Roundwounds through the body, flatwounds through the bridge?

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Yikes!

I had (kind of) the opposite happen to me. I (carefully...) snipped the end part of one of the strings from a set of Chromes and the damn thing unravelled and kept unravelling while being tuned up. Needless to say, it was goodbye. Ever since I'm always afraid when doing that. I'll even go so far as having 38 winds on the post to prevent that from happening again!
Ever since then, whenever I snip, I carefully bend the string with pliers and pray to whatever deity's available before I snip.

I've done that with a couple strings. Ds and Gs. Like, I cut them wrong or something. All good, one step down, go up, it comes back down, go up, it comes back down more. Never gets there. Then I notice it.

 

[BlueTalon]

Sure. But reading entire threads is super taxing on my brain. So I did the right thing and skipped to the end. So I'm doing the best I can with my limited thought resource.

I think the end of page 1 was the end when you started writing your post.

 

[tpaul]

I like stringing through the body but I don't believe there's any tonal advantage to it.

Historically, I think that's the way lap steels were strung and Leo Fender used the same design when he built the Telecaster and the Precision bass. I've read claims that it enhances the transfer of string vibrations to the body, but I don't think I've ever seen any convincing proof or physics rationale for that argument.

The main objective reason for through-body stringing these days (when you almost always have a top-load option) is to keep the ferrules from falling out of the back of the instrument and being lost.

 

[michael_t]

He said, "Doesn't someone do that? Maybe Yamaha?" I then referred him to your post.

Gotcha!

 

[Killing Floor]

Winner of the thread!

to keep the ferrules from falling out of the back of the instrument and being lost.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

I like stringing through the body but I don't believe there's any tonal advantage to it.

Historically, I think that's the way lap steels were strung and Leo Fender used the same design when he built the Telecaster and the Precision bass. I've read claims that it enhances the transfer of string vibrations to the body, but I don't think I've ever seen any convincing proof or physics rationale for that argument.

The main objective reason for through-body stringing these days (when you almost always have a top-load option) is to keep the ferrules from falling out of the back of the instrument and being lost.

Well the original reason is so that string changes could be performed without removing the Ashtrays.

For all the guffah about flats not meant to be string through body!?
Round Wounds ( guitar and bass)
Weren't really available till the mid 60s.

Citation: Invalid Link Removed

So the flatwound through body IS how it was done.

 

[gln1955]

My MIJ Mustang has no bridge option and I never had any problems with rounds or flats either.

 

[Planespotter]

I've always run flats (d'addario chromes and sometimes TI JF344) string-through on my 2 string-through-body P basses and had zero problems in 20+ years.

 

[BarfanyShart]

It's never happened to me been using flats for the last 10 years..

Well, I've definitely broken some flats using acoustic BG pegs, so I do look to the manufacturer's recommendation on through-body use before I try a string on an acoustic BG.

 

[TomB]

The only company I've seen warn against their flats through-body is Labella in re their DTF's. …and sure enough I can vouch for that. I've used Fender flats, TI flats, and Chrome flats through-body without issues.

 

[GIBrat51]

Personally? I tried stringing my '06 Carvin LB-20's Hipshot A bridge thru-body - once. With rounds (EB Hybrid Slinkys, IIRC). It was a Royal PITA; sorry, but unless I'm paid to put up with stuff like that - I won't. So, the Slinkys were reinstalled, top loader style, and that was the end of that nonsense. And, no; my ears detected no tonal differences whatsoever...

 

[JimmyM]

I like stringing through the body but I don't believe there's any tonal advantage to it.

Historically, I think that's the way lap steels were strung and Leo Fender used the same design when he built the Telecaster and the Precision bass. I've read claims that it enhances the transfer of string vibrations to the body, but I don't think I've ever seen any convincing proof or physics rationale for that argument.

The main objective reason for through-body stringing these days (when you almost always have a top-load option) is to keep the ferrules from falling out of the back of the instrument and being lost.

A little Elmers glue took care of that for me.

 

[bucephylus]

Sigh.

Bass strings are made by wrapping either round or flat wire around a hardened steel core. The core carries the majority of the tensile load on the string.

Steel is made by putting a little bit of carbon into iron. Hardened steel is made by immobilizing the defects in the iron crystal structure, which make the iron ductile or soft. The problem with hardened steel is that deforming it makes the defects mobile again, undoing the benefit of the hardening process.

Translation: bending the string core at sharp angles, as in most string through configurations, damages the strength of the string core. That is true for either flat or round wound strings.

Strings should only be bent sufficiently to create a stable witness point at the saddle. Which isn't much. Look at a properly setup HipShot A bridge to see what I mean. More than that doesn't increase the stability of the witness point, but does cause permanent damage to the string core. Which is a bad thing for a number of reasons, including intonation and your pocketbook.

OTOH, Scientific principles seem to be unpopular these days. So, carry on.

 

[tpaul]

Sigh.

Bass strings are made by wrapping either round or flat wire around a hardened steel core. The core carries the majority of the tensile load on the string.

Steel is made by putting a little bit of carbon into iron. Hardened steel is made by immobilizing the defects in the iron crystal structure, which make the iron ductile or soft. The problem with hardened steel is that deforming it makes the defects mobile again, undoing the benefit of the hardening process.

Translation: bending the string core at sharp angles, as in most string through configurations, damages the strength of the string core. That is true for either flat or round wound strings.

Strings should only be bent sufficiently to create a stable witness point at the saddle. Which isn't much. Look at a properly setup HipShot A bridge to see what I mean. More than that doesn't increase the stability of the witness point, but does cause permanent damage to the string core. Which is a bad thing for a number of reasons, including intonation and your pocketbook.

OTOH, Scientific principles seem to be unpopular these days. So, carry on.

Don't confuse me with your fake science. Everyone knows that strings break because of malignant string pixies.