Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
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.
Had to stop using Flats last night.. bummer
- Thread starter wyleeboxer
- Start date
I remember Stephen Stills in an interview joking about barbecue sauce, fried chicken, and all this other stuff he used to do before he played. He was replying with a joke to a type of question that probably got asked innumerable times.Harland David Sanders was is name!!!
Also IIRC Jaco quipped about the fried chicken grease too.
And I think Joe Pass mentioned a little trick he used in an interview concerning taking his fretting hand which was his left hand, and rubbing his fingertips down the sides of his nose to grease them up a tad with a bit with nose grease.
Last edited:
I thought I was the only bassist who did this! At the start of nearly every set.
Yep strange, never had any issues with stickiness in Florida for me either. Did a gig last night, high humidity, outside, no issues.
I’ve heard lots of complaints about stickiness with flats in humidity, but I have really only experienced stickiness when my flats were brand new (particularly Chromes) and not related to humidity.
I do keep micro fiber cloths, 1 in my bass case and 1 in my gig bag, and regularly wipe down my bass. Always after the gig when I’m putting the bass back in the case, and often on stage during a performance (in between songs) if my bass is getting wet/sweaty. I don’t like my bass neck or strings to feel slick/greasy/oily, so maybe what feels smooth to me feels sticky to others, and vice-versa.
I’m curious how often those who get “sticky” strings wipe them down with a cloth?
FYI: I live and gig on the central coast of California where sometimes it feels like I’m playing IN the Pacific Ocean.
I do keep micro fiber cloths, 1 in my bass case and 1 in my gig bag, and regularly wipe down my bass. Always after the gig when I’m putting the bass back in the case, and often on stage during a performance (in between songs) if my bass is getting wet/sweaty. I don’t like my bass neck or strings to feel slick/greasy/oily, so maybe what feels smooth to me feels sticky to others, and vice-versa.
I’m curious how often those who get “sticky” strings wipe them down with a cloth?
FYI: I live and gig on the central coast of California where sometimes it feels like I’m playing IN the Pacific Ocean.
Last edited:
I've experienced this a few times here lately. I just chalked it up to my flats being fairly new. I recently installed a set of EB cobalt flats and notice that towards the end of a set if we get cooking they can become very sticky and hard to get around on. Probably doesn't apply to the OP's situation but I notice that these strings seem to leave a residue on my plucking fingers that seems to contribute to the problem. If I wash my hands the stickiness goes away. I know you can't do that in the middle of a set so it's not a solution just an observation.
I hear ya, I moved here about 18 years ago from the Bay Area. June gloom is a thing. It has changed of course (like everywhere else!). I'm convinced it gets more humid than it used to, but I dunno. The cooler temps are actually fine w me. When we get into the long stretches of heat I'll be whining my arse off, as I'm an avid cyclist.
I do recall when doing two outdoor gigs earlier this year when it was downright cold, I used flats on one but went with rounds on the second, as the flats did seem kinda "grippy" in the cold.
JazznFunk
Supporting Member
Sticky Fingers Syndrome hits me on double bass a lot as well when it's really humid. It sucks to be gliding along, swinging while playing a walking line, and then your finger just goes 'STOP.' Never really experienced it with flats on electric, since you're not really digging in the same as on upright.
It's been gloomy the last week or so but on the other hand looking at the trees and vegetation around here reminds how scary dry it is here overall. It's gloomy and cool now but we're going to get ours as far as heat later. Frankly I'm very concerned--a bit scared, really--about the heatwaves and fires to come.
//Also, I used to be an avid road cyclist too, since I was a teen. I used to race USCF. I used ride at and around the Rose Bowl, did the Saturday group ride that stops at the TJ's in South Pasadena and the New Year ride up to Mt. Wilson Observatory.
I stopped cycling because I couldn't deal with the bad/distracted/agro drivers out on the roads anymore. I know one guy who got run over on Topanga by a Range Rover and nearly died. Around the same time, two over guys I know nearly got killed riding to work on motorbikes on the west side, in separate incidences.
One of my acoustic guitars has a gloss finish on the neck, I got one of those chalk bags like gymnasts use for the parallel bars. I put it in a large ziplock bag and just stick my hand in the bag to get a little bit of chalk on my palm. Makes the back of the neck and strings super slick.
I'm a hardcore gravel rider, some bikepacking, used to do some 'cross. I only stay on the road long enough to get to the dirt. I love the long fire road climbs, the singletrack. I'm over near Altadena so the mountains are right there--it's a SoCal destination for that kind of riding, so I'm lucky I landed here. But man, the street I live on is terrifying with the aggro, insane drivers - I get off it as fast as I can. Every year 3-4 parked cars are totalled by reckless aggressive drivers just on our block. It's crazy. We had two just this last month.
As for the fire threat, yep, it's bad. We've been told to evac once, have been packed up and ready to go several times. Our backyard goes out into open space. Lots of fuel out there. We've been lucky so far.
Oh yeah, up by the dam and JPL. I'm on the line between Eagle Rock and Highland Park. I used to ride my road bike up all around there almost daily (Arroyo/Altadena/Art Center/La Canada). Windsor Ave and Ventura St are only about 20 minute ride on the bike from my place. I've consider building a cyclocross bike (parts bike?) to ride those trails to get away from the roads and cars.
My partner's sister operates a mountain bike guide business in Moab, UT. We've taken her up to that trail to off-road ride and hike numerous times when she's back in LA to visit.
Small world.
Last edited:
I’ve used Fast Fret, nose boogie, mineral oil etc.. before and while it works it seems not to last during a full set. And nothing worse when the stickiness comes back during the middle of a song only to have the drummer looking at me with a “***” eye.
Played in my Motown cover band again last night (small crowded sweating bar but more inland) with my jazz bass that I swapped the flats out for rounds. Much better and with the help of a few side of my nose rubs not one sticky issue! Funny how course Rounds feel now compared to flats but my fingers are still lovin’ me this morning. Have another gig tonight in Dana Point, basically on the ocean, so we’ll see?
Played in my Motown cover band again last night (small crowded sweating bar but more inland) with my jazz bass that I swapped the flats out for rounds. Much better and with the help of a few side of my nose rubs not one sticky issue! Funny how course Rounds feel now compared to flats but my fingers are still lovin’ me this morning. Have another gig tonight in Dana Point, basically on the ocean, so we’ll see?
Yep, I have to ride up Chevy Chase from my house. Chevy Chase is a nightmare. But from there I can hop up Cherry Canyon and ride all the fire roads above Glendale, head over to JPL, Gabrieleno, Brown, Wilson, etc. A gravel bike is the perfect rig for these parts(even though we don't have "gravel" roads, just dirt that goes straight up). . I have a 650B gravel rig with chonky rubber and a 700c Cross bike and they're both great up here (steel is real!). I come from mostly riding rigid mountain bikes so it's not that big a stretch, just much better when on the road, and great for climbing. Man, talk about a thread derail--sorry!!!
Can I help?!?
Spent my young decade racing domestically and internationally, stepped off in 2001 after deciding not to dope during the doping era, and now I'm full-time in coaching and directing our country's best juniors. Have coached five kids who reached the world championships and one who earned medals.ONTO Cycling
Also, the nose grease application goes for the four left-hand fingers - never the thumb - and two pluckers on the right hand. A friend borrowed my P-bass with 16 y/o LaBellas for a recording, and he said, "yeah, I felt like I needed to wash my hands after I played it."
Never, ever ran into stickiness on my flats.
For the record, I liked your post because of the cycling coaching, not because of the nose grease.Can I help?!?
ONTO Cycling
Also, the nose grease application goes for the four left-hand fingers - never the thumb - and two pluckers on the right hand. A friend borrowed my P-bass with 16 y/o LaBellas for a recording, and he said, "yeah, I felt like I needed to wash my hands after I played it."
Never, ever ran into stickiness on my flats.
Good thing I’m an avid mountain biker! Best of both worlds this turned out to be for me
Btw used my other Jazz bass last that just put new Dunlop super bright nickels on.. a little sticky on some fast passages but nothing like the flats I fear would’ve been. The nose grease did help with the new Rounds and I’m sure once they break in they’ll be silky smooth.
