Double Bass Why is my EUB always sharp?

[Bruce Lindfield]

OK this has been puzzling me for a while now and it struck me as more strange, having just bought a new DB and when I check its tuning, this is always flat and I have to tune it up - same with all the BGs I've ever owned.

But with my NS CR5 EUB - every time I check it, against tuners or piano etc - it is always sharp, I've never caught it being flat - this just strikes me as bizarre?

I mean I can understand strings streching or tuners slipping and making things flat - but why does my EUB always go sharp?

I have to know!!

 

[ChasFL]

Could be a couple of things. The summer humidity could be altering the new EUB neck differently than the DB neck. Make sure to keep your intonation in check more frequently during the summer months.

I used to be luthier in Rhode Island for Guild Corporation in the ealry 80's before they were bought up by Fender and moved to California, and I remember the summer humidity would overbow the necks rather than underbow them sometimes, making them sharper rather than flatter if they had underbowed.

 

[Bruce Lindfield]

Well I thought it might be that - but we are talking about the mild climate of Southern Britain here!!

And that's why I mentioned my DB and BGs as well - they are always slightly flat and understandably need tuning up.

Also - the EUB is a massive, solid piece of wood with graphite reinforcement - and composite bridge - I would have thought it would be the least likely to be affected by climate change of all my basses - if we ever had any dramatic climate change, that is!!

It's just so baffling!

 

[anonymous0726]

Maybe it's not done growing yet, and will be a real bass some day -- when it's fully matured.

Ahem.

Anyhow, Temperature could have something to do with it. Perhaps it's as simple as the string being warmer when you last tuned them, and as the cooled off they shrunk the slightest bit. Dunno -- just a wild guess after the other possibilties have been discounted.

You'll find that with the fiddle that pitch will go either way, depending on temp and humidty changes from day to day.

 

[paintandsk8]

I have found the same phenomena happening with my eub. It's not a constant thing, but I do notice that on a regular basis my strings will go sharp instead of flat, while my bg that has been sitting right next to it the whole time will go flat.

 

[ChasFL]

Is there any difference from when you play it hard inbetween checking it and when you haven't played it at all for a few days and then checked it again??

 

[Bruce Lindfield]

Anyhow, Temperature could have something to do with it. Perhaps it's as simple as the string being warmer when you last tuned them, and as the cooled off they shrunk the slightest bit.

I think there may be something in this - as it's usually after it's been in my car on the way to play out somewhere - so maybe it gets cold and would go back to pitch when it had warmed up!?

You'll find that with the fiddle that pitch will go either way, depending on temp and humidty changes from day to day.

Well, we have a mild/ moderate climate, so I don't think I'll have those problems - so far, it's always been flat!!

 

[brianrost]

OK this has been puzzling me for a while now and it struck me as more strange, having just bought a new DB and when I check its tuning, this is always flat and I have to tune it up - same with all the BGs I've ever owned.

But with my NS CR5 EUB - every time I check it, against tuners or piano etc - it is always sharp, I've never caught it being flat - this just strikes me as bizarre?

Maybe it's the climate but both my uprights and all my slabs go sharp when stored (except the Steinberger slab which only need to be tuned once every 1000 years ). They only seem to go flat when being played.

 

[Time Divider]

Because it is aware of the fact that you are its owner. It is compensating.

 

[JMX]

I have that sometimes with my bass guitar, and I'm in a similar climate, so it might be a possible reason.