Wrong strings for my bass? Please help!

[bassinplace]

Just got a T40. Really sweet bass. I restrung it with Chromes but I didn't realize they're "long scale" and the bass is apparantly "short scale" as the silks go way past the nut. I shortened the strings as much as I could but the strings still go past the nut, just not as bad as they were.

The action seems kinda high around the c and d on the g string and playing anything on the first fret is a tad painful.

Is this because of the silks crossing the nut? Or is it just the bass? Or could it be possibly something else? As you can tell, I know nothing about bass setup or repair. I really dig this bass big time, I just want to make it the best it can be. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[bongomania]

The T40 is "long scale" which usually means 17" from the nut to the 12th fret. Short scale would be only 15" (give or take) from nut to 12th fret.

So one possibility is the Chromes you got are "extra long scale"; another possibility is the design of the T40's bridge and headstock just happens to not work well with Chromes. Even though the definition of long scale is pretty specific, different string brands and models may have different amounts of silk wrap because of the various different bridges, string-thru vs top-load, and headstock designs out there.

[96tbird]

How does one shorten strings such that the silks don't go over the nut? Do you mean bridge saddles? Anyway silk is removable. Scrape it off with a razor knife. Sounds like you need to learn how to setup a bass and intonate it. Read the stickies at the top of this forum on setups.

[bassinplace]

Originally Posted by 96tbird

How does one shorten strings such that the silks don't go over the nut? Do you mean bridge saddles? Anyway silk is removable. Scrape it off with a razor knife. Sounds like you need to learn how to setup a bass and intonate it. Read the stickies at the top of this forum on setups.

You can't, lol! Which is what I found out. I did get them to go back so they're just past the nut, before they were half way into the fret.

That was gonna be my next question about removing the silks. So I guess that won't hurt the strings any? Will leaving the silks on the nut hurt the bass?

I did see the sticky, but it was about Fenders, Sadowskys, and a couple others that aren't similar to my bass. I'll peruse it though just to see if I can glean anything useful.

Also, does anyone know any reasons that might be causing the action on the g to be high? Thanks!

[96tbird]

Scrape the silk off so it is clear of the nut. All you meet to make sure of is the outer wraps of the steel are not separated at the nut like they are further along at the tuner end; the string should be as smooth over the nut as it is in the fretting area. I hope that makes sense to you?

The setup stickies work for any bass that has a trussrod. The principles are the same. You need to do an initial setup in the proper sequence. You need to understand every bit of the information in the stickies if you want to do this yourself. It's worth the time to learn.

The reason the g string is high is the saddle is set high. Each bridge saddle has height adjustment screws to set up the action.

[tjh]

With all due respect to the OP, this is why filling out your profile is so helpful ... it can be difficult to answer some questions without a bit of background for the individual posting it ... as in this case, it sounds like the money spent to have someone set the bass up for you, with you looking on to ask questions would be well worth the investment as a learning tool ... I am a bit concerned as to why the action only seems high at the 5-7th fret on the treble side, and is playing the first fret painful because of how the nut is cut?, or is it just the higher tension Chromes that the user is not used to?? ... this looks like a prime candidate for a little more pro set-up job to make sure what you have is a sound platform to work with ... and then you can learn to adjust from there ... JMHO

[bassinplace]

Originally Posted by tjh

With all due respect to the OP, this is why filling out your profile is so helpful ... it can be difficult to answer some questions without a bit of background for the individual posting it ... as in this case, it sounds like the money spent to have someone set the bass up for you, with you looking on to ask questions would be well worth the investment as a learning tool ... I am a bit concerned as to why the action only seems high at the 5-7th fret on the treble side, and is playing the first fret painful because of how the nut is cut?, or is it just the higher tension Chromes that the user is not used to?? ... this looks like a prime candidate for a little more pro set-up job to make sure what you have is a sound platform to work with ... and then you can learn to adjust from there ... JMHO

Yeah, I think you're right with this bass, I really dig it. It's definitely gonna be my player for a long time. I'll find a cheaper one to tinker with. And I'll fill out my profile asap. Didn't really think it mattered much but if it does, then will do.

EDIT: Oh, and to answer your questions about the action, it's really the whole g string that seems a bit high, but it's highest between the 5th and 7th frets. And the fretting on the 1st fret well, my technique is weakest in that particular location, but it's also harder to fret than any other bass I have or even played. Not sure why that is.

[lowendfriend]

Originally Posted by bassinplace

Just got a T40. Really sweet bass. I restrung it with Chromes but I didn't realize they're "long scale" and the bass is apparantly "short scale" as the silks go way past the nut. I shortened the strings as much as I could but the strings still go past the nut, just not as bad as they were.

The action seems kinda high around the c and d on the g string and playing anything on the first fret is a tad painful.

Is this because of the silks crossing the nut? Or is it just the bass? Or could it be possibly something else? As you can tell, I know nothing about bass setup or repair. I really dig this bass big time, I just want to make it the best it can be. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Owners Manual says it is 34" scale....so is my Warwick.

I use Chromes XL, referred to as "longscale" on the package. The Part number is ECB81-5.

The key thing is to have full thickness string going through the nut (a key witness point for intonation.) You also don't want
silk in the nut...nor do you want full thickness string wrapping around the posts. I think I had to burn off silk to get mine clear at the nut. Below is a photo of my Warwick Corvette $$ 5 string with chromes installed.



Sign up for a user account on Bass Strings Online and let them know you are a TB member for VIP discount. They have tons of info on strings and lengths and tensions there.

You need to learn the basics of setup for your own good. Download this manual from bass mfger Jersey Drozd:

http://www.jerzydrozdbasses.com/akcn...ide_ver100.pdf

Make sure you have a manual for your bass (google it!)

I like these vids from Carl Pedigo of Lakland fame:
Lakland Bass Setup With Carl Pedigo (Part 1 of 2) - YouTube and

Lakland Bass Setup With Carl Pedigo (Part 2 of 2) - YouTube



Take your time and learn. Then you can learn other stuff with confidence.

[bassinplace]

Originally Posted by lowendfriend

Owners Manual says it is 34" scale....so is my Warwick.

I use Chromes XL, referred to as "longscale" on the package. The Part number is ECB81-5.

The key thing is to have full thickness string going through the nut (a key witness point for intonation.) You also don't want
silk in the nut...nor do you want full thickness string wrapping around the posts. I think I had to burn off silk to get mine clear at the nut. Below is a photo of my Warwick Corvette $$ 5 string with chromes installed.



Sign up for a user account on Bass Strings Online and let them know you are a TB member for VIP discount. They have tons of info on strings and lengths and tensions there.

You need to learn the basics of setup for your own good. Download this manual from bass mfger Jersey Drozd:

http://www.jerzydrozdbasses.com/akcn...ide_ver100.pdf

Make sure you have a manual for your bass (google it!)

I like these vids from Carl Pedigo of Lakland fame:
Lakland Bass Setup With Carl Pedigo (Part 1 of 2) - YouTube and

Lakland Bass Setup With Carl Pedigo (Part 2 of 2) - YouTube



Take your time and learn. Then you can learn other stuff with confidence.

Cool, thanks for the tips and links! I'll check 'em out!

[Rocky McD]

If the silk goes between the nut and the first fret, I would think you have put short scale 30" strings on a 34" scale bass. If the action was OK before the string change then I would say the string is not all the way down in the nut slot. It may be due to the silk or you may have a heavier gauge and will need to widen the nut slots a little.
Rocky

[bassinplace]

Ok, here's what I've found for anyone who might be interested. The strings are basically too short for the bass, for whatever reason, even thought the package said "long scale".

I have the same strings on my Squier and they work fine, but I notice the silks don't nearly as far down the string as they do on the set on the T40. The Squier set, the silks stop right after the part that's "graduated", as 96 tbird was referring to. On the T40 set, they go quite considerably farther down the string than that. Odd.

I know the strings are definitely too short for the T40 though as the skinnier part of the string that should be on the headstock side of the nut goes past the nut and into the first fret on all strings except the g.

And the reason the g was high is because the silk was stopping it from resting at the bottom of the nut. I just scraped some of the silk off on that string only and it sits fine now. I just hope having that g sit on top of the nut for a week wasn't doing any harm to the bass. Doesn't seem to have.

So, I guess what I need to fit this bass is "extra long scale" flats. I'm going to go to the site that lowendfriend recommended and see what's available. So that's it in a nutshell. No pun intended.

[96tbird]

Go to the bassstringsonline.com thread and ask Jason. He knows everything strings. It almost sounds like your strings were mis-labeled and are med scale... ?

[JLS]

Is the bass bridge a through-body? That would explain why longscale strings are acting too short.

[bassinplace]

Originally Posted by JLS

Is the bass bridge a through-body? That would explain why longscale strings are acting too short.

Yes, it is. Does that mean I need an extra long scale?

[bassinplace]

Originally Posted by JLS

Is the bass bridge a through-body? That would explain why longscale strings are acting too short.

Bingo. That's what Jason at online strings and the guy I took it to for a setup said too. Stringing it with "Super Longs". Can't wait to get this baby back!