Acoustic bass bridge pins

[d-basser]

Acquired an acoustic bass last month and I am restringing it wil better strings but I can't get the pins to stay in the bridge when I am tensioning the string. Am I doing something wrong?
I am dropping the ball end in and then inserting the pin as hard as possible ensuring the ball is still in contact with the base of the pin. Got the E to stay but now onto the A and as soon as I pull on the string the pin pops back out.


HELP!

Thanks

[neilb]

Rough them up on a bit of sandpaper first, they will bite then.

[Mr. Foxen]

Think French chalk is the way. Sandpaper makes them smaller, could make it worse.

[franzbassist]

Pull the string up once you have inserted it but before you push the pin down hard. The ball end should be pressed up against the bridge plate.

[Paul Cooke]

[quote name='d-basser' post='738444' date='Feb 7 2010, 08:47 PM']Acquired an acoustic bass last month and I am restringing it wil better strings but I can't get the pins to stay in the bridge when I am tensioning the string. Am I doing something wrong?
I am dropping the ball end in and then inserting the pin as hard as possible ensuring the ball is still in contact with the base of the pin. Got the E to stay but now onto the A and as soon as I pull on the string the pin pops back out.


HELP!

Thanks[/quote]

that's your problem, the tension is pulling directly on the pin and popping them out.

The ball end is not supposed to be in contact with the end of the pin... the groove in the pin is where the string goes (obviously durrr ) however, the ball is supposed to end up pushed round by the pin and pulled back up against the inside of the bridge.

[url="http://www.guitarimports.com/setup-string.htm"]http://www.guitarimports.com/setup-string.htm[/url]

see picture for step 3... an acoustic bass is just a big acoustic guitar...

hope this helps... I got it wrong first time as well...

[franzbassist]

[url="http://www.elixirstrings.com/products/howtostring_acoustic.html"]Watch this[/url]