
Whether electric bass is your main instrument or you're a guitarist who doubles on 4-string, it's important to keep your axe in tip-top shape. In this handy guide, Nashville guitar tech and luthier Tony Nagy explains how the pros do a bass setup.
As you'll soon discover, it's not hard to make your bass play and sound great. In this step-by-step tutorial, Nagy walks you through the entire process. With a few tools and some patience, you'll get the job done right andābest of allāhave the satisfaction of knowing you did it yourself.
I've read many articles and repair manuals on bass setup, and I've personally set up thousands of basses as a professional. So when PG asked me to write a DIY piece on the subject, I thought, "What can I bring to this discussion that's truly helpful? Is there a little something I can describe that you don't already know?"
In this article, we'll cover the essentials with the goal of helping you decide what you can handle yourself and what you should leave to your local repair technician. Even if there are aspects of the job you're not prepared to attempt on your own, it's good to understand what's involved with a bass setup. Knowing the steps and terminology will let you communicate more confidently and effectively with your repair guy or gal.
More than likely you're thinking about setup because in some way, your instrument is not performing the way you'd like. To pinpoint any problems, we need to look at all the factors that affect your instrument's overall playability, sound, and function.
Preliminary Inspection
Photo 1: A setup begins with a preliminary, hands-on inspection of your bass. Check playability and listen for issues like buzzing frets and hardware rattles. List any problems you find.
Our journey begins with a general inspection (Photo 1), which consists of playing the instrument while asking yourself these questions: Is the action too high? Too low? Are there buzzing frets? If so, that indicates a need for adjustment.
While you're at it, work the volume and tone controls, checking for noise. Gently jiggle the 1/4" plug at the output jack to check it for noise. Are there any hardware-related rattles? Take notes on all your observations and list any issues you need to address.
After you've given your bass a hands-on evaluation, you're ready to get to work on the setup.
Tip: Because the adjustments that control playability are affected by string gauge and tension, be sure your bass sports the type of strings you plan to use. If you change string gauge, you'll need to do a fresh setup to accommodate the new strings.
Step 1: Measure the Neck Relief
Photo 2: To gauge the amount of relief in your neck, use both hands to simultaneously fret the 4th string at the 1st fret and somewhere between the 14th and 16th frets. At the mid point between these two fretted notes, look at the gap between the bottom of the string and the top of the frets. To get another perspective on this gap, bounce the string against the frets with your picking-hand index finger.
We start with checking the "relief" or amount of bend in the neck. I often see people sighting down the neck from all angles and making some very ballpark assessments about neck relief. But the precise and accurate way to measure relief is to use the strings as a straightedge. Here's how to measure neck relief:
- Tune your bass to pitch. Use the primary tuning you put this instrument in when performing or recording.
- With your fretting hand, hold your lowest string against the 1st fret as if you were playing that note.
- Stretch your picking hand across the fretboard with your thumb aiming towards the bridge and index finger extended toward the nut (Photo 2). Open your hand as far as you can comfortably stretch and fret the lowest string with your thumb. The object is to move your thumb as close to the bridge as you can, while allowing your index finger to touch the lowest string approximately halfway between your fretting finger at the 1st fret and picking hand thumb. (Depending on the fretboard scale length, my picking hand thumb lands on the 14th, 15th, or 16th fret.) Now the lowest string is fretted at two points with two hands. With the lowest string secured at the 1st and, say, 15th fret, you can now use it as a straightedge.
- With your picking-hand index finger, tap the string against the middle frets. By repeatedly tapping and releasing, you'll be able to gauge how much space lies between the bottom of the string and the top of those frets. The gap (if any) is the amount of relief. How much of a gap you need depends very much on your playing style, but to get started, I adjust an instrument to have a gap that's equivalent to the thickness of one or two business cards.
Tip: Make sure you continually check the tuning of your bass so it stays at pitch. This is crucial for making accurate measurements and adjustments.
Step 2: Adjust the Truss Rod
This is very important: If you don't feel comfortable adjusting your truss rod or don't have the proper tool, take this to your local qualified repair technician. You can really mess up your instrument by stripping the threads on your truss rod or over tightening and breaking this critical part of the neck. Whether the truss rod is adjusted via a male hex nut, a female socket, or a Phillips nut at the neck heel, make sure your tool has a snug fit so you don't strip out this vital part.
Photo 3: To remove the neck to expose a truss rod that's installed at the heel, take off the strings and back out the screws at the neck plate. Photo 4: Once the screws have released the neck, gently pull it free from the body being careful not to scratch the neck on the exposed screw tips.
The vast majority of truss rods adjust clockwise to tighten and counter-clockwise to loosen. If your truss rod is located at the headstock, look down the neck from headstock to body to determine clockwise and counter-clockwise direction. If your truss rod adjustment is at the heel of the neck, you'll need to remove it (Photos 3 and 4). The movements will be the same when you look from the heel down.
Tip: If you have any doubts about how to adjust a truss rod, get a guitar repair book or study the manual that came with your instrument. Many manufacturers offer free online instructions for adjusting the truss rods on their guitars.
If you decide you want to change the gap between the string and fret, here's the process:
- To reduce the gap between string and fret, tighten the truss rod. Conversely, to increase the space between string and fret, loosen it. Move the truss rod in quarter-turn increments.
- Retune and recheck relief each time you move the rod.
Continue the process until you get the desired gap between the string and fret. Again, unless you have a specific gap in mind, shoot for the thickness of one or two business cards.
Photo 5: Truss rods accessed at the neck heel are often adjusted with a screwdriver. Photo 6: Whether the truss rod is installed at the headstock or neck heel, the vast majority adjust clockwise to tighten and counterclockwise to loosen.
If your bass requires adjustments at the neck heel (Photos 5 and 6), rather than the headstock, you'll face the tedious prospect of reinstalling the neck and restringing to check each adjustment.
Tip: If your truss rod seems very difficult to adjust, or stops moving, or makes a loud noise, see a local repair tech. Although adjusting a truss rod may be foreign to you, all qualified technicians understand how it functions. It's definitely worth paying the price to have this done right.
There are several adjustments that affect action, but they need to be done in the correct order. Because your decisions about all the other action-related adjustments are based on neck relief, it's important to deal with the truss rod first. Once you've made any necessary truss-rod adjustments, you're ready to move on to the other factors that control playability.
Photo 7: To reattach the neck, carefully place the heel into the neck pocket and then insert the screws by hand, slipping them through the body and seating the tips into their respective holes. Photo 8: Tighten the neck screws securely. As you do this, use your free hand to control the screwdriver tip so it doesn't slip out and mar the body.
If you've removed the neck to make truss rod adjustments, reattach it now (Photos 7 and 8), restring, and retune.
Step 3: Inspect the Nut Slots
Photo 9: Checking action at the 1st fret while holding the string against the 2nd fret. In addition to eyeballing the clearance, tap the string against the fret to determine the distance between them. Photo 10: Deepening the 2nd-string nut slot.
Next, we check the nut slots and the string height at this end of the neck.
- Tune up.
- Hold each string down on the 2nd fret and look at the space between the bottom of the string and the top of the 1st fret (Photo 9). We want this clearance to be as small as possible, yet when you play the open string, you don't want to hear it buzz against the 1st fret. If the clearance is insufficient, you'll get a buzz.
For bass guitar, a good middle-of-the-road clearance over the 1st fret (with the string still pressed against the 2nd fret) would be the thickness of one business card. If the string has more than that amount of space, the respective nut slot may need to be deepened (Photo 10) so the action at the 1st and 2nd frets is low enough to play comfortably and you don't pull the strings sharp trying to press them against the frets.
Anyone can get nut files from Stewart-MacDonald (stewmac.com) or Luthiers Mercantile (lmii.com), but there is more to cutting a proper nut slot than just making a groove. It needs to be exactly the proper size for each string. The slot must hold a string firmly in place so it can't move around or sympathetically vibrate against the sides of the nut slot, but not be so tight that the string binds and hangs in the slot and then goes out of tune when it's stretched or played.
Photo 11: A slot needs to be gently angled downward as it points back toward the headstock and the string must "speak" from the nut's front edgeāright where the nut touches the fretboard. Photo 12: When deepening a nut slot, recheck the 1st-fret action after a few light strokes with the file.
Also, the slot needs to be gently angled downward as it points back toward the headstock (Photo 11). The string must "speak" from the nut's front edgeāright where the nut touches the fretboard and not somewhere inside the nut slot. (If a string rests on a point inside the slot, rather than at the leading edge, this can create a "sitar" effect or cause a string to play out-of-tune along the fretboard.)
If you deepen a nut slot, work very slowly and frequently recheck the action at the 1st fret after a stroke or two of the nut file (Photo 12).
If a string touches the 1st fret when you press it against the 2nd fret, then the nut slot is too low. The offending slot will have to be filled and then fine-tuned with a nut file, or the nut itself shimmed to gain more height, or you need to fabricate a new nut. Sonically and mechanically, the latter is the best option. If you're not comfortable tackling this project, see your repair tech. [For detailed explanations on cutting a bone nut, visit premierguitar.com and read "How to Convert Your Axe to a Baritone," "How to Intonate a Flattop Guitar," and "How to Convert a Flattop to Nashville Tuning" in the March, April, and September 2012 issues.]
Step 4: Adjust Saddle Height
Photo 13: Measuring the distance between the 4th string and 12th fret with a precision metal ruler. Photo 14: Measuring the distance between the 1st string and 12th fret.
Now we're ready to check and adjust string height at the bridge:
- Tune up. (This is automatic by now, right?)
- At the 12th fret, measure the distance between the bottom of each string and the top of the fret (Photos 13 and 14 )
Photo 15: Adjusting saddle height for the 1st string. Photo 16: Another view of saddle-height adjustment. Here, the 2nd string is being raised.
- Using the appropriate wrench, adjust each saddle up or down to the desired height (Photos 15 and 16).
- Naturally, string action has to be adjusted for an individual's playing style. If you have a light touch and play very technically, you can get away with slightly lower action. However, you'll want a somewhat higher action if you love to dig into the strings and produce big, clear, sustaining tones. By experimenting, you'll eventually determine the ideal action for your musicāand that's the beauty of learning how to do a setup yourself.
- For a middle-of-theroad action, I set the bass side of a 4-string (the E string in standard tuning) to 7/64", and then set the treble side (G string) to 5/64". I then graduate the heights as I go across the fretboard, making it 6+/64" on the A string and 6-/64" on the D string.
The goal is to gradually make the strings go from higher to lower as they cross the fretboard from the bass to treble side. With multi-string basses (5, 6, and more), continue this concept across the strings by adding some height for lower strings and shaving a little off for higher ones.
Step 5: Evaluate Your Frets
Photo 17: Once the neck relief, nut slots, and basic saddle height have all been adjusted, it's a good time to check fret condition.
Once you have the strings close to their proper height with the instrument at pitch and the previous adjustments dialed in, you can really see if the frets are level all the way along the fretboard. We're now at the stage in the setup where fret problems will be revealed (Photo 17).
High or low frets, loose frets, and even dead spots from the buildup of gunk and funk that gradually seeps between the frets and fretboard over the years can create inconsistent string vibration, so be on the lookout for these problems.
Speaking of fret condition, if you notice that even after being tuned to pitch and intonated (which we will get to in a moment), your bass does not play in tune with itself on some notes, check to see whether your frets have a nice round crown on top or if they're flat. Frets that are worn flat will allow the string to read from either the front edge of the fret and play sharp, or read from the back side of the fret and create a sitar-like sound. Having your frets in level, crowned, tip-top condition is essential for optimal playability, focused sound, and spot-on intonation. Fretwork is definitely the domain of a trusted repair technician.
Step 6: Adjust Intonation
Photo 18: A strobe tuner or pedal with strobe functions provides superior visual feedback for setting intonation. Photo 19: Properly wound strings wrap from the top of the post to its bottom. The wraps should lie tight against one another and not overlap.
Now we're ready to check and adjust intonation. Unless the strings are fresh, install a new set before going any further.
Intonating your instrument involves individually adjusting the length of each string so its notes are in tune along the entire fretboard. To do this, it's best to use a strobe tuner (Photo 18) because it lets you visually track incremental pitch changes in both a note's fundamental vibration and its overtones.
Before we start, here are some tuning tips to consider. In my experience, you'll end up with a more stable tuning if you come up to pitch from below. By tuning up, you reduce the possibility of slack being in the string that could release while you're playing.
Also, be sure the windings progress around the post sequentially from top to bottomāwith no overlappingāand that these winds are snug or butted up against each other so they can't move around (Photo 19).
Stretching is important too. I spend time stretching strings when they're new. Usually tuning up to pitch and stretching a string six to eight times will get it stable. There's no need to really yankā applying a firm upward pull as you move along the string's entire playing length is sufficient.
Photo 20: Using a Phillips screwdriver to shift the 2nd-string saddle backward. Photo 21: Checking the low-E's second-octave fifth intervalāthat's B at the 19th fretāwith a tuner to see how it's intonating after the octave has been adjusted.
- After your strings are properly installed, stretched, and all tuned to pitch, start with the lowest string and make sure it's in tune while you play it open. Then, on the same string, play the note at the 12th fret. The open string is your reference, and the 12th-fret noteāwhich is an octave higherāshould also be in tune without you touching the string's tuning machine. If the 12th-fret tone isn't in tune, you'll make adjustments at the saddle to raise or lower the fretted note's pitch until that note is in tune with the open string.With that in mind, also take care to play the 12th-fret note as if you were performing itānot with less or more pressure than you'd use to play the note while you're onstage.
- If the high octaveāthe fretted noteāis sharper than the open pitch, this means the speaking length of your string is too short. That is, the distance between the fretted octave and the saddle is too small. If that's the case, you need to make the string slightly longer by moving the saddle away from the neck.Conversely, if the fretted octave is flatter than the open string, the vibrating section of the string between the 12th fret and saddle is too long and needs to be shortened a tad. To do this, move the saddle toward the neck.Different basses have different processes for shifting the saddle backward or forward (Photo 20). This can include loosening setscrews to allow the saddles to have forward and backward motion. If you're not sure how your saddles operate, consult the owner's manual that came with your bass or go online to research the particular bridge.
- After the bottom string is intonated, move to the 3rd string, then the 2nd, and finally the 1st.
Tip: Make small adjustments and always retune before making another adjustment. Be patientā it's a painstaking process, but well worth the time investment.
Once I get the 12-fret octaves in tune with their respective open strings, I like to check if the fifth of each open string is in tune. For example, assuming my 4th string is tuned to Eā standard tuningāthe fifth is B, which occurs at the 7th fret and also one octave higher at the 19th fret (Photo 21).
There are articles and books that explain the math behind the 12-tone, equal-tempered tuning system that Western instrumentsāincluding the bass guitarāare designed around. It's beyond the scope of this DIY tutorial to delve into the details of equal temperament, but in a nutshell, the system presumes that your octaves are perfectly in tune. All other intervals are fudged by a few cents from their pure harmonic form to allow the octave to be evenly divided into 12 notes, or half-steps. (Each half-step consists of 100 cents.)
In practical terms, once you've intonated each string so the octave is in tune with its corresponding open string, you may find that the fifthāa crucial note for bassistsāis disagreeably out of tune. This can be a result of equal-temperament "fudging" and how it affects fret placement, but also the thickness and material of a given string can contribute to the issue. We are, after all, simply stretching wire into different vibrating lengths to make musicāa primitive scheme when you think about it.
If it happens, let's say, that the 19th-fret B on the 4th string is a little sharp, but the octave is dead on, I may fudge the intonation a little bit to favor the B note. This entails moving the saddle back slightly to reduce the sharpness of the B. It's a tricky and imperfect gameāyou don't want to put your octave noticeably out of tune because then the whole equal-tempered tuning system collapses.
If you find large discrepancies between the correctly tuned open string and its octave relative to other intervals, seek out an experienced repair technician who can help you diagnose and remedy such intonation troubles. There are a lot of techniques available to address this particular dilemma.
Step 7: Check Electronics
As a part of my setups, I also include a thorough electronics check. Dirty pots, loose pots or jacks, and loose knobs can all interrupt the seamless connection between performer and instrument. Often the scratchy sound from a dirty pot can be remedied with a squirt of contact cleaner. This requires disassembly, and depending on your instrument, you may want to have your tech handle it.
As you troubleshoot and adjust your instrument, remember that the aim is to remove everything that can distract or hinder you from playing music. Between you and an experienced repair technician, you should be able to achieve this goal. Good luck!
[Updated 11/17/21]
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What if you could have the best of bothāor multipleāworlds? Our columnist investigates.
This column is a fun and educational thought experiment: What if I took inspiration from the well-known Fender amps out there, combined the best from them, and applied a few of my own twists? After all, this is how amps developed. I read somewhere that āFender made the first Marshall, and Marshall made the first reissue Fender.ā It's funny, because it's true: The Marshall JTM45 was based on the narrow-panel tweed Fender Bassman 5F6-A.
Before we start, Iād like to share my respect for the real entrepreneurs who get into the gear industry. The financial and commercial challenges are of existential magnitude, and I can only imagine the complexity of scaling up production lines. For now, letās start with the easy part: designing the amps of our dreams.
The Smarter Deluxe Reverb
The idea behind this amp is to enhance the black-panel Deluxe Reverb by making it simpler, yet more versatile. First, weād need an extra 2 cm of cabinet height for better clearance between the output transformer and the magnet of a heavy-duty 12" speaker. The extra ambience and fullness from the slightly larger cabinet would be appreciated by many who find the Deluxe too small on larger stages. Iād offer both 2x10 and 1x12 speaker baffles of birch plywood that are more durable than MDF particle boards.
For the 2x10 version, there would be simple on/off switches on the lower back plate to disconnect the speaker wires. That way, players could disable one speaker to easily reduce volume and headroom, or select between two different sounding speakers. Also, these switches will enable super-easy speaker comparisons at home. There would be a 4- and 8-ohm impedance selector based on a multi-tap output transformer that is the size of a Vibrolux Reverb 125A6A transformerāone size bigger than the DeluxeĀ“s 125A1A. This would tighten up the low-end response to accommodate the bigger cabinet.
Like the Princeton Reverb, the amp would be single-channel with reverb and tremolo, but with only one input jack. I would keep the Deluxeās tone stack, and add a bright switch and a mid-control with a larger 20-25K mid-pot value instead of the Fender-default 10K. This would enable players to dial in many more tones between a scooped American sound and a British growl. The power amp section is 100 percent Deluxe Reverb, which would allow 6L6 tube swaps without the need to change anything else. The full power of the 6L6 will not be utilized due to the lower 6V6 plate voltages, but it gives you some extra headroom. To reduce costs and complexity, I would use a diode rectifier and transistors in the reverb circuitry, like the modern Blues Junior. This saves two tubes and creates less trouble down the road. The tremolo would be based on the Princeton Reverbās bias-based tremolo circuit, since it sweeps deeper than the Deluxe Reverbās optoisolator tremolo.
The Bassman Pro Reverb
My second amp would be a large, warm-sounding amp with preamp distortion abilities. I really like the Vibro-King and tweed Bassman 5F6-A circuit designs, where the volume control is placed alone before a 12AX7 preamp tube stage and then followed by the EQ section. This means that a high volume-knob setting allows a strong signal to enter the 12AX7, creating a distorted signal at the tubeās output. This distorted signal then enters the bass, mid, and treble pots afterward, which can lower the still-distorted signal amplitude before the phase inverter and power amp section. With this preamp design, you can achieve a heavily cranked tone at low volumes based on preamp distortion and clean power amp operation. This trick is not possible with the typical AB763 amps, where the volume and EQ work together at the same stage. If you set the volume high and the bass, mids, and treble low, they cancel each other before hitting the next tube stage.
āThis amp could do it all: pleasant cleans and distortion at both moderate and loud levels.ā
I would use a Pro Reverb-sized 2x12 cabinet for this amp, with the output impedance selector and speaker switches I mentioned earlier. The amp would have dual 6L6s in push/pull, and a Super Reverb-sized 125A9A output transformer for a firm low end at 40-watt power output. I would go for cathode bias in this amp, for a compressed, low-wattage, tweed-style response, to add even more dirt next after the hot preamp section. There is only one jack input into the single channel, with reverb, tremolo, and full EQ controls (bright switch, bass, mid, and treble). Since this would be a more costly amp, Iād use a tube rectifier and tube-driven reverb. This amp could do it all: pleasant cleans and distortion at both moderate and loud levels. It wouldnāt stay loud and clean, though. For that, we would need a third amp, which we will maybe get back to later.
Iād be excited to hear your thoughts about these amps, and if I should follow my dreams to build themI would use a Pro Reverb-sized 2x12 cabinet for this amp, with the output impedance selector and speaker switches I mentioned earlier. The amp would have dual 6L6s in push/pull, and a Super Reverb-sized 125A9A output transformer for a firm low end at 40-watt power output. I would go for cathode bias in this amp, for a compressed, low-wattage, tweed-style response, to add even more dirt next after the hot preamp section. There is only one jack input into the single channel, with reverb, tremolo, and full EQ controls (bright switch, bass, mid, and treble). Since this would be a more costly amp, Iād use a tube rectifier and tube-driven reverb. This amp could do it all: pleasant cleans and distortion at both moderate and loud levels. It wouldnāt stay loud and clean, though. For that, we would need a third amp, which we will maybe get back to later.
Iād be excited to hear your thoughts about these amps, and if I should follow my dreams to build them!
After surviving a near-death aortic dissection onstage, Richie Faulkner shredder has endured some health challenges. In this exclusive video, he opens up about how the cardiac event impacted his mental health both on- and offstage.
During Judas Priest's the Louder Than Life 2021 performance at the Louisville-based festival, lead shredder Richie Faulkner suffered an aortic dissection onstage. (It's worth noting, the steadfast professional finished the "Painkiller" solo before ending the setāan amazing feat.) He was rushed to the nearby University of Louisville hospital that saved his life. (Serendipitously, the hospital was only a few miles from the festival grounds.)
Faulkner fully recovered from the near-death experience but has endured other health setback stemming from the aortic dissection resulting in several issues including his right-hand coordination and strength. He's powered through the last 3+ years of performances and only now is open to talking about the difficulties he has playing the technical rhythm parts and how that's impacted his mental health both on- and offstage with the massive metal band.
Over the decades with Hüsker Dü, Sugar, and solo, Bob Mould has earned a reputation for visceral performances.
The 15th studio album from the legendary alt-rocker and former Hüsker Dü singer and 6-stringer is a rhythm-guitar record, and a play in three acts, inspired by sweaty, spilled-beer community connection.
Bob Mould wrote his last album, Blue Heart, as a protest record, ahead of the 2020 American election. As a basic rule, protest music works best when it's shared and experienced communally, where it can percolate and manifest in new, exciting disruptions. But 2020 wasnāt exactly a great year for gathering together.
Mouldās album landed in a world of cloistered listeners, so he never knew how it impacted people. For a musician from punk and hardcore scenes, it was a disquieting experience. So when he got back out on the road in 2023 and 2024, playing solo electric sets, the former Hüsker Dü and Sugar frontman was determined to reconnect with his listeners. After each show, heād hang out at the merch table and talk. Some people wanted their records or shirts signed, some wanted a picture. Others shared dark stories and secret experiences connected to Mouldās work. It humbled and moved him. āIām grateful for all of it,ā he says.
These are the in-person viscera of a group of people connecting on shared interests, versus, says Mould, āāI gotta clean the house today, so Iām going to put on my clean the house playlist that a computer designed for me.ā āEverything has become so digitized,ā he laments. āI grew up where music was religion, it was life, it was essential. When people come to shows, and thereās an atmosphere, thereās volume, thereās spilled drinks and sweatāthatās what music ritual is supposed to be.ā
His experiences on tour after the pandemic heartened Mould, but they also gave him traction on new ideas and direction for a new record. He returned to the simple, dirty guitar-pop music that spiked his heart rate when he was young: the Ramonesā stupid-simple pop-punk ecstasy, New York Dollsā sharp-edged playfulness, Pete Townshendās epic, chest-rattling guitar theatrics. In other words, the sort of snotty, poppy, wide-open rock we heard and loved on Hüsker Düās Flip Your Wig and Candy Apple Grey.
Mouldās time on the road playing solo in 2023 sparked the idea for Here We Go Crazy.
Photo by Ryan Bakerink
Mould started writing new songs in the vein of his original childhood heroes, working them into those electric solo sets in 2023 and 2024. Working with those restraintsāguitar chords and vocal melodiesāput Mould on track to make Here We Go Crazy, his new, 15th solo record.
Lead single and opener āHere We Go Crazyā is a scene-setting piece of fuzzy ā90s alt-rock, bookended by the fierce pounding of āNeanderthal.ā āWhen Your Heart is Brokenā is a standout, with its bubblegum chorus melody and rumbling, tense, Who-style holding pattern before one of the albumās only solos. Ditto āSharp Little Pieces,ā with perhaps the recordās chewiest, darkest guitar sounds.
āItās a very familiar-sounding record,ā he continues. āI think when people hear it, they will go, āOh my god, this is so Bob Mould,ā and a lot of that was [influenced by] spending time with the audience again, putting new stuff into the set alongside the songbook material, going out to the table after the show and getting reactions from people. That sort of steered me towards a very simple, energetic, guitar-driven pop record.ā
Of his new album, Mould says, āI think when people hear it, they will go, āOh my god, this is so Bob Mould.āā
Mould recorded the LP in Chicago with longtime bandmates Jason Narducy and Jon Wurster at the late, great Steve Albiniās Electrical Audio. Then Mould retreated to San Francisco to finish the record, chipping away at vocals and extra guitar pieces. He mostly resisted the pull of ānon-guitar ornamentationā: āItās a rhythm guitar record with a couple leads and a Minimoog,ā he says. āItās sort of cool to not have a 64-crayon set every time.ā
Mould relied on his favorite, now-signature late-ā80s Fender Strat Plus, which sat out on a runway at OāHare in 20-below cold for three hours and needed a few days to get back in fighting shape. In the studio, he ran the Strat into his signature Tym Guitars Sky Patch, a take on the MXR Distortion+, then onto a Radial JD7. The Radial split his signal and sent it to three combo amps: a Fender Hot Rod DeVille, a Fender ā68 Custom Deluxe Reverb reissue, and a Blackstar Artisan 30, each with a mic on it. The result is a brighter record that Mould says leaves more room for the bass and kick drum. āIf you listen to this record against Patch the Sky, for instance, itās night and day,ā he says. āItās snug.ā
Mould explains that the record unfolds over three acts. Tracks one through five comprise the first episode, crackling with uncertainty and conflict. The second, spread over songs six to eight, contrasts feelings of openness with tight, claustrophobic tension. Here, there are dead ends, addictions, and frigid realities. But after āSharp Little Pieces,ā the album turns its corner, barreling toward the home stretch in a fury of optimism and determination. āThese last three [songs] should give us more hope,ā says Mould. āThey should talk about unconditional love.ā
The record closes on the ballad āYour Side,ā which starts gentle and ends in a rush of smashed chords and cymbals, undoubtedly one of the most invigorating segments. āThe world is going down in flames, I wanna be by your side/We can find a quiet place, it doesnāt need to be the Albert Hall,ā Mould starts. Itās a beautiful portrait of love, aging, and the passage of time.
Bob Mould's Gear
Mould paired his trusty Fender Strat Plus with a trio of smaller combo amps to carve out a more mid-focused rhythm-guitar sound in the studio.
Photo by Mike White
Guitars
- Late 1980s Fender American Standard Strat Plus (multiple)
Amps
- Fender Hot Rod DeVille
- Blackstar Artisan Series amps
- Fender '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb
Effects
- Tym Guitars Sky Patch
- TC Electronic Flashback
- Electro-Harmonix Freeze
- Wampler Ego
- Universal Audio 1176
- Radial JD7
Strings, Picks, & Power Supply
- D'Addario NYXLs (.011-.046)
- Dunlop .46 mm and .60 mm picks
- Voodoo Labs power supply
And though the record ends on this palette of tenderness and connection, the cycle is likely to start all over again. Mould understands this; even though he knows heās basking in act three at the moment, acts one and two will come along again, and again. Thankfully, heās figured out how to weather the changes.
āWhen things are good, enjoy them,ā he says. āWhen things are tough, do the work and get out of it, somehow.ā
- YouTube
Many of the tracks on Here We Go Crazy were road-tested by Mould during solo sets. Here, accompanied only by his trusty Fender Strat, he belts āBreathing Room.ā
Reader: Federico Novelli
Hometown: Genoa, Italy
Guitar: The Italian Hybrid
Reader Federico Novelli constructed this hybrid guitar from three layers of pine, courtesy of some old shelves he had laying around.
Through a momentary flash, an amateur Italian luthier envisioned a hybrid design that borrowed elements from his favorite models.
A few years ago, at the beginning of Covid, an idea for a new guitar flashed through my mind. It was a semi-acoustic model with both magnetic and piezo pickups that were mounted on a soundboard that could resonate. It was a nice idea, but I also had to think about how to make it in my tiny cellar without many power tools and using old solid-wood shelves I had available.
I have been playing guitar for 50 years, and I also dabble in luthiery for fun. I have owned a classical guitar, an acoustic guitar, and a Stratocaster, but a jazz guitar was missing from the list. I wanted something that would have more versatility, so the idea of a hybrid semi-acoustic guitar was born.
I started to sketch something on computer-aided design (CAD) software, thinking of a hollowbody design without a center block or sides that needed to be hot-worked with a bending machine. I thought of a construction made of three layers of solid pine wood, individually worked and then glued together in layers, with a single-cutaway body and a glued-in neck.
For the soundboard and back, I used a piece of ash and hand-cut it with a Japanese saw to the proper thickness, so I had two sheets to fit together. Next, I sanded the soundboard and bottom using two striker profiles as sleds and an aluminum box covered in sandpaper to achieve a uniform 3 mm thickness. A huge amount of work, but it didn't cost anything.
āIt was a nice idea, but I also had to think about how to make it in my tiny cellar without many electric tools and out of old solid-wood shelves I had available.ā
The soundboard has simplified X-bracing, a soundhole with a rosewood edge profile, and an acoustic-style rosewood bridge. For the neck, I used a piece of old furniture with straight grain, shaped it to a Les Paul profile, and added a single-action truss rod. The only new purchase: a cheap Chinese rosewood fretboard.
Then, there was lots of sanding. I worked up to 400-grit, added filler, primer, and transparent nitro varnish, worked the sandpaper up to 1,500-grit, and finally polished.
Our reader and his āItalian job.ā
For electronics, I used a Tonerider alnico 2 humbucker pickup and a piezo undersaddle pickup, combined with a modified Shadow preamp that also includes a magnetic pickup input, so you can mix the two sources on a single output. I also installed a bypass switch for power on/off and a direct passive output.
I have to say that I am proud and moderately satisfied both aesthetically and with the sounds it produces, which range from jazz to acoustic and even gypsy jazz. However, I think I will replace the electronics and piezo with Fishman hardware in the future.