So here is my problem, The bass i jam on in the house when i pick it up its always out of tune. I leave it on a stand in my office, it seems but im not 100% sure when it is cold its shap and when its hot its flat, Now i live in Ca. so the temp chances arent that much. My pbass is strung with Roto sounds. any ideas?
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Out of Tune!
- Thread starter oldno7
- Start date
I suggest you tune it. 
Seriously- some basses do this, some don't(or at least not so bad/noticeably as others). You might try to find a more temurature-consistent spot to store it or keep it in the case. What kind of bass is it?
Seriously- some basses do this, some don't(or at least not so bad/noticeably as others). You might try to find a more temurature-consistent spot to store it or keep it in the case. What kind of bass is it?
Temp changes... it's in your office, does the temp in there change alot? If air con is very cool it will shrink those cables making it Sharp. I bet if you tightened your t rod one eighth, it may improve. Tune when you have played a few minutes and it will likely be in tune after a few minutes of playing thereafter.
Jazzdogg
Less barking, more wagging!
Is the AC/heating vent blowing directly on your bass?
Is your bass stored on an outside wall? A south-facing wall?
Is your bass stored with sunlight shining directly on it?
Are your strings new?
Is your bass stored on an outside wall? A south-facing wall?
Is your bass stored with sunlight shining directly on it?
Are your strings new?
Another suggestion is to always put in its case, preferably a hard shell case, whenever you are not playing it. Leaving it on a stand is not a good idea even when you have a room wherein temperature, humidity, drafts, and light are under control and within an acceptable range.
Always storing it in its hard shell case, even between sets, has worked just fine for my 40+ y/o axe.
Always storing it in its hard shell case, even between sets, has worked just fine for my 40+ y/o axe.
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
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- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
Basic physics. Cold means he strings contract and pitch goes up. Hot the strings expand and pitch goes down.
I always buy my basses pre-tuned from the factory; this way, it will stay in tune permanently .....
Mike
Mike
I've had basses, both inexpensive and high-end, that live in the same environment, get the same amount of playing time, are stored the same way, and have the same amount of proper set up and care. Some almost never need tuning and others need tweaking each time they're played. I don't think you can say it's just temp, truss rod, etc.
I'm going to agree with most of the people who have already posted here and say just tune it when you want to play it. Get a headstock tuner like the Snark and just leave it on the bass so you can tune it quickly and easily before playing
I tune my bass every time I pick it up, which is every day. I wouldn't expect it to remain perfectly in tune from day to day, that's just the nature of the materials. I would only think that there's an issue if it goes wildly, way way out of tune in short periods of time. But a little tweaking to get it right is just routine.
I always buy my basses pre-tuned from the factory; this way, it will stay in tune permanently .....
Mike
How has that been working out for you?
Do they charge for the service ?
