String loosening/retightening

[Steve Bennett]

I hope this question is not too terribly dumb. I have played electric bass for 35 years and just got my first upright. The tech had just set it up with new strings. When I got it home, I noticed the E string sounded muted compared to the others. Examining the bridge, I discovered that the E string end was not down in the slot, but in the hole instead. I also observed the black cushiony stuff around the string ends. So, I loosened the string, shoved it into the slot like the others, and retuned. I had to retune several times because it kept going flat, but it seems to be stable now. Did I potentially damage anything by doing this? I didn't even consider the bridge, etc., I just loosened it completely, stuck the end in the slot to match the other strings, and then retuned.

Again, sorry if this is a doofus question, but I paid pretty good money for this and the store is far away. Thanks for your help!

[Jake deVilliers]

You did fine Steve! That's what I do when I check and see that one of the ball ends is trying to escape...

[Steve Bennett]

Thank you so much for your reply, sir. At this point, I'm scared to death I'm going to break something! It all looks so intimidating.

[Waltjie]

Hey Steve!

You're not alone in being afraid to break something, I can assure you. I got my bass less than a week ago, and I am so scared of breaking a string. I played the cello until about a year ago, and loosening strings was always a risky business, especially the A-string. I lost two strings in about 2 months due to loosening them for different reasons. It would seem however, that bass strings aren't quite as fragile.

[Steve Bennett]

So what about the soft black washer thingies? Are they standard on upright strings?

[drurb]

Do you mean that you shoved the string into the slot on the tailpiece? Yes, there are often felt washers or the like between the ball ends and the tailpiece.

[Steve Bennett]

Yes, I did mean tailpiece, not bridge.