Maturation of new basses.

[pmad_bass]

Assuming the workmanship and materials used in a carved bass are of good quality- any thoughts, comments or experiences out there with regards to the maturation process of new basses?
Two areas in particular-
1.) Does the finish of a bass typically darken, lighten or roughly stay the same over time?
2.) Does sound (playability\responsiveness) get better with age? (If so, how and to what degree- arco? pizz?)
To paraphrase- I have heard many people state that good new instruments sound better as they age but I often wonder how one bares this out. I'm sure there are many people out there with better ears and memories out there than I have. But I don't know that I'd be able to recall 3, 5 or 10 years from now (with precision) how my new bass sound when it was new.

Regards,
-PM

[forester]

1)they darken,lighten,and roughly stay the same....many factors condition the appearance over time. exposure to direct sunlight will bleach color out of the finish but may also darken the wood beneath.i had a cello yesterday that was a dirty blonde color, or so i thought...under the tailpiece,bridgefeet,and fingerboard was a dark red hue that had been bleached out elsewhere on the top..must have sat in a shop window for a great length of time..nothing stays new forever but you shouldn't get a radical change either way for many,many years.i have a very old bass and it's color is a mix between coffee grounds and pipe tobacco. the inside is as dark as the outside.
2)the ques could also apply to the performer...as your playability/responsiveness gets better with age so will your instrument, you will find the weaknesses in both yourself and your setup.i wouldn't put much credence in or try to recall how it sounded 5/10 yrs ago..more so how it sounded tonight

[Jake deVilliers]

Originally Posted by pmad_bass

I don't know that I'd be able to recall 3, 5 or 10 years from now (with precision) how my new bass sound when it was new.

That's why they invented recording equipment.

[ctregan]

Originally Posted by pmad_bass

1.) Does the finish of a bass typically darken, lighten or roughly stay the same over time?
2.) Does sound (playability\responsiveness) get better with age? (If so, how and to what degree- arco? pizz?)-PM

The more the bass is played, the better it will look and sound.

[thewhale]

From what I've always understood, the wood of any instrument will "learn" new sounds. New basses will get used to vibrating with whatever tone they are being played. Old basses can do this to a much lesser degree since they have already gotten used to being played for many years. So, if you play a bass with a bright sound then the cells of the wood will be get used to sounding like that. You can mold the way a bass sounds. I've heard it's on a microscopic level that the wood's cells will line up after years of vibrating against each other.

I think. Either that or everything I've been told is smoke and mirrors.