Is it safe to lower the bridge on a double bass myself?

Question

The strings in my double bass are kinda high, and it makes it harder to play. I have to press them with more strength, resulting in me getting tired easier.

The bridge is something like:

It has adjusters. But I'm not so sure if anyone can adjust them. Should I try to use them and lower to bridge, or would it be better (and safer) to ask someone who knows how to do it?

Answer 1

Normally on basses without adjusters, the action is changed by physically sanding the bridge.

That said, I would highly recommend that you defer to a knowledgeable bassist who will be able to show you how to adjust. Alternatively, I would show it to a double bass teacher or an instrument repair tech and ask them to assist you. A false move could mean damage to the bridge or the instrument, and that's no good.

Answer 2

You don't have to cut or do anything more than moving the bridge closer to fingerboard. When you do it you will see that the strings are going to be lower. Thus you can change the settings.

If you cut anything, you will loose the tension which would produce the strength of the sound.

You can also try different string models and brands. I recommend you to check great players such as John Patitucci, Miroslav Vitaous, Eddie Gomez and try to analyses how they approach the relationship between strings and the instrument.

Hope it helps

Answer 3

It depends on how much adjustment you feel you need and how much adjustment there is available on the bridge screws. If there is, say, 10 mm available on the screws, and they're already at their lowest,then 4 or 5 mm could be taken off the part of the bridge where the screws fit. You may have to deepen the holes by the same amount, to allow the bridge to go lower.After all this, you may find that you don't nee.d to go as low as you thought, but that shouldn't matter. First job is to compare similar basses, with similar strings and speaking lengths, to establish criteria