Preventive Maintenance

Typicality · #1 03-13-2008, 10:20 AM

Good morning to all,

I've lurked here for awhile absorbing as much information as I could. However I have yet to find a good PM thread on taking care of your bass.

I just started playing about 6 months ago. I went from not knowing what a fret was to being able to play a few songs.

At most I am a hobbyist player. I got introduced to the bass from two friends who play guitar and drums every weekend together. Both have provided many tips and tons of encouragement.

I've just purchased my second bass ( a squier p bass special which is another story unto its own).

I own a Fullerton Deluxe Ash 4 string I got second hand and love how it sounds. With my new bass which was a damaged (the pickguard was warped) I am having them put flatwound fenders on it while its getting the frets deburred on the neck area and installing a new pick guard.

Anyway enough story telling. What I was wondering is what's a good way to prolong the life and sound of my basses. Is there special areas I should clean regularly and how should I clean it.

So far I've just making sure I keep it as clean as possible, when not in use I keep it in its case and I take a lint free cloth and wiping the strings. Making sure I wiped down my frets and keeping any type of gunk out of the fret areas.

I've made a few newb mistakes like overturning my keys to keep my bass in tune and of course snapped them. Which was good because it gave me a lesson how to restring my bass and tune it. I actually went through 2 string packs doing it.

So to make sure I get as much life out my basses as possible do you have any suggestions on how I should clean and care for my bass and what is useful to keep the fret board and pickups clean.

Thanks in advance and thank you to those who contribute to the technique area which has helped me greatly to make some progress.

lug · #2 03-13-2008, 10:33 AM

Fast temperature and humidity changes are your bass's enemy. Always let your instrument slowly acclimate to it's surroundings when moving from environment to environment. Example: if you are going from inside air conditioned cool dry air to outside humid warm air or vice versa, leave the bass in the case or gigbag for a while, maybe just cracking it open to let the bass adjust slowly. This is the most important thing to maintaining your instrument.

Typicality · #3 03-13-2008, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lug

Fast temperature and humidity changes are your bass's enemy. Always let your instrument slowly acclimate to it's surroundings when moving from environment to environment. Example: if you are going from inside air conditioned cool dry air to outside humid warm air or vice versa, leave the bass in the case or gigbag for a while, maybe just cracking it open to let the bass adjust slowly. This is the most important thing to maintaining your instrument.

by gig bag you mean a softshell case I assume? Are they better for storing your bass or are hardshell cases ok. I bought a hardshell for my first one and will probably buy a hardshell for the second one. Due to the fact I have a cat and a small dog so I got the hardshell to store them in so in case they get frisky they can't damage them by knocking them over ( I also store them laying flat). Probably a bit paranoid but I want them to last me till I feel i'm ready to move up a bit instrument wise.

I've read about the dramatic change in temps so I always go to my weekly practice sessions a bit early so they can sit and adjust to the area we play in. Specially since it was dead of winter and I was going from 68-70 degrees to my vehicle which is 25-50 degrees and then inside again. But a good solid reminder on that is always welcome.

Mushroo · #4 03-13-2008, 10:42 AM

Typicality, welcome to TB! Keeping your bass clean is a personal choice; some people on here haven't cleaned theirs in 50 years, and everyone goes "ooh! ahh! look at that mojo!" ;-) Lug's advice is spot on; my advice is to gradually learn basic setup skills like adjusting the truss rod, setting intonation, adjusting the bridge, etc. I freaked out when I bought my first bass, then when I brought it to my first lesson, the teacher pulled out his screwdriver and files and started taking my bass apart! You should have seen the look on my face. His point was a good one, though: the more you learn about your instrument, the more you make it your own. You seem like you have a good DIY attitude and are not afraid to be hands-on with your basses. Good luck!