In this guide, we will discuss how to care for and maintain your bass guitar. You\u2019ll learn how to keep your bass guitar safe during temperature and weather changes and how to keep it looking good and sounding great. Follow the sections below to get started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Keeping your bass safe and in good condition is about what you do when you\u2019re not playing it. It\u2019s fine to park it on a guitar stand<\/a>, but you will also need a quality bass case or padded gig bag. Place the bass guitar back in the case overnight and when you are not playing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cases and gig bags also provide compartments where you can keep essentials, like a spare set of bass guitar strings<\/a>, a string-change kit<\/a>, a clip-on tuner<\/a>, a polishing cloth<\/a>, and a guitar humidifier<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bass guitars are made of wood, and wood expands and contracts with changes in temperature and humidity. You need to protect your bass against drastic changes. Among other problems, your bass neck can shift and warp if it is exposed to these changes. This can alter the action, making the instrument harder to play, causing buzzing, or preventing it from playing in tune throughout its range of notes. Fixing this may require taking it to a professional for adjustments and calibration, called a setup<\/strong>, or it may require more expensive repairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A simple rule is to keep your bass guitar in the same environment you keep yourself and your family. You need heating in the winter and air conditioning in the summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you transport your bass guitar, never leave it in a car in the summer. The heat that builds up inside a car will damage the instrument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you live in a cold climate, when you transport your bass guitar and bring it into a house or a building, the instrument will be cold. It\u2019s best to leave the bass in its case for some time to let it gradually warm to room temperature before you take it out, tune it, and play it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IMPORTANT<\/strong>: Never store a bass guitar in an attic, a basement, or a shed outside your house. One season of storage in extreme heat or cold, or dampness or dryness, can ruin the instrument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although a bass guitar, made of solid slabs of wood, is not as sensitive to humidity as an acoustic guitar, it can still be damaged by changes in humidity. You may not be aware of how widely the humidity inside your home swings from season to season. Now that you own a bass, you need to know. Get a humidity meter (hygrometer)<\/a> that displays humidity as a percentage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you live in a climate where humidity varies widely, you need to take measures to protect your bass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A bass guitar, like any stringed instrument, should be kept in humidity between 40% and 50%. Outside of that, your instrument may suffer damage, particularly in low humidity. In deserts and northern climes during the cold months, the humidity will drop well below 40% indoors. That\u2019s when the wood in your bass can dry out and crack. Your fingerboard can shrink, leaving sharp fret ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During these months, you need to humidify your bass whenever you are not playing it. You do this by putting it back in the case or gig bag with a guitar humidifier<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A basic guitar humidifier holds a sponge that you moisten with water. The water evaporates slowly and keeps the guitar humid. You must remember to check the sponge every few days to ensure it has not dried out. Keep your humidity meter in the case and check the readout periodically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A more advanced option is to put a packet from a humidity control system<\/a> inside your case. These packets add or subtract humidity to keep it within the required range. You still need to check periodically to see if the packet has dried out and needs to be replaced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cleaning your bass keeps it shiny and new. It can also prolong the life of your strings and prevent the hardware from tarnishing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wash your hands every time before you play. Your hands give off dirt, oils, and sweat, so washing them prevents these from being deposited on your bass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep a clean polishing cloth in your case so you can wipe down your guitar after playing. Wipe down the strings and the hardware where your hands touch the instrument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The potentiometers, or \u201cpots,\u201d are the mechanisms underneath the volume and tone control knobs. When dust and grime accumulate in the potentiometers, you hear a scratchy sound. You can usually fix this by rapidly and repeatedly turning the knob back and forth until the scratching stops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For worse cases, use contact cleaner spray<\/a> on the shaft of the potentiometer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the sound does not go away, you may need to take the guitar to a repair technician.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As often as you replace the worn-out strings on your bass guitar, remove all the strings and clean the fretboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your bass guitar has a fretboard made of an open-pore, unfinished wood, such as rosewood, you should apply lemon oil or fretboard conditioning oil to clean and hydrate the fretboard. Apply a wet layer of oil all over the fingerboard, wipe off the excess, and let it dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If, however, your bass has a maple fretboard with a lacquer finish over it, or some other species of wood with a finish applied, such as on a fretless bass, don\u2019t apply fretboard oil. Simply wipe it down with microfiber cloth. You can also use guitar polish or cleaner on the finished fretboard if you like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, use a microfiber polishing cloth to remove any dust, dirt, or fingerprints from the body of your bass so that there is nothing that can scratch the finish. Then, you can spray a cloth with guitar polish<\/a> and, using circular motions, lightly wipe down and polish the finished wood surface of the bass. Be sure to get the back of the neck and headstock, too. Don\u2019t use too much polish, and don\u2019t leave residue behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your bass has a satin or matte finish, don\u2019t use the polish. Just wipe off the dust and dirt with a microfiber polishing cloth. These finishes may naturally darken over time; that\u2019s part of their character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Changing strings is something you need to learn how to do. On rare occasions, bass strings can break, but even if they don\u2019t, the whole set will eventually wear out and sound dull and will need to be replaced. How frequently you change strings depends on how often and how you play the bass and what kind of strings you use, roundwound or flatwound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here is our guide for how to change bass guitar strings.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBass Guitar Accessories<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Temperature and Humidity Are Key<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to Protect Your Bass Guitar from Temperature and Humidity Extremes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Maintain Consistent Humidity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to Clean a Bass Guitar<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Daily Bass Cleaning Practices<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Cleaning Potentiometers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Fretboard Maintenance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Polishing Your Bass Guitar<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to Change Bass Guitar Strings<\/h2>\n\n\n\n