Double Bass Question for luthiers

[arseniotall]

Popped an E string on my 7/8ths bass on a gig. Bass immediately opened up and felt amazing. What is the best guess in getting that result with four strings. I just tried getting lower tension strings but didn't have that effect. Went from mediums to light. What would be the next place to start tweaking? Soundpost, bass bar, or bridge?

 

[stefaniw80401]

What's your string length? What string set popped the E and what lights did you try?

The E prolly snapped above the nut if you allowed the string to wind up tight against the cheek of the pegbox. Be thankful you didn't break out that cheek.

 

[AGCurry]

It's hard to give advice from here. An improvement in sound after breaking a string may mean that your bass wants lower tension... or not. A soundpost adjustment is the easiest advice to give, because it's cheap and easily reversible. Don't mess with the bass bar unless it's come loose. I can't imagine that the bridge could make a difference unless it were faulty or making poor contact with the bass's top.

The best advice? A qualified luthier, always.

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

A raised saddle decreases the strings’ break angle and can create a perceived decrease in tension, and while it isn’t free it’s a cheaper place to start than major surgery.

 

[Eric Hochberg]

Maybe the decreased tension raised the top and the soundpost had the room it needed...?

 

[james condino]

Drop the E string down to D.

 

[Mark_T]

Popped an E string on my 7/8ths bass on a gig. Bass immediately opened up and felt amazing. What is the best guess in getting that result with four strings. I just tried getting lower tension strings but didn't have that effect. Went from mediums to light. What would be the next place to start tweaking? Soundpost, bass bar, or bridge?

Thinking aloud, and I may be way off base...

Lower tension strings will also have less mass, right? So you put less tension on, reducing the pressure on the top, but also reducing the amount of vibrating mass. The amount of energy from one string vibrating is less, so less vibration is transferred through the bridge to the top.

When you broke an E, you took tension off the top but the upper strings retained tension and mass, so they could drive the top just as hard, but the top was less choked off overall.

If that's right, maybe a raised saddle could help, because you'd be retaining string mass but pushing less hard on the top overall.