Recently I’ve been re-tuning my basses more frequently than usual, and the other day it occurred to me that it’s probably because I’ve recently moved the stand next to the balcony door, where they are exposed to slightly bigger temperature changes. I’d say it’s a 5-10 degree swing at most, so nothing too extreme.
Is this something that I should worry about in the long run? Is it bad for the neck? Ideally I’d put the stand somewhere else just to be safe, but I don’t really have other options.
I tried to google how temperature changes affect bass, but most of the results were fishing related…
it should still be “room temperature” unless the sun shines right on them for a couple of hours, if so I’d move them, specifically if you’re noticing tuning issues
It probably has a long-term effect with the wood getting drier. It might not be the best idea to leave them in a sunny room.
I wouldn’t bother too much about short-term though. Temperatures on stage (for those good enough to get there) can be quite extreme
Humidity is more of a thing. But, direct sunlight will dry out too. Keep away from light. Near a door the humidity fluctuates more too. My music room is humidity controlled (to as much of an extent is practical, and things still get wonky when seasons change.
Sunlight will also lighten the paint job after very long (months/years) of direct exposure. Not a big deal and sometimes makes it look better, but it might look different on the front and back unless you rotate your bass regularly to tan both sides evenly.
Thanks for the replies. I’m in Ireland, so sunlight is unfortunately not an issue… And if I recall correctly the sun does not shine directly on that spot, but I’ll double check the next time I see it.
Good to know. I’ll add that to my list on the maintenance and usage schedule. So far I’ve got:
1 - Always check the tuning before playing
2 - Replace the strings on your goto Bass every 3-6 months
3 - Clean and oil the fretboard and check basic setup when replacing strings
4 - Check humidity levels in each case weekly, and the latest
5 - Rotate the Bass periodically, if out of the case, to ensure even sunlight exposure.
I refuse to use wall hangars and if not using any of my Basses, Guitars, or Ukes keep them in their cases with the string tension backed off a little. Each case has it’s own humidifier and hygrometer. These I check weekly. Some may think this is a little over the top but all of my instruments play as good as the day I first got them and that includes my 50+ year old Stratocaster.
I was told many years ago that the perfect humidity conditions for instruments containing wood is 35%-45% RH.
Too much humidity is also not good and will cause the wood to swell creating neck problems.
