The Old Ironing Board Trick

[Pirate Captain]

I AM IRONING, MAN!

 

[Nohrellas]

I sit down cross legged, rest the body on my thigh and the neck on my foot. Might be a bit weird but I feel very comfortable that way since I don't have to worry about it slipping and you get to all the important parts very easily.

 

[bobalu]

Genius suggestion Linnen, thank-you for posting that! I will be using this idea.

 

[bobalu]

I sit down cross legged, rest the body on my thigh and the neck on my foot. Might be a bit weird but I feel very comfortable that way since I don't have to worry about it slipping and you get to all the important parts very easily.

You're talking about your bass here, right? Just want to make sure.

 

[Wfrance3]

I was reading a book about gravity this afternoon. Couldn't put it down.

 

[Ric5]

I've never owned any guitar that didn't change by a 1/16" when measuring the action.at the 12" fret.

An average set of strings put about 150 pounds of force on a guitar but you expect me to believe that gravity will pull your headstock down 1/16"??

Nope I don't believe it

the laws of physics will not support that conclusion

What does your headstock weigh? less than a pound ... how does that counteract 150 pounds of force, plus the stiffness of the wood, plus the stiffness of the truss rods ...

It doesn't

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

Which ironing board is best for changing Flatwound Strings?

Which is the best ironing board for metal ????

 

[Don Kasper]

Which is the best ironing board for metal ????

Nah. Too easy... I thought "ironing..." and "Flatwound..." was a deeper dive.
Thanks.

 

[Nickweissmusic]

You should not set action while the bass is oriented face up. Gravity will pull down on your neck and you'll have more relief when playing than you expect. Adjustments need to be made in playing position.

C'mon. Of course you check instruments out and tune them in playing position, but do enough adjustments and you can easily guesstimate without trying to work sideways in poor lighting.

 

[Bassdokes]

For the win

I AM IRONING, MAN!

 

[awilkie84]

You should not set action while the bass is oriented face up. Gravity will pull down on your neck and you'll have more relief when playing than you expect. Adjustments need to be made in playing position.

...the amount of pull that gravity will have is soooo minute that it will make an incredibly negligible difference when compared with the pull of the strings. :/ Kind of like the amount of formaldehyde in a vaccine is less than the amount your body produces naturally on a daily basis.

Besides, how do you do a fret level when the bass is sitting sideways in playing position???

 

[lowplaces]

Only if I can get one with a Fender or Ampeg logo....

I got Fender and Ampeg logos Galore around here....

 

[Grumry]

Good thinking!

 

[BornAgainBass]

I have a bunch of different vises with all kinds of soft jaws and a Versa-Craddle that I use in my Gunsmithing shop. I usually use one of the set ups when I change my strings on my electric guitars and when I was setting up the FR on one of them. The new to me used bass that I just got had brand new strings on it so I got lucky lol. But the ironing board trick sounds good. I was looking in to those Neon Blue DR's and other DR's when I finally get out to buy a backup set. I have to do some reading here and see what people think would be good strings for my style. I also need to post a pic of the strings that came with it and see if anybody can ID them for me. I think they might be EB's. Yamaha puts some strings that are not available to the public on their basses so the guy probably restrung it when he bought it new. But some companies are putting good name brand strings on their stuff straight from the factory these days. So who knows what they are lol. Thanks for the restring tip!

 

[Cowboy in Latvia]

Evidently you guys fail to see the gravity of this thread.

No kidding. Every time I try to escape, it pulls me back in!

 

[mac10]

Oh wait, I'm supposed to change my strings?

 

[madbass6]

You should not set action while the bass is oriented face up. Gravity will pull down on your neck and you'll have more relief when playing than you expect. Adjustments need to be made in playing position.

Gravity "?" Einstein would probably agree with you if he was still around but he's not !

I think it's an awesome idea!!
Thanks for the tip!

 

[Michael Schreiber]

Anyone have a video of anyone adjusting the truss rod from the base of the neck in a playing position? It would seem awkward.

And it would seem magic on a 4001!
(those hairpin truss rods just fix the neck in the position you bring it manually)
Want to see that happen in playing position...

P.S.: OK, 4003 user with "normal" truss rods can do that, I suppose

but a bass that reacts to gravity that much in the neck (hey Rickenbacker)

How does your Rickenbacker react to gravity differently than others?
I mean, sure, it may be lighter than many... Yet seriously, the neck on my 4001 is not sensitive to gravity. So, I wonder what's the matter with your Ric?

 

[Poor_Richard]

With Victorian flower patterns on the cover....obviously....

only if your making steampunk / gothic music _\m/

 

[Diddywah]

Placing a bass on an ironing board is the very last thing I'd do with a valuable instrument. Most can barely hold an iron, and they can't stay level.

Yeah, like anything a man designs for a woman to use; its useless. We need to start designing ironing boards for men ;-) so we can use them for our basses too