Acoustic Bass string Pins rise up

[basszoned]

Hi All,

I have a Michael Kelly Acoustic bass that I am installing new strings on. As I start to tighten the tuners, the pins rise back up,, I am trying to hold them down while tightening with no luck...is there a trick to this that I am missing? the new strings are the same size as the old..

Thanks in advance for any input.

Regards,
Fred

[mech]

What you describe can be caused by the ball end of the string being caught under the end of the pin. Make sure the pin goes down beside the ball end. You'll need a lot of slack and it'll be easiest to do without the string being on the tuner.

mech.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

The age old Kodak marketing slogan in mind...





Credit for those pics for the original posters, I just found them on the 'net when I first replied to this kind of a thread.

Keep in mind that the pin has to be nick-free and the supporting plate in good condition, otherwise You're in for a grief.

Bass pins are much easier to obtain nowadays, so when the pin starts to show wear, replace it.
If You don't, the ball can dent/chip the supporting plate, and a far more costly repair is the only option.

My preferred method of inserting flat-top acoustic strings is to drive the ball-end into the hole with the pin, and to pull the string upwards when the ball slips forward.

Regards
Sam

[megafiddle]

What everybody said. With heavier strings, you can bend the string right at the ball
slightly so that it looks like the picture above. That can help getting the tip of the pin
past the ball when seating it.

If you watch the way the string follows the pin into the hole, there should be a point
where the string stops being pulled into the hole, and the pin continues further into
the hole. That indicates that the tip of the pin has properly passed the ball. And has
been mentioned by T-Bird, pull upward while seating the pin to make sure the ball is
seated up against the bridge plate.

[basszoned]

Thank you all !!!

That makes perfect sense and worked like a charm.
The picture really helped in understanding.

Best Regards,
Fred