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Double Bass Change in string tension/stiffness

bassmanbrent

bassmanbrent

Apr 5, 2011
1,730
1,947
Vancouver, BC
#1
Hi all,
I'm just curious to know if anyone else has had a similar experience… I bought my bass new from the maker around 15 years ago. At the time the bass felt (and sounded) tight. I experimented a lot with different string brands and various bridge heights over the years. Fast forward to about 1.5 years ago, the bass started to feel looser, with less tension. All the strings I have put on the bass in the last while, including Dominants have felt like butter. So over the course of it's life, the bass has gone from feeling stiff and tight to soft and easy. The bass is perfectly healthy and has needed no repairs in it's lifetime, so the change can't be attributed to any damage etc. I realize this is a good problem to have, but am really curious to know what might have caused the change in feel of this bass. Anyone have any thoughts or insight? Thanks!
 
#2
My bass luthier told me that wood goes through a chemical process the first ten to fifteen years or so. (Yes, the wood that was sitting on the shelf for 20 years or so before it is used for building instruments.)
During this process the wood looses some weight and changes vibrational characteristics. This (and probably also playing the instrument constantly over this time) might be the reason why your bass sounds different now.

I bought my bass new also, but let the luthier adjust the soundpost after 25 years (not playing that much the last 15 years before) since it was too close to the bridge. It sounds very different now.
 
#3
Thanks DoubleMIDI. The bass definitely sounds different after 15 years. Not enormously different, but more open and fatter down low. What is remarkably different is the feel. So much easier on the hands, even with the string heights and string type just as they were. Weird but good :-)
 
#4
Well, my bass builder told me, that on their basses the bass side will sink down abou 1 to 2 mm over time. If this is the case (you can see this at the f-hole if something sticks out a bit from the top plane), it might be an explanation for the easier feel, at least on the lower strings.
I'm really happy with my instrument, no need to get a better one, which is nice when I remember how much (or little) I have paid for it.
 

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