How do you wind on new strings without any twisting ?

[Kansas]

For years I never thought about it but a twisted string sounds bad. I wondered if something was wrong with my basses when a string has a 'chorusy' or warbly and undefined note, especially on E strings. I recently took off an E string on my Pbass and tried hard not to twist it as I reinstalled. It sounded SO much better and clearer. From the tiny dents on the string from the frets, it was clear that the string had a full twist or more.
Is there a method you use to avoid twisting ?

 

[fdeck]

I've never experienced twisting. In fact, if feeling snarky, I'd ask: How do you wind on new strings with twisting?

I seat the ball end into the bridge. insert the other end into the peg with about 3x - 4x the peg diameter of slack. Then I start turning the peg until the string comes into tune. Then I cut off the extra bit.

It could be that the twisting and falseness are related to a string that started out defective. On that E string, maybe loosening and re-tightening it relieved whatever stresses had been manufactured into the string. I've experienced "false" strings on upright, meaning that they were worn out.

 

[DrBnz]

Just don't hand wrap the strings around the post. Instead let the tuning peg pull it around the post as you wind it.

 

[LetItGrowTone]

String installation improvement you've probably never heard about

 

[LetItGrowTone]

In post #19 of the thread linked above is another trick to help with through-body installation.

 

[fdeck]

Fortunately I learned the correct way before getting an electric bass, because there's no way to wrap it around the post on a cello.

 

[BGroovy]

So many videos/instructions show people doing a wrap or two around the post by hand, which introduces the twist unless you make sure you loosen at the ball end and allow it to untwist. On string through body (as mentioned in the linked thread above), you have to take extra precautions.

I've received many basses with a chrousy effect I can tell are from twisted strings. On high end basses, from active TBers. Happens all the time.

 

[Ggaa]

Takes both hands. Once it's cut to proper length with a 90° bend, I wrap it around the post by hand several times. I crank the tuner while holding the ball end with my other hand, popping the ball into the slot just as it gets tight(Warwick bridge). Any twisting would be way before that. Don't forget witness points. And one string at a time.

 

[Kansas]

Thanks for the insights. A top loader is surely easier to avoid twisting with.. string-thru not so much.

 

[frankie5string]

Are you creating a witness point on the bridge saddle? Or are you just letting it gently ride over the top of the saddle? That would do more to create a warble or chorus effect than possibly twisting a string. Once tuned up, you should be making a reasonable witness point where the string sits on the saddle so it's not just riding over it.

Unless you're using round cores, it's pretty unusual for a string to twist that much, and even with round-cores, it's rare.

I remember a few years ago George Furlanetto (F-Bass) relayed a little secret of his for bringing a bit of life back to old strings. He basically loosens them at the tuner, then pulls them back from the bridge and twists them "tighter" which he claims causes some embedded gunk to squeeze out.

 

[bass player 53]

Strangely enough, on the bass strings
of grand pianos, one of the remedies
for a metallic, warbly sound is to loosen, then twist the string.
It’s effective, but should be left
to trained pros. It’s kinda dangerous.

 

[BassicJazzy]

I started playing at 18, am now 71, have never hand wrapped a post. Pretty simple procedure, put string through bridge, or seat the ball if a quick release bridge. Pull it tight and measure past post far enough that you can get 3 full wraps on the post plus the depth of the post hole. Back up about an inch (common depth of post hole), bend at 90 degree angle with pliers, cut string one inch past the bend. Insert string into hole without wrapping it. Turn tuner to wrap while holding string below peg to maintain tension, until it seats in nut. Continue turning peg until you get solid tension, but don't reach tuning target point until all strings are installed, then tune starting with lowest string, moving up the chain.

 

[bassdude51]

Great suggestions from TBers.

I bend the end of the string and put it into the tuner post hole..............and as I slowly wind by turning the tuner, I use my thumb and index finger to occasionally slide down the string while I wind it to remove twists. I make sure that the butt end of the string is sticking out past the bridge as I do this.........this allows the string to freely rotate and remove twists...........................does this make any sense? Sorry, no video.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

If I can’t make sure the ball end is free to stay untwisted, I just use the tuning machine to pull out all the slack and don’t hand-wind the string around the post.

 

[Watchootognbout]

Just don't hand wrap the strings around the post. Instead let the tuning peg pull it around the post as you wind it.

 

[mdogs]

46 years with no twisted strings. Never even heard of them before TB, along with a long list of other things that have never happened to me that I learned about on TB.

 

[bass12]

If you don't fix the ball end until the last minute and let the string turn freely in your hand while winding then you shouldn't have a problem with twisting.

 

[wompwomp]

fascinating question!

I wonder if anybody has ever experimented with plied or braided strings?!

 

[JRA]

I bend the end of the string and put it into the tuner post hole..............and as I slowly wind by turning the tuner, I use my thumb and index finger to occasionally slide down the string while I wind it to remove twists. I make sure that the butt end of the string is sticking out past the bridge as I do this.........this allows the string to freely rotate and remove twists...........................does this make any sense?

makes perfect sense! i do the same.

i don't cut strings, i wrap it all. so not getting twists is important, but fortunately, easy!

 

[Prodigus Filius]