Loop end Guts

[bscott00]

I've got some older gut strings I want to try on my bass. They only have loops at the end (no knot). Is there a certain way to tie them to the tailpiece? Am I suppose to tie a knot in them? In a another post I saw someone say you could use a small wooden dowel on the bottom side of the tailpiece. I thought I'd ask before I try it and mess them up.

[Jake deVilliers]

Check the photo of Fuqua's bass here: Pecanic tailpiece and loop ended strings

[superman]

That might be ok for Velvets but the correct way to attach loop end guts is to place the loop on the top side of the tailpiece then run the rest of the string through that,up to the tuner,,I'll try to go shoot a photo or 2 and post,,Kent

[superman]

[ATTACH]Attachment 106682[/ATTACH] heres a couple of pics,, hope they come out,,Kent

[bscott00]

Thanks for the photos, they helped a bunch. What's the purpose of the foam under the tailpiece? With a mandolin, for example, I've always been told to keep the tailpiece and the pickguard from touching the top as it would hamper the top's vibrations. I would have thought it would've been the same for the bass but I see a lot of players with foam or cloth under the tailpiece.

[toman]

Two reasons: One is some sort of foam to dampen a pickup or something and the other is that some orchestra guys stuff a rag in there. Some kind of repressed issue or something... Maybe OCD with the ones always scrubbing strings and whatever.

Attn. luthiers: All new basses need RFID directly linking musician/instrument to psychiatrists in case of spastic outburst.

[superman]

I use it to dampen the top ,it helps with overtones,,and is most useful when your pluged in,,helps to eleminate feedback,
keeps the top from moving,,the old session guys from here in Nashville used a towel and did basicly the same thing under the fingerboard,I like it under the tailpiece better