cleaning yer bass

[munkonthehill]

Ok chaps and chapesses,

I got some stuff to clean my bass and the fretboard...I removed the strings so I could make a really decent job of it...

My thoughts are now do I put the strings back on or stick a new set on.....The strings in my opinion have plenty of life in them and im not the biggest fan of the sound of new strings.

So im just seeing what you guys would do in these circumstances.

Cheers
Steven

[davidmpires]

what ever works for you. If you don't like the new ones stick the old ones on

[leftybassman392]

Have you thought about cleaning the board when you change the strings? Or is that too infrequent?

[munkonthehill]

[quote name='leftybassman392' post='809968' date='Apr 18 2010, 12:14 AM']Have you thought about cleaning the board when you change the strings? Or is that too infrequent?[/quote]

definetly too infrequent....the fretboard looked dry and dirty so thought i would give it a clean before taking it to the moffat bass bash. Im just not a fan of the new string sound so tend not change them too regular.

My guitarist says he changes his strings twice a month.......so that kind makes me feel guilty hahaha

[Musicman69]

[quote name='munkonthehill' post='809989' date='Apr 18 2010, 02:01 AM']definetly too infrequent....the fretboard looked dry and dirty so thought i would give it a clean before taking it to the moffat bass bash. Im just not a fan of the new string sound so tend not change them too regular.

My guitarist says he changes his strings twice a month.......so that kind makes me feel guilty hahaha[/quote]

Thats ok for guitar, strings are cheap. Give your old(ish) strings a good clean with meths and just be sure to get rid of any residue before you put em back on.
Then just feel the love.. if u dont ur in the wrong band :-)

[MIJ-VI]

OP. Now that you've cleaned the 'board, you may wish to do the same for the strings:

[url="http://www.tunemybass.com/strings/how_to_clean_bass_strings.html"]http://www.tunemybass.com/strings/how_to_c...ss_strings.html[/url]

[munkonthehill]

see i dont think cleaning the strings is going to be my thing either,

im not changing the strings cos im tight or skint, infact i have 2 spare sets in my gig bag,,,,its the sound of new strings im not a fan of.

i was amazed at the dirt that came from the fretboard, i would urge everyone to give it a bash, my bass is 3 years old and although I usually give the body a good clean the fretboard is overlooked.....Never again hahaha

[lozbass]

If you've used lemon oil to clean the board, I'd put the old strings back on for a few days at least. Some say that the residual oil gunks-up new strings so it's best to let the old set take up the larger part of any oil that remains on the board.

[stinson]

If you like the sound of the present strings and they aren't knackered them leave them on, thats what I do. Takes about a month for strings to break in for me.

[Prime_BASS]

Well I've always believed that once you've taken those strings off they lose stuff, I dunno how to explain it, but they've been under that high tension then released they won't hold there tune aswell, I know this is true for guitar.

Like you I hate the new string sounds, too brittle and bright, and with a lot of companies striving for long lasting strings they stay newer for longer, I want dead dull strings!!!!

[BassJase]

I clean my fretboard every time I change strings, which is depending on how many gigs I'm doing with that particular bass.
I'm gonna be doing 4 gigs a week from about a months' time, so it'll be a new set of strings every other week probably.

[Musky]

So am I the only one who only scrapes the crud off the board with a pick when it gets higher than the frets?

[munkonthehill]

[quote name='Prime_BASS' post='810092' date='Apr 18 2010, 10:13 AM']Well I've always believed that once you've taken those strings off they lose stuff, I dunno how to explain it, but they've been under that high tension then released they won't hold there tune aswell, I know this is true for guitar.

Like you I hate the new string sounds, too brittle and bright, and with a lot of companies striving for long lasting strings they stay newer for longer, I want dead dull strings!!!![/quote]

i really like those white jags,,,,,i think they are very vintage with the amzing rock look,,, very cool. not that i love my black jag any less mind!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[4-string-thing]

I have to say I don't like the sound of new strings either. I recently changed the strings on my P and the previous set had been on at least 10 years, probably nearer 15 (I can't actually remember when I last changed them) On hearing the bass for the first time, our drummer declared it "the best sounding bass I've ever heard" It took about a month before the replacements started to sound anything like what I want.

I say, if they sound and feel ok, put 'em back on!

I'm still trying to get my head round the concept of cleaning a guitar.......

[munkonthehill]

[quote name='4-string-thing' post='810352' date='Apr 18 2010, 02:58 PM']I'm still trying to get my head round the concept of cleaning a guitar.......[/quote]

yeah i know mate its kinda new for me. thought I would treat the big fella though

[karlfer]

Whats this changing strings stuff.
I've only been playing 35 years.

[munkonthehill]

[quote name='karlfer' post='810390' date='Apr 18 2010, 04:04 PM']Whats this changing strings stuff.
I've only been playing 35 years. [/quote]

hahaha genius.

[xgsjx]

If you hate the sound of new strings then try flats.
I took the plunge about a month ago & love how they have plenty of frequencies but don't sound bright like rounds do.

[munkonthehill]

[quote name='xgsjx' post='810577' date='Apr 18 2010, 06:54 PM']If you hate the sound of new strings then try flats.
I took the plunge about a month ago & love how they have plenty of frequencies but don't sound bright like rounds do.[/quote]

i tried fenders flats and didnt like them cos there wasnt enough attack on them, in saying that they were heavy gauge and raised the basses action.

maybe a lighter gauge is what im after,,,,,or of course just use worn in rounds

[Protium]

[quote name='lozbass' post='810064' date='Apr 18 2010, 09:46 AM']If you've used lemon oil to clean the board, I'd put the old strings back on for a few days at least. Some say that the residual oil gunks-up new strings so it's best to let the old set take up the larger part of any oil that remains on the board.[/quote]

That's why you should leave the strings off for a few hours before wiping off the residue