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Double Bass aircraft cable and knot tying

#41
I got this little clamp thing at Ace Hardware. I should have read this post before changing out my tailwire, especially about the cut ends - it was hard to bend them into a neat U shape and stuff them in the clamp and I got several little pokes and cuts on my fingers. Still, after a lot of effing and blinding, I got it on. It was a big improvement over the bit of coat hanger wire that was on there before...

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#42
The clamps I have seen put the cable straight through, not looped as you did.
But they are very different. More like a block of metal with one or two holes lengthwise for the aircraft cable and at least two screws pushing onto the aircraft cable from the side.
I can imagine that your solution was not nice for your fingers...

The bass builder who changed my coathanger to an aircraft cable told me that he ordered some special built clamps for him. Probably not really needed, but I think there are better clamps than yours for this task.

There are about 140 kg load on that wire, so a good clamp is important. And letting the wire stick out a bit (seal the end with something, maybe a plastic cap plus hot glue), so you an easily adjust the tailpiece wire length.

An alternative is a carbon tailwire that can be knotted, but most people think that aircraft cable is the best solution.
 
#43
Yes the drawback to this clamp is that it is not readily adjustable. A clamp that allows the straight wire to pass through and be held in place would be much easier to adjust. On the other hand the looping of the wire around the little bolt makes it pretty much indestructible... that wire is NEVER coming out as long as the nuts are tightened down!
 
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#44
Bill Fatty said:
Yes the drawback to this clamp is that it is not readily adjustable. A clamp that allows the straight wire to pass through and be held in place would be much easier to adjust. On the other hand the looping of the wire around the little bolt makes it pretty much indestructible... that wire is NEVER coming out as long as the nuts are tightened down!
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I'm pretty sure you can run the wires straight through on that kind of clamp. In fact I think that's how it's intended:)
 
#46
DoubleMIDI said:
And if running straight through doesn't work you can try to cross them in the middle of the clamp.
You could ask where you bought it how it should be used...
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Well I bought it in Abu Dhabi... if you've ever bought anything in Abu Dhabi you will know that it's completely pointless to ask shop staff anything about the goods - they barely know where stuff is, let alone what it's for!

But that's a good point that the cables could run straight through, or even cross over. In point of fact it's too long and has buggered my afterlengths so I have to re-do it anyway. I'll try crossing them over - that seems a tad more secure.
 

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