very irritating/expensive problem

[kevins]

i just bought a new set of flatwounds cause my d broke whilst i was restringing it. that made sense when it initially broke because the strings were old and had been wound and unwound a lot of times. but this new set of strings fresh out of the package...as soon as i strung the d it broke not one but 3 times till it was unusable and now im ordering a new d for 15$

what could i have done wrong here? the thing had plenty of winding space, about 3 inches above the tuning peg so it wasnt over tense or anything.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

How could you have broken one string three times?

 

[kevins]

i know it sounds ludicrous right? but heres what happened each time i found myself unable to tune the thing without it slipping back down located the portion of string that was broken cut the string a little before that broken point and strung her up again only to have to repeat the process

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

Where is the break? At the tuning post end?

I have heard that some people have had problems getting flatwounds to grip the tuning post but I've never had that problem. You should have at least two wraps around each post (I put a little more on the treble strings). If you cut the string to the right length, enter the end down the middle of the tuning post shaft, give it a sharp turn/kink onto the tuning post and then string it around from top to bottom, it should hold and give you enough downward pressure at the nut. Also make sure the string is straight (from end to end) when you put it on so there is no twist to it.

 

[Aussie Mark]

Don't cut flats to length. You need more winds on the post for them to grip properly.

 

[kevins]

will do. i looked into it and found out worrying about double wrapping and such having an effect on action is kinda silly. thanks for the help and cant wait for gahhhhhh...5-7 business days lol

 

[rizzo9247]

Also check all the points where your string makes contact with the bass, might have a sharp edge somewhere.

 

[Psycho Ward]

I had exactly the same thing happen to me, try winding the string out of the slot on the other side of the tuning post, there might be a sharp edge on the one you are using.

 

[kevins]

excellent ill try winding it on the side the roundwounds are attached to right now

 

[kevins]

it happened again...they're mailing me another new string but this is mighty annoying. i only cut 2 inches off the thing too...does it really need THAT much wrap around to avoid unwinding?

 

[ekb16b]

Where is it snapping? Typically I have 3-4 wraps on the treble side, more wraps are needed because when you tune up the wraps tighten and stop it from slipping off the post.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

My guess is that it's not the string. There must be a sharp edge or another contributing factor.

 

[bovinehost]

it happened again...they're mailing me another new string but this is mighty annoying. i only cut 2 inches off the thing too...does it really need THAT much wrap around to avoid unwinding?

Okay, try as I might to stay out of Crisis Internet Intervention threads, let me tell you what I've experienced with lo these many years of flatwound use.

1. I've never had a flatwound slip off a post. Ever.

2. I've had zero problems with any sort of slippage. Zero.

3. Flatwounds are not roundwounds. This is important.

You can trim roundwounds, even if you don't crimp or put a bend in them first and generally nothing will go wrong.

Flatwounds (at least the Acme brand I've used for years) can go very wrong if you don't cut/trim them properly. I don't know why, but the hex can and sometimes WILL separate from the core and trust me, once that happens, you ain't tuning that sucker up to pitch. Never gonna happen.

Note: I am not a string expert. But I know this has happened to me more than once and spoke with an Acme rep about it and what he described was exactly what was happening to me.

So now, I don't trim them. I bend them severely, using a pair of pliers, at the point where I would normally trim, and then I VIOLENTLY SHOVE the bend down into the hole on the shaft. It sounds crazy and I'd certainly rather just bend and cut, but since I've started doing this, I've had no problems with hex=core slippage.

(No, it won't work with the larger strings, the E and B on a fiver. Those require even more work, but I don't trim them until the string is up to pitch.)

So....I'm not diagnosing your problem, you understand? I'm just telling you about something that I've experienced.

Jack

 

[Ken Baker]

So now, I don't trim them. I bend them severely, using a pair of pliers, at the point where I would normally trim, and then I VIOLENTLY SHOVE the bend down into the hole on the shaft. It sounds crazy and I'd certainly rather just bend and cut, but since I've started doing this, I've had no problems with hex=core slippage.

Fascinating. Sounds like a business opportunity.

Let's invent us a tuning peg with a hole that goes all the way through.

We'll be fricken' gazzilionaires.

Ken...

 

[five7]

i just bought a new set of flatwounds cause my d broke whilst i was restringing it. that made sense when it initially broke because the strings were old and had been wound and unwound a lot of times. but this new set of strings fresh out of the package...as soon as i strung the d it broke not one but 3 times till it was unusable and now im ordering a new d for 15$

what could i have done wrong here? the thing had plenty of winding space, about 3 inches above the tuning peg so it wasnt over tense or anything.

Switch to coated slinkys. You won't have this problem.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

I actually once cut a flatwound string too short and it didn't have enough string to grab the tuning post. I agree with the others, I probably wouldn't cut a flatwound. All my basses, except one have rounds so I have very little experience with flats.

 

[kevins]

Where is it snapping? Typically I have 3-4 wraps on the treble side, more wraps are needed because when you tune up the wraps tighten and stop it from slipping off the post.

its snapping right at the point where you put the hole in and it bends around the post. EB customer service said they'd be mailing me a string so in 3-5 business days i should be getting that. ill try not cutting it this time around. but its odd the e and the a were cut slightly and so was the g but the d just keeps failing on me. the g did make the pop noise but it eventually, despite the fact it looks like it unwound, tuned up just fine.

i asked around and i was told that its fine to wrap the string around the string itself. i always thought this was a bad idea because of other sources telling me it was but ill try anything at this point.


thanks for the help though and i will be sure not to cut it again. EB told me to videotape or document my stringing process and ill be doing that too cause this is weird. i could have swore i cut the top of the d last year when i put strings on it and it all turned out just fine.


the other thing im thinking is maybe over the course of the 5 years the tuning poles sharpened but that seems like silliness.

 

[RaginRog]

will do. i looked into it and found out worrying about double wrapping and such having an effect on action is kinda silly. thanks for the help and cant wait for gahhhhhh...5-7 business days lol

Take a file and rough up the G string post.

 

[kevins]

Take a file and rough up the G string post.

will that grind up the finish on it?

 

[RaginRog]

will that grind up the finish on it?

Just a little...only do enough for the first 2 windings....at the point closest to the headstock. It'll be hidden by the strings....no more slipping!