Curse you, D'addario!

[Benjamin Strange]

Man, I was so close. I had been working on my new (old) Ovation Magnum, and was finally ready to put my strings on. I had ordered a bunch of strings from JustStrings.com, since GC no longer gives discounts(grr...).

I start putting my first string on, a .135, and I notice that the windings don't extend far enough on the string. The windings start getting smaller a full inch and a half before the nut. The same thing happens with my second string, a .105. My bass is a standard 34" scale, and the ball end of the string goes into the bridge about 2 inches past the saddle. Because of this, I surmise that I have to use D'addario's Super Long Scale strings... but they don't make them in my gauges. They make .130s, .145s, .100s... but not .135 or .105. I am pissed! I've got this brand new bass here that I can't put strings on, and my string maker of choice doesn't even make strings that will fit it. Arrgh!

[jasper383]

Regular long D'Addarios are, in my experience, the shortest 34" strings out there. They will fit the typical Fender style bridge, and that's it. No through the body,no two piece bridges, no nothing.

[MrBorisSpider]

Keep in mind that most basses are Fender-clones. That's the biggest market and D'addario is out to make money first and foremost. Nothing wrong with that, though. That's how capatalism works .

[Benjamin Strange]

Originally Posted by MrBorisSpider

Keep in mind that most basses are Fender-clones. That's the biggest market and D'addario is out to make money first and foremost. Nothing wrong with that, though. That's how capatalism works .

I don't think it would hurt D'addario to put two inches of more winding on their bass strings, methinks.

[steve1879]

I have just had exactly the same thing happen to me!

I have a lovely new Lakland DJ4, I thought the stock strings were OK until I had a 3 hour long rehearsal and decided I needed to put my favourite D'addarios on. I just spent half an hour changing one string at a time starting with the G string. Got to the E string and it doesn't fit. I am now really annoyed.

I guess I should have thought about this since my SUB is string through bridge and so I would need about and inch more length but you just assume that 34" scale strings will fit a 34" scale bass.

In the short term I may have to have the E string strung through the bridge, but am worried about any problems I may cause from having 3 strings thru body and 1 through bridge. Does anybody know whether this would cause any issues to the bridge?

[Benjamin Strange]

That won't cause any problems at all. Go right ahead and string it any way you can.