Anybody out there have any experience with taking a solid wood bass from a tropical climate to a very dry climate or visa versa? Any ill effects on the body, fretboard, etc.? Thanks for your replies.
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climate affect on solid wood basses
- Thread starter Bass Geezer
- Start date
Usually you don't have a choice - and in my experience, it doesn't make much difference. My old P moved from Central Texas (Humidity R'Us) to Colorado at 5,000 feet (if humidity is over 50% we think we all gonna die) and it didn't even change the setup.
But - if you need a new setup, you do. No biggie.
But - if you need a new setup, you do. No biggie.
Might need a setup. Abrupt changes seem to be more detrimental, which can not only cause movement but finish checking (cracking) depending on the type of finish.
If there's any doubt on your part, just let the bass sit in its case for a few hours in its new climate and Bob's your uncle.
The biggest challenge I have experienced so far is on my Fodera Matt Garrison 5-string. As the bass has an ebony fretboard, the frets are affected from humidity changes from summer to winter. Even though the fretboard was changed once, the new frets are pupping up and it needs constant leveling. I tried keeping it inside its flight case with two Planet Waves humidifiers, but still it is not very stable.
None of my other instruments do this though, and it is my only bass with an ebony fingerboard.
Alper
None of my other instruments do this though, and it is my only bass with an ebony fingerboard.
Alper
From what I've heard, ebony is more prone to cracking than most other fingerboard woods. I had a problem with the ebony on a Warwick Thumb cracking (it was already cracked when I bought it, and it cracked again while in my possession). On the other hand, I've had a bass with a macassar ebony board for a few years now with absolutely no problems (and I live in a place where the climate fluctuates considerably from season to season).
Seriously, the only effect I've seen from living in a pretty dry climate is a bit of fret protrusion at the sides of the fretboard.
I will admit that just for grins I added a humidifier to the guitar room, since I have about 8 solid-bodies, a few hollow and semi-hollow basses, and some hollow guitars...but I did that after leaving them all at native humidity (non-AC) for 5 or 6 years.
I will admit that just for grins I added a humidifier to the guitar room, since I have about 8 solid-bodies, a few hollow and semi-hollow basses, and some hollow guitars...but I did that after leaving them all at native humidity (non-AC) for 5 or 6 years.
I bought my MMSR5 in 07 It made it through its first winter no problem. Last winter, I noticed the neck was twisted and the frets were sprouting. I brought it to my guy and he fixed it up better than new. He did tell me in the winter I need a humidifier because all the dry heat blowing in the house will suck the moisture out of the wood. Since the MM bases have an unfinished neck, it twisted like a pretzel
Twice. Once on a fretless Precision going from San Antonio to Miami when I went to the U, (fingerboard warping) and more recently my son's Lakland Skyline 55-01 when he moved from Houston to Laramie, WY. The fingerboard shrunk sideways. Never seen that before and I've been playing a really long time. The ends of the frets are sticking out a little - enough to do damage to the hand - beware glisses. He's not playing much there so when he comes back to Houston we'll see if it reverses. If not I'm taking it to Bud.
I flew from Honolulu to Phoenix stayed for 4 days and flew back with my Lakland Skyline JO4 and had no problems at all at either end. It didn't need a truss rod tweak or anything.
On the other hand, I flew from Honolulu to Japan (which isn't a dry climate) and my Fender P-Lyte needed about a half turn truss rod adjustment (which is fairly significant) when I got there.
What I get from this is it really depends on the bass. Some necks are more stable than others and handle the change in humidity better. I saw no other effects at all other than the neck on the P-Lyte.
After having played Status-Graphite basses for 20 years, I'd never fully appreciated this problem. I've done tours in Canada at Xmas when the temperatures dropped to -37 in the wind chill and no movement at all. Same with Africa in severely humid heat.
Then I bought a Fender Geddy Lee Jazz a couple of years ago. Even changes in the weather would cause the neck to move and the setup to go awry. It had to go!
Most basses are okay in climate changes & rarely need adjustment, but very thin wooden necks are a real pain.
Then I bought a Fender Geddy Lee Jazz a couple of years ago. Even changes in the weather would cause the neck to move and the setup to go awry. It had to go!
Most basses are okay in climate changes & rarely need adjustment, but very thin wooden necks are a real pain.
It really does, but interestingly, my previous bass (before the Fodera) was a Yamaha TRB-5P, again with an ebony fingerboard. Over the course of more than 5 years I had it, it never gave me a single problem; neither with frets, nor with the fingerboard itself...
From time to time, I am considering the fingerboard changed into something more stable, but with a bass like Fodera, I am sure it is going to cost me at least in lower 4 digits...
A.
From time to time, I am considering the fingerboard changed into something more stable, but with a bass like Fodera, I am sure it is going to cost me at least in lower 4 digits...
A.
Same here - moved from Austin, TX, in central TX, the most brutal climate on the CONUS to northern NM (7000' above sea level) about 3 years ago.
Wood that has a finish over it will be fine, but unfinished wood like a lot of fingerboards, will shift around. My tobias 6 for example had an unlined rosewood board on it - I bought it in Austin where I think it'd lived its entire life. Within a couple months of moving here the plastic inserts in the board started popping up like popcorn, basically ruining the board.
Fortunately, my L2000 (which I also bought new in Austin about 10 years ago) has an unlined board and so wasn't visibly affected.
Temperature variations will also show up in your setup, usually the relief will move back and forth. In a featureless climate like central TX you won't notice this too much (there are no temp variations there, it's just staggeringly hot and awful all the time) but in livable places with true seasons like the rocky mountains you'll need to keep an allen wrench/truss rod tool handy. Especially with thinner necks.
Finish cracking will take a long time to show up unless the finish is $$$tty to begin with (like the old vintage fenders). So I wouldn't worry about that unless you have a vintage instrument. And then who knows, the cracks might actually increase the value
LS
Agree, your truss may need a 1/4 turn. Double basses are at much greater risk to rapid changes to temp/humidity.
A friend of mine left his MusicMan bass in the trunk for hours on a brutal 15 degree winter day. When he brought it into the warm house and opened the case, the finish almost instantly began to crack and did not stop until the entire finished was crackled. That was a shift of 60 degrees, avoid doing that.
I usually have to adjust the truss rod on my 20 y.o. Pedulla whenever there is a dramatic fluctuation in humidity. I believe this is due to the ebony fretboard contracting/expanding. I am not sure that if I get the fretboard serviced that it might be more able to withstand humidity changes.
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