How to Replace Your Bass Strings

Are your strings dirty? Broken? Or are you just tired of the way they sound? Don't pay for EXPENSIVE replacing charges at a guitar shop. Do It Yourself (DIY :)).


Things that you will need:

+New Bass strings(for me Fender Nylon Tapewounds)

+Wire Cutters

+Siccors (optional)

Step 1: Remove It!

Twist the tuning knob in a CLOCKWISE motion. Pull it out of the post.

Comments

[mrmerino]

I use the little dip in the foothole on my shoe.

[nerdzilla]

With standard bass strings, I think there are three windings needed around the post.

Also, when you have your strings off, it's a good idea to clean the fretboard of grime and dust, especially just under and above the frets. I'd also recommend getting some oil (from a music store, not just almond oil or something) and applying it to the neck so it doesn't dry out and crack on older basses.

Seymour-Duncan pickups r0xx0rz.

[mrmerino]

You can't use almond oil on a fretboard?

uh oh

[mrmerino]

Do you have nylon strings on an electric bass?

...dude.

[cody316]

PERFECT! me and you have the same guitar, this is gonna be so easy to follow! FENDER SQUIER JAZZ BASS!! WOOOO! FENDER FOR LIFE!

[JuCo]

guitar shops offer restringing? isn't that like calling a cable guy when your remote's batteries die?

[Azayles]

That's never a good idea. The Cable Guy ends up wanting to be a friend for life, and taking you to medieval jousting tournaments.

[poopsiedoopsie]

Cheap bass, but very awesome bass. I tried one out, the pups sound awesome.

[bughimnot]

:D

[ToxicPinkPoison]

It's actually a lot easier just to loosen off the strings and then cut them with your side cutters then it is to fight with pulling it out of the bridge :)

[bassmonkey]

you only have a squire??? how long have you been playing?

[Clayton H.]

Maby about 6 or so years. It's a squire because I'm only 14 and I paid for it all. That is why i got it. Probly Thinking about building my own. If I do it will be fretless, It will be 6 strings and it must be awsome, _{it was ment to be...}

[bassmonkey]

wow, i'm 12 and have a $657fender bass, and i paid for the whole thing!!!

[Clayton H.]

Well I'm cheap. Plus with a $60 Tune up conciting of planing/ radiusing the fingerboard it sounds quite nice, withut the black tapewounds just because there bas strings to begin with, badly wound.

[Clayton H.]

ohh yea... Then Mabey i'll sell this one.

[bassmonkey]

i didn't meen that personally, but i'm just saying, a new bass might do you well...

[Clayton H.]

I actualy just put my order in Yesterday for a Ergo 4 EUB. Should arive around the second week of June. I can't wait.

[bassmonkey]

ergo? never heard of it.

[Clayton H.]

http://www.planadmin.us/ergo/

[bassmonkey]

that thing looks kinda dumb.

[Clayton H.]

HEY!
Jesse hand builds each one on specila order and can take up to six weeks to recive. Also preaty much all EUB's at this price SUCK! and he makes his up to 8 Strings which is profound in the world of upright. Watch this fideo Now and then tell me what you think.

[bassmonkey]

WOW, cool your jets dude, all i said was it LOOKS kinda dumb, (which i stick by) and besides , I mean nothing against the dude, just think it could actually have a body...why don't you just get a REAL Fender?

[simcut]

I've probably been playing since before your parents were born and I can say with some confidence that these modern Indonesian Squiers are at least as good, if not better than your Mexican Fender. In my life I have owned and still do own some very expensive basses and guitars, some worth around $3,000, and while the quality of these Squiers is obviously not anywhere close they are still fantastic instruments. I would go as far as to say that unless people have nothing better to spend their money on then they should just stick with a Squier, assuming it plays well, at least until they have saved enough to buy an American Fender or better yet a Rickenbacker.

[simcut]

Oh and I am talking specifically about these 'modified' Squiers that cost maybe twice what some of the cheaper ones do. The cheaper ones are not good at all, although still light years ahead of the cheap guitars of my youth.

[Clayton H.]

Because REAL Fenders ar overrated. Everyone has one! Why not get a Alembic or a Rosco or someting uniqe? Not some Jazz bass that your neighbor has. Also the vass came into today but I cant open it because 1. My mom's away for vaca and she left me in crummy ohio while she's in hawaii. And 2. She might make me wait for my birthday which is in maby a month or so. It was planed to come in around my birthday but i guess he got it done fast.

[bassmonkey]

crumby ohio???!!! thats an oxi-moron ohio awsome, California is crumby!!

[Clayton H.]

pretty much any state you stay in for long periods of time starts to turn crumby like how in Ohio expecialy were I am I the state is relay crumby because the neiborhood "corinators" have so many stupid little ruls which every single one is something fun we can't do or can't have like fences or sheds.

[bassmonkey]

good point, but in California the economy REALLY sucks, and it's REALLY hilly, so bike rides (and everything else) become either work one way and relaxation the way back, or vise versa....

[Clayton H.]

I meen bass, not vass

[mrbob1000]

i want to learn to play bass. my friend plays a headless bass, it looks cool

[bassmonkey]

what's holding you back? it's easy! go onhttp://www.guitarcenter.com

[Clayton H.]

Like This?

Yea, i want one too...
_{or make one...}

[guitarman63mm]

I don't see why this is really necessary to be featured on the front page of instructables. . .as said before, it really is so blatantly obvious that you shouldn't even need to ask. Anyways, bass strings are expensive, that's why people boil them, rather than replace them outright. I paid $40 for a set a few weeks ago, but I'll make them last 6 months with the right conditioning and such.

[shammallamaman]

Try ebay... you can find great strings for under $10

[bassmonkey]

e bay? go to a music store and get flat wounds, they sound awsomes

[Klowd_13]

Well, there are people that don't know how to remove and replace on a Guitar/Bass... it isn't so Blatantly obvious to them. I didn't know how long to trim the tops until i read this instructable. Its helpful, thus far they put it into the Featured column on the Instructables Homepage. Also try comparing prices on Bass strings, i got a new set and had them replaced professionally at an Eckroth Music for about $30. Cheers, -John-

[guitarman63mm]

Point taken; regarding that there aren't people who know how. I just think that if you're at the intellect level to play an instrument, that you should be able to see where (I'll admit, back in the day I had to look up how to string a Floyd). There isn't a specified length, you just have to make sure it's not too short, as to slip through the peg. Otherwise it's preference. I do compare prices, but like I said, I planned to use them repeatedly, so it breaks even price-wise, when compared against changing sets twice. The tone argument is subjective, to each his own. Sorry for the original hostility guys, I was rather pissed off about botching an experiment up. I thought this 'ible would be geared to the same crowd that asks for "tabs" on youtube all the time. -Jimmy

[Clayton H.]

Well explained klowd. The strings that were replacing the old ones were $20 on musicians friend.

[Flumpkins]

I got my first Bass for christmas (Rogue LX200BL). Sounds awesome, but tis out of tune. Can you tell me the notes of the strings in order from thickest to thinnest?

[bassmonkey]

e, a, d, Google online bass tuner if you need help, or by a bass tuner for $5

[sexpistolsrule666]

EADG

[rollingstoner357]

e is your thickest and the closest one when your playing. a is below the e and the second thickest...d is the secound one from the bottom and your g string =] is the thinest and is on the farthest one away from ur head.....if u have any questions give me a message i have three basses a eppiphone a sx fretless and a fender jaguar

[Flumpkins]

K, thanks. How do you play a frettless anything? How do you know where which notes are where on the frettless board?

[rollingstoner357]

well you have to train your ear....i played upright for a little while and its all muscle memory and ear..you have to know when ur sharp and when ur flay and adjust your self around that..my first fretless had fret markers but my new fretless dose not and its still the same...keep playing bass. and when you get into *wanking* or slapping the bass im gonna make an instructable. keep rockin \m/

[Flumpkins]

Ohhh... kk

[MrCakes14]

I just thought it merited being said: That's a beautiful bass. Also, nice 'ible.

[Clayton H.]

Once you see some of the basses people make on Talkbass' Luthier's Corner then it starts makin' this bass look bad. like these:

[heyzuphowsitgoin]

Does your bass have an ebonal fingerboard? If it does, does it actually feel OK? I tried a squire fretless j bass out and did not like it, but it could have been that one.

[metal-matt]

who umm well... PAYS SOMEONE ELSE TO PUT THE STRINGS ON? jesus, i just asked my teacher to show me how, and ive done them myself ever since : ]

[Clayton H.]

and your point is?

[dogwi11hunt]

Not a bad instructable, but other than how to wrap a string around the post, most of the steps are givens. Should have included how to set the intonation for the strings. I know it took me 2 years of owning a bass before I even knew what the bridge adjustments were for.

[Sam the Wizer]

Intonation? Just play fretless.

[rollingstoner357]

ummmmmmmm achieving proper intonation on a fretless takes years.....its way harder on a fretless. fretless aint so easy as every one thinks.

[Sam the Wizer]

It took me less than a year after switching from fretted to fretless to achieve proper intonation. It's more a matter of developing your ear and being able to hear when your positioning is correct, then locking the correct positions into your muscle memory through repetition. I agree that fretless is more difficult, but ultimately more rewarding.

[rollingstoner357]

yeah fretless has its perks, but i like to slap, but fretless has that sound that just kicka$$

[LinuxH4x0r]

You can use the old strings like a wire saw.

[bob.smitty]

Or as a handy garrote...

[curbowman]

Hmmm... Fender Jazz Bass with no pickguard and a coated fretless fingerboard can only mean one thing: Jaco Pastorius fan!!

[Barbarianator]

Well, Jaco was a great bassist!

[Clayton H.]

That is not the reason i bought it. The real reason was that i wanted a fretless and this was $279.00! A STEAL!

[sexpistolsrule666]

i have a modified vintage fender jazz bass (fretless) from squire that was around 300 bucks.

[dchall8]

I got my daughter (now a freshman in HS) an upright bass last winter. This year she had to take it to class while the school basses were out being restrung. Her teacher told her that her bridge was on backwards and that she would have to take it in to the shop to be fixed. It is that "take it to the shop" mentality that causes people to doubt their abilities. We fixed it this morning in 20 minutes which included showing her each step of the way and then tuning it. This is a good Instructable. Thanks.

[GorillazMiko]

Yes. +5/5 stars.

[canida]

Nice detail, and gorgeous pictures.

[Rishnai]

Nicely done. Changing strings is on eof those "common sense" things that everyone assumes everyone else can do. Now those who don't can learn! P.S. I've been considering getting a nice fretless bass, probably used. I dunno if you got yours new or not, but how much did it cost?

[Clayton H.]

Musisians Friend has it and so doesGuitar Center. It is a Squier by Fender Vintage Modified Fretless Jazz Bass and it is $279.99 (plus shipping) and maybe a little cheaper if you pick it up at a Guitar Center

[Taxman]

If your strings haven't snapped, but are just starting to sound muddy and feel rusty, you can renew them by taking them off and boiling them in water for a while. It gets all the grease from your fingers and rust out of them, and they sound bright again.