Anyone else find a bass without strings sort of....cringe?

[micguy]

Not really relative but, kinda funny this was brought up. My cousin (bass player) asked me how I changed strings? I said: what do you mean, how? He said he cuts his all at once, OK. I told him mine are done one at a time starting with the "B" string. Tuned and then going to the "E" and so forth.

He asked why I don't just cut them all down at once? I told him it's just my way of doing it. I didn't like all the tension off the neck at one time. This way the neck should stay pretty much where I had put it to begin with, weather it matters or not how it's done? To each their own. All I got from him was a hmmm.

I used to do that, but I've done a lot of work on basses - mine and a bunch of other folks', including loads of setups and neck heat treatments for the extreme cases, and I've realized that necks are tougher than we give them credit for. I had strings completely off of one of my basses for a week and a half, and just restrung it with the same strings. It went back to precisely the same place (well within .001" in relief) - checked with a feeler gauge and a straight edge.

There may be some necks that are in the edge - if you have a thin neck, use heavy strings, and you have a LOT of tension on the truss rod, I can see being more careful, but with a good neck, they are much more forgiving than most folks think they are.

If the neck moves when you change strings, it's much more likely going to be because the new strings are different tension wise, not because you changed them all at once.

 

[Mike Vee]

I used to do that, but I've done a lot of work on basses - mine and a bunch of other folks', including loads of setups and neck heat treatments for the extreme cases, and I've realized that necks are tougher than we give them credit for. I had strings completely off of one of my basses for a week and a half, and just restrung it with the same strings. It went back to precisely the same place (well within .001" in relief) - checked with a feeler gauge and a straight edge.

There may be some necks that are in the edge - if you have a thin neck, use heavy strings, and you have a LOT of tension on the truss rod, I can see being more careful, but with a good neck, they are much more forgiving than most folks think they are.

If the neck moves when you change strings, it's much more likely going to be because the new strings are different tension wise, not because you changed them all at once.

Agreed, I’ve purchased a new set of the same type of strings and took the strings off for about a week just to clean the board and everything before the new strings came…always goes back to exactly the same setup

 

[Ulf Buck]

If it is without strings and left handed I am left in tears.

 

[bobalu]

That's it folks. We've reached the end of possible discussions on Talkbass. Time to shut it down.

LOL!

 

[Jeremy Crockett]

A bass with no strings is the perfect instrument on which to play John Cage's 4'33".

I hate that I understand this.

Suppose all basses in a store where sold without strings.............

If an un-strung bass falls off a stage, does it make a sound?

 

[Spectre Gunner]

Educate me if I'm wrong but I don't see how detuning a bass for shipping is a good idea. So how do you know which direction the neck might want to move? If you detune it then it should prevent a forward bow of the neck. However, if climate conditions cause the neck to back bow then loose strings are not going to help.

I once received a complaint from a bass buyer that I didn't detune the neck before shipping. He said it was still in tune when he received it. The neck was fine and the bass was in tune. Yet, he wasn't happy I shipped it properly tuned.

 

[Spectre Gunner]

No strings is a sure-fire way to reduce weight.

 

[ebo]

I received a Uke bass yesterday via UPS from a fellow TB’er. No strings. Fretless. I ordered strings but they don’t arrive until Monday. I’m leaving the bass in its case until then. It’s hideous and I can’t look at it. And there is the argument, “how important are strings to your particular sound?” Well when there are no strings, I’d say pretty dang important.

 

[JC BASS 91]

Yeah...seeing a bass with no strings, or even a broken string, bugs me. I see basses for sale on FB Marketplace all the time that have a missing string.

I have discovered, though, that people will often sell those instruments pretty dang cheap, too bad the basses are usually beat up pretty badly or are missing other parts as well.

 

[micguy]

Educate me if I'm wrong but I don't see how detuning a bass for shipping is a good idea. So how do you know which direction the neck might want to move? If you detune it then it should prevent a forward bow of the neck. However, if climate conditions cause the neck to back bow then loose strings are not going to help.

I once received a complaint from a bass buyer that I didn't detune the neck before shipping. He said it was still in tune when he received it. The neck was fine and the bass was in tune. Yet, he wasn't happy I shipped it properly tuned.

I understand why instruments are typically shipped with strings on them, but I’ve seen instruments get severe dings in the frets from impacts during shipping that would not have happened if the thing was shipped without strings. Every bassI’ve ever built used a neck that was shipped to me without string tension on it. So far, no issues.

 

[Slade N]

I think that someone bothers to finds it cringe, is cringe itself...life has bigger issues than to get distracted by a "naked" unstringed fretboard/fingerboard. Having said that, the fact that I am bothering to find (and acknowledge by reply) the cringe to be cringy is also cringe. So there's that.

But a "naked" bass with no strings doesn't bother me near as much as seeing all of the really old guys at the YMCA walk around naked...I do applaud that they just give no f*cks however

 

[Watchootognbout]

...............Well when there are no strings, I’d say pretty dang important.

 

[GIBrat51]

No, not "cringe", necessarily - not just to look at, anyway. I certainly wouldn't buy a stringless bass, unless I could get my grubby little paws on it first. Actually, I've had stringless basses in my herd before - still have one now, in fact. And, a stringless '87 Rick 330 guitar, as well. But, the truss rods are set to gently keep the necks straight - and I check on them regularly, too. The bass - an '88 MIJ Kramer Forum III - is slowly being modified/restored. It's main problem now is removing the powder coat from some hardware... The Rick? Needs a little woodwork, then I need to find someone locally to refinish it. It's a FireGlo 330 - and I hate FireGlo. Even if it wasn't flaking off in chunks... Both of them should be playable this year, though...
But, no - I don't mind looking at a bass with no strings. Just don't expect me to buy it...

 

[C Stone]

What's the difference between an unstrung bass and purchasing a new neck?

You can assume a new necks truss rod is functional, the nut is not gooched and the frets are relatively level and dressed.

 

[Spectre Gunner]

I understand why instruments are typically shipped with strings on them, but I’ve seen instruments get severe dings in the frets from impacts during shipping that would not have happened if the thing was shipped without strings. Every bassI’ve ever built used a neck that was shipped to me without string tension on it. So far, no issues.

Removing strings seems to be a drastic way to protect frets. Just place a sheet of felt or similar material between the fretboard and strings. This is how I received my bass from Sadowsky.

 

[waynobass]

It's cringe, suss, doob, sketchy, rad, bitchen, and 23 skidoo.

 

[eddododo]

We haven't discussed what kind of strings were not on the bass, or whether it has tort or not. Plenty of things left to discuss.

What are the best strings to remove for metal

 

[fourstringdrums]

I always play without strings. Honestly I sound better that way.

 

[rickster4003]

It's the ultimate air bass!

 

[Smashsquatch]

A bass without strings is a stick.