how do you wind your new strings so fast?

[waidonchasaisew]

i noticed it takes me a good 30 minutes to replace my strings. Pretty sure people go 10x as fast as me. what's your secret?

[atheos]

1) Cut the strings correctly so that they only go about 1 1/2 rounds around the poles
2) This: http://www.jimdunlop.com/index.php?p...ts/accessories

[rolandm]

I had a stringwinder, lost it, and then found it again. It was like finding Jesus in a junkpile, I swear!

[One Bad Monkey]

Twenty years of practice.

[Nashrakh]

+1 Mainly experience.

I haven't changed strings ever since I strung all my basses with flats though, so...

But I like to take my time with the setup. It's kind of an intimate experience, weird I know, but that's what it is for me.

[stingray69]

Originally Posted by rolandm

I had a stringwinder, lost it, and then found it again. It was like finding Jesus in a junkpile, I swear!

+1

Stringwinder - best time-saver there is for changing strings. They really allow you to shorten the replacement time (if you want to). That and I'm really starting to prefer quick-release bridges where you lay the ball-end into the bridge & you're ready to start tuning up rather than having to zip the entire length of the string through any bridge holes first.

[Big chicken]

Ernie ball Power-Peg

[hdracer]

Just like a NASCAR pit stop...

[Thunderthumbs73]

Originally Posted by waidonchasaisew

i noticed it takes me a good 30 minutes to replace my strings. Pretty sure people go 10x as fast as me. what's your secret?

Been doing this for +15 years. I don't go 10x as fast. Some things in life you should not rush. I feel string winding/changing/replacing strings (and bass maintenance/prep in general) is one of those things.

[mmbongo]

+1000 for the Ernie Ball Power Peg. I got a few when MF was giving them away free with a set of strings.

Takes me about 5 minutes to change strings on my Warwick, and about 10 minutes on all my other basses because they are not top loading like my Warwick.

[darkstorm]

Theres no reason to go for speed. Take your time. Snugging each wind up against the previous one. 2-3 winds per string. 2 is plenty for E & A since there much thicker. Its more important to do good job as this helps tuning stability. Its ok to spend 30 minutes restringing. Betten then rushing and haveing sloppy restring. I prob spend about 20 minutes from start to end. Doing each string one at a time and tuning as I go then retweak tuning when done. I also initially tune about half step above pitch then down to reg pitch so strings get lightly stretched to further help tuning stability fpr new srtrings.

[ixlramp]

Originally Posted by darkstorm

Theres no reason to go for speed. Take your time. Snugging each wind up against the previous one. 2-3 winds per string. 2 is plenty for E & A since there much thicker. Its more important to do good job as this helps tuning stability. Its ok to spend 30 minutes restringing. Betten then rushing and haveing sloppy restring. I prob spend about 20 minutes from start to end. Doing each string one at a time and tuning as I go then retweak tuning when done. I also initially tune about half step above pitch then down to reg pitch so strings get lightly stretched to further help tuning stability fpr new srtrings.

^Exactly this.

I turn the tuner slow and feed the string onto the post firmly, squeezing the string into it's tight spiral.

[steelhead2]

i have some`nut twisters',no joke!,wife picked up a 15inch single speaker cab for me at a yard sale a couple sundays back and it was full of these nut twisters(for electrical nuts),anybody wants one or 3 just yell(have to run someone pulled in.>>>>>

[steelhead2]

ok yeah these`things' are shaped like the power winder above with 4 slots in a green anodised head and a screwdriver type handle,bent so you can uh? twist your nuts,,and they happen to fit the big tuner key heads perfectly,unfortunatly they need a rubber coating(plasti-dip?)

but for those who break strings on their basses several times a night,they'd be real handy for the,,, two turns per string

[rolandm]

I agree that you should take your time when changing strings, however, during a break in a set when you try to replace a string you just broke, I sort of like to have a winder because A) I don't take as long to do it, and B) it saves a wee bit of wear and tear on my wrists. Having come off an issue with carpal tunnel, I worry about that more and more.

[Chrisk-K]

Been changing strings for 25+ years. It usually takes about 5 minutes to change strings.

[gjuro]

I wind the string with my hands and then with tuner for the last loop (or less). I think I saw wooten doing it in some video

[SMILEYSIXX]

By hand? I've never used anything. It usually takes me around 5 or 10 minutes.

[gjuro]

Originally Posted by SMILEYSIXX

By hand? I've never used anything. It usually takes me around 5 or 10 minutes.

I meant you do few loops with string around the tuning post before you start turning the machine head..