonation by ear. Not really I adjusted the intonation with a tuner. I have found Ernie Ball Music Man to be the most intuitive guitar or Bass to adjust. P.S. an aged and well used instrument cannot be set to Fresh factory specs. Develop finesse in your adjustments and always check your adjustments in playing position. Concerning pickup height adjustment that is a totally selective operation. I have set pick up to factory specs and found that many times the magnetic pull kills the sustain. Check out Roger Fishers pickup height on his Stratocaster on the video Barracuda by Heart

Do you know how the truss nut attaches to the rod. I have a bass with it missing and I see the replacement part on the sterling website.

Thanks for explaining, I never knew which direction the saddles needed to go to be sharp or flat

Hi Alexander, I am a bit confused. You adjusted the neck relief via truss rod referencing open string from nut to bridge saddles at whatever height the bridge saddles were at. Fender and Musicman exclude the bridge for neck relief adjustment and instead measure clearance a fret 1/2 way between nut and 12 fret with string resting on 12th fret. Musicman capos the 2nd fret. After that they adjust string height via bridge saddles. I don't get it? I understand your radius adjustment which I thought was spot on.

Thriller

I wouldn't let you touch any of my basses.

Great stuff! I'm almost unintimidated to lower my action on mine. What size allen wrench for the truss adjustment?

I noticed that 45-105 strings on StingRay may be too much and it makes bow anyway. I think that this bass is made for lower gauge strings because with 45-100 and lower this bass can be set dead flat. With 45-105 in my StingRay it's almost never possible. Btw. Those StingRays have 11' radius, not 9,5'. I don't measure anything just set it by touch and on ear because every string is different in tension and output is different too so setting string height and pickup height with any rulers are pointless if strings are not balanced tension and you change gauges/brands. For example D string is almost always the heaviest and E the lightest and need to be a little bit higher to get similar tension and sound under the finger. Of course it's good to increase height of each strings from G to E but never in a way like on this video. And setup intonation with bass laying down on the table...OMG Really?!

6:10 supposed to loosen string tension before raising bridge saddles.

Why are you checking radius from the top of the strings? Difference in string diameter will change radius. I would think it should be adjusted from the bottom

Man! You're rough with that bass and seema to be rushed. It gave me anxiety! Glad i do my own setups

what is the ideal space between the pick up and the strings? that gap? how much?

Hi alexander, my Korg tuner has Hertz an Cents. Should they give a different result? which do you prefer / recommend? Thanks, Dave.

Nice video. Question - When you're adjusting the saddles, how exactly do you determine the sharp versus flat and where it needs to ultimately end up? Is it a matter of preference, or is there an ideal "sweet spot?"

How high do you recommend the pickups are set on a hh4 model?

“ It’s always good to work in small steps” he says after turning the truss rod spoke wheel 25 times.

How can that be an accurate truss rod adjustment/measurement, when adjusting string height will change your 2mm? Every thing I've ever learned says that you must fret the low F on the E string and then where the fret board meets the body. Then string height cant play any part in the accuracy of your adjustment..

I have fret noise on my F note of my D string. Every other note is fine. I wonder if my bass is bowed, or I may need a fret job.

That Allen key is what size ?? Please and thanks for the response

Would you say those standard stingray necks that are finished with gunstock oil are more prone to neck warpage? I prefer lacquer finished necks for that reason (and the fact that they don't get as dirty) and it's one of the reasons I'm wary of getting a standard 3 band ray. I do have an older MIA Music Man SUB which is awesome and neck holds great, but those have a lacquer finish.

I was allways told to alter the truss rod while in tune?

All Bass necks should be made with Carbon Fiber Support Rods to help strengthen the necks

No pickup height adjustment? Cheeseburgers!!!

Ah yes, need the infamous third hand. Noone ever has one…

Shouldn’t you adjust the intonation in the playing position?

02:28 who was it?

i was about to say "don't turn it 17 times dummy" but good job.

4:50 you didn't check the neck for straightness.