Moving from humid to dry climate - whats best for my bass?

[pthorstenson]

I own a New Standard Lascala hybrid. Currently, I live near Asheville, NC which is very humid and I am moving to a much drier Boulder, CO in about two months. How should I make the climate transition with my bass?
My idea was to start running a dehumidifier now to create a slightly drier environment here. Once I am in Colorado, I thought I would humidify the "bass room" (starting at maybe 40%) and reduce the humidity over a few weeks, giving the bass a chance to dry out slowly. The end result would be ideally to not have to worry about humidifying the room at all except during the driest winter months.
Would you consider this a good plan? Is a few weeks enough or should I plan for several months to a year?
I couldn't find a thread that answered my question, If there already is one that I missed, just point me there.
Thanks.
PJ

[Jake deVilliers]

It sounds like you've got a workable plan there PJ. I would probably try to keep the bass at 30% once its acclimatised - that's wet enough to keep it happy and dry enough that going to the gig won't be a shock.

[theweed42]

Oh boy, I learned all about this the hard way.

No matter how carefully you prepare your instrument, it's going to change as it dries out. Fortunately you have a hybrid, so the body should weather the change well. But the fingerboard will warp a little the first winter. You'll probably notice some changes in the playability as it dries.

Is your move temporary? If so, and you have free time, you can minimize the change while you're in Boulder. You'll have to put several dampits in the case and in the instrument f-holes (wring them out really well) and check them twice a day. Also, you can store it in a fairly humid room, at least 60%. This should prevent the instrument from drying out much.

However, if your move is permanent, it really doesn't hurt to let the bass dry out, provided you taper it down gradually as you plan on doing. You want to keep it at a constant humidity level throughout the day. So, I would humidify the room only if the bass is going to be in it 90% of the time. If you plan on playing outside your home every day, it would be a shock for the bass to constantly alternate between low and high humidity. Certain parts are going to absorb and release moisture faster than others, and it's like what happens when you bend a paperclip back and forth too much. I would keep it in its case as much as possible, with a dampit in the bridge. Once your bass dries out (usually after a year or two) you can go get it adjusted. It should stay without needing to be humidified at all.

Hope that helps. Good luck!

[Eric Hochberg]

Keep an eye on your soundpost as the bass acclimates. If the top shrinks down, the post could become too long for it.

[William Hoffman]

Useful topic here. I have a New Standard La Scala plywood bass being shipped from NY to the Sacramento CA area, where it will stay. I will be leaving the bass in storage there from September until maybe early February of next year.

I've gone into this thinking the plywood bass will have no problems adjusting to the dry California climate, and once it does adjust, the fairly stable humidity will not be an issue. However, that said, your comment, Eric, made me stop and think about the soundpost getting too tight as the bass adjusts.

Maybe after my gig is over in September I ought to take out the soundpost for the first period of storage (until Feb) to see how the bass adapts to the climate. The last thing I'd want is to find out next Feb the SP has pressed a bulge into the top.

Any one see any risk in doing that? Is leaving the bass WITHOUT a soundpost for 6 months a problem? Strings loose, of course, and bridge off.

[theweed42]

Doesn't seem like a bad idea. But I'd plan on having a luthier reinstall the post and bridge, just in case the post doesn't fit. Also mark the bridge and post locations before you take them out. They may change, but it never hurts to know where they were originally.