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Double Bass Stupid question (broken string)

webbcity

webbcity

Jul 5, 2023
12
14
Kittery, ME
www.tim-webb.com
#1
I am having a challenging day here. Received a speaker cab that isn't working right, and while testing it with my upright, broke my "A" string. Which brings me to my stupid question. I say stupid because I feel I should know this, but... while I wait for the new string to arrive (likely in 2 days), should I detune the remaining 3 strings to release the tension, or leave them as is despite the missing string? As I type this I think I may know the answer, but I wanted to consult with the experts...

Thank you!
 
#4
james condino said:
Did it break at the pegbox? If so, you should be able to tie a double fisherman's knot and have it back working in a few minutes! No need to worry about slacking those other strings while you wait.
Click to expand...
Oh, no, it broke at the bridge. I should have mentioned that. I think it was due mostly to pretty extreme humidity changes here in the last couple of days, rather than my Herculean strength. ;)
 
#7
The missing tension from the broken string might let the other strings go a bit sharp, so you might want to tune them down to normal pitch. If they are on pitch, nothing needs to be done.

When you mount the new string the old ones might get down a bit, in this case tune them up to pitch again.

The reason for this behavior is that the neck bends a little bit under tension. But it depends on the neck and fingerboard strength how much that will be.
 
#8
DoubleMIDI said:
The missing tension from the broken string might let the other strings go a bit sharp, so you might want to tune them down to normal pitch. If they are on pitch, nothing needs to be done.

When you mount the new string the old ones might get down a bit, in this case tune them up to pitch again.

The reason for this behavior is that the neck bends a little bit under tension. But it depends on the neck and fingerboard strength how much that will be.
Click to expand...
Yes, already done on your first point. Everything was a little sharp even before the string broke, which again I think was due to pretty extreme changes in humidity here. So the remaining strings have been at normal pitch. My main concern was the change in tension because of that missing string, and whether it would damage the neck even in a couple days' time, but it sounds like all will be fine. Thank you!
 

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