In the first band I played in, I never once tuned my bass, or changed the strings. Prior to our first gig I told our guitarist, who was a perfectionist, that I didn't know how to do it properly. For 3 years he kept my bass in perfect tip top shape. I would rock up with a new set of strings every now and again, pass them onto him and leave him to work his magic while I smoked a Marlboro or two and supped on a Newcastle Brown Ale. Happy days!