Help With Strings

[con_dev2005]

Hey all,

basically i've got a Tanglewood Rebel 4K,

blew the E string off it earlier, i've still got the crappy stainless steel strings that came with the bass around 7 months ago, (ill be getting some Steve Harris customs soon-ish)

went to the music store in town, got a standard 105 gage "elites stainless steel" string to fill in,

got it home, went to put it on, and its too long.

am i being really thick or this just something that happens?!

I would say that the silk end needs to be about an extra 3 inches longer,

my bass is a 24 fret, 35 inches from bridge to the nut,

the new string (before i cut it down a wee bit) is 48 inches,

cheers for any help in advance,

Conor

[lyes4string]

never bought a string i didnt have to cut down

[curly bassist]

Originally Posted by lyes4string

never bought a string i didnt have to cut down

i think he means that you would have to cut it shorter than the silk at the end.

It sounds to me like you bought some long scale strings.

[con_dev2005]

yeah i do,

the sting can stay the length it is, i can just cut it down,

i mean the silk needs to be longer towards the bridge end if that makes sense?!

[FunkMetalBass]

Can you take pictures of the string on your bass? I'm afraid I'm just not picturing it. Are you suggesting the silk should rest on the bridge saddles?

[con_dev2005]

cant upload to TB, heres links

BASS BROKEN picture by con_dev2005 - Photobucket

this is with the string pulled taught!



BASS BROKEN @ picture by con_dev2005 - Photobucket

i dont know if you can tell from this, but the metal disk at the bottom of the new string is much bigger tan the other 3?! and it needed a bit of a push to get it through the bridge,

cheers all

[FunkMetalBass]

I notice that E- and B-strings tend to have this slight issue because the tuners are located so close to the nut.

However, it seems that the brand you bought makes very long strings, probably best suited for 35" scale players who string their basses through-body.

It shouldn't be an issue, as you wont get more than *maybe* a single wrap when tuned up to pitch.

[con_dev2005]

is it alright to wind the actual thick bit of the string, as opposed to just the silk, which is what i've only ever needed to do?!

[FunkMetalBass]

Originally Posted by con_dev2005

is it alright to wind the actual thick bit of the string, as opposed to just the silk, which is what i've only ever needed to do?!

It's perfectly fine.

I've heard that it's not ideal for intonation issues (never really looked into the physics of why that is), but any ill-effect is subtle to say the least as I've never noticed a problem with intonation.

[con_dev2005]

alright, nice one, thanks for your help!

[SLaPiNFuNK]

After you string it up and if the full wound part of the string is on the tuning peg, you should push the thick part of the string so it is not at so much of a rounded angle.

As mentioned, when tuning, it may be hard to get and stay in tune, but forcing the string straight will help it.