Hi all - I bought a new Guild Starfire I bass and don't like the factory strings. This is a 30" short scale bass but the strings need to be longer than normal (found that out by buying ss strings that aren't long enough due to the tailpiece). So I bought medium scale strings, but the low E still is not quite long enough for the silk at the nut end to clear the nut, and is sitting in the nut slot and a bit into the fret area. Is this a big deal and if so, what do I do?
Thanks!
The Guild Starfire bass is 30
-3/4" scale to begin with, plus significant afterlength (true for models with the classic plate bridge, and obviously for the tetris-pickup version, with its bridge+separate tailpiece config).
Best possible practice, in this and all cases, is, well, measuring.
- What is the distance from where the E-string ball-end sits, to the fretboard edge of the nut?
- What is the distance from E-string ball-end anchoring point, to its tuning post?
[Sharing these measurements (here in this thread) would be much appreciated: it could help future posters.]
It can be a big deal for the E note - not so much for all the others.
In order to make do with what you have, IF these medium-scale strings you bought are not tapewounds (the only type of string where silks are functional, holding the tape bandage in place), what I'd do is shave the silk, exposing the string underneath, on the nut area (and everywhere ahead of it, i.e. between nut and 1st fret). Hopefully, the section that goes on the boardward edge of the nut slot is still at full diameter. In this case, Bob would be your uncle.
