LESSON 2
Re-Strings Attached!

There is a mountain of educational material available for young bass players to learn how to perfect their art, but it is extremely rare to find any information on how to properly re-string a bass. Yet, it is an invaluable skill to learn. As a teacher and clinician, I am surprised with how many beginning bass players do not know how to change their strings. Just recently I met a bassist who, after a year and a half of playing, still pays a music store employee to change his strings! This is such a waste, when learning how to perform this vital task is so easy.

The first step in changing your strings is to determine what strings you want to have on your bass. If you bought your bass new, the manufacturer should be able to tell you what strings were shipped with your bass. Warwick, for example, strings all their basses with Warwick Black Label Stainless Steel strings in the medium gauge. If you are not sure if your new bass has the same strings that were shipped with it, and the music store can't tell you what strings are on it, you can have them use a tool called a micrometer to discern the gauges of the strings currently on your bass. Then you can decide if you want to play strings that are the same gauge, or change to strings that are lighter or heavier. As a rule, lighter strings are easier to play, but produce less low end and less volume. Heavier strings have great bass tones, but are much harder to manipulate. Be aware that if you decide to change your string gauge, your bass will probably need some adjustments to its setup. (Look for a future article on www.warwickbass.com on setting up your bass.)

Besides string gauge, you will also need to choose which type of string you will use. The two basic choices are stainless steel or nickel. Stainless steel has a tendency to resist corrosion and sound brighter longer, but can be a bit stiffer feeling and a little harder on your frets. Nickel has a warmer sound and is a little softer on your frets, but may die a little quicker due to corrosion and wear. Feel free to experiment with the string material and decide which fits your music better.

After you choose which strings you will be using, the next step is to gather some items together that you will need to use when re-stringing your bass. You will need to get a pair of wire cutters, a tuning device, and you may find that a string winder will make things go faster. You may also want to have a guitar polish cloth handy to wipe down your bass when the strings are off.

Next, you will need to find a place that you can use to work on your bass. Look for a place where you can lay your bass down and work without getting interrupted. Tables, desks, and counter tops work great, but you may want to lay down a towel first to protect your bass' finish. Also, you will want to support the neck. You can buy a neck cradle from your local music store or just use a firm pillow.

Once you have your tools handy and you have picked out a place to work, you are ready to get started. The first step is to remove your old strings. Some people prefer to remove one string and then put on a new string, while others like to remove all the strings at once so they can thoroughly clean the bass. There was time when experts claimed that removing all the strings at once, which released the tension on the neck, would slowly break down the strength of your neck, but new neck construction technology and better materials makes that not an issue anymore. If you still want to play it safe, however, just remove one string at a time.

It is a good idea to save your old strings just in case you need an emergency replacement. That means you can't just cut them off of your bass. Instead, loosen the tuning key until you can remove the end of the string from the tuning post head. If your bass bridge has the strings pass through it or through the body, you need to pull the strings out carefully. It is easier to remove strings from Warwick bridges, since the ball end just hooks into the bridge tailpiece. (see Figure 1.) That means you can just lift the string out. If you change your strings often and you already have a back stock of old strings, you can just cut the strings off of your bass. (For safety sake, loosen the strings a bit before you cut them so they do not whip around as much.)

Before I can effectively tell you how to re-string your bass, you need to determine what type of tuning machine peg head your bass has. There are two basic kinds of peg heads: Hole-Thru and Slotted. The hole-thru peg heads are just what their name implies; the post is solid with a single hole that runs all the way through the side of it. They are usually found on old basses, but some entry-level basses still come with them. The more common peg head design is the slotted. Most new basses have them because they are much easier to string up. Slotted peg heads have a slot cut across the top of the peg head, and there is a hole drilled down the center of the peg head. (see Figure 2.) All Warwick basses come standard with slotted peg heads. Since hole-thru peg heads are so rare, we will focus on how to string up the slotted peg heads, which is a good thing because they are much easier to string up.

Start by seating the string in your bridge. Make sure the ball-end is very firmly in place and won't move. Next, pull the string taut and get your wire cutters ready. Although different basses require different string lengths, the following suggestions will usually work. For the E and B string, you will need to have about 3 inches past the peg head. (see Figure 3.) For the A, D, G and C strings, you will need to leave about 4 to 5 inches. Once you determine the proper length, cut off the excess and discard. These suggested strength lengths are just that, suggested. After a few re-stringing sessions you will know exactly how much string you need. The basic concept is to have as many neat windings on the peg head that you can, without overlapping.

Take the very end of the string and push it down the hole in the center of the peg head until you feel it stop. Next, bend the string over so it now looks like an "L", with the string fitting through one side of the slot. (see Figure 4.) From here, it is very easy. Start turning the tuning key while keeping the tension on the string, so the windings are neat and heading down the peg head. Be sure that you turn the tuning key so that the windings move from the inside of the headstock to the outside. (see Figure 5.) As soon as all of the slack is taken out of the string, and you can feel the tension begin to increase, you should start checking the pitch by using an electronic tuner or other tuning aid. An important thing to remember is that tuning machines will hold better if they are set under tension. What this means is that you should always tune up to the correct pitch. Do not go sharp of the pitch and the tune down. This is a small but very important detail that will help your bass to stay in tune.

Once you have changed all of your strings and have tuned them up to pitch, it is time to break them in. All new strings will stretch a little at first, which causes them to go flat. To reduce this effect, simple grab a string around the 12th fret and pull it away from the fingerboard about two or three inches. As you do this, pull back and forth on the string so it will tighten the windings on the machine head and seat the ball end more firmly in the bridge. Do this once or twice per string and then re-tune back to the correct pitch. After you have finished tuning, play aggressively for about 5 or 10 minutes and then check your tuning. It may need subtle tuning adjustments, but it should be pretty close. You know your strings are broken in when you do not need to tune them after playing hard for a few minutes.

And there you have it! Changing your strings is not a mystical endeavor that is only available to a few, gifted musicians. Everyone can and should do it. If you have any questions regarding this column, please feel free to email me at DaleT@danabgoods.com.