Moisture / humidity - a maintenance Q

[SallyGrowler]

I had an outdoor gig on Friday night.

Incredible fog and mist in the cool air.

I kept wiping down my bass between songs.

After I returned home I wiped the instrument off again and placd it in its stand.

I was told to remove the strings and cdompletely "dry" the bass and then oil it afterwards. (I did not think it was completely neccessary). The bass was dry, the room it resides in is not anymore dry or humid than the rest of the house (central air).

I did give it a good wipe-down with a dry cloth and applied some of the oil I normally maintain with.

I ask you experts - if one of your fine crafted instruments were subjectedd to the elements on a limited basis, how would you advise the owner?

thanks

[Ric5]

There are 2 issues here. The first one is exposure to the moisture can make the steel parts rust. A short term exposure should not be a problem. The second problem is how will the wood react to the humidity. High humidity is not usually a problem for basses it is low humidity that can damage a bass. The wood can shrink and crack. High humidity is only a problem when it is prolonged exposure above 95% humidity.

I assume you are talking electric bass and not a double bass.

I see no reson to remove the strings unless you want to change them.

[SallyGrowler]

Originally Posted by Ric5

There are 2 issues here. The first one is exposure to the moisture can make the steel parts rust. A short term exposure should not be a problem. The second problem is how will the wood react to the humidity. High humidity is not usually a problem for basses it is low humidity that can damage a bass. The wood can shrink and crack. High humidity is only a problem when it is prolonged exposure above 95% humidity.

I assume you are talking electric bass and not a double bass.

I see no reson to remove the strings unless you want to change them.

Correct - electric bass.

it is an oil finish and about 1 a month (and or per every string change) I oil the instrument to the specs of the luthier.

I'll throw in another factor:

The location of the gig was very close to the ocean.

salt-mist

[joeyl]

It's hard to tell how wood would react to constant exposure to moisture, especially since you have an oil finish which offers some protection but not the "better" protection of modern finishes that slow down the transfer of moisture further. I would not be concerned about the body but the neck would be something to keep an eye on. If I played by the ocean (lucky you) I would get a graphite necked bass, or a Warmoth with a poly finish and steel rod reinforcements (that one works well in NOLA)

[SallyGrowler]

thanks - these "beach gigs" are few and far between.

I haven't noticed anything abnormal in the last few days as it has been hanging on the wall in it's home.

[Pilgrim]

Too many people think these instruments are fragile. They do require reasonable care, but you did everything you needed to...and the evidence is hanging on your wall.

[CpTCrunch]

Originally Posted by Ric5

High humidity is not usually a problem for basses it is low humidity that can damage a bass. The wood can shrink and crack. High humidity is only a problem when it is prolonged exposure above 95% humidity.

I see no reson to remove the strings unless you want to change them.

This ^^^

After a gig like that I would just wipe it down a few times over a period of a few days.
Then hit it with something like howard's feed n wax -> or what ever product your luthier recommended.

[Jazzdogg]

I played a monthly outdoor gig a block from the beach for six years and never experienced a problem with any of my basses - including my double bass.

The only moisture related "problem" I had was when the fog rolled in on a few occasions and the speaker cones became damp; they weren't damaged, they just didn't sound very good. The problem resolved itself as soon as the cabs dried out.

[jumbodbassman]

amps sound usually like crap in that type weather also...