Tuning issue

[Heathy]

Feels a bit odd asking this after almost 40 years of playing, but here goes.

 

I have had a number of basses over the years, but one thing they have in common is that when I go to check the tuning before starting the second set of a gig it is always slightly sharp.

 

This has always felt a little odd, but I have just accepted it. Is it normal, or could it be something I’m doing wrong?

 

Cheers

[MichaelDean]

I might be talking out of my rear end, but I'd assumed that the strings cool down a bit after a break and contract a tiny amount after you put it down, so it pulls them sharp. 

[JPJ]

I’m always amazed by this, and no you are not alone. Tune bass, place in case, travel to gig, take bass out of case, tuning is sharp. Retune, play first set, check tuning before second set, tuning is sharp. Happens to me all the time on all of my basses (including the EUB). I put it down to those pesky case gremlins, the same ones that tie your perfectly coiled cables into knots in your gig bag. 

[itu]

The neck needs very little bending to make it sharp or flat. If the bass is played in another way than it is stored, the difference may be seen this way.

 

An example:

Put the bass to a table and tune it. Take it to your lap and check the tuning again.

[Chienmortbb]

This is because the strings have cooled since tuning. When you play, the movement of the strings causes the string  to warm up. As the strings warm, they expand and go flat, tune them up and leave them for awhile and tuning will be sharp. You should always tune your bass after playing it for a few minutes. I just strum all four strings like a maniac for five minutes.
 

I learnt this from a tip on the Fender Website.

 

 

[Obrienp]

I find this, retune and after the first song they have gone flat, so I retune again. I put it down to temperature changes caused by friction and body heat: after all we are in contact with the back of the body, as well as the neck. Then I have to go through the whole procedure again after the break between sets.
 

I did think the going flat thing might be caused by the strings binding in the nut slots initially and then slipping free but I have double checked them, and had my main bases set up by a competent luthier, plus I always use a lot of graphite (pencil lead) to lubricate the slots when I change strings. Conclusion, it’s caused by temperature change.

[zbd1960]

There are various factors at play, all of which affect pitch. If the venue is warmer than where you keep the bass at home, the string will expand a little and you'll go a bit flat. And if the venue is cooler than where you keep it, you get the opposite - the strings will tighten slightly and you go sharp. Instruments tend to go flat whilst you're playing as you're stretching the strings, then when left alone, the strings will contract and push you sharp.

 

I get this all the time at orchestra rehearsals with the cello. Just be glad you're not using gut strings - the mass of the strings change as they absorb/emit water vapour as the humidity changes... 

 

I play saxophone as well where tuning is whole different world of pain...

 

Finally, instruments vary. Some basses just seem to be very good at holding their tuning, others a stern look can upset them...

Edited August 6 by zbd1960