Congratulations on your new Xotic Bass Guitar!
We take pride in building great instruments. Please take time to
read this owner’s manual as it will guide you through some basic
adjustment techniques that will keep your instrument working great
for years.
IMPORTANT:
• Keep in mind that a guitar is made of wood and exposure to
various temperatures and humidity levels will aect the factory
setup. Climate conditions at every point of the guitar’s travel to
you may have an eect on its factory setup specs.
• If you plan to change string gauges, you may need to adjust the
specs somewhat to compensate for the changes in string sizes.
• is manual will show you the basics of set up, adjusting and
maintaining your guitar so it plays the way that you like. If you
do not feel comfortable performing these adjustments, please
take it to an authorized Xotic repair center.
BATTERY REPLACEMENT IN XOTIC BASS GUITARS:
Xotic basses have an active/passive switch to switch between “active
& passive” modes. is can by adjusted by pulling or pressing on the
master volume knob. e active electronics consist of an 18-volt (two-
battery) system. Typical
battery life is approximately
600 hours of playing time.
As your batteries lose their
power, the voltage supplied
to the preamp will also
drop, which will result in
distortion and noise in the
signal. When distortion and
noise occur in your signal, it’s your cue that the batteries must be
changed for the instrument to operate correctly. Always replace both
batteries at the same time as mismatched voltages may adversely
aect the performance of the preamp. To maximize battery life,
unplug your cable from the bass when not playing the instrument.
STRING REPLACEMENT:
Changing strings is a matter of personal preference - strings will
deteriorate over time – additionally, dirt and oil from your hands
build up on your strings, causing them to tarnish, buzz or inaccurate
pitch. Replace the strings whenever your strings do not stay in tune,
your guitar tone sounds “dull” or your strings begin to rust or become
discolored. We recommend that you replace all of the strings as a set
at the same time. Additionally, the strings should be replaced one by
one instead of removing all the strings at once. is is done to avoid
stress on the neck. Your Xotic bass will sound best with new strings.
Strings attach to the body at the bridge and to the headstock at the
tuning machines. Start by pulling each string through the bridge,
over the nut and past the corresponding tuning machine post, with
enough extra length to allow a minimum of three winds around it.
Mark that point on the string. With wire cutters, crimp the string
over at a 45-degree angle one inch before the mark, then clip o the
excess at the mark.
Next, place the end of the
string all the way down in
the hole in the center of the
tuning machine post and
bend the string over in the
slot. Wind the tuning key
to tighten the string to pitch
while holding the loose end
of the string in place with
your other hand.
Make sure that the string does not overlap itself and is wound from
the top down to the base of the tuning machine sha, to insure the
string is seated properly on the nut with the most acute break angle
possible.
STRING PITCH ADJUSTMENT:
Also called “string action” is usually set by how the player prefers
– either “low or high”. is will depend on a player’s style, string
gauge and pick attack. Also
some players prefer fret
buzz while some do not.
By raising or lowering the
5 individual bridge saddles
you can adjust the height of
the string in relation to the
fretboard (use allen-wrench
provided).
e bass guitar should be
tuned to pitch so the neck
has the proper amount of
tension. To raise the strings
turn the screws clockwise.
To lower the strings turn the
screws counter clockwise. Place a capo on fret 1 and then use a ruler
to measure the gap between the strings and the frets at fret 12. See
figure 1 for recommended
string height at 12th fret
(distance between top of
the fret to the bottom of
the string).
INTONATION:
Intonation is the tune or
pitch of your guitar strings
as you move up the fretboard. e intonation can be set on your bass
guitar to makethe second octave(the 12th fret and above) stay closely
in tune with the rst octave. e way to adjust guitar intonation is
to shorten or lengthen the scale length of each individual string.
Use a high quality tuner and tune all of your strings at the harmonic
on the 12th fret: B E A D
G. It is very important
that you use a high quality
tuner. You will be adjusting
the intonation in very
slight increments and you
want to be as accurate as
possible. Once the strings
are in tune, you can place
your nger on the 12th fret and pluck the string. Your harmonic
on the 12th fret and the fretted note on the 12th fret should both
play a the same note--neither sharp nor at. You can adjust the
intonation of the 12th fret by compensating the scale length. You
move the saddles with an adjustment screw (in this case, a Phillips
head screw) until the note at the 12th fret and the open string are
the same.
PICKUP HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT:
e pickup height on each Xotic Bass guitar is set to our standards
at our shop (see gure 2), however, they can be adjusted. e height
of the pickup can be adjusted by the two screws at either end of the
pickup. Aer you set your desired string height, fret your strings
at the highest position to
check your pickup height
(distance between top of
the pickup and bottom of
the string.)
TRUSS ROD ADJUSTMENT:
Xotic basses are equipped with a standard truss rod that can
be adjusted using a allen wrench in the heel of your neck. First,
check your tuning. Ax a capo at the rst fret and depress the h
string at the last fret. With a feeler gauge, check the gap between
String Height
G
D
A
E
B
0.0065”
0.07”
0.075~0.08"
0.085~0.09"
0.095~ 0.105”
String Neck Height Bridge Height
G0.07”
0.08”
0.065”
0.075”
B
