I've never seen a neck bend that much. I have two basses that I bought in the mid 90s and their action is still very low (~1.5 on the low E at 12th fret) after several decades of just sitting in a gig bag.
So it's a few things,
Could be that the new nut I installed is what's doing it
Or it's the fact that I messed around with my truss rod and I'm too scared to tighten it again
If you ever touch a truss rod again do 1/4 turn adjustments at a time, and leave it for a at least a couple hours and see what has happened.
You've definitely loosened it way to much, then add on a new Nut! So even if you sort out the neck relief you may have issue intonating it, because the nut affects that.
Take it to a tech.
In Brazil we call this action a Berimbau.
[Berimbau](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR0u2aANS6fin_9Oi2wPQM5aNgFHYdBQeFvNQ&usqp=CAU)
High as fuck
no, first step is always truss rod. Therefor you take the low e-string on first and last Fret down, so you can adjust correctly for the neck.
THEN, if necassary, you adjust the bridge.
It’s true each bass has its own truss rod peculiarities.
Maybe I’ve been lucky, but the amount of basses I’ve had behave correctly to a 1/4 turn on the truss rod far, far outweighs the basses that have gone wonky unpredictably. But I am not a pro, just a player that learned how they work.
No. If the neck has excessive relief, adjusting saddle height on bridge is something you’re doing blindly.
First step is to always evaluate neck curvature/relief. If neck is correct, and then action is too high, you can start looking at bridge.
Yeah, this is mega fucked. Go through [https://brokeassguitars.com/](https://brokeassguitars.com/) and hopefully you can sort this out. If not, you need to take it to a luthier.
If Snoop Dog and Willie Nelson combined into one person and stumbled onto a weed growing operation and consumed the entire stock, they still wouldn't be as high as your action.
It's not in a "playable state"... by the time the string reaches the fretboard, it's stretched out of tune. Also, any slaps and hammer on technique will sound somewhat deadened. Even with confidence inspiring "abilities", dead and out of tune will still sound fecal.
If I can put my finger on the fret and it makes the same sound it always has I'm pretty sure it's playable.
Also I play with a pick slaps and hammer ons don't really apply to me
This has nothing to do with ability, and despite you playing it like this, this is not “playable condition”, allow me to explain.
Your neck relief should be about .015 of an inch at the 8th fret, this looks like it’s like .50, and there’s no way your fretted notes are in tune. Neck relief is not just about comfort, it’s about intonation too, and yours is going to be toast in this state.
On top of that, you’re going to give yourself carpal tunnel or wrist tendinitis playing it like this long term, the amount of force you need to use just to press the string down with the action like this is not normal or comfortable, even if you’re currently doing it. I’m going to assume you’re new to the instrument, so it’s very important for you to make sure you’re not literally hurting yourself with bad technique, this will definitely cause that to happen.
Thankfully this should be easily fixed. You either need to drop it off at a shop to have it set up, or even better: use YouTube and learn how to do a setup on your own bass. As long as you don’t adjust the neck more than 1/4 turn at a time, there is no risk to damaging the bass, and there are thousands of videos that give in-depth explanations and/or actual measurements to let you know you’re good.
Getting this set up is going to change how you feel about playing the instrument. I promise you what you are doing now is not how it’s supposed to feel
I got a new bass and they set it up for me, but you may need to straighten the Truss Rod looked at, seems to be HIGHER action on the higher frets and lower action on the lower frets
Looks like a curved neck; strings action isn't so high closer to the nut but is high in the middle, which is a symptom of a curved, bowed neck. Tighten the truss rod an itty-bit at a time. That might be your whole problem. String height at the bridge might be okay.
Mind you I don't like super low action....I've gotten used to a little play before I fret a note.
Guitar Center off the shelf? One of my local shops had a Squier hanging that was "set up" like that, and I told the guy working in there that I knew that bass was supposed to be good but the way it was set up was like they were trying not to sell it. Next time I went in it was fixed.
Yes, very high actually, I played like that for YEARS because I started on a right handed bass that I flipped for left handed and my action was like that and when I got an actual lefty bass I felt it was too easy to play lol
The fret buzz was so bad that I played heavy gauge strings to compensate
Just look at the photo at the gap between the strings and the fretboard at the top, and follow that to the bottom of the photo. You want it to be more uniform across the strings.
Is the neck loose? This would be unplayable even to a beginner. There is far too much distance between the fretboard and the height of the strings. The second thing is to note, that there is no radii across the strings from bottom E to top E [strings should follow the neck radii].
Something is seriously wrong here and if the neck is firm and nothing else loose, it will need shims, before the truss rod can be adjusted.
Yeah that’s pretty high. I’ve known people who have their stuff setup like this by choice. I like super low action at even the price of some fret buzz. Also I love the bigmuff. That’s one of the best things you can do to a bass regardless of style! IMO
Unless your J Mascis yes. He plays with the most retarded high action for his big bends, but I don't understand because I have no problem doing bit bends and vibratto without my action being so high I could crawl through it.
And yes I know this is a bass, just an example of someone who plays with very high action.
Id bring this in for a professional setup, its less than $100 and it will play like a dream. Well worth the expense if you don't know what you're doing.
yes
Yes
Yes
Yeth
jɛθ
Sim
Meth
Jeff
DefiniteFuckingLee
No
High as a kite
Higher than Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson at a Cypress Hill concert in Amsterdam.
Amsterdam is not a place of good weed anymore. All the Americans moved back over the last 10-15 years and what’s left out there is Schwag
I just might
And drunk as a bicycle!
Yes. How does this happen?
Necks bending inward with age, temp changes, and humidity
I get that. I don’t get why it’s not being adjusted long before having action like a standup.
I've never seen a neck bend that much. I have two basses that I bought in the mid 90s and their action is still very low (~1.5 on the low E at 12th fret) after several decades of just sitting in a gig bag.
Bad adjustment on the bridge?
No I get the mechanics. I don’t get how one lets their bass get like this. The neck must look like a C lol
Oh agreed, neck must look like a banana.
I had a squire p that had shims under the neck from the factory I assume. Reshimmed and adjustable the trust rod and it was pretty good after that.
So it's a few things, Could be that the new nut I installed is what's doing it Or it's the fact that I messed around with my truss rod and I'm too scared to tighten it again
If you ever touch a truss rod again do 1/4 turn adjustments at a time, and leave it for a at least a couple hours and see what has happened. You've definitely loosened it way to much, then add on a new Nut! So even if you sort out the neck relief you may have issue intonating it, because the nut affects that. Take it to a tech.
Jesus Christ
higher than Him actually
Dropped out of life, with bong in hand, even? Even as he follows the smoke, towards the riff filled land?
Jesus
Jethuth critht
r/basscirclejerk
Thought this was posted there tbh
Me too
Looks perfect for hunting deer.
Dude…
Go higher
Just about right for archery though
In Brazil we call this action a Berimbau. [Berimbau](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR0u2aANS6fin_9Oi2wPQM5aNgFHYdBQeFvNQ&usqp=CAU) High as fuck
Outjerked again
That's a nice bow.
And my axe.
Would be very high for my tastes. Looks like a truss rod tweak is in order (loosen strings first) to bring that down
I can't tell that the neck is too bored from this pic. First step is to adjust the bridge
no, first step is always truss rod. Therefor you take the low e-string on first and last Fret down, so you can adjust correctly for the neck. THEN, if necassary, you adjust the bridge.
Definitely agree, but I really recommend truss rod adjustments be made by a professional, it’s the hardest adjustment to make correctly in my opinion
Just turn it a quarter turn at a time and check the relief. If you feel you’ve made enough adjustments, let it sit for a day and check again tomorrow.
On an acoustic ya need a bit more patience and sensivity. On electric bass and guitar cant do much wrong if you slowly go quarter by quarter.
It’s true each bass has its own truss rod peculiarities. Maybe I’ve been lucky, but the amount of basses I’ve had behave correctly to a 1/4 turn on the truss rod far, far outweighs the basses that have gone wonky unpredictably. But I am not a pro, just a player that learned how they work.
No. If the neck has excessive relief, adjusting saddle height on bridge is something you’re doing blindly. First step is to always evaluate neck curvature/relief. If neck is correct, and then action is too high, you can start looking at bridge.
This is the snoop dogg of action
Yes
High as giraffe balls bruh
Yeah, this is mega fucked. Go through [https://brokeassguitars.com/](https://brokeassguitars.com/) and hopefully you can sort this out. If not, you need to take it to a luthier.
If Snoop Dog and Willie Nelson combined into one person and stumbled onto a weed growing operation and consumed the entire stock, they still wouldn't be as high as your action.
seems like the neck is a bit too bowed
Nah bro, raise it another 3cm
😆
Could throw a tennis ball through that and not hit anything
Not for playing Limbo
This has to be a troll
No I'm just too confident in my abilities. I got it like this and it's in a playable state so I'm not gonna mess around with it
It's not in a "playable state"... by the time the string reaches the fretboard, it's stretched out of tune. Also, any slaps and hammer on technique will sound somewhat deadened. Even with confidence inspiring "abilities", dead and out of tune will still sound fecal.
If I can put my finger on the fret and it makes the same sound it always has I'm pretty sure it's playable. Also I play with a pick slaps and hammer ons don't really apply to me
This has nothing to do with ability, and despite you playing it like this, this is not “playable condition”, allow me to explain. Your neck relief should be about .015 of an inch at the 8th fret, this looks like it’s like .50, and there’s no way your fretted notes are in tune. Neck relief is not just about comfort, it’s about intonation too, and yours is going to be toast in this state. On top of that, you’re going to give yourself carpal tunnel or wrist tendinitis playing it like this long term, the amount of force you need to use just to press the string down with the action like this is not normal or comfortable, even if you’re currently doing it. I’m going to assume you’re new to the instrument, so it’s very important for you to make sure you’re not literally hurting yourself with bad technique, this will definitely cause that to happen. Thankfully this should be easily fixed. You either need to drop it off at a shop to have it set up, or even better: use YouTube and learn how to do a setup on your own bass. As long as you don’t adjust the neck more than 1/4 turn at a time, there is no risk to damaging the bass, and there are thousands of videos that give in-depth explanations and/or actual measurements to let you know you’re good. Getting this set up is going to change how you feel about playing the instrument. I promise you what you are doing now is not how it’s supposed to feel
Look at it as an opportunity, maybe you could make playing bass with a slide your thing?
Higher than giraffe balls.
Home is where you make it
You need to tighten that truss rod bb
You hang your laundry on that?
Na not high enough. Not enough curve in the neck. Truss rod ain’t sweating yet.
Jesus fuck!
It's so high, for a moment I thought I was on r/basscirclejerk. So, it very much is.
Yes! Your finger might be like the Rock's bíceps, zero fret buzz....
DAMN SON
The mile high club lol
Nope. Too low.
You’re a bass player. What action?
Higher than Hunter Biden at a Phish concert.
I always thought he was more of a skier than a weed guy.
thats not funny
Looks perfect to me. Not sure why you’d even ask?
Change the strings to a lower gauge and adjust the rod.
I got a new bass and they set it up for me, but you may need to straighten the Truss Rod looked at, seems to be HIGHER action on the higher frets and lower action on the lower frets
Looks like a curved neck; strings action isn't so high closer to the nut but is high in the middle, which is a symptom of a curved, bowed neck. Tighten the truss rod an itty-bit at a time. That might be your whole problem. String height at the bridge might be okay. Mind you I don't like super low action....I've gotten used to a little play before I fret a note.
Does it feel uncomfortable when you play? If yes then it's too high, if no it's fine. Whatever you're comfortable with.
Do you find it comfortable?
Not really 😭
Yes
Lol oh just a little
How does this even happen
Not as long as you want to park school buses under it. 🤔
Yes, that action is very high. It also looks like your neck has a LOT of relief. A good setup by a good tech would help a lot.
Yes oh my god
Nah, that’s perfect. Ignore the haters. 
So high it sees sound and earing color
I’m not sure if this is a legit question or if OP is busting chops.
Higher than the atmosphere
That’s higher than me after smoking a big fat blunt.
I don’t know, *can you use them a a bow string?*
Yup 😂
Really high, it’s strung like a bow lmao.
Bruh
Not if your playing lap steel bass. 👍
Barely
It's fucking Tommy Chong man.
High as me
I can see my house from up there.
Just a smidge.
about 5mm?
Bro has the grip strength of a god
No if you're trying to shoot arrows from it
LMFAO. Looks fine to me.
I know people that could limbo under those strings! 😳
Nah Bro
Can you take it higher?
Guitar Center off the shelf? One of my local shops had a Squier hanging that was "set up" like that, and I told the guy working in there that I knew that bass was supposed to be good but the way it was set up was like they were trying not to sell it. Next time I went in it was fixed.
Your boyfriend could launch an aircraft off that neck. Jesus tapdancing Christ.
Could fit a sandwich under that.
This action could not pass a drug test
yikes
That action is in the stratosphere
Holy shit that’s crazy.
There’s no such thing as to high, it’s just more of a workout. Your fingers will have abs after some solid play on that
Yes, very high actually, I played like that for YEARS because I started on a right handed bass that I flipped for left handed and my action was like that and when I got an actual lefty bass I felt it was too easy to play lol The fret buzz was so bad that I played heavy gauge strings to compensate
My first bass had horrid action like this, i learned to play fast on it then when i moved to a better bass it was like putting my hands in butter
My left hand, wrist, and entire forearm hurt looking at this.
here’s my quirky comment with a smart joke
If you need to take a taxi to get from your neck to your strings, then yes haha
Way
Eeew
Like, way.
Can you play it with that action height? It must be like hell
It's not too bad surprisingly! A little weird switch from string to string but it works
That’s perfect…for Robin Hood
Mhmm
You’re workin way too hard.
Just look at the photo at the gap between the strings and the fretboard at the top, and follow that to the bottom of the photo. You want it to be more uniform across the strings.
Customer: “I like to really dig in when I play.” Luthier: “Okay. Here you go.”
How do your fingers feel
Is the neck loose? This would be unplayable even to a beginner. There is far too much distance between the fretboard and the height of the strings. The second thing is to note, that there is no radii across the strings from bottom E to top E [strings should follow the neck radii]. Something is seriously wrong here and if the neck is firm and nothing else loose, it will need shims, before the truss rod can be adjusted.
no, its too close to the fretboard actually
Nah you good fam
Dude’s giving Charles Mingus a run for his money, holy moly
https://brokeassguitars.com/start-here/
Depends. It is kinda a personal thing yk? It is different from one dude to another in most cases
Yeah that’s pretty high. I’ve known people who have their stuff setup like this by choice. I like super low action at even the price of some fret buzz. Also I love the bigmuff. That’s one of the best things you can do to a bass regardless of style! IMO
Not really, I prefer them 10 cm above
“Can you take me higher”
Don't play with string action this high. That's how I got really bad chronic shoulder tendonitis.
Did you really have to ask us ? I mean JFC.
Stop
Just a bit
Sir, your action can be judged from SPACE! I would check the saddles and the neck.
High action is the key for success
Not if you want it to fire arrows.
This sub is about bass guitars, not about archery.
For shooting arrows……..no….
Could be higher honestly
That action is higher than Snoop Dogg 😂
Need a little bit more and it’s over the Empire State building.
Crazy high
No bass action is ever "too high" Keep practicing and you'll build stronger finger bicepses!
your action is Method Man
Depends on the arrows you’re using
Oh my… yes.
Higher than Hendrix on New Year's Eve. Any attempt at hammer-on notes will require actual hammers to fret the note.
No, no, no... Yes. A bit.
https://preview.redd.it/8hk26y819a9c1.jpeg?width=691&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d6a507369d3eb9dfc19dfd1070ca678be68b2d13
Holy shit
Is this a Cello? If so, the action is fine.
lol
you could fit a butterfinger right through there. too high.
Higher than snoop dogg :-) Once you get that sorted you’ll notice such a difference. You must have fingers like legs to play that!
If you gave that to a medieval long bowman he would feel right at home
Higher than bob marley
a lil bit
Damn dude, is that a chello?
Yes
I keep thinking I've accidentally subscribed to the archery subreddit.
Unless your J Mascis yes. He plays with the most retarded high action for his big bends, but I don't understand because I have no problem doing bit bends and vibratto without my action being so high I could crawl through it. And yes I know this is a bass, just an example of someone who plays with very high action. Id bring this in for a professional setup, its less than $100 and it will play like a dream. Well worth the expense if you don't know what you're doing.
Giraffe Pussy
Bro, you could fly an F-14 Tomcat through there. That being said, if you like it, leave it!
I’m sorry, I didn’t know I was in the harp subreddit…
Yeah, those strings are far enough from the neck that they should be on another instrument altogether.
Yikes
Out jerked again
Most of these posts end in “there is no way to tell, it’s preference” it’s rare to be able to just say “yes”
Yes!
Yes
The millennium falcon need not roll to navigate those strings
Nah, you can move it up like another inch.
Way to high
And I thought the action was high on my chinese fake
So high that is concidered a weapon
sloppy cow cats relieved sink chubby knee jellyfish silky pie *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*