String posts pass through bridge holes

[edmidlifecrisis]

Something unusual happened to me today.

While changing strings on a few guitars and basses, I decided to switch some strings around and put an old set of what I believe to be GHS flats on a MIM Jazz bass. Guess what ? The strings passed right through the bridge holes.

Standard 2007 MIM Fender Jazz Bass. Had some standard D'Addario rounds on it until today. Why would those bridge holes be bigger than any other bass I've ever owned? The flats have been on a couple of other basses with no problems.

Has this happened to anyone else? Or is senility setting in?

[mmbongo]

You need bigger balls.

[edmidlifecrisis]

Originally Posted by mmbongo

You need bigger balls.

Yeah, well I guess this isn't the first time I've been told that....

So can those ball ends be replaced?

[sevenyearsdown]

those are called guitar strings. There are 6 of them and they are for a different instrument.

[edmidlifecrisis]

Originally Posted by sevenyearsdown

those are called guitar strings. There are 6 of them and they are for a different instrument.

I knew something looked funny. They were too short anyway.

[mmbongo]

Originally Posted by edmidlifecrisis

Yeah, well I guess this isn't the first time I've been told that....

So can those ball ends be replaced?

Not really. You might have to just get some little washers if you want to use those strings.

[edmidlifecrisis]

Originally Posted by mmbongo

Not really. You might have to just get some little washers if you want to use those strings.

Thanks!

[JTE]

Let me get this straight... the ball ends are small enough to pass through the bridge holes? That's weird. OK, Rotosound strings back in the '70s and '80s used to come with little washers in case you were putting them on a bass with larger anchor holes, but I've not seen anything like that in decades. The GHS strings I've used (both theirs and the ones branded "Lakland" fit on stock Fender basses just fine.

Is it the strings have really small ball-ends or is does this bass have larger holes?

John

[edmidlifecrisis]

Originally Posted by JTE

Let me get this straight... the ball ends are small enough to pass through the bridge holes? That's weird. OK, Rotosound strings back in the '70s and '80s used to come with little washers in case you were putting them on a bass with larger anchor holes, but I've not seen anything like that in decades. The GHS strings I've used (both theirs and the ones branded "Lakland" fit on stock Fender basses just fine.

Is it the strings have really small ball-ends or is does this bass have larger holes?

John

I don't know. The strings fit on my other basses (I took them off an SX P) and other brands of strings fit on this one (it had D'Addario XL's on it). But this combo is a no go.

I did find some very small washers that worked just fine and was able to get the strings on the bass.

My thought is that it's probably a little of both, the bridge on the Jazz bass has holes that look a bit larger than the others thought I didn't measure them. So this was just the combo of slight traits that didn't work together. I think it's weird.

One day I'll take a caliper and measure the ball ends and the bridge holes and compare them to the other strings and basses......