Is it okay to have the wound part of the string wrapped around the tuner? I've read comments saying it should never be done, others say it doesn't matter as long as the string angle from nut to tuner is steep enough.
I noticed that my E string's windings do go around the tuner, while the others don't - only that funky looking fabric wrap, whatever it's called. Kind of odd, since they are Fender short-scale strings - you'd think they'd all fit a Fender short-scale bass in the same way.
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
I don't think there are any problems with it. The wound part of a guitar string goes around the tuning peg! Only on my shortscale Eastwood Rockit does this happen on the "E", but it happens.
It is a small world for metal fanatics. I welcome you fellow musicians, especially the metalheads!
Hey thanks Reb.
I'm really curious about it because all the string makers seem to have specific lengths to match the scale of the bass, whereas with guitar they're all one length and we just cut them to fit. So why don't bass strings all come in "extra long" scale with the expectation that we'll cut them too? Seems they'd be cheaper to manufacture, too.
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
Well think about it, bass strings cost exponentially more per foot than guitar strings. If the string manufactuers can sell you less feet of string in a short scale set, and still charge the same amount, they make more profit. Guitar strings are so cheap that it's cheaper just to make a standardized set.
Materials costs would be higher, certainly, but scale economies (pun intended) suggest that higher volume production would lead to lower overall cost for the long-scale strings, since they are the most common.
Anyway, I found this from LaBella (regarding their flat-wounds):
VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE
Wind only the silk end portion of the string into the machine head post. If you wind the metal wound portion of the string into the machine head post, the string will almost certainly break.
And this from Ken Smith (of Ken Smith Basses):
Winding, with or without silk should end before it reaches the tuner post but must clear the nut. This is about a 2" tollerance on average with most basses. Strings with silk ends make it mush easier to trim the excess 'wrap' that goes in and around the post. The Silk also protects the plating on your tuners as well as helping to prevent unravelling.
However, I've learned that DR makes the wound portion of their strings longer than other manufacturers, and they don't use silk wraps either - so some portion of the winding might end up around the tuner. And they also told me that their "short scale" Sunbeams will fit a medium-scale bass, so they should work well with through-body stringing on the Mustang.
Whew - and I thought this would be easy!
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
More useful info below, this time from D'addario, for anyone with a string-through bass body:
You cannot always tell the strings you need just by the scale length of your bass. Some basses are strung through the body, and the distances from the bridge to where the ballend locks in or the distance from the nut to the pegs are not standard on all guitars. The best way to figure out the correct strings for sure is to:
1) Assuming your bass has strings on it, mark the lowest pitched string (while on your bass) at the nut with a marker.
2) Remove the string.
3) Measure the distance from the inner edge of the ball end to the mark you just made.
4) Record this length, and refer to the following chart:
Length String Scale Required
Up to 32" DAddario Short
32 to 34 DAddario Medium
34 to 36 DAddario Long
36 to 38 DAddario Super Long
As I discovered last night, D'addario medium scale strings fit my short-scale Fender bass better than Fender's own short-scale strings! :shock: The D'ads are perfect - the windings clear the nut by a good inch, then the strings taper to go around the tuning pegs. No more worries. 8)
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
I disagree with the statement that a string will break if the metal part is on the tuner post. It's almost impossible to break a bass string - although I've seen it happen.
However, cutting a .105" E string can be a challenge for small cutters. Most strings taper quickly under the silk.
