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Double Bass Braided steel cable

V

Valis

Mar 30, 2004
66
1
#1
I'm installing a raised saddle on one of my basses and I need a longer cable. Could anyone tell me which kind of steel cable is more appropriate: 1x7, 1x19, 7x19, etc...?
And what diameter, 1/16", 1/8"?

Thanks in advance.
 
#5
Valis said:
I'm installing a raised saddle on one of my basses and I need a longer cable. Could anyone tell me which kind of steel cable is more appropriate: 1x7, 1x19, 7x19, etc...?
And what diameter, 1/16", 1/8"?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

I use 3/32" 7 x 7 cable with my locally made adjustable cable clamps. Its light and supple and plenty strong with a 920 lb. breaking point.
 
#6
Eric Hochberg said:
I have a Marvin Tailpiece made for an extended saddle for sale if you have any interest.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the offer Eric, but the tailpiece was made by the luthier and I'd like to keep it there.

Jake deVilliers said:
I use 3/32" 7 x 7 cable with my locally made adjustable cable clamps. Its light and supple and plenty strong with a 920 lb. breaking point.
Click to expand...

Just ordered some... Thank you!
 
#7
Jake deVilliers said:
I use 3/32" 7 x 7 cable with my locally made adjustable cable clamps. Its light and supple and plenty strong with a 920 lb. breaking point.
Click to expand...

I use a lot of various nicopress type connections in different applications and I really like the tidiness and adjustability of these little clamps Jake's using. Not needing a $200 crimper to install or a cutter of some sort to remove is kinda nice too.
 
#8
I use 1/8" braided aircraft cable, along with two mini cable clamps (shaped like a letter U, with a beam across the top and a nut on either end of the U). I usually cover the cable with some black heat shrink, so it looks neat.

The best thing about this method is that I can get all the parts at the mom-and-pop hardware store for about $10.

Cheers,

Paul
 
#9
Eric Hochberg said:
I have a Marvin Tailpiece made for an extended saddle for sale if you have any interest.

Psyko, the saddle is the piece of wood that supports the tailpiece wires coming around the top.
Click to expand...

George700DL said:
Martin, the saddle is the part that the tailpiece cable passes over before it gets to the tailpiece.

George
Click to expand...

ooh, you learn something everyday, don't you? :hyper:
 
#10
psykopatsak said:
ooh, you learn something everyday, don't you? :hyper:
Click to expand...

eh_train said:
I use 1/8" braided aircraft cable, along with two mini cable clamps (shaped like a letter U, with a beam across the top and a nut on either end of the U).
Click to expand...

And if you use one of these wire rope clips (sometimes called a Crosby clip) you'll have a third saddle to think about and the only one you can easily install backward. The phrase "never saddle a dead horse" is used as a reminder which way to correctly install this piece of hardware. It is extremely important to the safe use of a wire rope clip that the load bearing part of the cable is not deformed by it. It's also advisable to use a high quality non-malleable type as the less expensive malleable kind are not as reliable and not at all reusable.
 
#11
jeff arddun said:
And if you use one of these wire rope clips (sometimes called a Crosby clip) you'll have a third saddle to think about and the only one you can easily install backward. The phrase "never saddle a dead horse" is used as a reminder which way to correctly install this piece of hardware. It is extremely important to the safe use of a wire rope clip that the load bearing part of the cable is not deformed by it. It's also advisable to use a high quality non-malleable type as the less expensive malleable kind are not as reliable and not at all reusable.
Click to expand...

Apparently you've done some rigging Jeff! ;)

The cheap little Crosby clips they have at Rona aren't very strong - and they're ugly too... :(
 
#12
I've used this on a few basses over the years:
Invalid Link Removed
I installed one on my primary bass about 12 yrs ago, and it's been adjusted (tinkering with afterlength issues) several times - never slips, clean and tidy looking...

.cdp
 
#17
I've had steel cable and and adjustable clamp on my bass for years and years now. The clamp wasn't from Rona -- Home Depot, I think. You do need to use a little mechanical common sense -- the cable and all the associated hardware comes in a variety of sizes and you have to make sure you've got compatible hardware in the right sizes. If that's all good, then you only need a moderate amount of torque on the clamp bolt to keep the thing from moving -- at least in my limited experience, which is limited to basses, not flying heavy things at height or anything like that. The clamps are great compared to the press-fittings not only for the reduced expense, but for the length adjustability factor, too.
 
#18
jeff arddun said:
"never saddle a dead horse"
Click to expand...

We tend to use "fist grips" because of just that. Seems the kids just can't remember how to do it. We call them "idiot clips" because you can't put it on wrong. I think they only go down to 3/16" which is getting pretty big for the bass. 3/32" with a standard "U" type crosby at each dead end will hold more than enough strain without cable damage.
 

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#19
Jake deVilliers said:
Apparently you've done some rigging Jeff! ;)

The cheap little Crosby clips they have at Rona aren't very strong - and they're ugly too... :(
Click to expand...

Even in stage rigging a lot of folks avoid Crosbys partly because they're fugly. Maybe I'm being a little flippant with this but there's some truth to the saying, "Good rigging looks good". Certainly on a double bass I'd want to spend a little more effort on clean aesthetics. The clips you use would be my first choice and a swaged copper Nicopress sleeve my second.

I actually like fist grips but kids who can't figure out a Crosby are better suited to selling shoes at the mall than rigging and I have no hesitation to suggest that to them....in the most gentle, PC terms of course.
 
#20
Wow, a lot of strong opinions how to do this! I've "rigged" 4 basses up over the years, each using braided cable and a couple of Crosby clips (didn't know they were called that, no doubt Bing made a lot of money off of them...).

I've had no problems with them coming apart, and I think they look just fine, particularly since the clips end up underneath the endpin block. I actually think they look better than the fist grips. Then again, I have a lot of time to reflect on this while selling shoes at the mall.

Cheers,

Paul
 

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