iamapirate Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 -> You're breaking bass strings? I can't begin to imagine what your playing style is like. If the bridge is well designed it shouldn't be doing that. <- haha, I broke a bottom E the other day. But it was only because it was the string was thru-body and it was thinner at the bridge end than the rest of the string (maybe as an increase for sustain). Either way, it broke playing relatively hard rock (think linkin park kind of stuff, only slightly less) and it just gave way. (OT story) In the end I got a string off my other bass that was too short to get strung thru-body so it went through the bridge, then I gave my bass away to someone to borrow for recording (in promise for a new set of strings) and they came back with the top 3 thru-body and the bottom E thru-bridge. teehehee, good to see that he cared for her. bottom line: Thru-body=breakable....easily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted May 27, 2009 Share Posted May 27, 2009 [quote name='iamapirate' post='499113' date='May 27 2009, 06:03 PM']bottom line: Thru-body=breakable....easily[/quote] bottom line: Thru-body=breakable.... maybe on your bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 [quote name='EBS_freak' post='499214' date='May 27 2009, 07:36 PM']bottom line: Thru-body=breakable.... maybe on your bass.[/quote] I used to break strings all the time when fingerpicking down by the bridge pup. Probably because I couldn't hear myself properly on stage so I was over-doing it. Haven't broken one in years but it used to be a common problem for me. It was usually the thicker strings that broke. Not sure whether that's because I was attacking them from a different angle to the treble strings or because they're less flexible or what. Had it happen on a Jazz, a Yamaha BB1100S, a Warwick Corvette 6, er... some other basses, I forget. None of them were strung through the body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamapirate Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 yeah I mean, I wasn't actually really going for it, it was just that they had been thinn'd at the bridge so that it could improve sustain i think and cos it was thinner and was thru-body string'd, then thats why it snaped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 [quote name='iamapirate' post='507675' date='Jun 7 2009, 07:21 PM']yeah I mean, I wasn't actually really going for it, it was just that they had been thinn'd at the bridge so that it could improve sustain i think and cos it was thinner and was thru-body string'd, then thats why it snaped.[/quote] Strings with the thin part at the bridge are no less string, the core that takes the tension is still the same, the windings take to tension and are just there for weight. I've still never broken a string. It's all about having enough amps that you are loud enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamapirate Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 well, they thin it for some reason, and the thinned string I broke, and I now play even harder on the thickened strings at the end, and they don't snap. Same gauge, but the thinned bit at the bridge made it snap.... i'm sure it did! XD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdgrsr400 Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 FWIW, in the July 2009 BGM on p69, Roger Sadowsky was asked about this issue and he said "I don't think it makes any difference whatsoever". However, I think I'll string my next set thru-body and see how it works out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bass Doc Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 [quote Roger Sadowsky was asked about this issue and he said "I don't think it makes any difference whatsoever". [/quote] My experience also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markdavid Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 (edited) [quote name='The Bass Doc' post='538186' date='Jul 11 2009, 10:34 PM'][quote Roger Sadowsky was asked about this issue and he said "I don't think it makes any difference whatsoever". My experience also.[/quote] +1 , no audible benefits not worth the extra aggro unless your bridge is very lightweight in which case it may make a difference Edited August 12, 2009 by markdavid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreeneKing Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 On the subject of some LaBella flats and not using them through body it's because the sharper break angles the string is subject to can cause the outer winding to crimp and the huge leverage produced can break the string. I'd not bother with thru body stringing personally, having tried it in the past. I no longer have the option on any of mine anyway and don't miss it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wazz Posted August 17, 2009 Share Posted August 17, 2009 Have broken the E string strung through the body on my Jazz during gigs 2 weeks running now. Its always the E string that goes too. Gonna string it through the bridge and see what happens. I think its the sharp angle as it goes over the saddle that makes it weak. I'm certain its fatigue as I've had one go whilst practising when I was playing finger style very lightly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telebass Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 I've not broken a bass string, ever, in 40 years. (OK, that's the kiss of death for Saturday's gig! ) Stringing? The only difference I can see that it would make, from a physics point of view are these: 1) Very slightly greater tension, as more string is being stretched. 2) No need whatever for a massive bridge of any sort; whatever bridge is there, as long as it is basically rigid, is being clamped to the body by the strings, as opposed to the strings trying to tear the bridge form the bass. End result? Apart from that small tension increase, no difference that I've ever noticed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 I've never been able to tell the difference between through-body and through-bridge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickH Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 I don't get this whole "through body gives more tension" thing. Urban myth started by someone with poor grasp of physics. A string could be a mile long, mounted to a bridge anchor one end of the street and a tuner the other end. You make it resonate between two points a given distance apart (fret and bridge saddle), you get the appropriate pitch. String tension is higher in longer scale basses as the resonating length for a given fret is longer (deeper note) so requires the string to be tighter (higher note) to compensate. If the length of the string past the nut to the tuner made any difference,we'd all enjoy nice tight crisp notes on shorter scale, easier to play basses by putting a great big long head on it with the tuners right down the far end. Same thing with having a short redundant bit of string extending from bridge saddle to either top-mounted string anchor or a longer bit going through the body. Doesn't affect string tension one bit. To test this, grab an old Strat guitar and a spare thin E string. Replace the fat (bass) E string with the thin E. Tune the guitar up so that both E strings are at the same pitch. The treble-side E string now approximates a through-body stringing as the distance from nut to tuner is longer, while the bass-side E represents a non-through-body stringing. If they're at the same pitch, the tension in the strings will be the same assuming you've got the same gague string as the one already on the guitar. I'm not saying through-body stringing doesn't affect the tone or resonance of an instrument*, it just doesn't affect string tension. * Albeit in a very minor way that doesn't compensate for a higher break angle at the bridge snapping strings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 [quote name='NickH' post='635022' date='Oct 24 2009, 12:46 AM']I don't get this whole "through body gives more tension" thing. Urban myth started by someone with poor grasp of physics. A string could be a mile long, mounted to a bridge anchor one end of the street and a tuner the other end. You make it resonate between two points a given distance apart (fret and bridge saddle), you get the appropriate pitch. String tension is higher in longer scale basses as the resonating length for a given fret is longer (deeper note) so requires the string to be tighter (higher note) to compensate. If the length of the string past the nut to the tuner made any difference,we'd all enjoy nice tight crisp notes on shorter scale, easier to play basses by putting a great big long head on it with the tuners right down the far end. Same thing with having a short redundant bit of string extending from bridge saddle to either top-mounted string anchor or a longer bit going through the body. Doesn't affect string tension one bit. To test this, grab an old Strat guitar and a spare thin E string. Replace the fat (bass) E string with the thin E. Tune the guitar up so that both E strings are at the same pitch. The treble-side E string now approximates a through-body stringing as the distance from nut to tuner is longer, while the bass-side E represents a non-through-body stringing. If they're at the same pitch, the tension in the strings will be the same assuming you've got the same gague string as the one already on the guitar. I'm not saying through-body stringing doesn't affect the tone or resonance of an instrument*, it just doesn't affect string tension. * Albeit in a very minor way that doesn't compensate for a higher break angle at the bridge snapping strings.[/quote] Think this was already covered earlier in the thread, the affected factor is compliance. What you can feel under your fingers, which is the important bit. The string is not anchored at the the end of its speaking length as you have supposed when you applied physics here, it is free to move over the nut and the saddle, so when you bend it you are stretching the whole length up to its anchor point. Your physics is flaws by oversimplification. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebass78 Posted November 23, 2009 Share Posted November 23, 2009 Through body stringing + Drive + playing behind the bridge = The only reason to do it really, IMO. Fun for a coupla minutes though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoctorEEEvil Posted November 28, 2009 Share Posted November 28, 2009 [quote name='eastwind' post='221873' date='Jun 19 2008, 12:43 AM']Hi I I am not suprised that the standard Jazz bridge gives the bass the least sustain irrespective of the through stringing I just don,t think they are that rigid, but have noticed that it gives better control as note decay is faster so lends itself to fast finger playing. My Squier Jazz (also fitted with a J-Retro) was still "dead" until I put a high mass Fender style (Chinese of course)bridge on. The bass came alive especially with harmonics, brightness and sustain but didn't sound like a Jazz anymore. I had to consciously damp strings more than I would normally when playing. I think bridge choice is very important and can completely change a bass sound and the way you have to play it. I have knife edge saddles on my Hofner S7B and the sustain is amazing. Aren't basses ace.......I learn more every day... [/quote] My God! I've finally found someone other than myself with an S7B! Are there others out there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosebass Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 (edited) [quote name='DoctorEEEvil' post='668699' date='Nov 28 2009, 09:01 PM']My God! I've finally found someone other than myself with an S7B! Are there others out there?[/quote] Just you and me and a Guy in America to my knowledge.....get a photo of it in the Bass Porn thread...there are fewer of the S7B's than 1948 Fender Precisions...... Edited November 29, 2009 by Prosebass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxrossell Posted November 29, 2009 Share Posted November 29, 2009 I'm not really sure I see the point of thru-stringing. It's always struck me as one of those "magic" options that people throw money at when they're looking for a perfect instrument. End of the day, you can have thru-neck, thru-strung spalted bollockwood basses with 24 fanned frets and nine strings and active preamps and five pickups and ramps and D-Tuners and stereo outputs and high-mass bridges and elixir strings, and all that won't charge the fact that the best recordings of all time were made by some dude and his beat-up old Fender Plank-o-caster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thumperbob 2002 Posted January 14, 2010 Share Posted January 14, 2010 [quote name='maxrossell' post='668896' date='Nov 29 2009, 04:53 AM']I'm not really sure I see the point of thru-stringing. It's always struck me as one of those "magic" options that people throw money at when they're looking for a perfect instrument. End of the day, you can have thru-neck, thru-strung spalted bollockwood basses with 24 fanned frets and nine strings and active preamps and five pickups and ramps and D-Tuners and stereo outputs and high-mass bridges and elixir strings, and all that won't charge the fact that the best recordings of all time were made by some dude and his beat-up old Fender Plank-o-caster.[/quote] Absolutely +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted January 15, 2010 Share Posted January 15, 2010 [quote name='thumperbob 2002' post='712744' date='Jan 14 2010, 04:50 PM']Absolutely +1[/quote] The original precision and the tele bass were through strung though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noisyjon Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 [quote name='Balcro' post='305929' date='Oct 13 2008, 11:39 PM']My apologoes if this is slightly off at a tangent to the original post, but it may be relevant to "Wazz's" & CarazyKiwi's earlier replies. I've been looking to treat myself to a set of Flats and had narrowed the choice down to La Bella or Webstrings/Detroit Bass. I looked at La Bella's catalogue this evening and they say Deep-Talking flats "are unsuitable for thru-body stringing. They suggest a "flexi-core flatwound" as a suitable alternative, but I can't find any such product in the catalogue. Google came up with just the one reference at La Bella. As I've got thru-body stringing with brass saddles and no bridge option, I've e-mailed both La Bella & Webstrings for further info as to suitability. Anyone come across this before or have any recommendations. Thanks folks. Balcro.[/quote] I've been told D'Addario Chrome flats and Thomastik Infeld (T.I.) Jazz flats are OK with through body stringing... Not tried it myself though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skelf Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Not sure that is the case with the TI flats. Tried to string a B string on a 34" scale and the wrap started on the wrong side of the nut had to top load it to fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 [quote name='skelf' post='717217' date='Jan 18 2010, 09:54 PM']Not sure that is the case with the TI flats. Tried to string a B string on a 34" scale and the wrap started on the wrong side of the nut had to top load it to fit.[/quote] Wrap issues can be fixed, like so many things, with blades and fire. Its the string going skinny that is the trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mart Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 Through-body stringing must be better, because they use it on them fancy Sue Ryder basses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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