How do you look after an electric bass?

Strings: how long they last and when to replace them

New strings sound bright, with a clear attack and long sustain. As you play, sweat and oils from your fingers get between the windings, gradually dulling the sound.

• They sound dull, and notes fade quickly.
• You tune the open strings, but notes on the higher frets are out of tune.
• They look dark or rusty, or have grime underneath.
• They feel rough when you slide your fingers along them.

To help them last longer, wash your hands before playing and wipe each string with a dry cloth afterward, above and underneath. The old trick of boiling them brings back some brightness briefly, but can cause rust inside. When buying strings, check your bass's scale length (long, medium, or short); we explain this in our guide to choosing your first electric bass.

Changing strings without mistakes

1. If you're starting out, replace them one at a time: this keeps tension on the neck and lets you see how each string was fitted. If you remove them all to clean the fingerboard, put them back on the same day.
2. Thread the new string through the bridge and bring it to its tuning post without twisting it.
3. Pull it out to the next tuning post and bend it at a right angle there: this leaves two or three wraps around the post, which is ideal.
4. Cut a little beyond the bend, never before bending: if you cut it straight, the winding can separate from the core and ruin the string.
5. Insert the end into the hole in the post and wind downward, so each wrap sits below the previous one.
6. Tune, gently stretch each string along the neck, and retune several times. The bass tuner helps you check each one.

The colored silk at the end of the string shouldn't rest on the nut; if it does, the strings are made for a longer scale length than your bass. If you switch to a different gauge, the tension changes, and the neck will probably need adjustment.

New strings stretch during the first few days, so tune often; how to tune an electric bass walks you through it step by step with a tuner, by ear and with harmonics.

The truss rod: what it does and how to avoid damaging it

The truss rod is a metal rod inside the neck that counteracts string tension. It controls neck relief, rather than raising or lowering the strings: string height is adjusted at the bridge saddles.

How to check neck relief

1. Tune your bass as usual.
2. Place a capo at the first fret on the lowest string, or ask someone to hold it down, then press the same string where the neck meets the body.
3. Look at the gap between the string and the frets about halfway along, between the seventh and ninth frets. It should be small, roughly the thickness of a business card.
4. If the string touches the frets in the middle, the neck is too straight or back-bowed; if the gap is large, it has too much relief.

If you decide to adjust it

• Use the exact wrench your bass requires: a poor fit can strip the nut.
• Turn it very little at a time (a common guideline is a quarter turn or less), tune up, and let the neck settle for a few hours before measuring again.
• Facing the nut, turning clockwise straightens the neck on most basses, while turning counterclockwise adds curvature. Check your model's manual.
• If the nut won't turn with moderate force, stop. Forcing a stuck truss rod can break it, and that's one of the most expensive repairs.

If you've never done this, ask your teacher or a luthier to show you the first time. In Bogotá, moving from the dry season to the rainy season, or traveling to a warmer lowland area, often calls for a small adjustment; we explain this in how to store instruments for Colombia's climate.

Electronics, battery, and cables

A passive bass doesn't use a battery. An active bass has a preamp powered by a 9-volt battery, and on most models the jack acts as a switch: while the cable is plugged in, the battery drains. When it runs low, the bass sounds weak, distorted, or cuts out. Always unplug the cable when you're done, and keep a spare battery in the case.

• If a volume or tone control makes a scratchy noise as you turn it, rotate it through its full range several times: sometimes it's just dust.
• If the scratchy noise continues, the fix is an electronics contact cleaner or replacing the potentiometer. Never use multipurpose lubricants.
• If the jack is loose, tighten its nut while holding it from inside so the wires don't twist; if you're not confident, have a luthier do it.
• A hum that disappears when you touch the strings is often normal on basses with single-coil pickups. If it's loud or intermittent, try another cable first.

Coil cables in wide loops, rather than around your elbow, and unplug them by pulling the connector, not the cable.

Cleaning the body and fingerboard

• Gloss finish: a dry microfiber cloth after playing and, occasionally, a small amount of instrument cleaner.
• Matte or satin finish: a dry cloth only. Polishing leaves uneven shiny patches.
• Unfinished dark wood fingerboard (rosewood, ebony, or similar): clean it when changing strings with a barely damp cloth, and a few times a year, apply a very thin layer of fingerboard conditioner and wipe off the excess.
• Finished maple fingerboard (light-colored and glossy): a dry or slightly damp cloth; no oil needed.
• Never use steel wool near the pickups: metal particles stick to the magnets.

Avoid furniture cleaners containing silicone, as well as alcohol and glass cleaner: alcohol damages some finishes, and silicone leaves a layer that complicates future repairs. Many of these care tips also apply to guitars; we cover them further in how to clean and care for an electric guitar.

Your amplifier needs care, too

1. Connect the cable to the bass and amplifier with the amplifier off or its volume at zero.
2. Turn it on and raise the volume gradually.
3. When you're done, turn the volume to zero, switch off, and only then unplug.

• Don't turn the bass control all the way up to get louder. If the speaker sounds scratchy or rattles on low notes, reduce the bass or volume immediately.
• Leave space behind the amplifier for ventilation, and don't put drinks on top of it.
• Connect it to a voltage regulator or voltage protection device, especially if your area has voltage drops.
• Don't move it while it's on.

For apartment practice, use the headphone output at a moderate volume: your hearing is part of your equipment, too.

When to see a luthier, and costly mistakes

A setup (truss rod, string height, intonation, and pickup height) once or twice a year keeps your bass comfortable to play. Take it in sooner if the strings buzz in several areas, fret ends stick out beyond the neck edges (a sign of dryness), the truss rod won't turn, or electrical noise persists.

• Forcing the truss rod or turning it too far at once.
• Cutting a string without bending it first.
• Leaving the cable plugged into an active bass.
• Leaning the bass against a wall or amplifier: it can slip, fall headstock-first, and the headstock is the part most likely to break.
• Leaving it in a car trunk or beside a sunny window.

In electric bass lessons, your teacher can check the instrument's setup with you, which is invaluable in the first few months.

Frequently asked questions