Taking Care of Your Equipment

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I've always been the kind of person who doesn't really take care of things. It's not that I don't care about them, I just kinda, you know, sling my favorite cd in the backseat when I'm done with it. Not good.

So that mentality is leaving, and I'm growing up and changing, etc.

So, care and feeding of a bass.

1. How often should I change my strings? I have honestly not changed them since JANUARY, when we recorded. However, I pride myself on the fact that they never go out of tune. I should change them though. How often do YOU change them?

2. What should you deffo not do?

Also, amps. Maintenance? Anything I should be doing? Do they need tuning up?

― Roxymuzak, Mrs. Carbohydrate (roxymuzak), Thursday, 6 October 2005 16:17 (nineteen years ago)

I am so clueless about this bullshit. My bass -- I don't even use a GIG BAG. I'm just a careless bitch!

― Roxymuzak, Mrs. Carbohydrate (roxymuzak), Thursday, 6 October 2005 16:20 (nineteen years ago)

I never change the strings on my bass. I just boil them.

Gig bag, however, (or at least a decent case) is urgent and key. Do you *want* your intonation to go all wonky?

― Paranoid Spice (kate), Thursday, 6 October 2005 16:26 (nineteen years ago)

...boil...them?

I *have* a gig bag, I just....oh, I'm nuts!

Explain to me intonation going wonky. I guess I'm just like, well, I can get that fixed. This is bad way to be and I'm working on it!

― Roxymuzak, Mrs. Carbohydrate (roxymuzak), Thursday, 6 October 2005 16:27 (nineteen years ago)

Changing strings is more of a matter of personal taste than anything. Some people change them for every gig, others leave them on forever, IIRC James Jamerson was never supposed to have changed his. IMO It just depends on how bright and snappy you like them to sound. I haate the sound of new strings so I only change them when they break.

Other than that, the only thing I do is keep the intonation in check, there's still splats of blood on the strings and scratchplate from a gig we played three months ago.

Oh, and get a gig bag!

― Ben Dot (1977), Thursday, 6 October 2005 16:28 (nineteen years ago)

I have one!

― Roxymuzak, Mrs. Carbohydrate (roxymuzak), Thursday, 6 October 2005 16:29 (nineteen years ago)

I love boiling my bass strings. It used to really freak my housemate out when she'd think I'd be making supper and stick her nose in the pot, and be all "huh? spaghetti for robots?"

It kind of cleans them without losing the lovely stretchiness that comes from having really old strings. Especially if you like to pull notes and slide about like I used to do on the bass.

― Paranoid Spice (kate), Thursday, 6 October 2005 16:29 (nineteen years ago)

So you simply take them off and boil them, put them back on. Correct? This is madness!

― Roxymuzak, Mrs. Carbohydrate (roxymuzak), Thursday, 6 October 2005 16:30 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah. You can add a bit of detergent as well if you like, but you should rinse them afterwards if you do.

The heat and the cooling does something to the metal, I think. It's all very scientific. Plus it cleans the fingerdirt and grease off them.

― Paranoid Spice (kate), Thursday, 6 October 2005 16:32 (nineteen years ago)

Maybe I should wash the blood off...

Well use it then! (x-post)

I should really heed my own advice, 'cos I'm crap at taking care of my basses as well.

Intonation is what the screws at the back of the bridge are for, to adjust the saddles. Oh fuck it, I'll just go look for a link...

Try This!

― Ben Dot (1977), Thursday, 6 October 2005 16:35 (nineteen years ago)

I remember this letter in the old '80's "Making Music" magazine, where the writer was all "I boil my bass strings in..." and I forget what it actually was - something ridiculous like ethanol or surgical spirit, and the letters page editor's reply was a masterpiece of understatement, something like "sacrifice a little tone, and use water instead, PLEASE. Otherwise you are going to die".

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 6 October 2005 16:37 (nineteen years ago)

crazy. I'm going to try this boiling thing!

The guy who recorded our EP (actually our old drummer :x) told me that you should get your guit "intonated" (intoned?) before recording, always. c or d? t or f?

― Roxymuzak, Mrs. Carbohydrate (roxymuzak), Thursday, 6 October 2005 16:43 (nineteen years ago)

I find it better to have an actual guitar tech do a whole "set-up" thing of checking your intonation and your errr... truss-rod and all that kind of thing, before you do a session. It will just make your guitar sound better, stay in tune more, etc.

I had the greatest guitar tech in NYC, he was great with vintage equipment, especially 60s stuff. He used to work out of his flat and fix all these garage bands' gear. And then The Strokes nicked him. :-(

― Paranoid Spice (kate), Thursday, 6 October 2005 16:45 (nineteen years ago)

― Roxymuzak, Mrs. Carbohydrate (roxymuzak), Thursday, 6 October 2005 16:47 (nineteen years ago)

I think C and T, because if you don't you run the risk of being further and further out of tune, the higher you go up the fretboard. In extreme cases I guess this could mean that say, a D at the twelth fret could actually be a C sharp or E flat.

― Ben Dot (1977), Thursday, 6 October 2005 16:49 (nineteen years ago)

I see.

― Roxymuzak, Mrs. Carbohydrate (roxymuzak), Thursday, 6 October 2005 16:50 (nineteen years ago)

I humbly (sort of) submit this. Honestly, it does work...

Public service announcement: how to set up your own guitar/bass and not pay for others to do it...

― John Justen (johnjusten), Thursday, 6 October 2005 16:51 (nineteen years ago)

That's way too complicated. I would rather just pay someone else to do it.

I mean, sure, I could my own teeth out, too, but I'd rather pay a dentist. (Or wait the 9 bazillion years on an NHS waiting list.)

― Paranoid Spice (kate), Thursday, 6 October 2005 17:02 (nineteen years ago)

it does. much cheaper doing it yourself. that's a great post John.

― AaronK (AaronK), Thursday, 6 October 2005 17:04 (nineteen years ago)

I'll have to try that sometime. I've just been using the crude "adjust your saddles" method.

― Ben Dot (1977), Thursday, 6 October 2005 17:10 (nineteen years ago)

If you want to learn a little about guitar setup and maintenance this book is pretty decent.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Thursday, 6 October 2005 17:18 (nineteen years ago)

Honestly, it's REALLY EASY. I'm just verbose and flowery in my prose.

Also, walter OTM on the above listed book. Also this one:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0793534909/103-1574078-8851804?v=glance&n=283155&n=507846&s=books&v=glance

― John Justen (johnjusten), Thursday, 6 October 2005 18:37 (nineteen years ago)

yeah, that first book is great. cant vouch for the second.

― AaronK (AaronK), Thursday, 6 October 2005 20:13 (nineteen years ago)

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