Bass care tips help

[Maya403]

Is it ok to unwind my strings after a gig?
Best way to clean a bass guitar fretboard?

[C.Linton]

1. No. not really. No need to.
2. Just a quick wipe down with an absorbent cloth both over and under the strings after every gig/practice is good enough. Do that, and you can then do a more thorough cleaning using cleaning fluids made for the job (available at most music stores) when ever you change the strings, or unless it gets really gunky from your fingers after eating fried chicken with chocolate sauce.

[Steve Dallman]

Loosening the strings after playing would be like letting the air out of your tires when you're done driving.

[JLY]

Ha!!

[90dphillips]

Are there different cleaning products for rosewood versus maple fretboards?

[Bassbubble11]

Originally Posted by Steve Dallman

Loosening the strings after playing would be like letting the air out of your tires when you're done driving.

Wait...... I'm not supposed to do that?

[bill reed]

I always keep my string tuned and check all my basses every couple off weeks. I find that two of my basses hardly ever go out of tune, i also clean my fretboards every three months with Dr. Stringfellows lem-oil. only a drop and that goes a very long way. my strings are just wiped down with a soft cloth after use just as C Linton has said, the body is given a quick rub too to get off finger marks. ever few months I give the bodys a pollish with Gerlitz no1 wax and pollish, some of my basses are over 10 years old and still look new, only time i have to adjust the truss rods is if i change to a diffrent gadge of strings.

[iriegnome]

If your playing your bass even a couple of times a week, no need to wipe anything other than the body for long term care. The strings are not really going to benefit much from a wipe down if your playing it often. However, if you play it once or twice a year, gotta wipe it all down or the strings will get nasty sitting in the case. Rosewood boards take more to care for than maple, so that is going to depend on what board you have. Maple is nothing more than a wipe down and your good. Rosewood is a little different. I personally use a cloth baby diper. every change of strings the board gets a very light oil treatment. If the board is especially grungy, I will use 0000 steel wool to clean up the frets and board dirt then wipe it down and again a very light oil treatment. I have 30 and 40 year old basses and guitars with rosewood boards that are in great shape due to the care over the years.

[90dphillips]

Originally Posted by iriegnome

If your playing your bass even a couple of times a week, no need to wipe anything other than the body for long term care. The strings are not really going to benefit much from a wipe down if your playing it often. However, if you play it once or twice a year, gotta wipe it all down or the strings will get nasty sitting in the case. Rosewood boards take more to care for than maple, so that is going to depend on what board you have. Maple is nothing more than a wipe down and your good. Rosewood is a little different. I personally use a cloth baby diper. every change of strings the board gets a very light oil treatment. If the board is especially grungy, I will use 0000 steel wool to clean up the frets and board dirt then wipe it down and again a very light oil treatment. I have 30 and 40 year old basses and guitars with rosewood boards that are in great shape due to the care over the years.

Awesome thanks! I have maple so that's a relief for my laziness