Stringing

[la bam]

Hi all,

I've just bought some chromes and stringing them on my p bass.

However, the E string seems fairly long and winding it round the final wrap of the string is resting on top of the other wraps.

Is this ok? Or should I cut the string? I'm not sure if cutting flatwounds is ok?

[ambient]

Has it got silk winding?

I believe it’s ok as long as there is winding.

[la bam]

They're daddrio chromes. They have a blue cotton around the top few inches (if that helps?).

[Silvia Bluejay]

I always cut strings to measure, no matter what type they are. Low Bs and Es are almost always too thick/long for their tuning pegs otherwise.

[ambient]

Measure it so there’s about 7 or 8 centimetres past the tuner, make a bend in the string, then cut about a centimetre past that. The bent bit goes into the tuner.

You only really need a couple or three wraps around the tuner.

Edited January 5, 2020 by ambient

[la bam]

Thanks.

[phil.c60]

And make sure that the string starts and the top of the peg and moves down as you wind it without overlapping the previous wind so that you get the correct break angle over the nut.

[Guest]

...and make sure the string has a break angle over the nut and bridge. Thicker strings tend to “curve” over the break point so a firm press will set the angle nicely. 

[la bam]

Cheers all.

I've done all the above now. And it looks to have worked a treat.

I've been playing for nearly 30 years and still hate re-stringing! Never really got to grips with it!

[Frank Blank]

Just for future reference this pdf produced by the chap who looks after my basses is useful...

http://www.guitartechnicalservices.co.uk/acatalog/Bass_Guitar_Restring.pdf

[BigRedX]

How much string you need around the machine head winding post depends on what sort of headstock your bass has.

For basses with angled headstocks you need somewhere between one and a half and two turns. This is enough the hold the string in place while not being so much that string tuning stability takes too long to achieve. (as you tune up the string would around the post takes longer to stretch to an equilibrium than the normal speaking length, therefore the more you have wrapped around the post the longer it will take the tuning to settle after restringing). Usually 7-8 cm of excess string is right depending on the diameter of the winding post.

On basses with non-angled headstocks, for the strings that do not pass under string retainers, you need as much string as it takes to wind to the bottom of the post. This will depend in the thickness of the string, the diameter of the winding post and height of the post from the bottom of the string slot to the bottom of the post. If you are good with maths you could work it out, but it is generally easier to do it by trial and error making a note of how much excess string you have each time and adjusting it as appropriate the next time you restring. Strings that pass under string retainers can be treated the same as strings on angled headstocks.

[Ted Theodore Logan, III]

32 minutes ago, la bam said:

Cheers all.

I've done all the above now. And it looks to have worked a treat.

I've been playing for nearly 30 years and still hate re-stringing! Never really got to grips with it!

Tell me about it... 

 

 

An example of my “finer" work...

Edited January 6, 2020 by Ted Theodore Logan, III
It's all in the “twists"....