Can anyone tell me why this happens?

[Alivefor5]

D'addario QC ain't what it used to be?

This^. The strings are shorter in this pack of strings. Probably mismarked.

 

[Jeff Elkins]

Assuming the strings are okay (you measured) and the body thickness is the same and the ferrules/ball ends aren't the problem (nice tip, @Mattionals !), the only difference is the neck, right? There still isn't quite enough information. Pics are worth a thousand words and may offer clues, though I get that the Bronco is now disassembled.

Is there a difference in how far the bridge is from the end of the body on these two instruments?

You said you assembled the Bronco from parts - was it a Squier Bronco neck or Warmoth or some other?

This is probably a crazy thought, but is there an identical length of material from the butt end of the necks to the last fret? I'm wondering if there's less at the end of the squier neck, which I think, would effectively move the nut closer to the bridge on the Fender body.

^^ I suspect this.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

I guess not all short scales are created equal?

That seems to be the case.

Short-scale thru-body is just like having a long tailpiece... yer into medium-scale territory for strings

Yeah, weird that it changes but I ordered some already so hope that cures the issue.

This might be a goofy answer that you may have already checked out, but I remember I put strings on my string thru G&L and found that the ball end for whatever set of strings I was using was too big to seat properly in the ferrule.

That was one of the things I looked at when I initially saw what was happening, but they were good in the ferrules.

Is there a difference in how far the bridge is from the end of the body on these two instruments?

You said you assembled the Bronco from parts - was it a Squier Bronco neck or Warmoth or some other?

That is definitely a possibility, but the Bronco was disassembled and parts are already sold. It was (and still is) the actual Bronco neck. I just sanded and painted the headstock to match the body, new headstock sticker was made by my daughter on her cricut.

Thanks for all the input, the medium scale strings are on the way and that should solve the issue. If it in fact does work as expected I'll get a 2nd set to have on hand to avoid this in the future when I don't remember what I bought last time.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Is the question that the strings are out of spec or that the spec has changed over the past 20 years?

 

[iiipopes]

I suggest you try GHS Balanced Pure Nickels. They are 32.75 winding length, so they should work for string through. The BPN's are God's gift to short scale players: even, big, round tone, the right length, consistent string-to-string and up the neck, they don't twang or thump out, feel good on the fingers, and will bring out all the tone that a 30-inch scale bass has to offer.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

Is the question that the strings are out of spec or that the spec has changed over the past 20 years?

The question was why short scale strings that formerly worked on this bass no longer work after a neck change. The specs are correct as I found here and elsewhere, 32" from ball end to silk. Just the silk now overhangs the nut. Just out of curiosity more than anything.

I suggest you try GHS Balanced Pure Nickels. They are 32.75 winding length, so they should work for string through. The BPN's are God's gift to short scale players: even, big, round tone, the right length, consistent string-to-string and up the neck, they don't twang or thump out, feel good on the fingers, and will bring out all the tone that a 30-inch scale bass has to offer.

Thanks for the recommendation. I've been a fan of these chromes so already ordered the 34" winding "mediums" to fit this bass.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Short scale strings can be problematic on certain instruments. You may get silk overhang, you may get the fat meat of an E of B string up against the tuner. If anything, I would suspect that standards and measurements are tighter now than 20 years ago.

 

[Pier_]

32" from ball end to silk. Just the silk now overhangs the nut. Just out of curiosity more than anything.

are you sure that you've always used the "short" scale model?

I've had several short scale basses, and the ECB81S (or any "short" D'Addario) was never the right choice when strung through the body.
the Short model is precise for top-load bridges, like the standard Bronco or the Gibson SG.

 

[Holdsg]

stuff happens?

 

[WI Short Scaler]

are you sure that you've always used the "short" scale model?

I've had several short scale basses, and the ECB81S (or any "short" D'Addario) was never the right choice when strung through the body.
the Short model is precise for top-load bridges, like the standard Bronco or the Gibson SG.

I contacted the local store that I purchased them from and per their records I purchased two sets of those in Feb 2019. Had to go with their info, in this case I didn't keep the empty pack for future ref but will do so going forward.

 

[Peteyboy]

Thanks for all the input, the medium scale strings are on the way and that should solve the issue. If it in fact does work as expected I'll get a 2nd set to have on hand to avoid this in the future when I don't remember what I bought last time.

Not so fast WI Short Scaler! Although you're hinting at some kind of closure here, you know there are around 2 or 3 more pages of speculation headed your way. Just accept it.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

That makes sense except these short scales also match the winding specs that I found on here so they appear to be consistent. Thanks though

Did you measure the distance from where the string anchors on the tail piece to the tuning peg? Location of the tail piece or string through bodied is a critical issue. Or it could just be a manufacturers one off, manufacturing error, or possibly the wrong string in the right packaging.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

Not so fast WI Short Scaler! Although you're hinting at some kind of closure here, you know there are around 2 or 3 more pages of speculation headed your way. Just accept it.

Yeah, probably right. I had it resolved when I posted this though. It was more a question out of curiosity. Just can't wrap my mind around why a neck replacement would do this when scale is the same and it intonates and plays well.

 

[NortyFiner]

D'Addario short scale strings aren't designed with through body stringing in mind, so that's why you're having issues with the silks coming over the nut. If you want to stick with D'Addario, you'll need to step up to a medium scale string.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

D'Addario short scale strings aren't designed with through body stringing in mind, so that's why you're having issues with the silks coming over the nut. If you want to stick with D'Addario, you'll need to step up to a medium scale string.

I ordered two sets of mediums from the same store that I bought the last set from. While I was there we looked at the last order form and it showed the shorts were what I got. I guess the mystery of what happened there will remain a mystery like Sasquatch.

The mediums are on, all is right with the world.