E&A strings reversed..

[Anselm Hauke]

very interesting topic,

i once have seen a bass that was strung this way (see picture). now i begin to understand why

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Anselm Hauke

very interesting topic,

i once have seen a bass that was strung this way (see picture). now i begin to understand why

Now that's drastic. The thickest string the highest and the thinnest the lowest. Looks like some re-learning is in order here as far as tuning goes. Still, I turn the wrong peg on occasion as not all of my 'E' are up high, just most of them. Also, I spent my whole life with the E being the lowest so even if all the Basses are strung the same, in a pinch I grab the wrong tuner.

[Michael Harrison Jr.]

Eh, this is Orlando....we don't get winters

[davidseidel]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

Now that's drastic. The thickest string the highest and the thinnest the lowest. Looks like some re-learning is in order here as far as tuning goes. Still, I turn the wrong peg on occasion as not all of my 'E' are up high, just most of them. Also, I spent my whole life with the E being the lowest so even if all the Basses are strung the same, in a pinch I grab the wrong tuner.

I recently saw a bass strung following a theory that the lowest string should have the longest distance at the pegbox. Therefore i think only the A stays in normal position, the E goes where the D usually is etc. A pro player here who is also a luthier was working in Paris a few months back and visited a shop where he found all the basses even the cheap ones sounded and played so well and he noticed that they were all set up like this. He tried it when he got home and swears his bass sounds and plays better than it ever has. Haven't tried it myself - anyone else?

[Drake Chan]

Originally Posted by davidseidel

I recently saw a bass strung following a theory that the lowest string should have the longest distance at the pegbox. Therefore i think only the A stays in normal position, the E goes where the D usually is etc. A pro player here who is also a luthier was working in Paris a few months back and visited a shop where he found all the basses even the cheap ones sounded and played so well and he noticed that they were all set up like this. He tried it when he got home and swears his bass sounds and plays better than it ever has. Haven't tried it myself - anyone else?

Actually, I think whether this orientation will work or not depends from bass to bass.

On my bass, the A string in its "normal" position sounded pretty weak and flabby, while the E string had more bite to its sound but felt too tight. But in their current positions, (E on the A-peg, and A on the E-peg) they sound much better. The A string feels much tighter now and sounds more direct with more bite, while the E feels much looser and sounds more sonorous with a nice low end. I've mentioned all this in my post above.

So basically, you can string your bass in the manner you described above; it will probably improve your sound overall. But I think the best way to decide if this is right way for you is to listen to your current setup and figure out which strings need improvement and how.

I find that a shorter after-length combined with a sharper angle where the string crosses the nut leads to a brighter sound that has more bite, as well as a tighter feel to the string. A longer after-length with a gentler angle leads to a more sonorous and richer sound, as well as a looser feel. However, a longer after-length can also lead to a weaker and flabbier sound, so be cautious about that.

[Anselm Hauke]

Originally Posted by davidseidel

A pro player here who is also a luthier was working in Paris a few months back and visited a shop where he found all the basses even the cheap ones sounded and played so well

i took the photo in paris, maybe it´s the same shop?

(but the bass in the pic didn´t sound that good to me)

[Matthew Tucker]

Originally Posted by davidseidel

He tried it when he got home and swears his bass sounds and plays better than it ever has. Haven't tried it myself - anyone else?

Has he also tried a compensating tailpiece? If on that bass it works at one end of the string, its probably going to work extending the afterlength at the other end ... and maybe easier to install and get used to tuning ...



Anselme, that's an interesting pegbox with its open back - don't see them very often. Also the spacing of the machines in two "pairs". Do you remember what bass that was? I've only see machines installed like that by another local maker.

[Anselm Hauke]

Originally Posted by Matthew Tucker

Anselme, that's an interesting pegbox with its open back - don't see them very often. Also the spacing of the machines in two "pairs". Do you remember what bass that was? I've only see machines installed like that by another local maker.

it was a vuillaume st. cecile. (at least that´s what the luthier said...)
i have some more pics if you´re interested

[Matthew Tucker]

Love to see more pics!

[Anselm Hauke]

ok matthew, here we go.

iirc the bass had on original string lenth of 98cm (38,5")
the luthier changed the neck, now it has 108cm (42,5")
i will not comment this, if you have your own opinion what a well proportioned bass is, well...

the sound was a little to harsh and bright for my taste.

i´m not sure if its a real vuillaume. although the st. ceciles were a kind of economyclass-instruments, this one seems to be too less accurate made, imho.

i am courious what ken (and arnold?) will say.