Question regarding tuning..

[dvh]

It's totally normal. Strings are made of metal which will expand and contract with temperature. You tune the strings when they are "cold". you play a few tunes and the strings warm up from your hands. You re-tune the strings while they're warm. Everything's now fine. You sit the bass down for a while and the strings cool off by radiating the body heat they've absorbed into the environment and they contract. You pick up the bass and lo and behold the strings are sharp. You tune the strings when they are "cold". You play a few tunes and the strings warm up from your hands. You re-tune the strings while they're warm. Everything's now fine. You sit the bass down for a while and the strings cool off by radiating the body heat they've absorbed into the environment and they contract. You pick up the bass and lo and behold the strings are sharp. Rinse and repeat as often as necessary.

mech

Do you really find those changes are notable (pun)? How much appreciable change in pitch can be attributed to those factors?

 

[RED J]

just in case of knocks etc.

Don't know what this means, please 'splain.

Thanks

 

[PDQbass]

Sorry, by 'in case of knocks' I meant in case I have knocked one of the tuners taking the bass out of the case or suchlike without noticing.

 

[RED J]

Many Thanks

 

[gigslut]

just in case of knocks etc.

Don't know what this means, please 'splain.

Thanks

I think he means in case the tuners get bumped in transit. When I carried my Fender basses in a hard case, they almost always came out in tune. Now that I use gig bags, I tune more often.

 

[otherclef]

Yes it is common for the strings to detune slightly after you initially pick up your bass and play a few songs. As you play, the strings warm a bit from the body heat of your hands and the strings go slightly flat.

One thing you can try is to run your flat palm up and down the length of the strings creating some friction as well as a little heat to warm the strings before you first start playing songs. Then do your final tuning and then start to play. The strings will stay in tune.

^^^^ This.

 

[mech]

Do you really find those changes are notable (pun)? How much appreciable change in pitch can be attributed to those factors?

Not truly notable but while I'm there....as long as it's within a half step.

Depends on the ambient temp. Rarely see over a few cents except at outdoor gigs as the day heats up or at night as it cools off. I have played outdoor night gigs where it went from mid-60s to not much above freezing when we quit. Had to tune quite often. The guitar players had to touch up every couple of tunes.

mech

 

[Alrod]

If by "out of tune albeit not that much" you mean that you can still play and not sound out of tune (-/+ 5 cents), I would say that is normal. If you mean that the guitar sounds out of tune, then from my own personal experience, I would say that is not normal. The only time I experience that is after I change the strings. But I stretch them out real good before I actually start playing songs.