String Winding on Un-angled Heads

[Jamie]

So on my jazz bass when I play an open E, the part of string from the nut to the tuner vibrates and makes a not so pleasant noise. I can get rid of it by putting my finger on it past the nut. How do I get rid of this?

Cheers!

[PaulSimonon]

Try putting a hair scrunchie thing up there. Should act the same as it does when you're tapping, except it'll be behind the nut.

[Jamie]

Ahhh good idea! :D

I was thinking of trying rewinding the string but so it winds from bottom to top? So there is more of an angle than a straight line after the nut.. I'll try it when I get home tonight

[groundzero]

Look at the tuning post. The string should be wrapped around it starting at the top and going down toward the bottom. The string finishing at the bottom makes more of an angle and puts more pressure on the nut. If it's the other way around the string will finish the wraps at the top and not put enough pressure on the nut. I made this mistake the first time I restrung my Fender because I was used to my Schecter's angled headstock.


Bad
.___
|----------
|---| | |
|---| | |
-----------


Good
.___
|---|. ____
|---| /| |
|----- | |
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If it's still having problems you could try lower the action; that will put more pressure on the nut as well.

[blacklungfever]

My bass was doing that too a while ago. I rewinded the string so that it went from top to bottom, and now theres no more buzzing.

[PainKiller8191]

hey ground zero i have no idea what you're talking about could you make a clearer pic on MS paint

[MyFriendOfMisery]

He said the string should go from the bottom the tuner to the top of the nut. The string should stop at the top of the tuner.
tuner

II.../.II <----NUT
II./...II

not like this

II------II
II.......II

[Jamie]

Thanks very much Groundzero!! :D I shall go and try that out now :thumb: *reps*

EDIT: It was actually done like that before but the last owner cut the string quite short so there wasn't enough coils so it came out at the bottom so I rewound it like below and it worked fine! :)

|___|
|.../.|
|./...|
|----|

[Jamie]

Could a mod move this to either Luthiery or Resources section please :) I'm guessing resources section! And rename it appropriately please!

Cheers :D

[Wintermute]

Yes.

[Jamie]

Thanks :) But wouldn't it be un-angled headstocks? Because the lack of an angle causes the problem :thumb:

[Wintermute]

No.

[Jamie]

:p.

[Son of Magni]

You should always wind the string from top to bottom regardless of the headstock angle. This way you get the best break angle over the nut.

[Jamie]

Thanks :)

It turns out I already do it all the time anyway, just with this one it was cut quite short and wrapped close together near the top.. hence the problems I was having :)

[Peg Dizzler]

Is that why I see some sort of cloth/string wrapped around bass strings between the nut and the tuner? I've seen basses in music shops with that..

[Son of Magni]

Is that why I see some sort of cloth/string wrapped around bass strings between the nut and the tuner? I've seen basses in music shops with that..
I don't know, but de-wolfers are commonly used on violin family instruments. I don't know whether they can be effective on electric instruments though.

[EADG]

I use a scrunchie for tapping, as do most people.

[sunshineplaysbass]

I don't know, but de-wolfers are commonly used on violin family instruments. I don't know whether they can be effective on electric instruments though.

A de-wolfer, also known as a wolf elimanator, isn't cloth, it's metal, it's like a clamp that squeezes the string on the gap between the bridge and tailpiece.

Wolf Eliminator: https://www.sharmusic.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=2111C

That's a cello one.

[Son of Magni]

A de-wolfer, also known as a wolf elimanator, isn't cloth, it's metal, it's like a clamp that squeezes the string on the gap between the bridge and tailpiece.

Wolf Eliminator: https://www.sharmusic.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=2111C

That's a cello one.
Yeah, that's the kind I use on my cello. But there are others.

But if the piece of cloth we're talking about is a "scrunchie" then up past the nut is where you slide it to when you're not using it. I wasn't aware that music stores provided them on their instruments though.

[Peg Dizzler]

Oh no, it wasn't a de-wolfer. Although I've never heard of that before either, ya learn something new everyday... :)

It looked like some kind of string.. yarn.. something... wrapped around the strings in the space between the nut and tuner, on certain 4-strings. *shrug*

[Nipples]

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Hardware,_parts/Electric_guitar:_String_trees_retainers/Graph_Tech_String_Retainers.html

Id go for some of those, or something of the like, since those are for guitar.

[sunshineplaysbass]

Yeah, that's the kind I use on my cello. But there are others.

But if the piece of cloth we're talking about is a "scrunchie" then up past the nut is where you slide it to when you're not using it. I wasn't aware that music stores provided them on their instruments though.

Oh, i see what you mean. How long have you been playing cello for, i have been for 6 years, and i think it makes bass a whole lot easier, haha

[Son of Magni]

Oh, i see what you mean. How long have you been playing cello for, i have been for 6 years, and i think it makes bass a whole lot easier, haha
I played cello starting in 4th grade, and that was a long long time ago :eek:

I played in a local community orchestra for about 15 years until a few years ago when I decided to focus completely on bass. A couple weeks ago I tried playing my cello again, wow that is a hard instrument! It's hard to believe I was ever really competent on it. Probably if I practiced every day for a month I could play without driving people away :p

[sunshineplaysbass]

Haha, i've been since fourth grade too...but that isn't that long. I haven't been able to practice in ages though, i was fiddling with it and accidentally knocked the sound post out, and i've been told it isn't worth it to repair it, so i will be getting a new one soon. yay!

[hellonearth07]

does your bass have something that looks like a 'T' or a giant washer on a screw somewhere above the nut. Its a string retainer used on unangled headstocks and it creates a break angle between thta and the nut so u dont get string buzz up there AND so the string is actually seated in the nut

IF it does have one of these, it could be set to high, and if it doesnt have one i'd say get one immediately