String silk: the bane of habitual restringers

[skycruiser]

Anyone else annoyed by string silk that gets mangled on the tuning machine end due to restringing? I like to tinker with my basses a lot and find myself switching string or removing/installing frequently. The silks look ratty after maybe 3 cycles, especially around the tuning machines and retainers. I've learned to be very careful with them, especially when pulling them through the bridge, but there's not much you can do about wear on the tuners. My recent favorites are EB Cobalt flats, and these are even worse because they need a special bend around the post, which causes a few problems with restringing - silk wear, kinks and potential twisted strings.
Just yelling at clouds here...

 

[michael_t]

I've learned to be very careful with them, especially when pulling them through the bridge...

What you need is a bridge with the quick-swap feature, where you don't need to pull the silked (and coiled) end of the string through a little hole (= PIA!). I've done this more than a few times when I was a flatwound user in the past and wished for one of those properly-designed bridges every single time.

 

[skycruiser]

What you need is a bridge with the quick-swap feature, where you don't need to pull the silked (and coiled) end of the string through a little hole (= PIA!). I've done this more than a few times when I was a flatwound user in the past and wished for one of those properly-designed bridges every single time.

This is a great idea! In some cases I could leave the strings wound on the posts and do what I need to do with them lifted on the bridge end.

Do you know if any bridges that fit a 4 string Squier?

 

[KohanMike]

I got so fed up with silk that I ordered custom flats from Pyramid with no silk.

 

[michael_t]

This is a great idea! In some cases I could leave the strings wound on the posts and do what I need to do with them lifted on the bridge end.

Do you know if any bridges that fit a 4 string Squier?

You might want to post this question in "Hardware, Setup & Repair".

 

[DCCat]

This is a great idea! In some cases I could leave the strings wound on the posts and do what I need to do with them lifted on the bridge end.

Do you know if any bridges that fit a 4 string Squier?

Hipshot A-style, B-style, and Vintage offer you some good options. The B-style and Vintage can be custom ordered with threaded saddles to enable adjustable string spacing.

 

[jbrew73]

Non silk strings for me. Not a fan of them.

 

[WillyW]

The silks help me remember what the strings are, but yeah… they suck after a change or two

 

[JazzyJacuzzi]

I got so fed up with silk that I ordered custom flats from Pyramid with no silk.

How?

 

[KohanMike]

How?

Their web site; PYRAMID maximum performance strings - Messebesuche 2015, Jimi Hendrix Inspired Set, Produktkatalog 2017/18, Vintage in seiner reinsten Form, Neue Saiten und Produkte, Saiten für Gitarre, Bass, Violine, Harfe, Custom Strings

 

[Watchootognbout]

Anyone else annoyed by string silk that gets mangled on the tuning machine end due to restringing? I like to tinker with my basses a lot and find myself switching string or removing/installing frequently. The silks look ratty after maybe 3 cycles, especially around the tuning machines and retainers. I've learned to be very careful with them, especially when pulling them through the bridge, but there's not much you can do about wear on the tuners. My recent favorites are EB Cobalt flats, and these are even worse because they need a special bend around the post, which causes a few problems with restringing - silk wear, kinks and potential twisted strings.
Just yelling at clouds here...

No.
I generally put strings on and then leave them on for months at a time.
There's no reason for the silk to get ratty if you leave them alone.

 

[skycruiser]

No.
I generally put strings on and then leave them on for months at a time.
There's no reason for the silk to get ratty if you leave them alone.

I'm hoping one day my basses will be set up perfectly and I'll find my perfect strings and be able to do what you do.

 

[michael_t]

I'm hoping one day my basses will be set up perfectly and I'll find my perfect strings and be able to do what you do.

You can be hopeful you'll eventually get there some day. Took me over eight years of constantly trying this and trying that, but I've finally made it...at least for now!

 

[Watchootognbout]

I'm hoping one day my basses will be set up perfectly and I'll find my perfect strings and be able to do what you do.

If you are taking the strings off to make truss rod adjustments,you can do that without having to remove the strings by using a ball end T hex wrench.

If you have a bass with the truss rod at the heel,you can separate the strings to access the opening.