loosen bass guitar strings after playing

jeronimoski · #1 10-04-2011, 08:23 AM

Hi all,

I recently bought a fender deluxe 5 string bass. I took it in to get it checked out and the guy said that everything was fine....except that he said that the 'tension' was high so I should downtune after I'm done playing. I think he said to downtune it a couple steps.

First of all, he said something liike "The bolt/nut is at its highest tension, so you should downtune a couple steps each time after you play." Is this good or bad advice?

Waiting for some good advice from everyone! Thanks in advance.

CapnSev · #2 10-04-2011, 08:29 AM

That's some really dumb advice. Basses are built for the tension of the strings, and its hard to find a bass neck in this day and age that can't take it.

Wanna ruin the neck? Then keep putting tension on and off constantly by loosening and tightening the strings.

PazzoBasso · #3 10-04-2011, 08:32 AM

It's weird advice...

jeronimoski · #4 10-04-2011, 08:34 AM

Yeah he said something like the bolt/nut is tightened as far as they go, so I should downtune every time I finish playing. Does this make any sense at all?

MonetBass · #5 10-04-2011, 08:36 AM

No, it doesn't make sense. As CapnSev said, there is no reason to do that unless you want to ruin the neck.

**pringlw** · #6 10-04-2011, 08:38 AM

Bolt/nut is tightened as far as it can go????

Either there is some kind of misunderstanding in terms of what he said, or this guy has no idea what he is talking about. You do *not* detune a bass (or any other instrument for that matter) after playing. Hell - you don't even detune a bass when you *ship* the thing!

jeronimoski · #7 10-04-2011, 08:39 AM

Crap. I'm glad I asked. I just bought this sucker. It's a 2008 and I've already been getting some great compliments on the sound. I've only been following this advice for the last couple days, so hopefully no permanent damage has been done.

Any reason why this guy said that? What about the comment about the nut/bolt or whatever been at it's highest 'tension'? Should I be concerned about this?

PazzoBasso · #8 10-04-2011, 08:40 AM

If he's talking about the truss rod nut, there could be adjustment issues down the line - maybe a lighter gauge string set would be a better recommendation...

Hopefully the neck is in a "happy place" and won't need truss rod adjustments in the future...

darkstorm · #9 10-04-2011, 08:47 AM

Go to a reputable tech and have them examine the bass including truss rod for any issues. The store you took it to hasnt a clue and I wouldnt trust then to even just change strings. Constantly loosening then retightening strings will do nothing but possibly cause them to go dead sooner then they should. Personally though Id take the bass back for a refund since the store tech bassically said the bass is defective and cant stand having the strings kept at pitch. Lol.

jeronimoski · #10 10-04-2011, 08:56 AM

I bought the bass used last week Thursday. I played it at a show on Friday night and no problems at all. I just took it in to a place to have it adjusted just to chec k things out. The seller and this tech have nothing in common whatsoever. The tech guy said that the neck is straight and that the truss rod nut was at its highest tension (which he said was a good thing), but that I should downtune it after I play each time. I've only done this Saturday and Sunday night. And yeah, I just set my strings to the normal setting about 20 minutes ago and they sound a bit off. What sham advice. I'm glad I checked with people on this site. I hope I haven't done any neck damage after two days of doing this.

**pringlw** · #11 10-04-2011, 09:03 AM

I'm sure no neck damage from detuning. However if your truss rod is maxed out.... That's a whole different issue that you may not want to take on.

CapnSev · #12 10-04-2011, 09:04 AM

You're neck is probably fine. Your tech is a total moron though. I would either check the truss rod myself, or better yet, take it to someone that knows what they are doing and have them look at it and show you how to maintain the neck at home.

**251** · #13 10-04-2011, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeronimoski

Hi all,

I recently bought a fender deluxe 5 string bass. I took it in to get it checked out and the guy said that everything was fine....except that he said that the 'tension' was high so I should downtune after I'm done playing. I think he said to downtune it a couple steps.

First of all, he said something liike "The bolt/nut is at its highest tension, so you should downtune a couple steps each time after you play." Is this good or bad advice?

Waiting for some good advice from everyone! Thanks in advance.

I assume that's why you call him the guy instead of "The Man"

Straight neck is good for guitars, not always 1st choice for BG. This isn't Rocket Surgery. It just takes some practice. FWIW, set up is best done wearing the bass on your shoulder strap. YRMV. 8-)

ALL BASIC SETUP QUESTIONS ANSWERED HERE - TalkBass Forums
Setup - TalkBass Wiki
http://www.fender.com/support/bass_g...etup_guide.php

lug · #14 10-04-2011, 09:58 AM

Find a new tech immediately.

JLS · #15 10-04-2011, 10:08 AM

Would this, "tech", have been affiliated with GC?

Truly, madly, deeply moronic advice.

Heed this, however:

Quote:

if your truss rod is maxed out.... That's a whole different issue that you may not want to take on.

jeronimoski · #16 10-04-2011, 10:12 AM

Heed this, however:
Quote:
if your truss rod is maxed out.... That's a whole different issue that you may not want to take on.

So if this is the case, then am I looking at a serious problem with the truss rod??

pudgychef · #17 10-04-2011, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeronimoski

Heed this, however:
Quote:
if your truss rod is maxed out.... That's a whole different issue that you may not want to take on.

So if this is the case, then am I looking at a serious problem with the truss rod??

it would mean that you would not be able to tighten the truss (removing relief) from the neck in the future, if it required it. If it is maxed out, and you can return it, you may want to - but get a qualified tech to check it out first...

lug · #18 10-04-2011, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeronimoski

Heed this, however:
Quote:
if your truss rod is maxed out.... That's a whole different issue that you may not want to take on.

So if this is the case, then am I looking at a serious problem with the truss rod??

You need a real tech. Often, you can simply add a washer or two and that will allow the trussrod to still function effectively. It really depends on the style of truss rod, etc. That's why you need a real tech to look at it.

pudgychef · #19 10-04-2011, 02:34 PM

listen to Lug - he is as wise as he is handsome.....although sadly I don't think his helpful MP3s appear over here as often as they used to at HC......wonder if GUL has any power here......

BritPicker · #20 10-04-2011, 03:12 PM

If the tech is giving advice such as "detune after playing" then I wouldn't be trusting his assessment of the truss rod anyway.

Fenders are good, well built instruments with a wide range of possible adjustments. I would be very surprised if this was the case, unless you are using some kind of weird super-heavy strings.

So yeah +1 on getting another tech entirely. And +1 on learning how to do it yourself in the future.