• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Double Bass Going on a week vacation will my bass be okay?

I

icanjam

Dec 8, 2013
57
2
Manitowoc, WI
#1
It's fully carved, just a couple years old and I've had it about 6 months, my house has no AC and no dehumidifiers. I live in Eastern Wisconsin on the Lakeshore so it does get humid and it can hit 90f easily. Since all my animals will be gone I'll take my bass out from the corner and lay it on its side on the ground, it can't tip over if it's already down. I'd rather not keep it in its case because it has a tendency to fall forward onto the bridge when it's in my case.

I'm mostly worried about the heat, if my house gets up to 96 degrees will the glue crack? I'm also a bit concerned about humidity and would be willing to buy a dehumidifier if you guys think it'd be worth the investment. Then since the kitchens not far from my room and on the same floor I would set it to 60% and drain it into the sink, no worries about paying someone to empty it. Besides the heat I should be set to go right? For just a week I don't think I'll need to detune strings or anything.
 
#4
humidity wont do any damage that cant be reversed i dont think, but im no expert. i think the more dangerous situation is having it be too dry, that could cause a crack, but alot of humidity could cause some wood to move i guess and maybe a seam to pop or even a crack? I live in jersey, and it can get really hot and humid here in the summer. when i lived in my old house with the window air conditioners (central now) i once left my bass outside my bedroom over night in a room that wasnt air conditioned. when i woke up in the morning the fingerboard was laying on the ground. the glue had melted and turned back to liquid (it was really hot with almost 100% humidity), but that's essentially what its supposed to do (rather than staying rigid and allowing the wood to crack) it was alarming, but not a big deal to have it glued back on. i guess the absolute best situation would be to find a place to leave it that is climate controlled. a friend's house, or maybe even a climate controlled storage unit? again, im no expert.
 
#5
I agree that the bass being in the case is the better option. If you are worried about it tipping over, it can still be on the floor in the bag. As also mentioned, big fluctuations are what you need to be more worried about. If it gets up to 96° during the day but comes back down to 60° at night, or the humidity swings really dramatically, that is going to be more cause for alarm than if it maintains a constant higher temperature/humidity. As far as a dehumidifier, if you were thinking of setting it at 60% and you typically get humidity significantly higher than that, it might be an idea but shouldn't be crucial for this particular trip. 60% is on the higher side of what is recommended, but isn't completely underwater.

The only other preventative thing I would suggest is keeping it in a room that doesn't have direct sunlight on it. Most bags are dark colours so that would compound the heat and if you're going to be away for a week, leaving an expensive instrument out in plain sight isn't the best idea. Don't worry about loosening your strings or anything, just make sure you lock the door behind you and have a great trip.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Fictacello
#6
I'm in Madison, and have left my carved bass under those conditions. I'm no luthier, but I'd be more worried about cold and dry, than hot and wet. Of course if a bass is "ready" to let go, due to something already being wrong with a glue joint, then it might decide to do so when it reaches a temperature extreme.

A dehumidifier will lower the humidity, but will raise the room temperature further. It will act like a heater with the same wattage as the rated wattage of the appliance.
 
  • Like
Reactions: arnoldschnitzer
#10
Hey first thanks for all the suggestions, all very helpful! You gotta remember though this will be my first summer with a real instrument, before I never cared, measured, or really paid any mind to things like humidity, and temperature swings.
The way I have it right now is in the corner with a bungy cord slack around the neck. I can't really get it to fit on my bed (very cute double midi lol) and I really don't trust laying it down in the case, I've just seen it tip over onto the bridge too many times. However, since it's agreed on that I leave it in the case I'm thinking I'll case it up, and get a longer bungy cord that will fit around my bass when it's in it's case. It has two nice little handles by the neck on each side for kinda of wrangling it around, if I run the cord through both I think it would be pretty solid. Humidity swings shouldn't be a large problem in general outside, and having every window and door locked up, and my bass in its case I think it'll slow down any changes.
And the last thing, is high temperatures generally more concerning than a high humidity? I understand a dehumidifier is going to put out some heat that's why I'd have it set to 60% so it wouldn't be running constantly.
 
Last edited:
#11
Don't you think you're getting carried away a bit? In a good case, the temperature and humitity fluctuations in the wood itself are relatively slow. Bungees to hold the bass in a corner? I don't think anyone else does that. How could the bass possibly fall when alone in the room? I've had many carved basses over the last thirty years, and never worried excessively about this stuff. The worst I've had happen is a seam opening - maybe five times over that period. I've dropped basses during transit, sure. But never has one fallen from a corner.
 
#14
I think most of us at some point where much more paranoid/protective of our instrument than we might be now. I can still vividly remember the first scratch and was a religious dampit user in the first winter or two, making sure I had removed as much water as possible so they would not drip, but refilling them daily to ensure they were providing optimal humidity. I still cringe when a scratch happens and use a room humidifier in the winter time because dampits are more trouble than they are worth, but I do not lose as much sleep as I once did.

Whether or not the bass decides to slide has a lot to do with the endpin or what is covering the endpin, the material of the floor, and the angle that it is leaning on. The last one is easy: you want the bass to be as vertical as it can be with both shoulders touching the two walls of the corner, instead of the bridge. As for the other two, if the floor is carpeted then the metal spike will hold better than a rubber stopper. If the floor is anything other than carpet, then a rubber stopper will hold better than a spike, unless you create a hole for the spike to stay in. On its side, the bass should not be falling over unless it it knocked. Most bags have one side that is flatter than the other as a result of where the handles are and if the flatter side is down, it should be very stable. Although cats seem to love bass bags more than life itself, dogs can be easily trained to leave the instrument alone. Beta fish are aggressive, and should not be placed in the same tank as a bass.

Temperature changes are not as problematic as humidity changes, but they usually go hand in hand. Living on the Great Lakes myself, when temperature rises in the summer time, it is usually accompanied by a wave of humidity. The general suggestion is that your bass should not spend excessive amounts of time somewhere you wouldn't sleep yourself, be that hot or cold temperatures. Humidity should be somewhere between 30-60%. Anything lower than that causes wood to shrink putting pressure on glue joints and glue to dry out. Anything higher causes wood to expand and put pressure on glue joints and glue to fail as it becomes over saturated. That is why hide glue is used. If you get a particularly (not) humid week where it gets outside of that range is your bass going to fall apart? Probably not. But if you live in an environment where winters are dry and you can almost swim in the air in the summer time, then regulating humidity is a good idea.

Hopefully that helps to put your mind at ease. The general consensus is that you are worrying a little too much. Basses have problems. Sometimes the best cared for instruments are particularly problematic and sometimes instruments that are subject to extreme conditions survive just fine. That is just the nature of the beast. Enjoy your trip, and know that in the unlikely event that a problem does occur, there are skilled professionals that can fix just about anything.
 
  • Like
Reactions: moles, icanjam and Fictacello
#15
Thanks mike for yet another informative post! Cats do in fact love cases, but don't seem to look twice at my bass itself, my dogs have no reason to be in my room and don't care. Luckily my beta fish is in his own separate tank out in the dining room haha. I know I'm paranoid, I'm medicated for OCD and...other mentally things but I'm getting better with stuff. Still, if I walk in and, like mentioned early, the finger board is on the floor, I'd probably crap a hole through the floor. I'm going to ask some people to baby sit it at their house but if that doesn't work I'll bag it up, keep it in its corner and forget about it. Now that I've thought about it I can't imagine it'd tip over, especially because of my "fancy" bungy cord setup. My rooms been stuck at 70% humidity the past couple days, that's the highest I've seen it since I got my hygrometers and my bass is still in one piece.
 
#16
OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM....... Be calm icanjam, be calm.:)
Yes, another informative and comprehensive post from Mike. I empathize as I've been fastidious about caring for my basses. Just as Mike said, over time, I've become far less concerned but still provide the care. Specifically, I watch temperature and humidity closely, I have multiple hygrometers, a humidifier, and a fancy outboard humidistat that controls the humidifier. Now, although I'm careful with temperature/humidity swings when the bass travels, I recognize that there's only so much one can do. I'd rather play and enjoy the instrument and risk an open seam than miss playing altogether or being on edge when I am playing. As Mike says, if anything happens, there are professionals to take care of it.

Carved basses pop seams now and then. It just goes with the territory. All that said, I really believe that carved basses are far more robust than all the discussion and concern would lead one to believe. Sure, being cautious and thoughtful is smart but I tend to think that it's often overkill. You were wise to ask the questions you did. Now, you have the answers. Here's my $0.02: Go away and relax. If the bass pops a seam-- and it likely won't-- you'll get it glued.

Just realized that you're likely on vacation already. If so, and you're checking TB for some odd reason, maybe this'll help keep down your blood pressure. :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: MikeCanada
#17
icanjam said:
Thanks mike for yet another informative post! Cats do in fact love cases, but don't seem to look twice at my bass itself, my dogs have no reason to be in my room and don't care. Luckily my beta fish is in his own separate tank out in the dining room haha. I know I'm paranoid, I'm medicated for OCD and...other mentally things but I'm getting better with stuff. Still, if I walk in and, like mentioned early, the finger board is on the floor, I'd probably crap a hole through the floor. I'm going to ask some people to baby sit it at their house but if that doesn't work I'll bag it up, keep it in its corner and forget about it. Now that I've thought about it I can't imagine it'd tip over, especially because of my "fancy" bungy cord setup. My rooms been stuck at 70% humidity the past couple days, that's the highest I've seen it since I got my hygrometers and my bass is still in one piece.
Click to expand...
having someone else baby sit the bass comes with a whole new set of considerations that are likely more risky than leaving it home alone
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jake deVilliers
#19
drurb said:
I empathize as I've been fastidious about caring for my basses. Just as Mike said, over time, I've become far less concerned but still provide the care. Specifically, I watch temperature and humidity closely, I have multiple hygrometers, a humidifier, and a fancy outboard humidistat that controls the humidifier.
Click to expand...

drurb . . . if you consider that not fastidious, I'd like to know what more you did back in your fastidious days. :D
 
#20
Lee Moses said:
drurb . . . if you consider that not fastidious, I'd like to know what more you did back in your fastidious days. :D
Click to expand...
Yeah, I get it! :). When I said I've been fastidious I was including now. I should have made that clearer. I think fastidious was a nice way for me to say "crazy and OCD-like.":D
I still do the OCD-like care at home but I'm just less worried about what might happen if and what might happen when.

By the way, the multiple hygrometer thing came about as a result of ending up with two and noticing that they often didn't agree. When I got the outboard control, I noticed that it didn't agree with either of the other two. The differences were not just 1 or 2% Then I got into the whole calibration thing. Just had to know. At that point it was less about the bass and more about the devices.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Lee Moses

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back