Paranoid while changing strings?

fourstringdrums · #1 12-29-2005, 07:08 PM

Maybe I'm alone on this one, but does anyone else get paranoid while changing strings? Whenever I'm bringing a new string up to tension, as I feel it getting tighter I always have this fear that it's going to snap at any second...

Chunk-O-Funk · #2 12-29-2005, 07:25 PM

Nope.

Only happen to me on one of those little six string things, what do you call it............. or yha, a git-tar. Caught a snapped string right in the face. Stings a tad, I'm sure a bass string would be like a whip. Get yourself one of those face shields or maybe a hockey mask.

Tyler Hole · #3 12-29-2005, 07:26 PM

I always feel like my tuner is messed up and it's reading lower than what I'm at because it feels like I'm tightening it alot, but I've never had one break on me while putting new ones on, so that's good.

KeithBMI · #4 12-29-2005, 08:13 PM

Whenever I hear that "click" when I'm tuning up a new set of strings I get a nervous...

..Who wouldn't?

thehurlatron · #5 12-29-2005, 08:49 PM

Allthough it does sound funny. (after changing stings for about 16 years and never having one smap on me)
Whenever I'm bringing them up to tune, I make sure my face isn't hovering over the strings. And sometimes I squint a little like I'm about to get whapped by one.

The only sting incident I had was when I was taking stings off for a change and my buddy thought he'd help and used wire snippers on the A string......While it still was at full tension! That bugger wrapped over my left arm so fast and it stung like crazy.

fourstringdrums · #6 12-29-2005, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thehurlatron

Allthough it does sound funny. (after changing stings for about 16 years and never having one smap on me)
Whenever I'm bringing them up to tune, I make sure my face isn't hovering over the strings. And sometimes I squint a little like I'm about to get whapped by one.

The only sting incident I had was when I was taking stings off for a change and my buddy thought he'd help and used wire snippers on the A string......Whild it still was at full tension! That bugger wrapped over my left arm so fast and it stung like crazy.

I try and not put my face near the headstock when I'm changing strings, but I change strings while the bass is sitting on the guitar stand so I still get a bit nervous

Dkerwood · #7 12-29-2005, 09:09 PM

Are you guys kidding me?

Dude, you don't know paranoia until you're putting medium gauge strings on an acoustic guitar. Those suckers get tight.

In comparison, bass strings are nothing. If I'm not careful, I end up over-tightening, but who cares? I once found that I had tuned my E string up to A (going by feel before going to the tuner), but no problem.

I'm more worried about the bass strings slipping off those weird tuning pegs... A slot instead of a hole? What the heck? One of these days, I'll have to learn how to make the strings look pretty up there and not like there's three miles of string wrapped around the peg.

BassChuck · #8 12-29-2005, 09:13 PM

I've had a couple of string break, but it was pure non-drama.

The core breaks, but the wrapping just stretch.... so you turn and turn and turn...... yea.... not much to talk about.

But I do keep my face away from the front of the bass when changing strings.

teej · #9 12-29-2005, 09:20 PM

Oh man, YES! I'll tune up and feel the tension increasing, and there's a sudden "click" of the string setting into the tuning key or bridge. I've only lost one set of strings while stringing, but that was because I had unstrung and restrung the same set 5 or 6 times.

Squidfinger · #10 12-29-2005, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thehurlatron

Allthough it does sound funny. (after changing stings for about 16 years and never having one smap on me)
Whenever I'm bringing them up to tune, I make sure my face isn't hovering over the strings. And sometimes I squint a little like I'm about to get whapped by one.

The only sting incident I had was when I was taking stings off for a change and my buddy thought he'd help and used wire snippers on the A string......While it still was at full tension! That bugger wrapped over my left arm so fast and it stung like crazy.

I'm just as paranoid as you guys after I snapped a D string while pulling it to get the tuner schlop off it. It whipped back so fast I'm just glad it didn't hit my eye.

There's also the $$$ issue too. I was not pleased.

Minger · #11 12-29-2005, 11:20 PM

You guys worry bout this? Psssh.

I'm scared every time I tune the Double Bass I play at school...and you guys who complain that your guages are too heavy...whiny little...:P

Tbirdbassist · #12 12-30-2005, 07:47 PM

I dont when I'm tuning my basses up. All the times I've over tightened my strings just unwind.

But the times I've given my friends guitars set-ups I'm scared as all hell because theyve shown me the battle scars from their B and high E strings breaking while palying and restringing.

P. Aaron · #13 12-30-2005, 08:05 PM

I ain't worryin' on a bass, but on them thar geetarz, I've lost a feew strangz.

Don't_Fret · #14 12-30-2005, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Minger

You guys worry bout this? Psssh.

I'm scared every time I tune the Double Bass I play at school...and you guys who complain that your guages are too heavy...whiny little...:P

Yeah. It's not a click, it's more of an agonizing groan.

Trevorus · #15 12-30-2005, 09:39 PM

12 String guitars are scary. It's like a mini-torture session. But with basses, I never worry.

Brad Barker · #16 12-30-2005, 11:22 PM

wanna get paranoid?

buy a spector. worry about all of the standard stuff AND the saddles moving into completely new and definitely badly-intonated positions.

Dkerwood · #17 12-31-2005, 10:45 AM

I was really quite upset the last time I changed strings. First of all, the old set only lasted a month or so (usually between my two basses and tons of guitars, I change bass strings once a year). It was ok, though; they were a present and not quite the brand and gauge I like.

Secondly, I got the gauge I liked and as I was stringing them up, I discover that the ball end winding of the low B won't fit through the hole in my... tailpiece, I guess we could call it? So if you look at my axe, everything's cool until you get to the low B, and then you see half an inch of string sticking out... oh well. Plays fine in tune, and I imagine I won't have a problem until I want to take them off. Then we'll see what a few months' worth of tension jamming it into that hole will do...

But yeah, I've broken 4 strings in my lifetime on bass. 2 were just the "open your case and OH MY GOSH WHAT HAPPENED" issue. 1 was a "pick up the axe, pluck one note and OH MY GOSH WHAT HAPPENED" issue. The worst (and the last one, on month old strings): I was in the middle of an audition and my G string popped in the middle of a tune. I just had to keep going, but my hands betrayed me, thinking that I was playing a standard 4 string now... It was bad, but hey, jazz is the perfect medium to play a 4th away from the tonic, right? Right???

bassjus · #18 12-31-2005, 11:22 AM

I get scared soemtimes, but I've never had any break while putting them on, and the only way they've broken otherwise is just the core breaking, and the rest unwinding, so no biggie.

Yorkiebassist · #19 12-31-2005, 11:28 AM

I get nervous. I have been hit by a snapping bass string once(not when restringing though). Luckily it was the ball end that got me and I was ok(it was the low E by the way).

Matt Till · #20 12-31-2005, 11:45 AM

Funny tuning story:

My friend was in a band and he was one of the two guitarist. He sat behind the drum kit for a little while and the other guitarist was changing his strings. After playing for a while he stopped because he noticed he was making a squinty face and leaning back a little. So it was dead silent except for the tuning noise, right when it was just about in tune, he NAILED the crash as hard as he could. The other guitarist jumped about 3 feet in the air!!