Are Bass Strings Prone to Unwinding Themselves?

Bellycaster

I couldn't be more utterly bewildered and fucked off at the same time. I got a message saying my Bass was ready to collect but there was a problem with one of the new Strings..........from a set of Jim Dunlop Super Bright Nickel Wound Strings priced at £25.

I quote "One of the Strings Unwrapped itself off the Ball End"

Now, I'm not blaming the guy who has done the Bass, but what the fuck?  I've never had any Wound Guitar (6 String) string unwrap itself in 30 odd fucking years.

I mean, I couldn't have been more amazed if he'd said " All the Paint has fallen off your Bass"

How the fuck does a Bass String unwrap itself, these strings are fucking massive and thick.

What can I do with these strings? He wants to know if I want some others putting on that he's got. Can I get refunded from the shop I bought them from. I'm fucked if I just kiss £25 goodbye. I bought them in January with a view to just saving them until I wanted to change the strings.

I can't be doing with expensive pitfalls lurking round every fucking corner. How do I stop this happening again?

Cheers.

ICBM

It can happen. Strings are sometimes faulty.

I assume this is with a tech. If so get him to replace the bad string with the nearest equivalent and charge you for that, not the full set.

Bellycaster

ICBM said:

It can happen. Strings are sometimes faulty.

I assume this is with a tech. If so get him to replace the bad string with the nearest equivalent and charge you for that, not the full set.

Thanks, it is with a Tech and a good one at that.

I'd really like to know the odds of these faults. I'd be willing to bet it's never happened to most Bassists on here.

Do you think it might be something to do with a new bridge that's been put on it? It's had a Hi-Mass Bridge put on replacing the original Squier one.

I still would like my money back for these strings, they're faulty goods. People get refunded for other faulty goods. I don't see why Guitar Strings should be any different.

ICBM

Bellycaster said:

I'd really like to know the odds of these faults. I'd be willing to bet it's never happened to most Bassists on here.

Do you think it might be something to do with a new bridge that's been put on it? It's had a Hi-Mass Bridge put on replacing the original Squier one.

I can't remember how many as a proportion, but I've had a few as a tech - certainly not common at all though, I'm pretty sure it's much less than 1%. It could possibly be the bridge if there's a sharp edge on the string hole that's effectively cut the core where it wraps around the ball end - I would always check the broken string for any evidence of that, and the bridge if the break is there.

Bellycaster said:

I still would like my money back for these strings, they're faulty goods. People get refunded for other faulty goods. I don't see why Guitar Strings should be any different.

The only one I've ever had break in a set I bought personally was a Rotosound - back then, they used to individually serial number the packets, and I wrote to them (it was that long ago!) sending the broken string and the packet - they sent me a full set as a replacement.

I have no idea whether you would have any luck with Dunlop, or the shop you got them from - it's reasonably obvious if a string has been used for any length of time, so there shouldn't be much argument about it breaking when new.

fastonebaz

Whenever I've bought strings from amazon or ebay they've unwound at the ball end.  Whenever I buy from a genuine shop they don't.   Maybe he was being s stingy and bought fakes by accident. 

Bellycaster

fastonebaz said:

Whenever I've bought strings from amazon or ebay they've unwound at the ball end.  Whenever I buy from a genuine shop they don't.   Maybe he was being s stingy and bought fakes by accident. 

I bought the Bass Strings from Strings Direct. Interesting though that you pointed out the crappy ones from amazon and ebay. That's a definite no no for me.

fretmeister

It happens on roundcore strings when the installer doesn't know how to use roundcores.

But the Dunlops are hex. Probably a faulty string.

I've had maybe 10 faulty strings in 36 years of playing. Mostly just dead sounding from new. But I've had a couple unwind.

Funkfingers

ICBM said:

It could possibly be the bridge if there's a sharp edge on the string hole that's effectively cut the core where it wraps around the ball end.

I had this happen on the tailpiece of my Fender AVRI Jaguar. I took a round file to the offending string anchoring hole and revived the habit of soldering over the string end wraps as practiced by many Kahler Pro vibrato owners.

The Fender Hi-Mass bridge amounts to a Leo Quan BadAss II clone. The only place where it might have an edge sharp enough to damage a string is in the anchoring hole. The material from which the bridge is cast is softer than the steel in strings. If anything, the string ought to be abrading the bridge not the other way aroundd. 

Jeremiah

fretmeister said:

It happens on roundcore strings when the installer doesn't know how to use roundcores.

If it was happening for this reason, I would think it would be more likely to unwind at the tuning key end where the string was cut rather than the ball end.

ICBM

fretmeister said:

It happens on roundcore strings when the installer doesn't know how to use roundcores.

Something I forgot earlier that this somehow reminded me about...

It could still be bad installation - if the tech wrapped the string around the tuner post by hand - ie not by turning the key - without allowing the ball end to rotate. This is very bad practice, it causes a huge amount of stress on the string where it goes around the ball end - basically the string has been twisted by the same number of turns as are on the post.

You should always wind the string onto the post with the key, or if you’re in a hurry and you do wrap it by hand, make certain all the twist can release itself at the ball end before you tune the string up. (You need to pull the string back slightly so the ball is free to turn.)

fretmeister

I use one of these to speed it up.

https://musicstreet.co.uk/products/ernie-ball-power-peg-string-winder?variant=39603648561213&currency=GBP&cmp_id=19115428691&adg_id=&kwd=&device=c&gclid=Cj0KCQiAnNacBhDvARIsABnDa6-7NCUO6t_-p6cCr6SfP8xyb6shpwHaz-cyeLgvSygYybgon-GepuwaAjHjEALw_wcB

MikeDearing

I've had a brand new tomastik double bass string do it .. not good @ £50 a string !