Weather changes on your basses

[Alucard817]

Here in Flori-DUH the weather is starting to change. As I went to play my trusty handy dandy Squier P bass I noticed a bit of buzzing on the frets. so I made a few minor adjustments.
Now all is right with the world again.

My question to all the TBer's is, how often do you all have to adjust your basses due to weather changes?

[steve_rolfeca]

Here in central Canada (moderately hot, humid summers, extremely dry winters due to low outside temperatures and central heating), I generally make a slight truss rod adjustment twice a year. That's on a neck-through 5-string with a thick ebony slab fingerboard and a wide, deep-C neck profile.

Other basses I've had with less stable and/or thinner necks, have required more attention.

[darkstorm]

Twice a year is common for most. As summer heat sets in and as winter cold sets in.

[thesilence]

1-2 times a year

[bighead4G&L]

I agree. Roughly 2x per year.

[Sparkdog]

Depends on the bass IME, or more specifically, the neck. The basses I've had the most problems with are Ernie Ball era Musicmans. The 2 Stingrays I owned were both very prone to changes in the neck relief with temperature and humidity fluctuations. Drove me crazy when the weather would be variable, every time I took them out of the case the action would be a little different. I stopped traveling with them and eventually sold them.

I guess this was due to the oil and wax "unfinished" necks, although I also had a Sterling that was never as problematic.

The basses I've had the least issue with are American Fenders that have the graphite reinforced necks. I currently have 3 of them and they are very stable and consistent. I set them up when I get them, and I have yet to tweak one unless I go to radically different string gauges or tensions.

A buddy of mine is big on Modulus basses, and also has a couple of old Musicmans with the carbon fiber necks. I don't like the feel or tone of those necks myself (they always seem cold and sterile to me) but I think you could store them uncased outdoors in Alaska and they wouldn't budge!

[kevin newsham]

Yep, seasons change, and with it your bass neck too. Though also being a Florida resident, and traveling all 48 lower states year round, I have gotten lucky.

My Bogart had a Carbon neck, and no truss rod. Never needed it, so it worked out really nice.

My Linc Luthier in my avatar is super stable because of it's neck materials and construction technique. It is truly the most stable wood neck I have seen, and has not been adjusted since initial setup. Temps from -05 to 105f and wild climate and temp changes in the same day, and still no adjustment.

My Warmoth 5 jazz has not been adjusted in 10 years, still has low action, and plays very fast and smooth.

My peavey Patriot has been good so far, but still too early to tell if it will stay that way.

All basses are different, but if it is wood, it will change with the seasons. Only question is how much? Material and construction technique will make a lot of difference.

[mowburger]

I've traveled with basses and guitars all over the U.S.A. and find I have to setup in different cities (truss adjust slightly) most of the time, these would be an Ibanez SR505{5pc neck} Ibanez guitars electric and acoustic, various strat copys etc. When I lived in southern California I usualy have to adjust TWICE a year. I'm in Wisconsin now and had to adjust same Ibanez bass TWICE a year. I just bought a new Fender amer. P (with graphite reinforced neck) and only adjusted it once so far since I got it [October] but I did change the strings at that time to flatwounds so I had to do a full setup just about. I assume I will have to adjust it maybe twice a year. Instruments are alive, they breath and move, speak and translate. EVERY PLAYER should learn to adjust thier own instrument, probably just about TWICE a year. ...now how often should you CLEAN your instrument? >>> have I started a new thread?! LMAO

[MNAirHead]

I will not kepp basses that need dorking more than 1x per year - i travel extreme temp and climate changes...

seems that graphite rods make a huge difference

I i will not travel or gig any of my fenders due to this single issue

[MNAirHead]

[quote=kevin newsham;10041729]
TIMMY's Bogart had a Carbon neck, and no truss rod. Never needed it, so it worked out really nice.


[quote]


corrected - inside joke .....I'm holding hostage


Kevin is right ---consider graphite necks

[kevin newsham]

No, Tims Bogart "has" a carbon neck, or at least it did last time I saw it. Kevin's Bogart "had" a carbon neck. The Bogart still has the neck, by t no longer have the Bogart. Guess I could have spelled out where the past tense should have been applied, but I thought Capt. OCD was in a south American beach, 5000 miles from here, sipping fruity umbrella drinks, and could never be so anal as to be monitoring my tb posts, with sand stuck in you speedo.

Now go enjoy your vacation, or go feed a shark... either way, just go.

[Martin89]

Does anybody have an acoustic bass? How does that hold up to weather changes?

[Ric5]

Try to keep your basses stored in a room with humidity that is between 35% and 50% year sound. High humidity won't hurt your bass unless it is 100% and you get mold growing on your bass. But low humidity can make the wood shrink and crack. I live in Denver and it is dry here most of the time. I run humidifiers 6 months out of the year to keep the humidity levels up. Even here in Denver I find most basses nedd a twice a year truss rod adjustment. When I lived in Michigan the humidity levels would go way up in the summer and way down in the winter. So 6 months I would run the dehumidifier and 6 months I would run the humidifier. All all of my basses had to have a twice a year adjustment to be playable.

Remember wood expands in high humidity and it shrinks in low humidity.

I remember Geddy's bass tech saying how Rush would play in Red Rocks Colorado and then play in Houston Texas a few days later. That is a big change in humidity.