A Few Basic Questions

rydin4lifebass · #1 09-15-2009, 09:13 AM

I'm new to the bass scene and have only been taking lessons for about 2 1/2 months and I have a few basic questions. When I bought my bass the shop did a "set up", polished the fretboard, set the intonation, tuned, everything like that so..

1) Is this something I need to do every so often, or once its set up, is that about it?
2) Should I get some of that lemon oil they use to clean/polish the fretboard every so often, and if so, how often?
3) Can I just wipe down the strings to clean them and how often do they need changed.

I'd like to be able to do most of this myself without having to go to a shop, so any help is much appreciated.
Thanks all....

bassteban · #2 09-15-2009, 09:29 AM

1. It's good to measure things(relief, action, etc)& adjust as neccesary. Intonation should be looked at w/string changes.
2. I have never oiled any of my finger- or fretboards; they are all various staes of grungy but I will likely keep all my current basses. If resale is a concern you might want to oil it for aesthetics. In a very arid climate it's a good thing to keep it from drying out too much.
3. if I get my strings very sweaty I'll wipe them w/a clean rag; if it's handy I'll spray a little Windex(alcohol-based cleaner; rubbing alcohol works too)on the rag first.

Steveaux · #3 09-15-2009, 11:57 AM

ALL BASIC SETUP QUESTIONS ANSWERED HERE

rydin4lifebass · #4 09-15-2009, 01:37 PM

Thanks for the quick replies...nice to get an answer quickly.

lethargytartare · #5 09-15-2009, 09:07 PM

1. Pros can do a great job, and you can always go to them if the instrument starts to feel like it just doesn't play well enough for you. But it's great to know and manageable to do on your own -- see the links already posted.

2. No. That's kinda over-emphasized a lot of times.

3. I wipe my strings down every time I think about it -- the oils in your hands will gradually deaden your strings. It's a lot worse with guitar strings, but if you can get into the habit, it'll extend the life of your strings quite a bit -- just keep soft rags by your stands, in your gig bags, etc. and make it like brushing your bass's teeth.

Cheers!

ltt