Tuning problem

[parody]

Anybody else have a bass, in my case a Stanley Signature, that goes out of tune almost as soon as you pick the thing up? I can sort of understand strings going flat but the strange thing is, mine sometimes actually go sharp.  
 No, they are not brand new. The room my gear and basses are in isn't the most stable for temperatures, humidity, etc., not laboratory conditions, of course but it's certainly comfortable enough to spend time in.

[David Houck]

Each neck is unique; some necks are very stable, some move with the change in humidity.  In general, they get more stable over time.
 
And as you mentioned, the environment the instrument is in can be an important factor.  An instrument that stays in a humidity controlled environment will generally be more stable than the same instrument on a tour of outdoor arenas and indoor concert halls.
 
If the neck tends to move with changes in humidity, as mine does, then an increase in humidity will lengthen the neck, pulling the strings, and making them go sharp.  A decrease in humidity will allow the tension of the strings to pull on the neck, shortening the distance from the nut to the bridge, and causing the strings to go flat.
 
My house does not have air conditioning, and the relative humidity varies significantly; and my neck moves with the changes in humidity.  So I tend to adjust my truss rods often, and retune thereafter.

[stout71]

When I take mine from my home to the drummer's home (where we rehearse), it's ALWAYS sharp, initially.  Plus it's in the car for half an hour on the way there.  3 different temperatures and 3 different humidity percentages.  I just roll with it and tune down/up as necessary.

[StephenR]

Whenever possible at a gig I leave my bass on stage after the sound check so that it stays in the temperature of the performance space not the green room. I always bring a spare instrument so I use that one to warm up on in the green room and then bring it on stage in case I decide to play it at some point.
 
No matter which bass I play on a gig I always check my tuning after the first song because the neck warms up a bit more from the temperature of my hands and the stage lights. After being re-tuned my basses generally do not need to be tuned again during a set but of course I check just in case.

[flpete1uw]

Jerry,  
I have the same issue. I Tune and practice before where I need to go with my Distillate and by the time I get ready to play all the strings are sharp by a few degrees? I just got used to it and expect it to happen. It's sort of a joke that if someone picks me up the Bass seams to stay in tune. I have no answers but ther is.  
Pete

[pauldo]

Verify that it isn't a condition of how the bass is stored.
My D-string tuner was contacting its case when the bass was stored. Just enough contact/ pressure to turn the tuner and change the strings pitch.

[mike1762]

My Alembics (but generally NOT my other basses) are ALWAYS sharp by the next day.  My stuff is in my basement, but the area is finished and heated/cooled.

[bigredbass]

My basses have been in the house now forever.  They are stored in their cases, standing up, butt end on the floor.
 
They never go flat.  
 
The red one stays in tune.  Period.  
 
The green one always goes uniformly sharp (in other words, all five strings, as if I put a capo on it) by 10 to 25 cents, around a quarter step.
 
This is after I tuned it to play around the house, put it up, got it out again in a day or two.  Sharp.
 
I've never understood why this happens, nor ever had anyone satisfactorily explain it to me either.
 
I think it's elves.
 
J o e y

[sonicus]

My Bass's  are stored in their cases in the same way  butt end on the floor.  Mine stay  in tune as  well for the most part.

[keith_h]

I think it's elves.
 
So Joey are you saying the folks from Alembic come to your house just to mess with the tuning on your green bass.  
 
Keith

[bigredbass]

Nah Keith, they've got better things to do, but they'd sure be welcome in my home.
 
I mean it's really strange.  I could understand if one or two crept (tight nut or saddle slots, one or two bogus keys, bum string(s), etc.) but all five strings register exactly the same creep above standard pitch.  And it doesn't do this while I'm playing, it's always and only after I put it away.
 
Dumbfounded.  I even checked the relief in pitch and when I took it out of the case a few days later, it didn't change.  It's not a problem as I always tune before playing out of habit, but it's a real puzzle to me.
 
J o e y

[mica]

Hi Chris,  
 
I think I just answered an email you sent to me. If the bass is the one you wrote to me about, then it's not a Stanley Clarke model, it's much older.  
 
For others following this thread, here's my reply:
 
If the problem is the tuners, then yes you should get replacements. However, this is not simple.
 
You likely have Schaller tuners with the anchor screw pointing towards the bottom. The replacements have had the anchor screw pointing toward the center of the peghead for over 30 years.
 
The Gotoh tuners have the anchor screw in the correct place, but the shaft is a bigger diameter, so you have to enlarge the mounting hole to use them.
 
You can replace with current Schaller M4 tuners and just leave that extra screw in the original hole so it doesn't chip there.
 
But, you should first determine if the tuning peg is the problem. The internal gears in the Schallers are brass and will wear with lots of use, so it's not out of the question. Generally worn tuners will make the
tuning go flat as the tension is released by the gear.
 
Inspect the slots in the nut and the bridge saddles as well. Make sure there are no burrs on them that can catch a winding and then release it later at an innoportune time. This is also usually a flat tuning issue.
 
The fingerboard is usually not sealed, so there is moisture exchange. Make sure you are practicing good fingerboard hygiene and that it's oiled once or twice a year to help protect againt it. If the fingerboard takes on moisture, even a little, it will gat a little bit bigger (longer) and that can make the tuning go sharp.
 
There is another issue - when you get really good at hearing what the strings do, you cna hear all sorts of horrible things. Like I hope you never learn how to hear the fourth or fifth harmonics on a sustained note:
you will never be able to tune your bass again! Trust me on this one, it's hard to ignore once you hear it.
 
Also, is this the same with all strings you've tried? How are you winding the strings on the pegs (send a piture or description).
 
Hope you have a nice Thanksgiving.

[bigredbass]

Mica, it's really not an issue for me, as I tune every time I play anyway.  And it doesn't creep as I'm playing. The ONLY thing I can imagine is all the nut slots are evenly skinny, but this happened when I used your original gauges that the axe is set up for originally.  Or my BOSS tuner is less than lab-spec when it restarts each time.
 
But everything you listed (and everything I can think of) will let the axe go flat.  And even if it was catching on one or two nut slots and creeping later, it still wouldn't cover all five strings uniformly going sharp, as if capoed, between an eight and a quarter step.  And thanks to your Dad's wonderful electric bits in these basses, yes, I do hear an array of harmonics that I never heard before.  I hear fifths a lot.
 
So, I'm just going to chalk it up to elves, or a localized gravitational anomaly,  and I do have a great deal to be thankful for, so Happy Thanksgiving to all.
 
J o e y

[keith_h]

My brown bass rarely goes out of tune and requires minimal adjustment when going back and forth between heating and cooling seasons. My Series 1 is more lively and will go sharp over a couple of days and needs more adjustment time with the seasonal change. Like your bass Joey all strings seem to detune the same amount. Also it stays in tune once it is set. I look at this  as a good sign that the neck isn't twisting and has stayed true when moving. Mica has said more than once sometimes it takes the wood in an instrument longer than others to realize it is no longer a tree. I just chalk it up to that.  
 
Keith