- Bass Tabs
- Forum
- do you detune your bass before keeping it back in case?
do you detune your bass before keeping it back in case?
I dnt knw bt a lot,i mean A Lot of guitarists and bassists detune their instruments…..leaving guitar in tune doesn't make much difference cuz the string dnt exert much tension as compared to thick bass strings
I was wondering whats the correct way of keeping the bass?
Detuning it everytime before keeping it back in case or leaving it in tune?
I leave it in tune, but one thing that I do when I get someplace with my instrument is this: I don't immediately tune it. I wait for the instrument to get to about the same temperature as the room I'm in. If the instrument is particularly cold and you tune it, when it gets warmer it will go out of tune, or worse, a string will pop.
I think what you should do depends on several things, mostly the type of neck on your bass and how long your bass will be in the case.
If you have a lacquered maple neck and fingerboard, I think it will withstand unabated string tension better than would a neck with a rosewood or ebony fingerboard (or other fingerboard that requires periodic oiling).
If the in-case storage is for a short period, and you have a maple fingerboard as above, then I don't think you have to detune.
If you don't have the maple neck and fingerboard, or if the bass will be stored for more than a few days, I would detune it.
It is a lot easier and cheaper to tune up than to replace a neck!
Cheers.
I think you shouldn't detune your bass before you put it away, be it in a case or on a stand.
The trussrod is set to a certain tension applied by the strings. If you detune, you take away the tension and your trussrod wil pull your neck back. If left for a long period your neck will adjust to that position and that could result in an offset trussrod. To adjust your trustrod yourself needs al lot of skill.
So better avoid that….changing tension on your bass all the time is not going to do your neck much good.
It`s built for string tension so you may just as wel leave it on.
Always keep mine in tune!
always keep mine in tune too
ok let me clarity my last statement, if you play it. or will be in the next say monthish then no. if its gonna sit in a closet for a year… well yes lol but don't detune it. take the strings off and put them in a ziplock bag. stops the strings from corroding or getting all dusty n old. also depends on your bass… is the neck straight or does it have a bow?
I was told by two luthiers that I should relieve string tension when not using my bass. A search of the topic on various bass forums, as well as the comments here, suggest that there is no need to release string tension and that doing so could actually be a bad practice.
So, I don't know. Sounds like you probably shouldn't detune. It would be nice to get an authoritative answer.
Wow, I am brand new to anything and everything bass. I never even knew that detuning was something to be considered. This has been an enlightening discussion thread. Thank you all who contributed. I think I will go with the not detune as I am still at the mercy of my husband to tune. I will learn that here shortly. =)
lol you dont need your husband? google online bass tuner. then turn the speakers up and match the sound. easy at that.
Reply to this thread
