Grangur Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 Hi there fellow Low-enders, The other day I got out a bass that's relatively new to me, plugged it in and the sound was not good. That bad it almost sounded like a Musicman!!! It sounded really zingy and clanky. Not good at all. On that day the weather was very wet. The rain was falling in sheets. A day later, better weather and the bass was back to sounding deep and gravelly, just how I like it. Is it just me, my ears, or do others find this too? This isn't the first time and it's not only this one bass either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowieBass Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 Sound transmission through air is affected by temperature and humidity (basically how dense the transmitting medium is) but I don't know if the short distance from ear to speaker cone (or ear to vibrating string/instrument body) is enough for this to have much effect on tone... there are quite a number of discussions about this particular topic if you search online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 Hmmmmm have had hot weather play havoc with the tuning on my jazz bass but with regards tone I don't have this problem with any of my basses. Did anything else change, like had you cleaned the strings in between playing etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Funky Dunky Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 My bass sounded like poo tonight. I just assumed it was me having an off day, but this does happen on occasion. Never considered the weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted June 22, 2016 Author Share Posted June 22, 2016 [quote name='uk_lefty' timestamp='1466627028' post='3077430'] Hmmmmm have had hot weather play havoc with the tuning on my jazz bass but with regards tone I don't have this problem with any of my basses. Did anything else change, like had you cleaned the strings in between playing etc? [/quote] Fair point, but no, I'd not cleaned the strings on either occasion. Just been playing with it just now.... there's a possibility it could be my being a klutz with my new compressor. Sorry!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted June 22, 2016 Author Share Posted June 22, 2016 [quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1466627901' post='3077448'] My bass sounded like poo tonight. I just assumed it was me having an off day, but this does happen on occasion. Never considered the weather. [/quote] ... or me having an off day too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shockwave Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 More likely that the weather affects your ears rather then the bass sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drTStingray Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 [quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1466626246' post='3077422'] Hi there fellow Low-enders, The other day I got out a bass that's relatively new to me, plugged it in and the sound was not good. That bad it almost sounded like a Musicman!!! [/quote] 🤔 Outrageous!! A good Stingray sound should be everyone's holy grail - none of this thin sounding passive nonsense 😉 😎 Back to the weather, I would have thought that air pressure might make a difference to the amount of air speakers could move - low pressure (wet weather) the speakers would have less resistance than in high pressure (fine weather) - whether it would be enough to make an audible difference...... who knows but I'm sure someone will tell us!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 Germanium transistors are affected by changes in temperature. Is it just me that relies on them for tone? Also, I played the 'other' guitar for 2 hours tonight - sounded great to me, but that was through an amp sim pedal into headphones; none of this 'moving air molecules' nonsense for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
project_c Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 [quote name='Shockwave' timestamp='1466629624' post='3077468'] More likely that the weather affects your ears rather then the bass sound. [/quote] This. & your mood too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassjim Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 I think [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]temperature and humidity effects tone a lot.[/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I also think there is a probably an optimum best temperature and conditions for good bass tone when playing live (room/stage dependant of course). Its definitely in the summer when the suns out, blue skies and somewhere between 23-30 degrees. [/font][/color] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I think in these conditions your hands work better than say when its freezing or warm and muggy which also makes a difference. IMO[/font][/color] If you cant hear or feel any difference then good for you but I certainly feel and hear it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost_Bass Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 I can say for sure that the weather affects my tone, a lot!!! When it's cold and humid my back, knees, elbows and fingers ache a lot and that affects my playing technique thus affecting the tone... Appart from that i never noticed a bass changing its voice depending on the weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 The air pressure may have also had an effect - probably more on your eardrums than soundwave transmission through the air though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 Dunno about tone but I found that 6 of my guitars had gone sharp over the last fortnight and the strings were buzzing like mad. Checked the relief and found they'd all flattened out a touch. Quick jig of the truss rod and they're fine again. The weather / change in humidity? Maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 This is why I won't store my music in the cloud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JellyKnees Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 I find that the hot weather definitely has an adverse effect on tone. All those flabby white bodies and bad tattoos on display... most unpleasant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gapiro Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 [quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1466696474' post='3077984'] This is why I won't store my music in the cloud. [/quote] Just spat my Peanut Butter on toast out at that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taunton-hobbit Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 I used to have a resident situation with my sound system - picture a sub-basement (concrete) damp earth et al - we would set the operating tone(s) about 7pm. On a busy night the humidity would change (as well as the audience mass absorbing the levels) & I would vary the amp settings accordingly, otherwise the lot could sound awful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.gif.9ad672bb8b84505709f76b39c8c256ec.gif)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.