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Curse you, D'addario!

Benjamin Strange

Benjamin Strange

Commercial User
Dec 25, 2002
9,737
310
49
New Orleans, LA
www.ufodeathcult.com
Disclosures
Owner / Tech: Strange Guitarworks
#1
Man, I was so close. I had been working on my new (old) Ovation Magnum, and was finally ready to put my strings on. I had ordered a bunch of strings from JustStrings.com, since GC no longer gives discounts(grr...).

I start putting my first string on, a .135, and I notice that the windings don't extend far enough on the string. The windings start getting smaller a full inch and a half before the nut. The same thing happens with my second string, a .105. My bass is a standard 34" scale, and the ball end of the string goes into the bridge about 2 inches past the saddle. Because of this, I surmise that I have to use D'addario's Super Long Scale strings... but they don't make them in my gauges. They make .130s, .145s, .100s... but not .135 or .105. I am pissed! I've got this brand new bass here that I can't put strings on, and my string maker of choice doesn't even make strings that will fit it. Arrgh!
 
#4
MrBorisSpider said:
Keep in mind that most basses are Fender-clones. That's the biggest market and D'addario is out to make money first and foremost. Nothing wrong with that, though. That's how capatalism works :D.
Click to expand...

I don't think it would hurt D'addario to put two inches of more winding on their bass strings, methinks.
 
#5
I have just had exactly the same thing happen to me!

I have a lovely new Lakland DJ4, I thought the stock strings were OK until I had a 3 hour long rehearsal and decided I needed to put my favourite D'addarios on. I just spent half an hour changing one string at a time starting with the G string. Got to the E string and it doesn't fit. I am now really annoyed.

I guess I should have thought about this since my SUB is string through bridge and so I would need about and inch more length but you just assume that 34" scale strings will fit a 34" scale bass.

In the short term I may have to have the E string strung through the bridge, but am worried about any problems I may cause from having 3 strings thru body and 1 through bridge. Does anybody know whether this would cause any issues to the bridge?
 

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