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Has this ever happened to you?
- Thread starter gregbassist97
- Start date
something like that when i top-loaded roto flats on one of my fender p-basses. there was no gradual taper between the outer wrap and the end that's meant to go around the tuner. too much pressure on the string and it snapped the core wire. what brand/gauge string is that?
Yes it has. When it happened to me, for some reason the break occurred a few winds back, so it stayed in tune and pretty much functioned normally until my next string change.
Do you put a 90 degree bend in the string before you cut it? I've always heard that doing that would avoid something like this.
that, along with crimping the cut end, helps to prevent the outer wraps from unraveling. it's good practice IMO. this, on the other hand looks like the core wire snapped.
it's a problem of the wrap length and the bass it's being used on. usually only a problem on the E (and B if a 5'er). with large post tuners like fenders, it's usually not an issue, but with small post tuners like that, it put's too much stress on the string when the outer-most wrap goes around the tuner and it snaps.
Do you know any techniques when stringing a bass that helps prevent this from happening?
It's happened to me with several B's on High Beams. The Hipshots I have use a small peg and the core breaks just like that. I have since started winding VERY slowly, especially as it first turns on the peg, while keeping outward tension with my other hand...if that makes sense. Anyway, not sure if its actually helped, but I haven't broken any cores recently.
buying strings with a shorter wrap length so they will properly fit your bass. assuming your bass is a standard 34" scale, strings with a 36.5" wrap length should be a perfect fit. send a pm to Slapinfunk and he'll give you the lowdown on what string makers sell sets in that length.
Stringing through body might prevent it, if it adds enough length to the string.
No, this has never happened to me. But I never wrap the main part of the lower strings (A, E, B) around the tuner post. Get strings that are the right length for your bass. Jason can help. He will tell you what to measure and then recommend the appropriate fitting string.
I had it happen on my Epi Tbird. Granted I needed shorter wrap strings, but I put another of the same on and slowly carefully formed the string around the post. No issues and outer wraps are on the post.
The issue is, with small posts. You wrap and don't form it and leave slack in the post. When you pitch up, the wraps catch on the slots in the post and only the core stretches and a core bend develops: snap.
Mini tuners are the worst de-innovation in the bass world IMO. A joke; wrapping a .105 string around those tiny guitar posts. Laughable; we play bass not guitar.
The next worse de-innovation is the current spate of concave tapered traditional diameter tuners: they force the string upwards off the deck. Insanity.
The issue is, with small posts. You wrap and don't form it and leave slack in the post. When you pitch up, the wraps catch on the slots in the post and only the core stretches and a core bend develops: snap.
Mini tuners are the worst de-innovation in the bass world IMO. A joke; wrapping a .105 string around those tiny guitar posts. Laughable; we play bass not guitar.
The next worse de-innovation is the current spate of concave tapered traditional diameter tuners: they force the string upwards off the deck. Insanity.
