General set-up question for the people

[Dawkinzz]

Ok, as ive started to get more and more into my bass playing I obviously upgraded, and with my Warwick corvette on the way I stared to get paranoid about my other basses and there condition.

I usually keep my basses hug up, on a guitar stand or for my more
Valuable one in a hard case.

1) What I was wondering though, is how much the temperature of my room will affect the bass (baring in mind I live near London in the UK)?

2) How often I should get my basses looked at/checked / set-up – I would try tp adjust it myself but I’m scared that if I play about with it to much I could end up damaging it or just not doing it right.

In correspondence with question 2, how likely is the bass to change/shift after getting it set-up in the first place?

Thank you for taking the time t read ths people! Please let me know if im being to over protective!

[Phalex]

If it's a good bass you shouldn't have to tweak it much unless you are shooting for a specific goal: Better action, more balance between string volumes etc..

As far as climate goes, I doubt that England has much on Michigan in that respect. Humidity can be a factor. I have never had a real problem with it, but I have heard horror stories of cracked tops and split fingerboards.

The worst thing I have noticed as far as temp and such go is that when I get to a gig and the instument aclimates, I will have to tune it. Sometimes it is a bit sharp, or sometimes a bit flat depending on where it is and where it's come from, but I wouldn't call it a problem.

I would strongly suggest you familiarize yourself with basic setup procedures. When you need it most, the shops are bound to be closed.

[Dawkinzz]

I can tweak my intonation, and i have a basic idea of how to tweak my trust rod and action ( i think) im not just conifdent with it, i know practice makes perfect, but cant practice end in a bass being a bit buggered up? any tips on safe ways to practice ect?

cheers for your help

[Phalex]

No. No safe tips on how to practice. I buggered mine all to hell, and had a friend who owned a music store talk me through getting it set up prefectly. Now, I won't touch it unless I have to, but I haven't had to make any adjustments other than a minor truss rod tweak at the behest of my sound guy.

The odds of something catastrophic happening with your set up in my experiance are slim to none. Having a very basic understanding of how the parts on your bass relate to one another and having enough confidence to try to affect a minor repair yourself can save you a good deal of anxiety in a pinch. You might want to ask the repair guy at your local shop if you can observe him doing set up on some new instruments. Maybe even try your hand at it if he's amenable.

Just remember that a little goes a long way!