ubassman Posted July 7, 2013 Share Posted July 7, 2013 Don't know if anyone else is experiencing anything different to usual with their instruments in the current hot spell? My main DB sounds brittle and the rosin on my bow is acting in a very different way - its all producing quite an unattractive sound in comparison to what playing is usually like . The attack and pull on the string is different too ...dont particularly want to gum up with a different harder or more powdery rosin as I think I may be stuffed when the weather changes back to normality. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatgoogle Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Cant really say anything useful but i can gloat and say that the hot weather is making my bass sound amazing. Really singing. Maybe try and keep everything out of the sun. Also maybe try tuning to A =415 if its increased in tension or just to loosen the whole bass up in general. Also a good way to get into baroque mode. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubassman Posted July 8, 2013 Author Share Posted July 8, 2013 The orchestra was rehearsing in a village hall yesterday - felt like playing in a pizza oven ! ...as I started tuning and warming up, the attack was a mixture of either super 'put the brakes on grippy' or 'slick and slippery' over the string ...yikes !! Gave it all a good wipe and managed to get through the first few pages of music - but felt a bit like starting a marathon race with a stone in your shoe! Conclusion I came to is that there are perhaps 3 factors at work here:- 1/. I have been experimenting with Bernadel rosin recently and there is perhaps a mix of rosin on the bow - i.e. some of my favourite darker grippy Gaston Brohan mixing in with the more powdery Bernadel . 2/. I had a long drive of nearly an hour in the car to get to rehearsal and I put the bow on the back seat of the car - didn't take my bow case - the heat of the sun and direct rays perhaps fused the rosin on the bow ( schoolboy error I know!) 3/. In the heat the bass is most definitely under more tension and the strings will be tighter. I figured that I needed a little less hair tension on the bow and it seemed to work better slackening off a bit. The hairs seem to be playing out slowly but surely - don't want to blizt my bow with a dose of Citrasolve as I have a big Proms in the Park concert on Saturday . Hopefully it will continue to play out !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubassman Posted July 8, 2013 Author Share Posted July 8, 2013 I ended up Citrasolving ...and Im glad I did - completely back to normal. Memo to self ... "keep bow out of the sun at all times" ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatgoogle Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 It's amazing how bass's vary. Yours sounds like what mine does in winter, apart from the bow. More tension less response. It didn't help that i was tuning 443,440, 432 depending on the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubassman Posted July 8, 2013 Author Share Posted July 8, 2013 Sam....we will just have to swop basses around Sept / Oct time ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubassman Posted July 8, 2013 Author Share Posted July 8, 2013 ...coming fast to the conclusion that I should have a bow for hot days - the Gaston Brohan rosin works pretty much all year for me but its soft in the heat - I just tried my spare bow with good old Nymans and then a hard amber cello rosin it seems to like this hot weather ( just a little scratchy but sorted that out adjusting the tension ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubassman Posted July 8, 2013 Author Share Posted July 8, 2013 Anyone else ever had problems mixing different types and brands of rosin together ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLoydElgar Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Regards to the bow... Sounds like you have too much rosin in the hair... Take a fine hair comb and clean the rosin out of the hair and then attempt to play the bow until it has no more grip... Then reapply the rosin until it grips... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubassman Posted July 8, 2013 Author Share Posted July 8, 2013 Yes - I tried that technique but on this occasion there was limited success. I think that what happened was that the rosin deep down in the bow got affected by the heat and fused with stuff on the top hairs. Thats the conclusion I came to as no amount of wiping , combing and playing removed the rosin - nothing was coming off on the strings at all ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MandShef Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 I can sympathise. I had an outdoor concert this weekend, and I was so busy worrying about the affect of the high temperatures on my bass that it didn't even occur to me to be careful with the rosin. When I put it on my bow it went on like a layer of sticky toffee (apart from bits that came off in shards!). Made the bass sound really harsh and felt horrible. Luckily I was able to play it out during the afternoon rehearsal, wiped the strings down after, and did NOT re-apply for the concert. I am now trying to make sure I store it in a dark, shady spot, and using minimal amounts of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatgoogle Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 (edited) Yep keep your rosin out of the sun. Turned around to find my tuner and........ Edited July 8, 2013 by fatgoogle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MandShef Posted July 8, 2013 Share Posted July 8, 2013 Oh dear, shouldn't laugh .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubassman Posted July 9, 2013 Author Share Posted July 9, 2013 ...that looks like an old boiled sweet that you find in the pocket of a coat you haven't worn in years ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubassman Posted July 9, 2013 Author Share Posted July 9, 2013 The weather on the dial for this weekends outdoor concert is set to 'stupid hot'. Even though its an evening event I am now very wary of the effects of the sun - someone should invent a bow chiller or a clip on Infra Red shield ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubassman Posted July 9, 2013 Author Share Posted July 9, 2013 [quote name='MandShef' timestamp='1373306149' post='2135945'] When I put it on my bow it went on like a layer of sticky toffee (apart from bits that came off in shards!). Made the bass sound really harsh and felt horrible. [/quote] Mand - thats exactly the issue I had ...but my bow just wouldn't play out - it was leaving absolutely no rosin at all on the strings and it was like the hairs had a fused plastic coating on them. The only thing I could to was to clean with Citra Solv ( completely organic natural degreaser ) . Have developed a really simple technique involving a baking tray and a hair dryer. Took about 10 minutes start to finish and my bow was back like new! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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