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Do flatwound strings “break in” at different times?

wolffire99

wolffire99

Gold Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Feb 19, 2013
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Yuma
#1
I’m hoping you guys can tell me if this is normal or not with flat wounds since this is my first set.

I just got a new American precision and immediately strung Labella low tension flats on it and everything was great.

I’ve now put about 6-8 hours of playing on them and just noticed the A string has less sustain than the other strings. I should also mention the higher up the neck the more noticeable the difference becomes.

For example, on the 12th fret, the E, D, and G strings can sustain 4 bars at 120bpm (8 seconds) and still have a little output. However, the A string dies completely right at the end of the 3rd bar (6 seconds). With open strings it’s noticeable but not a 25% difference, maybe 5%.

I’m wondering if this just means the A string is breaking in first or did I get a bad A string?
 
#2
Nah.... that isn't normal. Did you perform a complete setup when you installed these strings.
I'd check for a twisted string - unlikely but it happens
Then I'd look at the witness points (nut / bridge) to ensure they are set with a good angle
If you are unsure of your setup... I'd seek help
or show us pics of your bridge / nut and we may be able to point out obvious issues
I suppose a bad string is possible.... I've never personally seen one. (that doesn't mean much)
 
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#4
DrBnz said:
Nah.... that isn't normal. Did you perform a complete setup when you installed these strings.
I'd check for a twisted string - unlikely but it happens
Then I'd look at the witness points (nut / bridge) to ensure they are set with a good angle
If you are unsure of your setup... I'd seek help
or show us pics of your bridge / nut and we may be able to point out obvious issues
I suppose a bad string is possible.... I've never personally seen one. (that doesn't mean much)
Click to expand...
I think this is it. The more I’ve looked into it I’ve noticed the A string was resting more on the 13th-15th frets when fretted on the 12th fret. Raising it at the bridge fixed the problem but now the A string is 1mm higher than all the other strings which didn’t have this issue. Assuming this means it needs a fret level?
 
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#5
Maybe.... you say this bass is new? How new? New to you or brand new? Maybe you seek the help of the place where you bought it. I'm guessing you just need a setup to match your new strings. Now if its brand new (although it is possible) I doubt you need a fret leveling. What measurement is your "relief" set at now? What is the measurement at each string? Pictures of the bridge and nut (from a couple angles) may enable some of the smart folks here on TB to spot your issue.
 
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#7
DrBnz said:
Maybe.... you say this bass is new? How new? New to you or brand new? Maybe you seek the help of the place where you bought it. I'm guessing you just need a setup to match your new strings. Now if its brand new (although it is possible) I doubt you need a fret leveling. What measurement is your "relief" set at now? What is the measurement at each string? Pictures of the bridge and nut (from a couple angles) may enable some of the smart folks here on TB to spot your issue.
Click to expand...
Just ordered a relief gauge to do a more precise adjustment and will report back
 
#8
Google Bass Guitar Setup. Look at the Carruthers videos. Its easy, just go slow and step by step. Do you have a CAPO? Any feeler gauges (or even drill bits) will work for measuring. You'll likely want a nice steel ruler (6 inch) as that can do it all really. You might be probably get by with what you have in your house. I need magnifying glasses as well to see what I'm talking bout.
 
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#9
DrBnz said:
Google Bass Guitar Setup. Look at the Carruthers videos. Its easy, just go slow and step by step. Do you have a CAPO? Any feeler gauges (or even drill bits) will work for measuring. You'll likely want a nice steel ruler (6 inch) as that can do it all really. You might be probably get by with what you have in your house. I need magnifying glasses as well to see what I'm talking bout.
Click to expand...

2nd Carruthers :thumbsup:
Also: Carl Pedigo
 
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#10
DrBnz said:
Google Bass Guitar Setup. Look at the Carruthers videos. Its easy, just go slow and step by step. Do you have a CAPO? Any feeler gauges (or even drill bits) will work for measuring. You'll likely want a nice steel ruler (6 inch) as that can do it all really. You might be probably get by with what you have in your house. I need magnifying glasses as well to see what I'm talking bout.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the recommendations. Just seems weird that it’s only happening with the A string.
 
#11
I have 4 different Labella’s (760M, FS, FL, two Olinto’s) on different precisions and a jazz since last fall.

The A string on all of them acts weird when tuning, takes a while to settle down to a consistent reading. But other than that intonates fine and I don’t hear anything off while playing.
 
#12
It is odd... but a great setup is needed before you can go any further unless you notice something out of place. Is this a NEW bass or new to you? I'm kinda hoping you just need to back off the truss rod and it'll be fine. You said you changed the strings. So depending upon what you had before and what you put on you very well may need an small adjustment. Then you said you raised the "A" string saddle. Thats a means to fix a symptom.... its not really how to fix your problem though. The setup will either fix it all or be the first step in troubleshooting. I'm betting it fixes it.
 
#13
wolffire99 said:
I think this is it. The more I’ve looked into it I’ve noticed the A string was resting more on the 13th-15th frets when fretted on the 12th fret. Raising it at the bridge fixed the problem but now the A string is 1mm higher than all the other strings which didn’t have this issue. Assuming this means it needs a fret level?
Click to expand...

1mm higher relative to what?

Is the A-string saddle 1mm higher than the other saddles? That's normal. The A-string need to be higher at the saddles than E/G. The saddles need to (more or less) follow the radius of the fretboard. The D-string should also be higher than E/G at the saddles but can usually be slightly lower than the A-string.

Or is it 1mm higher than the other strings at the 12th fret (measuring from top of the fret to the bottom of the string)? If this is the case something may not be right. Maybe a higher fret has lifted slightly under the A-string. Did you hear any buzzing at all?

Having said that, I often find that the A-string needs a slightly higher action than the other strings, including the E-string. This varies between different types of strings though.

It could also be a faulty string. I see this more often with LaBella than with most other brands.
 
#14
wolffire99 said:
Thanks for the recommendations. Just seems weird that it’s only happening with the A string.
Click to expand...
The A string has the smallest angle to the nut on a Pbass, which can lead to buzzing and inconsistent sustain. It's really important to wind the string all the way down to the bottom of the post to maximize the angle on the nut. The more firmly seated the string is in the nut, the more efficiently it will vibrate.
 
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#15
Deleted member 271037 said:
1mm higher relative to what?

Is the A-string saddle 1mm higher than the other saddles? That's normal. The A-string need to be higher at the saddles than E/G. The saddles need to (more or less) follow the radius of the fretboard. The D-string should also be higher than E/G at the saddles but can usually be slightly lower than the A-string.

Or is it 1mm higher than the other strings at the 12th fret (measuring from top of the fret to the bottom of the string)? If this is the case something may not be right. Maybe a higher fret has lifted slightly under the A-string. Did you hear any buzzing at all?

Having said that, I often find that the A-string needs a slightly higher action than the other strings, including the E-string. This varies between different types of strings though.

It could also be a faulty string. I see this more often with LaBella than with most other brands.
Click to expand...
To clarify, I mean 1mm higher from the fretboard, so radius factored in.
 
#16
If you know the radius of your fretboard you can make your own radius gauge using a strip of wood like a paint stir stick. Use a small nail as a pivot point and drill a small hole for a pencil point at the desired distance (probably 9.5 or 12”) and trace the arc on some stout paper like a cereal box. Cut the gauge out and raise the other saddles to match the arc.
 
#19
I brought the bass to a well respected luthier in the area who’s known for doing great setups and fret work. He acknowledged the A string 12th fret and up has a less sustain compared to the other strings. He said “this is a more common occurrence with flatwound strings which exaggerate dead spots on the neck” and urged me to switch back to rounds if an even amount sustain was what I was after. Does that sound right?
 
#20
wolffire99 said:
I brought the bass to a well respected luthier in the area who’s known for doing great setups and fret work. He acknowledged the A string 12th fret and up has a less sustain compared to the other strings. He said “this is a more common occurrence with flatwound strings which exaggerate dead spots on the neck” and urged me to switch back to rounds if an even amount sustain was what I was after. Does that sound right?
Click to expand...
Usually a dead spot is one or two frets, not a whole span of notes. I’d tell him thanks for the advice but just do the setup and fret work and install my flats back onto the bass.

I was excited to try the La Bella Olinto flats but found the whole A string sounded way more dead than the other strings.

I always installed a three string retainer to get the break angle sharper on the A string, which helps combat sympathetic vibrations. Probably doesn’t do anything for sustain.

Make sure you set proper witness points at the bridge and nut, too.
 

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