end string parted from end-piece

[vitalstates]

Hi

I am new to DB having bought a cheap Chinese 3/4 last December. It has been creaking a lot and has been v.difficult to keep in tune. Today I was re-tuning and after loud creaking one side of the end string pulled through the end-piece.

I have been using ASTREA strings(standard, not sure of guage) but they have felt very heavy(my only reference is my fretless jazz which I play with 100s) and I'm wondering if they are too heavy.

Has anybody got any suggestions?. Are lighter guage strings available?, or is it likely to be a faulty end piece/connector.

Regards

Ed

[mpm]

Search "tailgut", "tailpiece cord", "braided aircraft cable". Theres a lot in the archives on this subject.

[vitalstates]

Anybody got any suggestions.....

cant find any relevant threads for a newby...all tailpiece threads seem to relate to tuning and sound quality.....

I replaced the original wire and end points with motorcycle throttle cable and steel ferrules. Got the bass in tune and 2 minutes later a loud crack and everything is slack. One of the wires had slipped through a ferrule.

How do you chaps do this thing...its driving me nuts.

Regards

Ed

[drurb]

Originally Posted by vitalstates

Anybody got any suggestions.....

cant find any relevant threads for a newby...all tailpiece threads seem to relate to tuning and sound quality.....

I replaced the original wire and end points with motorcycle throttle cable and steel ferrules. Got the bass in tune and 2 minutes later a loud crack and everything is slack. One of the wires had slipped through a ferrule.

How do you chaps do this thing...its driving me nuts.

Regards

Ed

I do it by visiting my luthier. Can you get to one?

[mje]

The combined tension of those strings is around 240 to 280lbs; far too much for a simple ferrule.

Get over to your local hardware store and get some steel cable that'll fit through the holes in the tailpiece (somewhere between 1/8"-3/16") and a couple of cable clips designed to secure the cable. That'll hold.

[vitalstates]

Hi mje

The cable is 1/8" and the same guage as the original, its just that the ferrules don't seem to hold.

I havnt been able to find a luthier nearby nor a DB supplier in the UK on the internet. The only reference I can find for parts is in the US and they wont ship to UK.

regards

Ed

[mpm]

Get in touch with the folks at Stentor, they carry DB products.

[robobass]

The normal way luthiers do it (or at least one way) is to loop the cable through both holes at the bottom of the tailpiece, and join the ends under the bass, near the socket. You can knot the cable, or use those U shaped cable ties you get from the hardware store. Either of these ways will hold, but aren't very graceful. A better way to join the cable is with a "set screw coupling" which is a small steel cylinder with two set screws threaded into the side. I don't know if you can get them from Luthiers. You can get them from McMaster.com (Item# 6412k11), but the dimensions are a bit large if you are using very thin cable (I use 3/64 stainless aircraft cable). You may be able to get the couplings from Bill Merchant. Incidentally, I was told that the combined linear tension of a four string set of Pirastro FlatChromeSteel is ~440lbs. That's a lot! If you've got a low-quality tailpiece the cable might dig into the wood, or even crack it. Maybe enlarge the holes and use some sleeve material where the cable contacts the tailpiece. Perhaps some bicycle brake housing.

Anyway, it sounds like the original poster is dealing with a defective product. The wire should not fail just because he is using heavy gauge strings. But, this is not such a difficult problem to fix. Just be sure the soundpost is still in the right place before you put your bass back in tension. I'm sure there are plenty of TB posts you can search to get info on this.
Robobass

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by vitalstates

Hi mje

The cable is 1/8" and the same guage as the original, its just that the ferrules don't seem to hold.

I havnt been able to find a luthier nearby nor a DB supplier in the UK on the internet. The only reference I can find for parts is in the US and they wont ship to UK.

regards

Ed

There are lots of UK places on the net that do DB parts - like :

http://www.contrabass.co.uk

I have also bought DB parts cheaply from

http://www.thomann.de/

[vitalstates]

Hi Robobass

The mcmaster part is exactly what I have been searching the net for, for the last 4 days. Its the same type as the one that came with the brake/clutch cable but much bigger/sturdier.

Many thanks

Ed

[robobass]

Wait, Is that a joke? If so, I'm laughing. But do not underestimate the useful bass items that can be procured from a machine parts distributer!
Robobass