Does the temp of my house effect my action? 80 degrees?

[triggervision]

My house that I live in at college is about 80 degrees during the summer. I have fans and stuff but I can't exactly sit my bass in a fan. Anyway, when I'm not playing I keep my Warwick Thumb BO4 in it's Flight Case. I just had my bass professionally set up and was wondering if my bass action will change due to my 80 degree (or slightly less) house? Keep in mind it sits in my wooden flight case when not being played. Thanks alot for your help!

Deryc

[pstyle]

The level of humidity will affect it more than temperature... but sure, drastic changes in temperature will expand or contract the wood.. but I don't think a 10F change will do much... but the humidity most likely will. (Here in No. Virginia it gets superhumid in the summers)

[Magneto]

Temps and humidity will affect the action quite a bit. I live in a humid-hot area too, and just taking my bass in my air-conditioned truck ride 20 miles to practice changes things.
I'll have it here in 75 degree room weather, tuning isn't even necessary for days. Just that short ride, and the tuning on all strings is slightly flat. Tune back UP to concert pitch, and that little extra tension raises the action because of relief changes. If it's really out, I'll do a truss adjustment on the spot, but then another would be required when I got the bass back home and it sat in cooler, drier temps for a day..

I consider it simply "the nature of the beast".. Every bass I've ever owned acted this way. I think it best to know what's gonna happen and anticipate it. Know how to adjust and what to adjust.

Mag...

[gargemil]

Originally Posted by triggervision

My house that I live in at college is about 80 degrees during the summer. I have fans and stuff but I can't exactly sit my bass in a fan. Anyway, when I'm not playing I keep my Warwick Thumb BO4 in it's Flight Case. I just had my bass professionally set up and was wondering if my bass action will change due to my 80 degree (or slightly less) house? Keep in mind it sits in my wooden flight case when not being played. Thanks alot for your help!

Deryc

As I heard it, it's how quickly the temperature changes that affects your instrument the most. Keeping it in the flight case will make the temprerature change more gradual. I have also heard you should keep the case open while you are playing your bass so that the temp of the bass and case are equal when you put it back in. That way there won't be a rapid change when you put it back in and a gradual change once you close it up for the night.
As a previous post stated the humidity is your main concern. An airconditioned room is the best place for it. But the Case trick should minimize any stress on your instrument from changes in temp and humidity. It is the rapid change of either that should concern you the most.

[Batbass]

Please, could you please tell how actually humidity changes can affect the hight and the tension of the strings?
Thanks a lot in advance to everybody!!

[Pilgrim]

The question is self-answering. It's mid-summer, so: HAS the action changed? if so, the answer is yes. If not, the answer is no.

In regard to how humidity/temp change the action, I don't believe there is an answer, other than it does NOT affect the strings. Since they are metal, they don't react significantly. The only thing that may respond is the neck wood, which in turn might result in a change in the action. However, different pieces of wood respond differently to heat and humidity. Some necks might shift resulting in increased relief, some may tend toward less. I've heard more stories about relief increasing, resulting in higher action...which kinda makes sense, considering that the tension of the strings inherently pulls the neck forward.

BUT - regardless of what the change is, it should change back when temps drop and/or humidity is removed. So it's not a big deal.

And FYI, I have six basses wall-hanging in an upstairs bedroom, in a room where the temp currently exceeds 85 degrees (often 90 degrees) every single day. None of them have exhibited ANY change in action that I have noticed.

My advice: don't worry about it.