GREAT!!!! Fun Stuff! (not really)

Davidoc · #1 06-02-2004, 04:23 PM

I have a Joseph Weiss 3/4-sized bass.

I noticed today that the D string was very flat. (I had been playing it a few hours early with no problem) I went to tune it up, and after several tunes without much pitch change, the string snapped at the windings! I am pissed. That kind of thing is not supposed to happen! What could have caused this? It was fine before, and suddenly it's flat and tuning to the correct pitch/tension causes it to snap??

I then proceeded to loosen (not more than slightly) the other strinngs evenly as to not warp the neck/bridge, (a little of one peg, a little of the next etc) The sound post proceeded to fall over. Excellent. That is just what I was expecting to happen.

This is a fairly new (I bought it new a few months ago) bass, and now a string snaps and the sound-post falls over. What do I do?

azflyman · #2 06-02-2004, 08:18 PM

Find a luthier?

You can reset the post IF you know where it was and have much patience (and I mean alot). There are people who sell sound post setters. I know Upton Bass sells them www.uptonbass.com and I'm sure there are others. I would not set my own sound post as it is a very specialized art unless I knew the post was right to begin with and I had the position marked before it fell. Your post may have been a bit loose if it just fell over with some tension on the neck. That sounds fishy to me.

az

Chasarms · #3 06-03-2004, 09:07 AM

Strings fail. Some are more prone to it than others. We live in an imperfect world.

As for the post falling, well that one you'll just have to count as a learning experience. With one string missing, you had already lost a great deal of compression on the top. So loosening the rest of the strings was a recipe for such a thing to happen. Especially, if you left the bass in the upright position when you did it.

I don't understand this whole "prevent warping of the neck" concept. What gives you the impression that you were at risk to damage the bass if you didn't loosen the rest of the strings?

John Sprague · #4 06-03-2004, 01:43 PM

If you were kind enough to support a local lutheir when you bought the bass, I am sure he or she can fix you up in a jiffy. If not (for shame!) then you can visit Brobst or Potters, both are anywhere from 5 minutes to 4 hours of beltway traffic (grrrrrrr!

) from you. They'll stand up the post correctly and get you a string. Unfortunately they'll have to charge you if you didn't buy from them (supporting your local shop isn't just nice, it's also smart. OK, off my soapbox).
Best of luck Dave-O!
John