Loosen strings when not in use?

[GreggTL]

I keep a bass in my studio. It records nicely, but doesn't get played often. (Sometimes months between usage.) To keep the strings fresh, I'm wondering about loosening them when not in use. I wouldn't do this to guitar strings because I think it screws their tone. But I've heard that with bass strings, because of their lower tension, it's alright. Kindly tell me, what are some of your experiences with this? Thank you.

[Grant - Toupé]

I'd say no baecause the neck still has tension in it and it's going to bow if you slacken off the strings.

 

My view is also based on the fact that I can't put a bass down for more than an hour, let alone a month. Don't know much about long term storage care.

 

So I say, keep 'em tight and play it more than your guitar!

[40hertz]

if you like the sound of fresh strings, have a new set of strngs available.

there is no alternative in terms of tone.

[DoctorNo]

Besides possible neck problems, I would think that the strings would probably be negatively affected by the changing tension. I might be wrong about this, though.

 

Doc

[Fred TBP]

I just had 3 basses adjusted for back-bowed necks because they were tuned down and in storage for over 5 years. That was a costly lesson to learn.

 

Now I tune down a 4th (G to D, D to A, etc.) when I store a bass for more than a month. Can't guarantee what will happen, but I don't want to go through the back-bow situation again.

[DoctorNo]

You could also solve your storage problem by sending all of your equipment to me.

[Cup]

Originally posted by 40hertz:

if you like the sound of fresh strings, have a new set of strngs available.

there is no alternative in terms of tone.

If I'm getting the right jist, I take it that the studio bass is used mainly on short term notice. 40hertz advice would be great in an ideal world, but the time it takes to change and stectch new strings would only hold you back. I find that it takes at least two to three days for new strings to settle.

 

Keep the bass tuned corerectly, play it, even for 20 minutes every two or three days. Change strings when appropriate!

 

Good luck

[alexclaber]

Originally posted by GreggTL:

To keep the strings fresh, I'm wondering about loosening them when not in use.

Why would loosening the strings keep them fresh? AFAIK the only things that wear out strings is dirt (human deposits mainly) causing internal abrasion and damping, wear spots on the outer wrap from the frets and fatigue on the core wire due to dynamic loading. I don't see how keeping a steel or nickel wire under static tension would wear it appreciably.

 

On the other hand, repeatedly tightening and loosening the strings could cause fatigue and the neck won't like it either.

 

Alex

[Mr M Pulsive]

Save the neck at the expense of the strings, if need be.

[saxofunk]

My acoustic guitar spends most of its time in a case, strung and tuned. It gets played maybe 20 minutes/week. In two years, there have been no problems, and no noticeable changes in the setup. If I know it's going to stay in there for a loooong time I detune only one whole step.

 

The phosphor-bronze strings show corrosion just by oxidizing... you wouldn't have that problem with Stainless strings, can't imagine that Nickel plated string would oxidize much either.

[jeremy c]

I just said this in another thread:

 

If a bass is not used for a while, do not detune it. You can cause the neck to warp that way. Leave it at pitch. The strings won't wear out if the bass is not being played.

[dcr]

What Alex said. Since metal fatigue will kill a string dead, & there's no stopping it once it's started, I wouldn't think that big changes in tension over time, & possibly also changes in the "witness points" over the bridge & nut, would do anything to keep the strings living longer. It's just wearing out the metal.

[bubba upright]

What's the humidity condition where you keep your bass?? If you live in an environment where humidity changes throughout the year (like Florida) you'll want to keep an eye on your neck constantly for back-bowing. I have a couple of basses that rarely see the light of day, but I keep them tuned and have no problem. If your area is humid, invest in a dehumidifier for your storage area.

 

As far as strings, don't loosen them. you want to keep a consistent pressure on them when you're not playing, otherwise, your neck will be very unhappy...

[ernieD]

Man great timing for this post. I was just about to post this question but had not got around to it. Years ago I would always loosen the strings after gigs, practice. They probably stayed loose longer than tight. Awhile back I took a bass to a guitar tech for some tweaking and I mentioned that I always did this thinking it would be better for the neck. He told me that was worse for the neck that leaving it tuned for long lengths of time because as some of you have stated here the possible damage to my neck. I was not totally convinced back then but now that I see it here I'm glad I listened to him then and this thread just reinforced that practice in me.

[abaguer]

Detune when you fly, not when you store it.

[...]

Originally posted by abaguer:

Detune when you fly, not when you store it.

I've never detuned a bass when bringing it on an airplane and I've yet to have problems; this includes checking it and having it stowed under the plane with all the general baggage. Is the concern the radical temperature changes? Atmospheric pressure changes? Maybe I've just been lucky but I really don't see a point in doing this? Enlighten me, please. And I'm not being a sarcastic bastard (this time).

[g.]

Yeah, last time I flew I tuned my bass down a minor third. That didn't impress the bagage handlers - they still managed to tear through the miles of duct tape on the case valence and latches; one was hanging open when I got my bass off the conveyor.

[alexclaber]

Originally posted by Bumpcity:

Is the concern the radical temperature changes? Atmospheric pressure changes? Maybe I've just been lucky but I really don't see a point in doing this? Enlighten me, please.

I think the main concern is the change in temperature. The temperature at crusing altitude is about -50 deg Celsius, so that's a 70 deg C change from room temperature. According to my rusty maths that would cause a 1/32" reduction in string length due to thermal contraction, which doesn't strike me as very much.

 

The other issue is the reduction in humidity (not relative humidity, I think that's pretty constant) but I doubt this would affect the moisture content of an instrument, particularly a solid-bodied painted one, within the time span of a flight.

 

I suspect the suggestions about detuning basses are much more relevant with double basses, which are far more fragile, have thinner wood and are thus likely to be affected by humidity changes and have approximately double the string tension.

 

Alex

[jeremy c]

I used to detune my bass when flying...then would get driven straight to the gig where I had to fight to stay in tune all night.

 

Then I bought a few basses by mail...they came shipped by air and all tuned up. I talked to a store owner friend of mine....all the instruments he gets are delivered tuned up.

 

Then I thought about this temperature air-pressure thing. The whole bass gets cold and not really that cold. Do your bottles of shampoo and aftershave freeze solid? No. There are pets in the cargo hold. Do they freeze to death? No. The strings get cold and so does the body and neck of the bass.

 

So your strings get cold. Big deal. My house gets pretty cold at night....down into the 50's (F).

 

As far as air pressure, yes it's a little lower than sea level. It's lower in the cabin, too. That's why your ears pop. (At least mine do).

 

You could have your bass in a vacuum and it wouldn't have any relationship to the tension on the neck.

 

The neck of the bass is better off if the strings are at the proper tension. The only time having the strings at tension might hurt is if your bass is dropped from a great height. Good luck if that happens no matter how you have packed your bass.

[_Sweet Willie_]

Originally posted by jeremyc:

The only time having the strings at tension might hurt is if your bass is dropped from a great height.

So, for example, if my bass fell out of the cargo hold of an airplane in flight?

 

[jeremy c]

So, for example, if my bass fell out of the cargo hold of an airplane in flight?

It could happen and probably has.

[_Sweet Willie_]

Originally posted by jeremyc:

So, for example, if my bass fell out of the cargo hold of an airplane in flight?

It could happen and probably has.

And when it does/did happen, I have a sneaky suspicion that string tension was not as big a player in instrument damage as other factors.

 

Ever wonder if the flight case manufacturers do a test like that?

[...]

A friend of mine had a flight case for his guitar that would probably outlast the black box in the event of a plane crash.

[cornbread_medhotmail.com]

Originally posted by Sweet Willie:

Originally posted by jeremyc:

So, for example, if my bass fell out of the cargo hold of an airplane in flight?

It could happen and probably has.

And when it does/did happen, I have a sneaky suspicion that string tension was not as big a player in instrument damage as other factors.

 

Ever wonder if the flight case manufacturers do a test like that?

I'm thinking the rapid decelleration might have a greater impact.

[alexclaber]

Originally posted by cornbread:

I'm thinking the rapid decelleration might have a greater impact.

I'm thinking that the impact might have a greater impact

 

Alex

[73 P Bass]

Originally posted by CupMcMali:

[/qb]

I find that it takes at least two to three days for new strings to settle.

 

Keep the bass tuned corerectly, play it, even for 20 minutes every two or three days. Change strings when appropriate!

 

Good luck[/QB]

 

I never have to wait for strings to settle.

After I re-string a bass and tune it, I grab each string individually and give it a few good yanks, re-tune, and I'm good to go(works with derailleur cables too!). I change strings often (I love that new string zing).

A freind of a freind had the same problem as Fred; he left a G & L in storage without string tension and totally f***ed the neck up.

[jeremy c]

Be careful when stretching those strings.

 

If you pull too hard, you can pull the wrapping away from the center core which will significantly affect the life of the string.

[getz out]

Yeah, I don't do the string-stretching thing. I don't seem to have the same "settling" problem that some others describe. Once I throw new strings on and tune up, it's pretty good to go, in general.

 

I'm assuming this has to do with string choice or nut quality.

[_Sweet Willie_]

Originally posted by getz76:

I'm assuming this has to do with string choice or nut quality.

You're a quality nut...but that's neither here nor there...

 

I do the "string-stretching" thing, but I don't crank on them hard.

 

Peace.

[g.]

Yeah, the stretching thing isn't really doing anything good, and it ISN'T stretching anything that would need to be stretched. In the positive ledger column all it is doing is seating the string better at the bridge and pulling up some slack at the tuner.

 

In the negative column it is doing as J said, and stressing the tuner if done very hard.

 

Look at Sperzel locking tuners if you want to remove the wraps-around-the-tuning-peg variable. They work incredibly well and make a string change take only seconds.