how to fix a floppy E string?

[maxiegrant]

i cant change the set until i finish the song i half recorded today and the next date is next week so will have to wait

Just curious -- why did you only manage half of the song? Is it a ridiculously long song?

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

hmmm is there a way to id DR lo riders from hi beams?
it better be working for garry because he wrote a whole page about it in his book! i bet his bass comes with a bunch of those things too

They both have the plain string (no wrap) as far as I can remember, so the sound/feel is probably the only way to tell if you don't know for sure. And a lot of us have Gary's old 101 Tips book- he's still wrong in it (not that that takes away from Willis at all- he's one of my very favorite bassists). His signature bass doesn't have any bridge spacers.

 

[Phalex]

Just curious -- why did you only manage half of the song? Is it a ridiculously long song?

Gotta be the damn sitar solo!

 

[Randall]

capo or press down on the first and 12 fret and you can get a look at the neck bow. Use the string as the straight edge.

 

[thehangingmist]

Just curious -- why did you only manage half of the song? Is it a ridiculously long song?

no that was because we still live in the age where power cuts come along as added bonus gifts during the summers

 

[thehangingmist]

They both have the plain string (no wrap) as far as I can remember, so the sound/feel is probably the only way to tell if you don't know for sure. And a lot of us have Gary's old 101 Tips book- he's still wrong in it (not that that takes away from Willis at all- he's one of my very favorite bassists). His signature bass doesn't have any bridge spacers.

yep i know, i was only kidding about the spacers all along. never made any sense to me. like i've been told, i take whatever gary says with a nice big pinch of salt heh

 

[alexgeddy]

Hi,

I have a GL and I use Dr lo-riders...Nickel strings seem to give that loose feel you are talking about and then you have to raise the action. I went to a .40 to .95 set because i ws having the same problem with the truss rod not moving....There is an official fender fix for this ... remove the nut on the truss rod and shim it uop with washers that fit and then place the nut back on. I had to do this and it worked. I was able to adjust the neck... The dr strings in general IMO are a tighter string (higher tension) I called DR to find out and they won't give out tensions for their strings. also like other posters said a fret leveling might be in order ... I had one done and it made a good bass great... feel free to pm me if you need any more info!!

Good luck

 

[Matt Dean]

am sorry is that a bass or a pickup?

Bass... Nordy's have amazing necks with some of the tightest E's I have ever have played (20 frets).

I took my vJ4 into Zone Music in Cotati CA last year and compared it to the 6 or 7 Fenders they had in stock and that was one of the most noticeable things we observed was that the Fenders had floppier E strings.

Now I don't know how this works in terms of neck characteristics, but the experience was undeniable.

Now, I understand this may not be an option, but I think that ultimately how your E string is (floppy or tight) has most to do with the quality of the neck of the guitar.

 

[Baird6869]

I tune down to C for a few times and gave up using the GL Jazz I used to own or the '73 Jazz (same as a GL) I currently own.

IMO, it is not an ideal bass to use for drop tuning. Even with heavy strings, a Jazz with a maple neck doesn't do this well.

Just IME....

 

[Matt Dean]

I wonder if maple vs rosewood has anything to do with it?

 

[testing1two]

If all the basic setup elements have been covered (string gauge, saddle adjustment, neck relief, neck straightness, fret leveling) you might consider stringing the E string through the body which creates a more severe break angle for the string as it goes over the saddle making the string less compliant and therefore stiffer.

To do this you would need to drill a single hole through the bridge and the body and then drill a counterbore in the back of the body and install a string ferrule. I've done this on a bass or two with floppy B-strings and it does make a difference.

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[ddnidd1]

They both have the plain string (no wrap) as far as I can remember, so the sound/feel is probably the only way to tell if you don't know for sure. And a lot of us have Gary's old 101 Tips book- he's still wrong in it (not that that takes away from Willis at all- he's one of my very favorite bassists). His signature bass doesn't have any bridge spacers.

If you take a close look at the picture in Willis' book he is using an exposed core B string. The extender method does absolutely nothing for 'normal' wrapped strings. Willis' method shortens the amount of light gauge exposed core in front of the saddle.

 

[ddnidd1]

If all the basic setup elements have been covered (string gauge, saddle adjustment, neck relief, neck straightness, fret leveling) you might consider stringing the E string through the body which creates a more severe break angle for the string as it goes over the saddle making the string less compliant and therefore stiffer.

To do this you would need to drill a single hole through the bridge and the body and then drill a counterbore in the back of the body and install a string ferrule. I've done this on a bass or two with floppy B-strings and it does make a difference.

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Snake Oil

 

[Bevo1995]

Funny... this very topic just came up in the SX megathread. Why is this misconception so prevalent? Maybe we could get the Mythbusters to demonstrate it...

 

[wideyes]

Quite some disagreement on this thread! Any other takers?

 

[bassyeah]

E#(F) tuning or... DR's

 

[Dbassmon]

You can try adding a few ferrules (spacers) to the end of the string to make it longer, that may stiffen the string a bit. (between the end of the bridge and the ball end)

That won't add any tension. If anything, the string may feel looser as there would be more string to potentially pull when plucking.

Well that is one opinion but some manufactures add extra string length to tighten the feel of the lower strings. Fodera and Warrior both do it in certain instances so if there is the other opinion.

 

[Dbassmon]

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See you how the B is strung... this helps tighten the feel of the that string by making the travel longer.
Warrior does the same thing by stringing the E & B through the body and rest of the strings use the bridge as the stop.

 

[Bevo1995]

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

Well that is one opinion but some manufactures add extra string length to tighten the feel of the lower strings. Fodera and Warrior both do it in certain instances so if there is the other opinion.

Physics has no opinion- the static tension is not physically altered. The feel may be, but not the actual tension. And extra string length with the same tension would only, if anything, make the feel looser. The sound may be the most significant change by adding excess non-speaking string length. Fodera stopped claiming that the extended B headstock added tension shortly after they started to. Search the forum and see Mike Pope's (a Fodera desinger) comments on it- he suggested that if the claim was still being printed it should be retracted. Heck, I even have two basses with extended B headstocks- their main benefit to me is that they let you put a detuner on a string other than a B.